When I’m not blogging or baking brownies or doing laundry or fixing supper for my man, I’m writing. Freelance writing to be exact. I’ve been a freelance writer for a couple years now. I’ve worked with magazines, colleges, newspapers, and the like. Currently, I am freelance writing for a newspaper — in charge of their features section every week — and a quarterly magazine.
When I tell people I’m a freelance writer, usually everyone thinks it’s so cool. And that’s because it is. I get to work from home, make my own schedule, use my degree, and do the thing I love doing — write — all the while getting paid and getting that awesome feeling of seeing your byline in print.
If you are curious about becoming a freelance writer, I’ve made a list of the things you need to be a successful freelancer.
9 Things You Need to Be a Freelance Writer
1. Phone
I’m sure everyone has one of these by now. A cell phone in particular is important. I do most of my interviews over the phone because it’s easiest for me and what I like most. You need a good working cell phone so you can make those calls (and there will be a lot of them) You don’t want to worry about whether or not you can hear the person on the other end. I always conduct my interviews on speakerphone so I can type their responses, take notes, and record the phone conversation, which brings us to #2.
I always record my phone interviews or face-to-face interviews. Some people just talk faster than others, or if I suddenly get distracted and don’t type exactly what they say I don’t have to worry. Everything is recorded so that I can go back and transcribe anything I need to. A voice recorder really helps if you have to cover an event and don’t have time to take notes or pull out your laptop when doing quick interviews. A recorder is also nice to have if someone ever comes back to say you misquoted them. I use something very similar to this CredDeal Portable 4GB Flash MP3 Digital Voice Recorder
3. Computer
I type all of my interviews out and take notes on my computer. I also write all my stories on the computer. As a freelance writer, you will most likely email all of your stories to your editor — another reason a computer is a must. I also like working on a computer because I can quickly look something up if I need to do a little more research on a topic. I use an Apple MacBook Air.
4. Planner
If you have more than one freelance job at a time, a planner is a must. This is how I keep myself organized. I can write down my deadlines, my to-do lists, my interview schedules, staff meeting times, and more. I also write down all of my articles and whether I’ve sent an invoice or gotten paid yet. It’s very important to keep track of that so you aren’t doing work for free.
5. Rates
Speaking of doing work for free — don’t. If you want to be a professional and be taken seriously, you must be paid for your work. I really don’t understand why anyone would want to work without getting paid anyways. As a freelance writer, you will need to set your payment rates. You can do it by hour, by word count, or by project.
It’s up to you and you should set your rates based on your experience. If you are a skilled freelance writer who’s well-known, set your rates high. If you are just starting out and don’t have much experience, set your rates lower and work your way up. Sometimes, though, businesses will have their own rates. You can negotiate and find a payment that works for you both. My rates are based on word count. However, with a job I’m working at now, we negotiated and I am being paid per project each week. You may want to read my post on how to determine your freelance rates.
6. Resume
Most people have one of these, but if you don’t you’ve got to make one. Resumes are what get you the job in most cases. If you want to find freelance work, you’ve got to send your resume out to several places (be sure to include a cover letter!). Be sure to list your education, any experience you have, skills you have, and your references (including their contact info).
7. Writing Skills
This one is obvious. But to be a successful freelance writer, you need to know how to spell, use grammar properly, write a real sentence (not a run-on or fragment sentence) and be able to string the sentences together cohesively. You need to know how to transition into new paragraphs. You need to know how to write for different publications — magazines, newspapers, press releases, and more. They each have their own styles. Speaking of style, most places want AP style. It looks very good if you know AP style. Definitely get your hands on an AP Style Guide.
8. Patience and Persistence
The hardest thing I’ve found about freelance writing is getting in contact with certain people. For some reason, some people just do not want to call or email you back. You have to have patience in waiting for them, but also persistence. Call a thousand times if you have to. If you need their input for your article, then gosh dang, you will get it. Make it happen.
9. Camera
You may or may not need a good camera as a freelance writer. For some of my freelance jobs, I was required to take photos for my stories. For others, they had their own photographer. It depends on the job, but it can be important to have a nice camera on hand just in case. Personally, I use a Nikon D5100 Digital SLR Camera
I hope with these tools, you can become a successful and skilled freelance writer. What would you add to this list?
Check out these posts:
For more tips, follow my Pinterest board Writing/Blogging.
Very nice! Writing skills are most important. Also, you have to be a good researcher & to know your niche very well. That means, focus or you will easily get lost.
Thanks for you input! Yes, being a good researcher is also very helpful!
You’re welcome & thanks for the reply.
Yeah, it’s helpful for the writer to be more informed about the topic, which leads to different directions how the story will evolve and opening more doors.
Online Jobs From Home recently posted…Data Entry Keyer Needed – Virtual Jobs June 25
What kind of camera would you recommend for the freelance writer? Would something like a Nikon D3100 suffice?
Great question Bob! I think that camera would work just fine. I know in my jobs as a freelancer, I’ve had to take a lot of photos for my stories myself. I definitely don’t claim to be a photographer, so the better camera I can use the better my photos will be. I am using a Nikon similar to the D3100, so I think that would work great.