Earning money from freelance writing – 9

Seven rules for a successful freelance writing career

A fundamental fact you have to accept if you want to have a successful freelance writing career is that not every great idea of yours will sweep editors off their feet. Meaning, there’ll be times when you receive acceptance letters and your heart will soar with joy, and then there’ll be the one-line rejection notes that, well, you’ll just have to live with.

But the reason for the rejection may not always be your fault. There could be other reasons as well. Your article may not be a good fit for that publication, that magazine could have carried similar articles in the recent past, or the editor could just be having a bad day because she couldn’t style her hair right that morning.

So don’t take rejections personally.  And should some editors take the trouble to explain why they rejected your query or article submission, take note of their observations. If these make sense to you, act accordingly.

On the other hand, if you get those wonderful acceptance letters, don’t forget to respond with a brief note of thanks.

Editors too are known to commend writers for their talent, you know. I’ve often received words of appreciation on acceptance of my articles for publication. A few editors were so overwhelmed by my writing skills they also included gift cards to some fancy store in the envelope.

OK, I made that last bit up. But many editors are very supportive and you should do your best to maintain good working relations with these.

Guidelines for going freelance

As your writing gets better, there’ll be fewer rejections, and you’ll have more published work to your name. Also, that’s when you’ll realize there’s lots more to being a successful freelance writer than just writing well. That it means nurturing your writing business and being a thorough professional. How to do this? Read on to find out.

(Wish someone had told me how to become a successful freelance writer when I was a newbie. My freelance writing career would have taken off much faster… But what’s important is that I learnt from my mistakes, though it often meant learning to get things right the hard way!)

Any writers out there interested in sharing your ideas about going freelance with those starting out? Do use the comments feature below to spread some “gyan”. But for now, here’s my list of the best rules for a successful freelance writing career.

1. Track your work

It is important to keep a record of which queries and articles you have sent out to which publications and on what date.

Maintain a spreadsheet with the topics of the articles/article ideas, dates of submission, names of the publications, the type of response you got, how long it took for the different editors to respond, on what dates you received payments, the contact details of the editors, etc.

If there’s no response to any submission even after around six weeks, send a brief enquiry letter. If a publication’s guidelines mention a longer period for hearing back from them, wait till then to send that follow-up letter.

Also, maintain a file with copies of your query letters as well as your submitted and published articles.

2. Generate new article ideas

Fresh article ideas will skyrocket your chances of acceptance and of becoming a successful freelance writer. Original concepts will compel an editor who has been wearily skimming through a pile of stale article ideas to take note of yours and immediately dash off an acceptance letter to you.

How to get those interesting new ideas? By making a note of intriguing/fascinating/horrifying/humorous incidents reported in newspapers or on TV, by listening to what other people are talking about at parties, at family gatherings, in trains and buses, by coming up with a new slant to articles you’ve read, or just by using your imagination.

3. Maintain a professional approach

Here comes the less glamorous side of freelancing writing. You cannot afford to be a head-in-the-clouds writer, at least not all the time. You’ll have to stop dreaming about all the wonderful things you want to write about and all the great publications that will someday be competing to carry your fabulous creations, and attend to mundane stuff as well from time to time.

Like paperwork, and keeping a record of your expenditure and income, for example. You’ll have to send out invoices, check with your bank if direct transfers have been made in to your account, file income tax papers, etc.

Also, make a habit of submitting your work on time, preferably well before the deadline.

4. Set a daily routine

I don’t know how that happened, but, a few miles down the freelancing path I began writing for almost all of my waking hours, from the time I woke up till I went to bed. I only stopped for brief intervals in between to rustle up something in the kitchen.

Only when this started taking a toll on my health, and I found I was becoming a recluse with hardly any social interaction, did I realize the precarious turn my daily writing routine had taken.

So set aside a fixed and convenient time for writing each day, but take care to factor in time for the other essential things in life, for the things you enjoy, and most of all, for relaxing – for refreshing your mind and rejuvenating your body.

5. Continue studying the writing markets

Keep track of the latest print and online publications entering your target markets, because newer publications mean newer opportunities.

Also, stop at the local library or a newsstand close by or visit websites to check the mastheads of the publications you’ve written for before.

Editors often change jobs like the rest of us. If the name of an editor has changed, make this correction in your spreadsheet.

6. Specialise and diversify  

When you start out, it’s better to focus on a niche area.  Also, showing that you’re an expert in a particular field would be advantageous if you intend to make a full-time career in freelance writing.

So, certainly persist with writing about what you know most of the time. But for a refreshing break, and also to widen the net for snagging more assignments do consider writing on newer topics as well. This will also help you to gain more knowledge and have a more diverse and interesting portfolio.

7. Keep on marketing yourself   

Promoting your writing talent is a must if you want to become a successful freelance writer.  So don’t be shy about publicising your work.

Share links to your articles on social media networks, spread the word around that you’re a freelance writer at social gatherings, start blogging, set up a website to showcase your portfolio and add the link to your email signature, send letters of introduction to editors mentioning your area of expertise and asking if they would be interested in assigning work to you… just do what it takes to promote your freelance writing career.

To sum up: No pain, no gain. You have to work hard to reap the rewards. There’s no other way.

If you like what you’ve read, do share the link with others who could benefit. A small comment below would be much appreciated too.

Bye for now!