15 Professionals and Cons of Being a Freelance Author

On this publish, I’ll be discussing the principle professionals and cons of freelance writing. Whether or not you’re contemplating a radical profession change, or just concerned with incomes a bit of additional cash on-line on the facet, this one is for you.

I’ve been doing freelance writing for a few years now. Whereas I completely love the advantages of being a contract author (and there are numerous – which is why I do it), there are positively just a few downsides as I’ll clarify under.

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For me, the largest benefits of freelance writing embrace the flexibleness to decide on when and the place you’re employed, in addition to the power to resolve precisely what sort of work you wish to do. Nonetheless, on the flip facet, there is no such thing as a job safety and no assured paycheck every month.

It’s vital that you just bear this stuff in thoughts when deciding whether or not or not it is a profession (or facet hustle) that can give you the results you want. General, I believe the disadvantages of being a contract author are vastly outweighed by the quite a few advantages. However, you have to take into account what’s best for you.

Professionals of Being a Freelance Author

Listed here are a few of the key benefits of being a contract author. This checklist displays my very own private expertise, in addition to the experiences of different people who I do know who work as freelance writers. There’s numerous overlap between every level, however I’ve damaged them down for the sake of readability.

Do not forget that each job is totally different, and each freelance author is exclusive. So, the particular professionals and cons of being a contract author will differ in accordance with every particular person and their particular person circumstances. Nonetheless, the next are some normal benefits which are more likely to apply to most individuals.

1. Flexibility

One in every of my favourite issues about freelance writing is the large quantity of flexibility it gives. As a freelancer, you could have complete management over your schedule, together with when, the place, and the way a lot you’re employed. This flexibility could be particularly useful for individuals who have children or different commitments.

It’s laborious to overstate fairly how a lot of a recreation changer this flexibility is, significantly when put next with a “conventional” job – i.e. full-time, in-person employment. You possibly can set your personal hours and take as many breaks, or as a lot break day, as you need. It’s superior!

For instance, for those who’re feeling burnt out, wish to attend a buddy’s marriage ceremony in Italy, fancy a spontaneous street journey, or just want a change of surroundings, you may take a day (or per week, or a month) off with out having to ask for permission out of your employer or boss.

In fact, you continue to must handle the expectations of your shoppers. Nonetheless, the dynamic is completely totally different from being an worker. You simply must allow them to know what you’re doing – you don’t must ask permission. It’s an vital distinction!

2. Autonomy

One other main perk of being a contract author is the autonomy it supplies. This goes hand in hand with flexibility (see above). As a freelancer, you might be your personal boss. So, you set the principles – together with the way you wish to outline “success” in your profession.

You could have complete freedom over which shoppers you wish to work with, which initiatives to simply accept, and the way you wish to sort out them. The period of time you wish to spend researching and writing is solely as much as you, as is how a lot cash you resolve to cost to your work.

You even have management over your profession development. No extra inflexible employment hierarchy with another person dictating when or whether or not you get a promotion! Personally, I discover this degree of independence actually liberating and rewarding.

I’m a lot extra motivated figuring out that I’ve complete company over what I do and the place my profession takes me. It additionally permits for lots of private progress and improvement, as I’ll broaden on under.

3. Various Initiatives

Some of the thrilling facets of being a contract author is the truth that you may work on no matter initiatives you need. Some freelance writers select to specialize and area of interest down greater than others. However, primarily, the selection is yours.

If you wish to tackle a various vary of initiatives and discover a number of totally different niches or industries, you may completely try this. Once more, you get to set the principles (therefore the autonomy, above)!

So, say you’ve all the time fancied dabbling in inventive fiction writing. However, you’re additionally a fan of doing a little bit of journey writing and completely love writing persuasive advertising copy. As a contract author, you may select to do all of this stuff in the identical week, supplied you handle your time effectively.

You possibly can broaden your talent set and discover new subjects as a lot as you need. This not solely helps to maintain issues attention-grabbing and difficult, nevertheless it additionally offers you the chance for steady studying and progress.

4. Talent Improvement

Following on from the earlier level, selecting to work on a various vary of initiatives is, in my expertise, a sure-fire approach of growing new expertise and broadening the vary of your experience.

For instance, as a contract author, you may select to write down a weblog publish for a web site sooner or later, craft social media posts for a model the following, draft advertising emails the following, after which assist write an e-book or white paper the following… And so forth – you get the image.

Additionally, you may select to have a variety of shoppers throughout a broad spectrum of sectors (e.g. journey, advertising, monetary, enterprise, and so on.) which helps to make sure you’re continually studying. Having a various vary of initiatives helps make you a extra versatile author with a broader set of expertise.

