Five Freelance Writing Lessons

Here are five freelance writing lessons that will help you to make your freelance writing business a success.

1. Get repeat writing business
   Any marketer will tell you that the secret to a successful business is referrals and residuals. These are the people who keep coming back month after month, year after year, without you having to sell them on your writing again. And that's money in the bank to a freelance writer.
   If you translate that into the freelance writing business it means that you get repeat work from clients who come to you as their first choice. It also means that you get a regular writing contract, which means that as long as you deliver you will not have to chase work. Less time promoting means more time writing and earning, though you will also have to promote to keep earning writing income.
2. Get writing fees up front
   There are several techniques you can use to make your freelance writing business pay you and to make sure that when you get paid to write, the pay is adequate. Even residual income needs to be managed properly.
   If you are writing on a contractual basis, you need to make sure that if the contract goes belly up you still get paid. That means that you should divide your payment into an up-front fee (a retainer) plus a sum that is due on delivery of each piece of writing. This sum can be invoiced at the end of any given writing period. To set a fair price for the writing job, work out how much of your time you will spend on the job and price it to match.
3. Leave time to take high-paying writing jobs
   It's great to have residuals, but you don't want to be so busy that you have no time to take high-paying jobs when they come in. With freelance writing, you need to leave room for the jam, not just the bread and butter. Make sure that your contract work leaves you enough time to do other jobs, because you shouldn't put your eggs in one basket. Don't be too reliant on a single source of writing income or you could be in trouble if it goes belly up.
4. Make a backup plan For freelance writing work
   As a freelance writer, you're on your own, and that has advantages and disadvantages. Yes, you can set your own schedule, but there's no one to cover if you get ill. One writer I know missed an important deadline and nearly lost a job because she was rushed into hospital before she could deliver the work. We always assume we'll be okay until we aren't, and then it's too late. So you need to have a contingency plan to cover your freelance writing work if the unexpected happens. This could be as simple as striking a deal with a few freelance writing friends so they can cover for you in case of emergency. Believe me, this arrangement has saved me a couple of times.
5. Diversify sources of freelance writing income
   The final thing to consider as a freelance writer is that it's great to have recurring income but you need to have it coming from several sources. This is especially important if your freelance writing job is paying the household bills. You can't guarantee that today's golden goose won't be tomorrow's turkey, so diversify and make sure you have several sources of income. One way to keep the work coming in is to make regular contact with other freelancers through forums. You might get the first lead on a good gig.

Getting paid to write need not be a dream. It can become a reality. Follow these rules and you will soon have a diverse and successful freelance writing career.