Enough Freelance work, to make it a career...

Although I make some decent $$ from freelancing, I couldn't support myself at it and at this point I don't really feel a need to. I have a counseling practice (mostly online...some in-person clients too) and am an online travel agent, so I can easily work my three jobs around each other. I get bored with doing the same thing all the time, so I love having other options that all fit together. I am also married, with a hubby who provides income and medical insurance...the insurance would probably be my biggest worry if I decided to take the plunge and freelance full time.

It sounds like you could find a good niche in technical writing and maybe do some freelance training on the side if you enjoy that sort of thing. That way you would have two related revenue sources. Also, I don't know if you're thinking of writing a book or just want to do magazine or corporate work, but check out the Friends of Ed titles as it sounds like you could write something like that.

Hi, All:

I support myself with my writing, but only slightly more than half my yearly writing income comes from freelance writing. I also have a full-time job, with a full-time salary and benefits, editing a trade magazine in Chicago. The publishers there knew about my freelance writing when they hired me, and I wouldn't take the job if they didn't let me freelance. I'm also fortunate in that I work from home four days a week, and my full-time employers only care that I deliver a quality product on time for them.

It can get tricky. This week, I had to travel to Cleveland for the full-time job, and that sucked up much of my freelance time. I do find that I'm fairly stressed at the end of every month, when my deadlines tend to collide with each other.

Still, it's a great arrangement. No complaints from me.

Dan
http://workfromhomecouple.today.com
http://indycomics.today.com
www.blogprorealty.com

My wife is a doctor so she makes the majority of the money. I'm just looking for a freelance career that will allow me to work on my books and freelancing does that. I am trying to find a steady freelance job. I found one that pays about $30 per article and gives you a minimum of 20 per month, more if you request. If you can land one of those jobs, you can likely make enough money to support yourself.

I think it's easier to make a full-time living as a writer if you do something like copywriting or if you switch to magazine/books after a good career with solid industry contacts. Otherwise, it is a steep jump.

Without solid business know-how, along with GREAT writing skills, a lot of people won't stand a chance. That's why it's important to be practical.

I always advocate dropping to a steady part-time job before quitting your day job. Do that and build business on the side and get industry experience first. If you're practical and take baby steps, it's not really a plunge at all--it's just a logical progression into freelancing full-time. First, you need to test the waters and see if you're good at writing AND running a business.

I think it is a steep mountain to climb, but if you just take one step at a time, you'll be halfway up before you know it!

I worked part-time until I had the guts to jump into freelancing full-time, and I'm not earning hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, but I can support myself comfortably. I think you have to be really disciplined in learning about freelance writing and actually applying what you know, and meticulous in your record keeping (submissions sent, invoices paid, etc).

It's hard sometimes, because there are dry patches, but if you develop multiple streams of income (e-zines, blogs, print magazines, even copywriting or ghostwriting (which I don't do)), then if one dries up, you can flow with the others until you re-build the stream.

I landed some work at MSN and Woman's Day when I made the decision to go full-time....I figured that if I wasn't putting in a full-time effort, I couldn't expect to earn full-time wages.

So far, so good!

Going full time writing requires building up a steady stream of customers while part time, it is not something you can do overnight or cold turkey. When my wife went full time she had a steady workload that she was balancing with a full time job. She knew if she quit her full time job she could take on more steady work in addition to one off's like feature articles and other one time paying jobs. After a few months everything is going well and at this point she is turning away work due to demand. So it is possible, just need to spend time building yourself up a steady customer base which can provide you consistent reliable jobs while always expanding!

I've answered something similar in another thread.

Going full time is certainly possible. I worked part time as a professor while I built up my freelancing--and now it is my full time job. I recommend the gradual approach. It takes a very long time to build this dream, but when you work at it, the payoff is fantastic.

I'm making more money freelancing now than I ever have before at any job in my life. You must be determined and tenacious. And you must continually strive to improve your writing.

As you get more work, you can drop other responsibilities. There will come a time where you'll need to decide that the time is right to make the leap. Try to get a steady diet of regular gigs first and build some fantastic clips. Once you get to a certain point in your career, the work will come to you. When you have more work than you can handle and you actually have to start turning some down, it's a great feeling!!

All the best to you!!!!

Working on doing just that.

I sold my first article over a year ago, for next to nothing. Since then I have worked steady at my writing while holding down a part-time job. Over the past several months my writing income has been approaching what a make in the workplace. However, the income is mainly derived from one source, so I keep my "normal" job.

Why I write!

Cate said:

You must be determined and tenacious. And you must continually strive to improve your writing.

Click to expand...

Hear, hear!

And let me add: you must be professional about it all.