Moreover, freelancers sometimes need to handle their very own admin and enterprise operations. For some folks, it is a drawback of being a contract author. Nonetheless, you could possibly see it as a chance to develop transferable expertise comparable to time administration, group, and monetary admin. See Additionally: finest apps for freelance writers

5. Work From Anyplace

One other huge perk of being a contract author is the power to work from anyplace. I’ve gotten paid to do freelance writing from some wonderful locations all around the world, together with once I was residing as a digital nomad in Mexico, Costa Rica, Albania, Italy, Sri Lanka, and even a distant nook of the Scottish Highlands.

On the whole, your shoppers don’t care the place you might be, so long as you get the work finished to a sufficiently excessive customary. Once more, that is completely totally different from most employment relationships. (I actually hated being employed, in case you hadn’t figured.)

So long as you could have a secure web connection overseas and an influence outlet, you may mainly work from just about anyplace on the planet. That is big for anybody who loves touring and having the ability to do it for quite a lot of weeks per yr of annual depart.

It’s additionally one of many explanation why freelance writing is such a preferred job with digital nomads and different distant employees. Actually, that is the principle motive I selected to do it.

6. Networking Alternatives

Being a contract author can open up alternatives for networking with folks throughout a variety of sectors. In the event you select to work with a various unfold of shoppers, you’ll have the possibility to construct a wide-reaching internet {of professional} relationships.

That is clearly an effective way to broaden your skilled community. Connecting with fellow writers, editors, shoppers, and different professionals in varied niches can result in a wealth of latest job alternatives and but extra precious connections sooner or later.

Plus, having a powerful community can even assist give you assist and sources that is likely to be helpful sooner or later. It’s additionally an effective way to construct your personal private model and get your identify on the market.

7. Work-Life Steadiness

In my view, it’s a lot simpler to take care of a wholesome work-life steadiness as a freelancer than as an worker. I say “for my part” as a result of it’s a little bit of a contentious debate, and I’ve had discussions with different freelancers who disagree with me on this.

I’ve heard folks say that working for your self can provide you a worse work-life steadiness. In line with these folks, as a result of freelancing is inherently much less secure than employment, there’s a bent for freelancers to overwork to compensate for it. That is positively true to an extent.

Nonetheless, in my very own private expertise, it doesn’t need to be the case. Whereas being self-employed does, in fact, include its personal pressures, and requires appreciable self-discipline and laborious work, autonomy is vital.

The massive quantity of flexibility you acquire means that you could select the way you wish to construction your work life. So long as you’re in a position to handle your time successfully, together with consciously permitting your self sufficient downtime, you could have the facility to engineer a tremendous work-life steadiness.

8. Inventive Freedom

Inventive freedom is a serious benefit of being a contract author. As a freelancer, you could have the chance to work on initiatives that actually curiosity and encourage you. And, conversely, there’s no person forcing you to do any initiatives that you just actually don’t wish to do.

Moreover, the elevated choices and management over your profession trajectory (mentioned above) means that you could select to concentrate on areas that offer you extra inventive expression if that is one thing that’s vital to you.

In the event you select the suitable initiatives (and shoppers), you may get a number of private achievement out of your work. It additionally permits you to select to write down for publications or shoppers that align together with your private values and beliefs.

Cons of Being a Freelance Author

Whereas I actually get pleasure from freelance writing for all the causes mentioned above, it’s not good. (No job is, proper?) There are positively just a few downsides to being a contract author, which I’ve set out under.

I’m not attempting to place anybody off right here from changing into a contract author. I simply need you to enter it together with your eyes open, having made an knowledgeable resolution. That stated, not all of those points will have an effect on each freelance author, however I’d nonetheless advocate contemplating the next.

1. Unpredictable Earnings

For me, one of many best disadvantages of being a contract author is the shortage of economic stability. As an worker, you sometimes receives a commission each month, on the identical day, usually the identical quantity. This makes it simpler to plan financially as you could have a predictable earnings.

As a contract author, it’s the alternative. Your earnings can differ drastically from month to month, and never all shoppers pay on time. Some months you may earn extra, some months you may earn much less. In the event you don’t get any work, you don’t receives a commission in any respect.

This lack of economic predictability could be difficult to handle. It’s vital to have a buffer of money in your account if potential so that you just’re not left in a precarious monetary scenario when you have a quiet month or, for another motive, your earnings drops off.

2. Requires Self-Self-discipline

Freelance writing requires a substantial quantity of self-discipline. Since you work for your self, you have to be your personal boss. This implies setting deadlines and objectives for your self, being organized together with your time, and making certain you retain your self on monitor.

It’s vital to have the ability to steadiness the workload of a number of initiatives, whereas on the similar time maintaining together with your different duties and normal life admin. Talking frankly, this was a little bit of a problem for me once I first began working for myself.

