Do you love to write? Do you fill your spare moments scribbling in notebooks or journals? Tapping away at your laptop? Did you know that there is a high demand for freelance writers?
This article discusses whether freelance writing is dead. It concludes that the demand for freelance writers is still high. Good freelancers willing to build skills and relationships can find plenty of work.
Having your own freelance writing biz means you get to decide how much work you are willing to take on, what your rates will be, and when you will work on your assignments. This is why freelance writing is truly great for stay-at-home moms who love to write.
The Demand for Freelance Writers Means You Can Set Your Own Rates
If you're a parent, you probably don't have a lot of free time. As a freelance writer, you decide how much your time is worth. While you can certainly work for pennies with content mills, you don’t have to. There are many freelance writing jobs that pay well and provide stable income. There are even companies that save you time while searching. Contena and ClearVoice, for example, will contact you when a job meets your criteria of topic and pay rate.
You decide whether to charge by the word, hour, or project. However, it's usually most lucrative to charge by the project. Per-hour rates penalize faster writers. By charging per project, you can work in between nap times , household chores, or whenever it fits your life. Just remember to take into account the fact that you will have to pay your own taxes.
Since you are setting your own rates, and there is a great demand for freelance writers, you can raise them whenever you wish. The more freelancing you do, the more experienced you become. In the 9-5 world, you might have to wait for a set time or ask for a raise. More, you might not be paid in accordance with your gained experience. In the freelancing world, you just tell your new clients what your rates are. You alone decide when you're worth a raise. The only exception to this is recurring clients, who might not want to pay your new rates. If you're firm on the amount, it may be time to find new clients. Remember, you are in demand as a freelance writer!
The More You Work, The More You Make
The more projects you take on, the more you make. But you don't always have to go for the top end of what you can manage. For instance, if you know life at home is going to be crazy, you can scale back and take on less work. It's up to you how much or little you work.
More clients can mean better “job security.” If you lose a client or choose not to work with someone any longer, you lose income. With multiple clients, you're still earning money while you replace the client you lost. The more streams of income you have, the better off and more secure you’ll be as a freelancer. So even if you have one amazing client that provides you with a lot of work, it's often good to keep pitching prospective clients. Remember, more clients equals more money and more security.
You Choose When to Write and Who to Write For
Unlike some other work from home jobs, as a freelance writer, you can work whenever you want. As long as you submit your work to the client by the deadline, you're fine. Some days you may be able to work for a few hours straight. Other days it may be 5-10 minutes here to draft an outline, 10 minutes there to draft the first paragraph and so on until you finish your assignment.
The only schedules you really have to abide by are your deadlines. If you do the work on time, your clients usually won't care when you are actually writing.
With some projects, you might be able to set your own deadlines. Depending on the client, you might be able to tell them the date you can submit the piece. This means you can determine how long it will take, and add a cushion in case something unexpected comes up.
Every client is different. Remember that you get to choose which clients you are willing to work with. So if you do a project and don’t enjoy the work or the client, you can let them go. You'll be able to find others that fit you better.
You don’t have to work on finding clients on a 9-5 schedule. If a project or potential client interests you, you can submit a pitch at virtually any time. There's even technology that lets you draft the pitch and have it automatically sent later.
How Can You Learn to Answer the Demand for Freelance Writers?
Here at Anywhere and Anytime Careers, we recommend two programs that can help you learn to be a freelance writer.
The FullyBookedVA program has a course for virtual assistants who'd like to offer freelance writing services.
This program also provides hot leads looking for writers and VAs.
If you're ready to go all-in and become THE freelance writer with all the skills, Freelance University has an entire section dedicated to it (content marketing, blog writing, SEO, content repurposing, copywriting, and email writing…just to name a few).
Writers are just one of the big time-consuming jobs that clients are dying to hire out. Both of these options include other great freelance skills you can learn.
Even better, both have job boards to give you access to hot leads that let you find new clients easily.
Ready to Answer the Demand for Freelance Writers?
No matter what type of writing you do or when you do it, there is a way for you to answer the demand for freelance writers. If you love to write, this can be the perfect way for a work-from-home mom (or dad!) to earn a stable income.
Do you have a flair or interest in writing? Do you have any questions about freelance writing? Are you already meeting the demand for freelance writers? Can you share your experiences?
