Will Taking a Low Paying Freelance Writing Job Hurt Your Career?

I spotted a thread on a discussion forum in my online travels recently that caught my eye. The subject was whether taking a freelance writing job that pays at an entry-level rate is a good idea or if doing so will hurt your career.

I have always been of the opinion that it’s better to be working than not doing so. My family enjoys eating and living indoors, so that’s a prime motivator for keeping busy. Simply because someone takes on a project that pays lower than they would normally accept doesn’t mean that they have done the one thing that is going to mess up their entire career.

I’ve never had someone who has hired me ask how much I charge other clients for my work. I don’t discuss my clients with each other, and I consider that the work that I do for them is confidential. In some cases, I have been asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement that prohibit me from discussing anything about the work that I do and my rates.

When someone is looking to hire a writer, I doubt they have time to follow up with the candidate’s previous clients to find out how much they were charged for their work. A client cares about getting their own work done. Period.

In the brick and mortar world, people generally start their working careers in entry-level positions. Over time as they get more experience, they move onto more lucrative work. The same thing happens for freelance writers. Taking an entry-level gig means you get some experience and some green in your pocket. During times when more lucrative work is lean, taking on something at the low end of your acceptable pay scale keeps your skills sharp and some money coming in.

If you are concerned about your lower-paying gigs appearing on your resume, do some editing. You don’t have to list each client you have ever worked for if you choose not to.

Getting back to the original question, I don’t think that you can hurt your career by taking a certain gig. If the subject about rates you used to charge ever comes up, you can explain that you have gained some experience and honed your skills since that point and now you charge $X.

What do you think? Can taking a low paying freelance writing job mean the Kiss of Death for your career?

The Freelance Writing World: Big Enough for Everyone

I consider myself to be a feminist, and have been since the ’70s. Not in the “women of the world unite; all men are evil” way, though. I like and respect men, and I think that gender shouldn’t be the reason why girls and women shouldn’t be able to define success in any way that they choose.

When it comes to the world of freelance writing and writers, I don’t think there is any “one size fits all” definition of success. When I started writing, I thought it would be wonderful if I could make enough money to buy groceries every week and help out with some bills. I achieved that first goal and much more, and now I get to work full time doing something that I actually love.

To my mind, there should be enough room in the freelance writing world for people who want to dabble in writing to earn a few extra dollars here and there, as well as those who want to (or have already achieved) a six-figure career. No choice is better than the other; they are just different.

Some people used to state that because women now have more opportunities that we should all climb on the high-powered career bandwagon and doing anything else is letting all of our sisters down. That wasn’t true then and it isn’t true now. Feminism should be about choices for women, even if we choose something different for ourselves.

How does this relate to freelance writing? Freelancing also offers choices. I say let’s throw the doors wide open and look at all the choices and the possibilities that the choice to freelance gives us. I, for one, love to hear about the kind of work my fellow freelancers do. It inspires me to broaden my own horizons and apply for gigs that I may not have considered before.

In much the same way that a symphony won’t sound right if everyone is playing the same instrument, there is room in the freelancing world for all of us, no matter what kind of work we choose to do. Everyone is invited to the party, and everyone is welcome.

Overcoming Your Freelance Handicaps

My New Oxford American Dictionary defines “handicap” as follows: “a circumstance that makes progress or success difficult.” When it comes to finding work or completing our assignments, freelance or otherwise, we all have them. It could be a fear of rejection that keeps us from applying for a freelance writing gig or making a pitch to someone we really want to work with. The barriers may be due to a health condition, family responsibilities, or a lack of support from our nearest and dearest.

In no way am I suggesting that we should all dump our respective baggage and find a desert island somewhere so that we can write in peace and amass huge fortunes. (Besides, if you’re on a desert island, why would you need money?) I’m just saying that we all have areas of strength and things that make it more challenging, but that doesn’t mean that anyone should give up on their dream of finding freelance writing work if that’s what they want to do.

I’ll use myself as an example. I’m not the fastest typist on the planet. Back when dinosaurs ruled the earth and I was in high school, we took a battery of career aptitude tests. When I got my results, I was very surprised to find that I scored high in the area of Communications (I was struggling to keep a B average in English). The portion that I scored the lowest on was….Clerical Ability.

Fast forward a number of years and I decided to go back to school. My career choice at the time was governed by what course can I take where I would be virtually guaranteed a job on graduation. There was a big demand for Legal Assistants at the time and I was interested in law, so I signed up. I did well, except when it was time to learn how to type. No matter who often I practiced, when I heard the word “Begin” to do a typing test, I was all thumbs. I came in just under the minimum speed requirement to advance to the second year and one of my teachers adjusted my mark down by a grade but decided to let me pass so that I could complete my program.

