Freelance writers everywhere have a certain income level they would like to reach. They may have a monthly goal and a yearly goal, and maybe even a long term goal that they would like to reach in five or ten years. Others have a minimum that they need to reach on a weekly or monthly basis to cover their bills and expenses. If you are struggling with your freelance writing career and want to find a way to earn more than just a living wage, there are some tips you can keep in mind that will help you make the money you really want to make:
Maintain a Pipeline. One of the key secrets to earning a good living as a freelance writer is to maintain a steady pipeline of work. How you do this will vary depending on what kind of writing projects you work on and how you best handle a schedule. However, in general, you want to plan out your work schedule for one to two weeks. Try to fill up your days as much as possible, and if you find that some days are lighter than others, you will want to either adjust your workload on certain days if possible to days that are closer to the present. Basically, you want to front-load your schedule as much as possible. Then take time to try to find work to fill up the lighter days or openings in your schedule. When you front-load your schedule, your next few days will generally be pretty full and you will allow yourself time to find new projects to work on in a few days. You will be able to fully work today to the maximum potential while also leaving time to work on projects that clients may approach you with later.
Watch The Pay. Many freelance writers are so busy that they pay little attention to the pay that certain assignments offer. They are simply so happy to have work to keep them busy that they fail to sit down and really analyze the pay that each assignment or project offers on an hourly basis. It is possible for many freelance writers to easily make between $20-$40/hour of work, if not quite a bit more in some cases. So you if you are accepting assignments that pay the equivalent of $10 or less per hour, you likely are overworked and underpaid. If this is the case, you may need to drop some of your lower paying assignments and fill your days with higher paying assignments. Most projects are not paid in terms of dollars per hour, so you will need to watch the clock as you complete your assignments and projects to determine the value each project presents to you.
Work For Peanuts. If you are really trying to make the most money possible as a freelance writer, you will want to spend your days working as much as possible, without working yourself to the bone of course. This means that you should make every effort to fill in any and every whole in your schedule so that you have very minimal downtime, if any at all. You will want to make an effort to fill your schedule with the highest paying assignments as possible, but in the event higher paying assignments are not possible, you may want to follow the philosophy that it is better to work for peanuts and have work to do than to sit around with no work to do and not making any money for a period of time. However, avoid accepting long term, lower paying assignments as they will keep you from taking on higher paying assignments when they are offered to you.
These are just a few tips to help you make more money as a freelance writer, and work your way towards the paycheck you really want to make.
