SYP's Freelance Glance
For some years I have written a column for the Society of Young Publisher's magazine, sharing my experiences and pearls of wisdom on being a freelance , and book writer.
In this first column, I explore my reasons for going freelance.
Introductory column: Why go freelance?
Ever woken up on a cold, dark morning and thought ‘what I wouldn’t give to work from home’? Stared at your computer screen with glazed eyes wondering if death-by-boredom is actually possible? Bitten your tongue as your boss plonks yet another thankless task atop the precarious pile in your in-tray?
If you’re thinking ‘hmm, sounds familiar’, then this might just be the column for you. I used to be that person – bored, demotivated, stuck in a starkly-lit, stuffy office – until I gave it all up to be a freelance writer, copy editor and proofreader. It may have been the craziest, riskiest, and downright scariest thing I’ve ever done, but, as I hope to show you through this column, freelancing has a lot going for it.
In each column I intend to focus on a different element of life as a freelance, from the financial side and the nitty gritty of going self-employed right through to marketing yourself as a business, finding clients and the social aspect of working for yourself. I’ll warn you now, though, I’m not going to sugar-coat it for you – my aim is not to convert you all into freelancers (I don’t need that kind of competition thanks!), but to show you the highs and lows of working this way, as honestly and openly as I can.
Well, let’s get on with it then. To start out, I thought I’d tell you a bit about my background and how I got into the business, and then go on to tell you what made me take the plunge into freelancing.
My word obsession began early: from a young age I had a pen in one hand, a book in the other, and an embarrassing compulsion to correct bad writing with a red felt tip. Having fallen in love with African American literature in my teens, I did a degree in American Studies at Nottingham University. After graduation I rather fell into my first ‘proper’ job at a PR agency, where I fast realised I loved creating publications, but hated schmoozing. I looked around for an entry into publishing, and got a job as an assistant editor at a publishing house, where I was trained up in proofreading, copy-editing and managing projects. Eventually I decided to move on and became an editor at a charity for older people.
So what made me go freelance? Well, by this time I knew I loved what I did – copy-editing, proofreading, writing – but there was something missing for me in the ‘how’ I did it. I found myself increasingly unhappy in the environment I worked in: the office. The endless gossiping and office politics; the boss frowning as you leave five minutes early for a doctor’s appointment; the mind-numbingly dull team meetings in which Mervin from IT details the latest server updates in what seems to be a foreign language . . . you get the idea.
Working for myself, I would get all the home comforts of my own environment. Whatever I fancied: working in pyjamas with the radio on; popping out for a quick walk in the sun mid-afternoon; stuffing envelopes whilst watching Eastenders. Call me a hermit, but home seemed to me a pretty perfect place to work.
Why else? The boredom. I’ve always enjoyed working hard – being busy, challenged, and having a variety of jobs on the go. Although I loved my editorial projects, I found the pace was slow, and the work repetitive. Freelancing, and having the freedom to pick and choose projects (and work on several at a time), seemed appealing.
Then there was the financial aspect of working for myself. Now this was the really worrying bit of going freelance – what if I don’t make enough money? Where’s the security in it? Fair points, and true (I had thought my ‘economy fish finger’ days were behind me when I finished university), but there are some positives here too. I liked the idea of being an entrepreneur; of working hard to earn money just for myself, rather than earning a fat bonus for my boss’s boss’s boss.
Probably the most compelling reason for me, though, was the flexibility that freelancing offered. I could work the hours that suited me, and take time off when I wanted it. I also wanted a job that would work for me in the future, meaning I could move where I wanted and fit a family, when the time comes, around my career.
So there are clearly many reasons to go freelance as a book proofreader, book copy editor or book writer, offset by a few good reasons to run a mile – insecurity, isolation, having to organise and motivate yourself – which I will save for another day. I guess we are left with two questions: Is it hard? and Is it worth it? The answers for me? Yes, and Yes.
New book: How to Succeed as a Freelancer in Publishing
I'm currently co-authoring a book with Emma Murray called How to Succeed as a Freelancer in Publishing, which will be published autumn 2010 by How To Books. The book offers advice on how to build a freelancing business in your chosen publishing field – from proofreader to copy editor, ghostwriter to author, typesetter to graphic designer. So watch this space for plenty more top advice on making it in publishing.