The Best $0.99 You'll Ever Spend--and Six Surprising Things about my Freelance Career

[Want to know about the best $0.99 you'll ever spend? Scroll down to the bottom of this post.] Here's me from 10 years ago, in my old office in our old house; I had just gotten home from a speaking gig. (Please note the Diet Mountain Dew bottle close at hand at hand along with the general office disorganization behind me.) 

I've been thinking a lot about successful freelancers (including six-figure ones) and what sets them apart from writers who are equally talented (if not more talented!) than freelancers who struggle to meet their financial goals. 

One aspect of freelancing that I love is that there is no single path to success. I know successful writers who write books exclusively, and those who have never written a book, choosing to specialize in shorter forms. I know successful writers who specialize in corporate work and those who have no interest in doing it. Same goes for ghostwriting--I know successful writers who do lots of it (like me) and those who do none. I know successful writers whose primary income results from print assignments and those who all but ignore print work for online assignments. I know six-figure writers who have tens of thousands of Twitter followers and those who (gasp) don't even use social media--though I'm willing to bet they'll get on LinkedIn eventually.

My point? Your career is completely individual to you. Sure, you can emulate other writers, and adapt their business model if it works for you. But the bottom line is that the choices you make will determine how much money you make, and how pleased you are with freelancing over all. 

I'm pretty transparent when it comes to my career, whether I'm talking about money or contracts or how I run my business. Still, people have misconceptions about how I work, and what has helped me stay afloat in a demanding field for more than 16 years. Here are five things that may surprise you about my career: 

1. I suck at social media. Seriously. I know writers who get leads and even juicy assignments through Twitter and LinkedIn. Me? Not so much. Yes, I have a listing on LinkedIn, and I have Twitter (@kellyjamesenger) and Facebook accounts. But have I figured out how to make those work for me, freelancing-wise? Nope. It's on my to-do list, but I admit it's not a priority right now. 

2. I take work other writers wouldn't. I posted recently about an assignment I accepted that paid $400 for 650-700 words including photos. A few years ago, I may have just refused the assignment. But as I pointed out in my earlier post, I have solid reasons for saying yes, and since then I've received two more assignments from the market. The per-word rate is relatively low, but my per-hour rate is still close to $100/hour, which is what I try to average on assignments. I also just reached out to a potential reprint client that pays only $40/story. Hardly worth it, right? Well, if this market buys one story from me, that's $40 for about 15 minutes' worth of work. And if the market buys more than one story (which most of my reprint markets wind up doing), my ROI--and my hourly rate--just keeps climbing. 

3. I don't work full-time. I haven't for almost eight years. Today I work about 15 hours/week. I couldn't have done this at the outset of my career; it took me plenty of hours (think 40+) to research potential markets, send query letters and LOIs, and get my career off of the ground. Now that I do more ghostwriting (and typically have a book project on my desk at any given time), I spend less time marketing and more time writing for money--which is how you make money, after all. 

4. I'm lazy. (See number 3.) Well, no, not really. I'm a type A by nature and I like to work. I like to make money. I like making clients happy. I like the satisfaction of supporting myself (and my family) doing something I love, at least most of the time--and I love the freedom freelancing avails me. That means if I can do a pretty good job on a story in, say, five hours, or a stellar job in eight hours, I'll opt for the former. (Shhh...don't tell my clients.) That doesn't mean I don't care about doing good work. I do. But I've found in almost every case, "pretty good" is good enough. That makes me less perfectionistic, more productive (and less stressed) writer. 

5. I'm an extrovert. If you've met me in person, you know this already. One of the most challenging aspects of freelancing for me has always been the isolation. I "reboot" around other people, especially those who make me laugh. Yeah, I go on Facebook but online relationships aren't enough for me. I need IRL friends (both writers and non-writers) to feel connected, stable, and happy. So I've learned to incorporate socializing into my day. No, I won't burn my work hours to get together with a girlfriend, but I'll happily drag my three-year-old along to lunch with a fellow freelancer (or better yet, host at home) or meet up for drinks after work. That's what recharges me and makes me excited about my life--including my career--again. 

6. I have worn the same outfit to the ASJA annual conference no less than five times, over the course of as many years. It's a pair of flat-black pants and a bright pink blouse in a weird polyester fabric that is both flattering and comfortable. One year another writer saw me and complimented me on it. "That is a great color!" she said. I thanked her. The next year, I ran into her again, and we said hello. I saw her look at my shirt, and I laughed. "Yes, it's the same shirt!" The next year, I saw her again...and yes, I was wearing the same shirt. "Same shirt!" I said, pointing. She seemed a little worried by my lack of wardrobe (I hate to shop) but I thought it was hilarious, and vowed to continue wearing the shirt. And I have! So make sure you compliment me if you see me wearing it. :) (And note the shirt in the photo above!) 

Readers, what about you? What about your freelancing career would surprise others in our field? Please share below! :) 

***Yes, it's time for another special offer for my readers. That's where the $0.99 special offer comes in--for a limited time, three of my most popular ebooks on Kindle are priced at only $0.99! For a limited time, you can buy any of these books for less than a buck!: 

• Dollars and Deadlines' 10 Most Popular, Proven Ways to Make Money as a Freelance Writer
• Dollars and Deadlines' Guide to Selling Your First Article
• Dollars and Deadlines' 10 Essential Freelance Templates 

And if you're ready for the whole kit and kaboodle, check out my full-length books, Dollars and Deadlines: Make Money Writing Articles for Print and Online Markets and Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer's Guide to Making More Money, second edition. If you prefer print (like I do), order directly from ImprovisePress.com. Use the discount code, IMPROVISEPRESS (all caps/no breaks) for 20 percent off of your order!

