Far be it for me to call myself an accomplished freelance writer, but I have been in this business for a little while now. I’ve learned a few things over the course of this freelancing journey, but perhaps the greatest lesson that I have gained is the ability to run my own business.
Being a professional freelance writer really puts you to the test, because not only do you have to deal with the writing side of things — that is arguably the easiest part — but it’s all the other stuff that goes with it. I want to make it big as a freelance writer, but I also want to make it big as a blogger. These are not one and the same.
Here are five reasons why I believe freelance writing and blogging are different… they may not be mutually exclusive, but they most definitely are different.
- Freelance writers are expected to produce on spec. When I am given a job by any given client, whether it be a copywriting project or a product review, there are certain expectations that must be met. They may ask for a particular type of voice, for example. Blogging for yourself, however, you can write in whatever style you want. You can also choose your own word counts, whereas with freelance writing, if the customer wants 500 words, you better not come back with 100 (or 1000) words.
- Taxes, fees, and other concerns. Whether you run a modest blog like Beyond the Rhetoric or a full-blown freelance writing business, you are your own boss. Something that I discovered, in Canada at least, is that if you “sell” over $30,000 worth of goods or services in one year, you have to register for GST (the national sales tax). I’m not exactly sure how that translates to blogging, because you can’t exactly charge PayPerPost or ReviewMe a 6% tax. Those are American organizations, but I’d imagine the same would be true if they were Canadian. By contrast, a freelance writer is expected to charge his or her clients these appropriate taxes. This is no different than if a plumber or electrician charged you tax.
- Freelance writers only make money when they have customers. That sounds obvious enough, but consider the contrast with a blogger. If you have a blog, you can make money any time you want, whether it be through Google Adsense or a sponsored post. A freelance writer, on the other hand, is largely at the mercy of his customers, just as an accountant or lawyer would receive a big fat goose egg if it weren’t for his/her clients.
- Content ownership. Depending on the arrangement with the customer, the content produced by a freelance writer is usually then owned in its entirety by the paying client. The professional freelancer has next to no rights to that writing, because it has been paid for and purchased. The client can then go on and manipulate the text to suit their needs. When you put up an entry on your blog — like how I’m doing now — you own it and all the rights and privileges associated with it. You can choose to attach a creative commons license or not. It’s up to you. With freelance writers, this usually isn’t the case. The exception is ghostwriting, where a premium should be paid if the buyer plans on attaching his/her name to the writing.
- Potential income. Unless you run a prominent (personal) blog with a large reader base — I’m talking John Chow dot Com big — chances are that you will not make much from it. It’s just not possible when there are so many other blogs out there trying to do the same thing. A very small percentage ever “make it”, but it never hurt to try. With freelance writing, however, it can be easier to make a full wage if you put in the effort. You may start out with el cheapo SEO articles for random companies, but with some persistence (and writing ability), you can land ongoing gigs like I did at Mobile Magazine. Ongoing income is great, because it provides a steady flow of income.
Based on these five reasons, it sounds like blogging has a huge advantage over freelance writing in that it offers a lot more freedom in a lot of different ways. This is clearly true, but for me, freelance writing has also been a lot more lucrative than blogging (although some of my freelance writing can be considered blogging for others).
Freelance writing isn’t for everyone, because it involves a lot more than just writing. Blogging, by contrast, is for everyone. I encourage everyone to get out there and let their voice be heard. Just don’t get into blogging for the money. That’s what freelance writing is for.
It’s a real trade off. Freelance gets you a lot of money but you’re restricted in what you write and if you don’t write – you don’t eat. With blogging the money is…well…negligible for most but the bonus is you get to write whatever you like whenever you like.
Making it big in blogging is really the best of both worlds.
Kumiko
Michael, so many people blur the lines between these two, so it’s important to draw that distinction. I am a freelance writer who probably spends way more time blogging than she should (it’s great fun, but the money’s not so great).
However, another advantage that blogging has over traditional writing is the instant gratification factor. If I have something to say, I can express myself in a matter of minutes, rather than having to write a query letter, wait for the editor to respond, negotiate the fee, wait for the editor to give corrections, etc., etc. Because of that, blogging is a good outlet for frustrated writers!
Thanks for the comment, Susan. Like I said above, freelance writers are at the mercy of their clients. You may come up with your own ideas, but they have to fit within the constructs of your customer’s needs.
I think that your business of freelance writing is a little different than mine, because I approach customers with the pitch that I can fulfill their needs, be it website content, news reporting, or whatever. From what I can gather, it seems that you’re more the type that approaches magazines and newspapers with a story idea of your own, hoping that one of them will pick up and run with it. Pros and cons to each path.
Micheal,
You’re correct that querying magazines and websites is the focus of my blog, but my day job is copywriting for a start-up. Either way, there’s a revision process that you get to bypass when you’re blogging. Of course, that also gives bloggers a bad name because some of them are terrible, grammatically-challenged writers!
Susan
They’re the same to me.