I did get a job after graduation, and I know that if the hiring decision was made solely on typing speed, that I wouldn’t have been able to find work. I also live with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, which means that some days I’m quite uncomfortable when I’m working.

When it comes to freelance writing jobs, my clients don’t care how fast I’m typing. They care about getting clean work submitted, on time. When I’m quoting for jobs, I prefer to do so by the word instead of by the hour. That way, the client pays for results, not the fact that it takes me a little longer to produce copy than someone who is more gifted in this area.

We all have things that make it difficult to reach our goals, in freelance writing and otherwise. They don’t have to make it impossible.

What kinds of things do you find especially challenging about freelance writing work? How have you overcome your own handicaps?

Stand Up To Your Inner Bully

Bullying is not limited to the schoolyard, unfortunately. Even though I am way past the age when I would be going out for recess, I still get bullied. No, I’m not talking about people who use keyboard courage to say something snarky. The worst bully I know is…me.

We all have an inner dialogue and there are times when mine is particularly nasty. It tells me things that I would never say to another living person. What does my inner bully have to do with finding freelance writing jobs? Well, it used to prevent me from applying for certain gigs or talking to a potential client that I was interested in working with.

If you have ever taken yourself out of the running for an opportunity you wanted to pursue because you decided that you weren’t good enough, that your writing abilities weren’t up to scratch, or that the client will probably say no anyway so what’s the point, then you were the victim of your own inner bully. Yes, I fully appreciate the irony that I used to troll for job leads here at FWJ but rarely applied for anything because of my negative internal dialogue. I had a small group of clients that I was working with and I was kept busy, but I wasn’t really going after new opportunities.

What changed? I decided to start treating myself the way that I try to treat others. If I wouldn’t verbally beat up on another person, I wasn’t going to accept that in myself. I started off by stopping myself if the insecurity started to get the better of me. Then I started applying for gigs that I was interested in that I felt I was qualified for. I didn’t get everything that I applied for, but I was able to work with some new clients and add some more experience to my resume.

The trick in taming your inner bully is similar to dealing with a person who resorts to this kind of behavior. You stop listening to what the bully has to say and you take action to remedy the situation. Have you been troubled by an inner bully? How did you deal with it?

Let Go of Your Fear of Getting Fired

Stop being afraid you’re going to get fired. When you are freelancing, you are working for yourself. The only person who can fire you is….you.

The relationship between yourself and a client is not the same one that exists between and employer and an employee. When you are dealing with a client, you are an independent businessperson and – dare I say it – your client’s equal.

When you are an equal, you negotiate terms instead of asking your boss for permission to do something. A client can’t take your job away from you like a boss can. If things aren’t working out, they can choose not to work with you anymore. The flip side to that idea is that you can also choose to tell the client that you won’t be available for any more assignments. Being a freelancer gives you that flexibility – you are “free” to take on an assignment or pass on it.

I think that sometimes we can get so concerned about not meeting the client’s expectations and losing the client that it gets in the way of our doing our best work. I know I’ve made mistakes in my work sometimes where I’ve missed something and turned in something that was other than what the client wanted. When it happens, I offer to make it right. There have been a few times where the client has decided to go elsewhere, and they certainly had every right to do so.

Now I focus on trying to keep my clients happy and give them what they want, as opposed to being worried about “one mistake and you’re out.” I can’t control what someone else decides to do, but I can let go of my fear of being “fired” and focus on working “with” and not “for” my clients.

Rejection: A Fact of Freelance Writing Life

No one likes hearing the word “No” when they are looking for work, and freelance writers are no exception. Part of doing this kind of work means that you are constantly talking to potential clients about your services, and you won’t get hired every time you answer an ad, submit a query, or send a pitch to someone you are interested in working with. Dealing with rejection is not always easy, and there are times when it can be very disappointing when you don’t get a gig that you felt you were a good fit for.

I have heard other people state that you need a thick skin if you are going to last in this business, but I don’t agree. I don’t know where I was when the thick skins were being handed out, but I don’t have one. It’s OK to let yourself feel disappointed if you don’t get hired, but…I’ve learned that it’s important to move on to the next item on your marketing list quickly.

Taking some kind of positive action to help your business grow means that you are less tempted to let a rejection discourage you from continuing in your efforts to get work. If you were looking for a job in the 9-5 cubicle world, you would probably apply for numerous jobs before getting hired, and it’s the same thing in the freelance writing world.

It’s Not You….

When you apply for something and you don’t get it, the rejection doesn’t mean that you aren’t good at what you do or that no one will ever hire you again. The word “No” is not meant to reject you personally. It just means that this potential client didn’t choose to work with you this time. That’s all.

If I get a response and the answer is “No,” I take the time to thank the person for letting me know and for having considered me. I let them know that they should feel free to get in touch if their needs change in the future. And then I move on and find something that will be a better fit for both parties.

