4 Things to Know About Freelancers (Like Me)

As you know recently I’ve really been pursuing freelance writing through my company Write Now (and I love every minute of it). But looking around I feel like there’s still a lot of misconceptions about freelancing and freelancers, especially in regards to the writing field. I know it’s a little weird to read a job post where someone like myself is offering to proofread for you. The knee jerk reaction there is “it’s just looking for typos. I can do that myself”. Yes. Yes you can. But you know what? You will never see things as objectively as a second set of eyes. So today I want to tell you about four things involving the freelance process.

1) There’s a lot of competition.
  It seems everyone and their brother is a freelancer nowadays. And it’s honestly refreshing; in a way it’s like the good ol’ days where everyone used a local service provider rather than a major company for everything. It keeps prices competitive and it gives you the client a better variety than hiring someone in-house and being stuck with them if they aren’t quite what you were looking for.
I recently found a client who asked if I was willing to provide a little further revision even though we’re past the due date, as well as do more work for her. I told her I would be thrilled to because I prefer to find a client that I like and keep them happy rather than hunt down a new lead. She loved my honesty and she can’t wait to send more work my way Wednesday.
2) You get what you pay for.
The downside of a bustling online freelance market is many clients want to pay the cheapest possible price. I understand that; working online there’s no travel costs. There’s no discussing things over a lunch or a cup of coffee. There are no physical inventory items being chewed up as it’s all typed out on a laptop. There are plenty of ways we cut costs doing what we do.
However, there are also a lot of freelancers from overseas who took an introductory English course and are offering to write your big academic research paper for $2. I’ve seen it time and time again where the client has already paid to have it written and then has to hire someone else like me to fix several pages worth of information. And the client is upset and angry because they are essentially paying twice to have the same paper written. Do yourself a favor, find someone professional who charges a fair price and use them. Someone like me who is a native English speaker with a Bachelor’s and lots of experience writing. You’ll save yourself a lot of headache later.
3) It’s a little intimidating at first.
You are discussing a job and pricing with a complete stranger via email. You are sending over documents/resumes/papers/manuscripts to someone you don’t even see, and I’m telling you how much it’s going to cost. Yeah, there’s a certain degree of anxiety on both sides that goes into discussing projects with potential clients.
It doesn’t have to be scary though. If you find someone who knows what they’re doing they will not only understand your needs but know approximately how long it will take to complete. I make sure both parties involved sign a dated agreement just to cover both of us. A good freelancer isn’t concerned with coming out on top, they’re concerned with developing a new business relationship.
4) Know what you want.
Nothing is more frustrating to both sides than when I give a price and begin work only to have the client tell me that they either got the project mixed up with another or the scope suddenly changed on them or they just simply felt like changing it. Prices were discussed, work was started, and now we’re both annoyed.
A good freelancer will keep his cool and roll with the punches. A good client will understand why they would need to adjust the price. Open and honest communication is key to making sure both sides get what they want.

I am now taking project submissions.
I have experience in writing academic research papers, proofreading and rewriting resumes, emails, and fliers, and rewriting training templates. I offer my services for academics, professionals, and creative writers. I am working on a novel of my own and I understand the writing and editing process. I am experienced in all three areas and I would love to write for you today!