Our
next event will be this week
at Indigo Blue on 9th November. The
topic will be 'Having established demand and support for our product what else
should we do to ensure commercial viability?" We hope to see you there!
The
first rule of freelance writing is to write.
This might seem obvious but a lot of writers wait to be employed or commissioned
before starting to produce work. A freelance journalist will pitch a story to a
newspaper, why not pitch your ideas to the companies you want to freelance for?
You’ll need a portfolio for examples – no one is going to want to employ you
without seeing some of your work first – so start your own blog or submit
pieces to literary magazines. Try writing for local newspapers or pitching
ideas to magazines.
The
second rule is to keep records. Know
what you’ve written, who you wrote it for, how long it took and how much you
were paid. This helps with taxes and deciding how much to charge as your hourly
rate. Getting paid is usually something of a negotiation with each individual
employer so come prepared and don’t be afraid to ask for more than you think
you can get.
Decide what kind of writer you want to be. Let
people know who you are and what you can do for them. Know what your limits are
but don’t be afraid to push them for an interesting project or important commission.
If you want to do something that’s outside your wheelhouse, do it but make sure
that you can finish the job. If you need to learn new skills, then learn new
skills. But if you need to say no, that’s okay too.
For
people to consider hiring you for a project, they need to be sure that of what
it is that you will provide for them. If you can present them with a smart and
snappy overview of your skills and interests, they will be a lot more likely to
give you the job.
Don’t
be afraid to put yourself out there.
You can’t wait for the work to come to you. Faith in your own abilities is
crucial in freelance work of any kind. Freelancers are expected to go out and
look for work, to pitch their ideas to companies who are looking for project
workers, and to even create and run their own businesses. To do all those things
effectively, you must be able to sell yourself as someone who can add value to
their business/project and who has skills they cannot access elsewhere.
Top Tips
1.
Check your spelling and grammar. Then check again.
2. Try
out a few word processors. Get to know what works for you and what doesn’t. Is
there a platform out there that does everything you want it to?
3. Learn
about Creative Commons licenses or take a short course in photography to learn
how to take your own high quality images. Good photography can make or break
even a well written blog post or article. Most publications are more likely to
accept pitches that come with their own images.
4. Write,
write, write.
5. Build
a portfolio that’s easy to access, preferably online.
Please
comment below with your own thoughts about freelance writing. What has and
hasn't worked for you? We always love to hear from you!
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