15 Professionals and Cons of Being a Freelance Author

On this submit, I’ll be discussing the primary professionals and cons of freelance writing. Whether or not you’re contemplating a radical profession change, or just excited about incomes a bit of additional cash on-line on the aspect, 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 lots of – which is why I do it), there are undoubtedly a couple of downsides as I’ll clarify under.

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For me, the most important benefits of freelance writing embody the pliability to decide on when and the place you’re employed, in addition to the flexibility to determine precisely what sort of work you wish to do. Nonetheless, on the flip aspect, there is no such thing as a job safety and no assured paycheck every month.

It’s vital that you simply bear this stuff in thoughts when deciding whether or not or not this can be a profession (or aspect hustle) that may give you the results you want. Total, I feel the disadvantages of being a contract author are vastly outweighed by the quite a few advantages. However, it’s good to think about what’s best for you.

Professionals of Being a Freelance Author

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

Do not forget that each job is completely different, and each freelance author is exclusive. So, the precise professionals and cons of being a contract author will differ in response to every individual and their particular person circumstances. Nonetheless, the next are some common benefits which are prone to apply to most individuals.

1. Flexibility

One in all my favourite issues about freelance writing is the large quantity of flexibility it affords. As a freelancer, you might have whole 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 youngsters or different commitments.

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

For instance, if you happen to’re feeling burnt out, wish to attend a pal’s wedding ceremony in Italy, fancy a spontaneous highway journey, or just want a change of surroundings, you may take a day (or every 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 purchasers. Nonetheless, the dynamic is completely completely 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 gives. This goes hand in hand with flexibility (see above). As a freelancer, you’re your individual boss. So, you set the principles – together with the way you wish to outline “success” in your profession.

You will have whole freedom over which purchasers you wish to work with, which initiatives to just accept, and the way you wish to deal with them. The period of time you wish to spend researching and writing is completely as much as you, as is how a lot cash you determine to cost in 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 stage of independence actually liberating and rewarding.

I’m a lot extra motivated realizing that I’ve whole company over what I do and the place my profession takes me. It additionally permits for lots of private development and improvement, as I’ll develop on under.

3. Various Tasks

One of the crucial thrilling features 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, basically, the selection is yours.

If you wish to tackle a various vary of initiatives and discover a number of completely 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, offered you handle your time properly.

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

4. Ability 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 abilities and broadening the vary of your experience.

For instance, as a contract author, you would possibly select to write a weblog submit for an internet site in the future, 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 purchasers throughout a broad spectrum of sectors (e.g. journey, advertising, monetary, enterprise, and so on.) which helps to make sure you’re always studying. Having a various vary of initiatives helps make you a extra versatile author with a broader set of abilities.

Moreover, freelancers sometimes need to handle their very own admin and enterprise operations. For some individuals, this can be a drawback of being a contract author. Nonetheless, you may see it as a possibility to develop transferable abilities corresponding to time administration, group, and monetary admin. See Additionally: greatest apps for freelance writers

5. Work From Wherever

One other large perk of being a contract author is the flexibility to work from wherever. I’ve gotten paid to do freelance writing from some superb 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.

Usually, your purchasers don’t care the place you’re, so long as you get the work carried out to a sufficiently excessive customary. Once more, that is completely completely different from most employment relationships. (I actually hated being employed, in case you hadn’t figured.)

So long as you might have a steady web connection overseas and an influence outlet, you may principally work from nearly wherever on the earth. That is enormous for anybody who loves touring and with the ability to do it for quite a lot of weeks per yr of annual go away.

It’s additionally one of many the explanation why freelance writing is such a well-liked job with digital nomads and different distant staff. In actual fact, that is the primary motive I selected to do it.

6. Networking Alternatives

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

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

Plus, having a powerful community also can assist offer you help and assets that could be helpful sooner or later. It’s additionally an effective way to construct your individual private model and get your title on the market.

7. Work-Life Steadiness

In my view, it’s a lot simpler to take care of a wholesome work-life stability as a freelancer than as an worker. I say “in my view” 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 individuals say that working for your self may give you a worse work-life stability. In line with these individuals, as a result of freelancing is inherently much less steady than employment, there’s an inclination for freelancers to overwork to compensate for it. That is undoubtedly 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 onerous work, autonomy is essential.