How do you handle rejection?

BookRix: Social Networking for Writers

If you are looking for a new way to promote your work, you may want to visit Bookrix.com. This site was launched in the U.S. in December and now has an estimated 10,000 members. BookRix is a free resource where writers can upload content and have it published online in an ebook format – free of charge.

If you don’t have a web site and are looking for a way to display your writing samples, consider putting them up at BookRix. The site’s ViewRix technology prevents your work from being copied, and you retain all rights to it. BookRix allows members to create a profile page as well. You can upload images, videos, or start a blog. Visitors to the site can check out other writers’ work and write a review, if they are so inclined.

You can get more information about BookRix by visiting the web site or checking out the interview posted on LoveToKnow.com’s Freelance Writing channel.

When is the Right Time to Become a Freelance Writer?

I admit that I lurk around on various message boards and the discussion that I see get me thinking. I’ve been following one discussion about when it’s a good time to launch a career as a freelance writer. These options have been suggested, and both of them have valid points:

• Save up enough money until you have several months’ worth of expenses and go full time.
• Start part time while working in a “day” job and build up a good client base and ease into freelancing.

The idea here is to have some kind of a “fall back” position in case the whole freelancing thing doesn’t work out. I fully appreciate this idea, but there is something to be said for going full tilt and not worrying about the bridges you leave behind. If you are good at your craft and you look after your clients well, you won’t need them.

I must take exception to the idea that “security” comes from working for someone else. It doesn’t. Really. If you are an employee, your employer has the power to decide that your services are no longer required at any time. If the company needs to make cuts, your job may be affected, no matter how well you did your job. Where is the security in that?

If you want to be a writer, then be one. There is no better time than right now to get started. The freelancing has room for people who want to work at all different levels, from those who rely on the income to put food on the table to those who use their earnings to save for something special that they want. If you are waiting for the exact, risk-free time to launch your career, you will be waiting for a long time. It’s not going to happen.

And if you are holding back because you don’t have faith in your abilities, I found a great quote that covers that point too:

“The greater the artist, the greater the doubt; perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize.” (Robert Hughes, Time)

Now is the time. We can’t live in the past, because it’s gone. We don’t know what the future will bring (unless you have a crystal ball that works…I don’t). All we have is the present, so make the most of it and go after what you really want.

Would You Work for a Content Provider Company?

Before I continue with this post, I want to clarify that when I am talking about content provider companies, I mean those that pay a half-decent rate, not $1.00 for 500 words. I’ve worked for content providers, and I think there are some positive aspects to working for them.

• Steady Work

Since their business is providing content for site owners, these companies can probably supply you with work on a regular basis. You don’t need to find the work – the company looks after that aspect of it.

• Exposure to Several Topics

When you are just starting out or you don’t have a specific niche that you write about, why not become a generalist? Working for a content provider means that you have the opportunity to write about a variety of topics, all of which you can add to your resume under “experience.” Not a bad thing at all.

• Opportunity to Get Experience in New Areas

The content providers I have worked for were responsible for giving me the chance to write my first autoresponder series, e-book, sales letter, squeeze pages, and product descriptions. All of these were good experiences and are services that I can offer to clients, if need be.

• Regular Pay

A content provider company will pay you on a regular schedule, whether they have been paid by their client or not. You know when and how much you are going to be paid when you accept an assignment.

The drawback to working for a content provider company is that you would make more money if you found the clients yourself. Not everyone is willing or able to be continuously pitching new clients, negotiating fees, and dealing with receivables they don’t get paid promptly. The freelance writing world should be big enough to include this type of working relationship as a viable option for writers.

What do you think? Would you work for a content provider if the pay was something you could live with, or are writers better off finding their clients on their own?

The “Bread and Butter” Client

There are some clients you can usually count on to keep you supplied with a steady stream of work. I call them “bread and butter” clients.

The work can vary, depending on what the client has available, and if you develop good relationships with a few of them, you can avoid a lot of the “feast or famine” times that seem to be a part of so many freelance writer’s lives.

The Trade Off

I have a few bread and butter clients that I’ve been working with for awhile now, and the arrangment works out pretty well. I know that I can probably get a certain amount of work from them each month, and hopefully I can fill in gaps in my schedule with other project work. I find that being hired for a specific project only tends to pay a bit better, but the work flow varies.

The trade off comes in the form of choosing steady work at a slightly lower rate of pay versus the uncertainty of project work that pays better. I like to have a combination of the two,and I don’t have a problem with taking on something that will keep me working on a regular basis.

If you could choose the kinds of clients that you would prefer to work with, would you stick to the bread and butter variety, or do you want to go after more lucrative projects that may be harder to land? Or does having a mix of both kinds make more sense to you?

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