When you’re getting started as a freelance writer, all the different advice can be confusing, overwhelming and downright contrary.
Should you focus on Upwork or similar sites, or look for your own clients? Should you have a website and what should you put on it? How do you even get clients and, if you do, what on earth do you charge?
Try answering those questions with a Google search and you’ll get a variety of conflicting opinions, which might make you want to throw your hands up in despair and go back to the 9 to 5!
Let’s see if we can shed a little light on the subject:
A computer and an internet connection, basically. And a means of getting paid, of course.
Being a freelancer of any kind also means you need certain characteristics, without which you might not succeed:
Obviously, you need good writing skills, though you don’t necessarily need a degree. You need to be tenacious enough to keep persevering in the face of rejection (sadly, you won’t get every job you apply for); adaptable and flexible enough to deal with a variety of projects and clients; and determined to keep learning and improving. You need to be organised and able to plan out your work, so you meet your deadlines and still have time to market and develop your business. While you might be wonderful with words, you also need to have a business head on your shoulders and be comfortable enough looking at your numbers to make sure you’re earning enough to be able to live.
Working at home has a rosy image of lounging on the sofa all day with your feet up, and working in your pyjamas, and we’re not telling you that doesn’t happen, but you do need to put in the work and take it seriously.
Decide whether you want to be self-employed or to have a business, register with HMRC for tax, and do all the other things you need to do to start your business off on the right legal footing.
However tempting it may be to just get started, don’t skip this bit. It’s not glamorous, it’s not exciting, but it is necessary.
Next, you need to consider your writer website. Here’s an excellent step by step guide from Jorden Roper on how to set your site up.
Bear in mind that if you use something like Wix or WordPress.com, rather than buying a domain name, using self-hosted WordPress and hosting your own site, you are giving away your real estate on the web. If Wix suddenly decides