Generally I additionally discover that working alone for lengthy durations of time could make it tougher to remain motivated, given the shortage of colleagues and coworkers to provide assist or recommendation.

Finally, you want to have the ability to inspire your self to work laborious and write creatively, even on days once you don’t actually really feel prefer it. It’s additionally vital to have the ability to steadiness work with rest to assist keep away from burnout.

3. Probably Isolating

Being a contract author could be isolating at instances, particularly for those who work remotely by your self.

Earlier than changing into a contract author, I used to work in an workplace in London. Whereas I actually didn’t benefit from the workplace politics and performative tradition, there was a minimum of all the time anyone to go for a espresso with, or to cease by and have a chat.

Now I work for myself, I discover myself needing to make extra of a acutely aware effort to socialize with different folks. It’s not an excessive amount of of an issue for me, however it’s one thing to consider.

Whether or not or not this is a matter for you relies upon, partly, in your character – together with how introverted or extroverted you might be, and the way a lot you prefer to socialize typically. Working from coworking areas may also be a great way to get a dose of social interplay and fight emotions of isolation.

4. Lack of Job Safety

This one ties in with the purpose about unpredictable earnings. Typically, being a contract author doesn’t supply the identical job safety {that a} conventional 9-5 job does.

Most international locations world wide have authorized protections in place that supply staff a level of job safety. These differ from nation to nation (they’re significantly sturdy in Europe in contrast with the US). Nonetheless, the important thing level right here is that these protections principally apply to staff solely.

As a freelancer, employment regulation protections typically don’t apply to you. If one among your common shoppers abruptly stops needing your companies or their enterprise goes underneath, that’s too dangerous for you – you’ll want to interchange that earnings from some other place.

This lack of stability could be robust, particularly when you have monetary commitments comparable to hire, a mortgage, payments, or childcare prices to pay. It’s additionally why I’d all the time advocate having a number of totally different shoppers to diversify your earnings streams and shield your self from sudden modifications.

5. No Worker Advantages

Workers sometimes obtain advantages comparable to medical insurance, paid break day, and retirement contributions from their employer. Sadly, these perks aren’t sometimes obtainable to freelance writers. That’s the value you pay for all that freedom!

Which means you’ll must cowl these bills your self, which could be expensive. Medical insurance, particularly, is usually a big expense for freelancers, particularly in international locations the place healthcare isn’t free. It’s vital that you just finances for these further prices.

And, whereas that is positively not monetary recommendation, it’s extraordinarily vital to have monetary provisions to your retirement. In any other case, outdated age goes to suck – significantly.

6. Having Too Few (or Too Many) Purchasers

One other main con of being a contract author is needing to strike a steadiness between the variety of shoppers you could have at one time. As mentioned above, as a freelancer, you’re typically not assured a gentle stream of labor, and it’s frequent to your earnings to fluctuate significantly.

Some folks select to attempt to fight this by doing a number of work for one or two shoppers. Nonetheless, what occurs if one among these shoppers abruptly stops providing you with work or goes out of enterprise? Unhealthy issues, so far as your funds are involved.

So, as we agreed above, it’s vital to diversify your earnings streams. Nonetheless, working for many totally different shoppers comes with its personal challenges, together with managing competing deadlines, expectations, and customarily larger ranges of admin and trouble.

It’s a tough one and requires you to strike steadiness, which isn’t all the time simple. Actually, that is one thing that I usually discover most difficult about working as a contract author.

7. Extra Admin

As a self-employed freelance author, you sometimes need to deal with extra admin than an worker. This consists of duties comparable to consumer outreach, invoicing, establishing and paying right into a pension, maintaining monitor of your bills, and managing your personal taxes.

Freelancers are often paid gross with none deduction for tax, so you have to be certain that you retain ample information to allow you to file your tax return every year. You additionally want to make sure that you truly come up with the money for to pay your tax invoice each time it falls due – don’t make that mistake!

These admin duties require you to be pretty organized. They may also be time-consuming and, for many individuals, a bit overwhelming. However it’s essential that you just carry on high of them to maintain what you are promoting working easily and forestall additional complications down the road.

Professionals and Cons of Freelance Writing: FAQ’s

Listed here are solutions to some regularly requested questions concerning the ups and downs of being a contract author.

Conclusion

In the event you’re concerned with being a contract author, it’s vital to assume significantly about whether or not it’s a profession that’s appropriate for you. There are numerous professionals and cons of being a contract author, which differ from individual to individual and job to job. You must weigh up whether or not the professionals outweigh the cons.

For me, the advantages of freelance writing significantly outnumber the disadvantages. However, in fact, everyone’s totally different. Both approach, I hope this publish helped make your resolution a little bit bit simpler.