Building a writing business career isn’t all about luck or good timing (though that helps!). These tips for working freelance writers will increase the chances of business success…

Before the tips, a quip: 

“I hear people say they’re going to write. I ask, when? They give me vague statements,” says successful writer Natalie Goldberg. “Indefinite plans get dubious results. When we’re concrete about our writing time, it alleviates that thin constant feeling of anxiety that writers have – we’re barbecuing hot dogs, riding a bike, sailing out in the bay, shopping for shoes, even helping a sick friend, but somewhere nervously at the periphery of our perception we know we belong somewhere else – at our desk!”

Building a thriving writing career means setting solid goals — not just making vague plans to pitch query letters to magazine editors! For some serious motivation, read Peter Bowerman’s The Well-Fed Writer: A Second Helping Of “How-To” For Any Writer Dreaming of Great Bucks and Exceptional Quality of Life. And, here are six tips for building your writing career…

Writing as a Business – 6 Tips for Working Freelance Writers

1. Think in terms of career, not hopes and dreams. When I first started freelance writing (I’m The Adventurous Writer!), my husband Bruce kept talking about my “writing career.” That freaked me out at first, but then I began to think about my writing that way…as a career, not just a dream, goal, or way to pay the bills. Thinking of myself as an entrepreneur with a business to run changed how I organize my workday, what I focus on, and what types of assignments I accept.

2. Keep records of your query letters, invoices, magazine payments, receipts, etc. I’ve learned to keep track of everything I do! This includes recording when I pitch book query letters or article ideas (explained in Tracking Your Article Pitches and Submissions), when I invoice editors (described in A Freelance Writer’s Invoice for Magazines, Plus Invoicing Tips), when and if I was paid, how I created a button for my WordPress blogs, and where I found all types of info. This tip for building a successful writing career is key to running a healthy, organized business.

3. Think about outsourcing in the future. “Build systems so you’re not constantly reinventing the wheel,” said Sue, on my How to Successfully Change Careers article on See Jane Soar. “If there’s a task you expect to have to do more than once, document how you do it. Ultimately you may be able to outsource it – and by having the documentation done, it’s a lot easier to train someone to help you.”

4. Balance your long and short-term writing goals. “Successful entrepreneurs are those who are able to maintain a dual focus on short-term goals and long-term vision,” writes Terri Lonier in “Quit Your Day Job?” (a chapter in The Portable Writer’s Conference). “They keep their sights on what’s at the end of the road, all the while dealing with the day-to-day details in front of them.” My long-term writing vision is to become a published author; my short-term goal is to write three sample chapters for a publisher, at their recent request (and boy, am I procrastinating!).

5. Forget the muse. When I attended the Surrey International Writers’ Conference, I heard a successful published author (I think it was Bob Mayer) say that he can’t afford writer’s block and he can’t afford to wait for the muse. He’s got bills to pay, kids to feed, and a wife to take care of – he doesn’t sit around waiting for inspiration to strike. To build a successful writing career, you need to be strategic, disciplined, and focused about your book and article ideas.

6. Make life easy for editors and publishers (your clients). “The key quality [of a successful writer] is being reliable,” writes Lonier. “This means turning assignments in on time, with no factual or spelling errors. Be as helpful as you can. Track down or offer ideas on accompanying visuals. Give suggestions on how an article might be expanded or slanted to fit their readers’ interests, Send in materials clearly marked, all at one time, so editors don’t have to scramble to locate all the pieces of your work.”

Building a successful writing business or career isn’t about daydreaming about writing, talking about writing, or wishing you were a writer. It’s much more boring than that! Writing success comes from setting small, achievable goals and working every single day to achieve those goals.

What have I missed? I welcome your thought and questions on working as a freelance writer below…

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