New to Freelancing? Go from Unpublished to Published--and Paid

I've been a full-time freelancer for more than 16+ years, and have been writing about making money as a writer for almost as long. I've taught magazine-writing and led freelancing workshops at several dozen writers' conferences over the last decade. And I've found that what students find most helpful is when I take them through the entire process of pitching, researching, and writing an article. I also use actual examples of query letters, follow-up letters, and articles so new writers have templates to follow. And I do the same thing here on my blog!

That's why I'm excited to announce the Kindle version of Dollars and Deadlines: Make Money Writing Articles for Print and Online Markets. (The print version will be available soon from Improvise Press, which publishes books for creative people who want to profit from their passions.) 

This book is limited to one topic--freelancing for print and online markets. New and inexperienced writers have questions like: 

• How do I come up with ideas?
• How do I get my first assignments? 
• How do I write a query letter?
• How do I find sources? 
• What do I say when I contact a potential source?
• What kinds of contract provisions should I be concerned about? 
• How do I negotiate a better contract? 
• What do I need to know about copyright?
• How should I format my article to turn it in?
• What's fact-checking, and how do I provide that material to my editor?
• How can I make more money as a freelancer? 

You'll find all the answers to these questions, and many more in Dollars and Deadlines: Make Money Writing Articles for Print and Online Markets. I'll also walk you through a dozen actual articles, showing you how I pitched, researched, and wrote each one. With this ebook, you'll have everything you need to get started writing for money. 

And if you're a more experienced writer, good news for you, too--coming soon is the second, updated edition of the classic, Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer's Guide to Making More Money!   

2012 Freelance Income Survey Results--The News is Good

First, thanks so much to the 171 freelancers who have participated in this year's Freelance Income Survey. (Click here for the 2011 survey results and the 2010 survey results.)


In short, the results are promising. Out of the 171 respondents, more than two-thirds (69 percent!) made more money in 2011 than 2010, and 12 precent made about the same amount.


And how much money is that? In 2011, our full-time freelancers grossed the following amounts:

• 16.96 percent made less than $20,000
• 22.81 percent made between $20,000 and $39,999
• 16.37 percent made between $40,000 and $59,999 (including me)
• 15.79 percent made between $60,000 and $79,999
• 12.87 percent made between $80,000 and $99,999
• 15.20 percent broke the six-figure mark, making more than $100,000. 

Breaking those numbers down, more than one-quarter (28 percent) of full-time freelancers made more than $80,000 last year, and a full 43 percent made more than $60,000. That's pretty awesome news, especially compared to the 2011 survey which asked freelancers about their 2010 income:  

• 27 percent made less than $20,000
• 23 percent made between $20,000 and $39,999 
• 22 percent made between $40,000 and $59,999 
• 14 percent made between $60,000 and $79,999 
• 7 percent made between $80,000 and $99,999 
• 7 percent made more than $100,000 

So, overall, freelancers (at least the ones responding to my survey) are making more money. That's great news! Next up, I'll share what kinds of work freelancers are doing, and which types are the most lucrative. 


***Are you a full-time freelancer who's constantly pestered by people who want to know how to get started in the business? (I know I am!) :) Or are you a new to freelancing, and want to make the jump from unpublished newbie to published writer? Check out my new ebooks, Dollars and Deadlines' Guide to: Selling your First Article and Dollars and Deadlines' 10 Essential Freelance Templates. Each is designed for writers who are new to freelancing, and will help you transition from unpublished to published writer.  

You're Doing it Wrong (and How to do it Right the First Time)

Ever seen the movie Mr. Mom? (Yeah, I'm dating myself but it still makes me laugh.) There's a scene where Michael Keaton (a/k/a Mr. Mom) is dropping his older son off at school for the first time, and isn't following the correct drop-off procedure. From the backseat, his son cries, "Dad, you're doing it wrong!" Keaton ignores him, muttering, "Don't tell me I'm doing it wrong. I know how to do it."

Finally, another parent waves him down. Keaton rolls down his window only to have her tell him, "You're doing it wrong."(For the record, he's driving the opposite direction he should be. So yeah, he's doing it wrong.)

When I teach article writing, lead a Webinar, or speak at a writers' conference, I caution writers about doing it wrong. I want you to do it right. And if you're a new freelancer who wants to sell an article to an online or print market, that means pitching an idea you're uniquely qualified to write. Over the years, I've developed a simple, but effective 10-step process to help new writers sell their first articles. Now my new ebook that includes it, Dollars and Deadlines' Guide to Selling your First Article, is available through Kindle.

Experienced writers, this ebook isn't for you--although it's perfect for those friends and family members pestering you for advice about getting published. If you're new to the freelancing world, though, or want to finally see your byline in print or pixels--and get paid for it--this is the ebook you need. It includes print and online market resources, tips on coming up with compelling ideas, sample queries, and advice on researching your article--in short, everything you need to sell your first piece.    

This ebook is only the first of a series of titles I'm working on. Look for more coming soon, including one on book publishing myths (and the truth behind them), and one on making more money from the same work.

So, readers, please spread the word about my ebook, and let me know what you think of it. And let me ask you--what topics would you like to see covered in an ebook? I'm listening--or rather, reading. :)