The massive quantity of flexibility you achieve means 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 might have the facility to engineer a tremendous work-life stability.

8. Inventive Freedom

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

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

In the event you select the best initiatives (and purchasers), you may get a variety of private achievement out of your work. It additionally means that you can select to jot down for publications or purchasers 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 undoubtedly a couple of downsides to being a contract author, which I’ve set out under.

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

1. Unpredictable Revenue

For me, one of many biggest disadvantages of being a contract author is the dearth of monetary 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 might have a predictable revenue.

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

This lack of monetary predictability could be tough to handle. It’s vital to have a buffer of money in your account if doable so that you simply’re not left in a precarious monetary state of affairs you probably have a quiet month or, for some other motive, your revenue drops off.

2. Requires Self-Self-discipline

Freelance writing requires a substantial quantity of self-discipline. Since you work for your self, it’s good to be your individual boss. This implies setting deadlines and objectives for your self, being organized together with your time, and guaranteeing you retain your self on observe.

It’s vital to have the ability to stability the workload of a number of initiatives, whereas on the identical time maintaining together with your different duties and common 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 more durable to remain motivated, given the dearth of colleagues and coworkers to present help or recommendation.

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

3. Doubtlessly Isolating

Being a contract author could be isolating at occasions, particularly if you happen to work remotely by your self.

Earlier than turning 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 any individual 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 individuals. 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 persona – together with how introverted or extroverted you’re, and the way a lot you wish to socialize normally. 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 revenue. Most often, being a contract author doesn’t supply the identical job safety {that a} conventional 9-5 job does.

Most nations around the globe have authorized protections in place that supply staff a level of job safety. These differ from nation to nation (they’re significantly robust in Europe in contrast with the US). Nonetheless, the important thing level right here is that these protections largely apply to staff solely.

As a freelancer, employment legislation protections typically don’t apply to you. If one in all your common purchasers abruptly stops needing your companies or their enterprise goes beneath, that’s too dangerous for you – you’ll want to switch that revenue from elsewhere.

This lack of stability could be powerful, particularly you probably have monetary commitments corresponding to lease, a mortgage, payments, or childcare prices to pay. It’s additionally why I’d all the time advocate having a number of completely different purchasers to diversify your revenue streams and shield your self from sudden modifications.

5. No Worker Advantages

Workers sometimes obtain advantages corresponding to medical insurance, paid day off, and retirement contributions from their employer. Sadly, these perks should not sometimes accessible to freelance writers. That’s the worth you pay for all that freedom!

Which means you’ll must cowl these bills your self, which could be pricey. Medical insurance, particularly, could be a enormous expense for freelancers, particularly in nations the place healthcare isn’t free. It’s vital that you simply finances for these further prices.

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

6. Having Too Few (or Too Many) Shoppers

One other main con of being a contract author is needing to strike a stability between the variety of purchasers you might have at one time. As mentioned above, as a freelancer, you’re typically not assured a gradual stream of labor, and it’s frequent in your revenue to fluctuate significantly.

Some individuals select to try to fight this by doing a number of work for one or two purchasers. Nonetheless, what occurs if one in all these purchasers abruptly stops supplying you with work or goes out of enterprise? Dangerous issues, so far as your funds are involved.

So, as we agreed above, it’s vital to diversify your revenue streams. Nonetheless, working for many completely different purchasers comes with its personal challenges, together with managing competing deadlines, expectations, and usually increased ranges of admin and problem.

It’s a tough one and requires you to strike an excellent stability, which isn’t all the time simple. In actual fact, 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 contains duties corresponding to shopper outreach, invoicing, establishing and paying right into a pension, protecting observe of your bills, and managing your individual taxes.

Freelancers are often paid gross with none deduction for tax, so it’s good to be certain that you retain enough data to allow you to file your tax return every year. You additionally want to make sure that you really manage to pay 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 simply carry on prime of them to maintain what you are promoting operating easily and forestall additional complications down the road.

Professionals and Cons of Freelance Writing: FAQ’s

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

Conclusion

In the event you’re excited about being a contract author, it’s vital to suppose 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. It’s important to weigh up whether or not the professionals outweigh the cons.

For me, the advantages of freelance writing significantly outnumber the disadvantages. However, in fact, all people’s completely different. Both approach, I hope this submit helped make your choice slightly bit simpler.