{"id":3791,"date":"2014-10-15T06:00:01","date_gmt":"2014-10-15T10:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thewritelife.com\/?p=3791"},"modified":"2022-10-28T13:29:07","modified_gmt":"2022-10-28T17:29:07","slug":"freelancing-is-a-real-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/?p=3791","title":{"rendered":"Freelancing is a Real Job: Tips for Responding to Critics and Skeptics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Freelance writers, have you had this conversation before?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you do for a living?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m a freelance writer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh.\u201d Oh, <\/i>you\u2019re between jobs. Oh, <\/i>you can\u2019t find another one. Oh, <\/i>you work from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh <\/i>is a subtle judgment, isn\u2019t it? This response usually comes from people with \u201creal\u201d careers who make assumptions about freelancing careers. It\u2019s not because these people don\u2019t support you — they\u2019re likely close friends, partners or parents — they just don\u2019t understand freelancing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technically, all of these beliefs could be true; freelancers are often in-between jobs, looking for more work, and more frequently than not, working from home<\/a>. But it\u2019s still frustrating to have to explain to people that freelancing is not the latest hipster, Boomerang generation development. It\u2019s the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About one in three American workers — 42 million people — are freelancers, and their numbers will swell to make up half of the American workforce by 2020<\/a>, according to Forbes. Freelancing is real, full-time meaningful employment.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n

[bctt tweet=”Freelancing is real, full-time meaningful employment.<\/b>“]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how to explain to the skeptics what you do for a living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Freelancing is a legitimate business model<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Convincing people that freelancing is a viable career option is all about how you frame it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While \u201cfreelancing\u201d can have negative connotations, \u201crunning your own small business\u201d has positive ones.<\/b> Compare freelancing to running a small business, with you as the CEO, CFO, account manager, marketing department, office manager and intern — in addition to being the writer. You pay taxes<\/a>, you negotiate with clients<\/a>, you sign contracts: you run a real business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Establish your professionalism<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve explained that you run your own business, you\u2019ll want to erase the lingering negative feelings (or jealousy?) about you working from home in your pajamas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stress how you much you work — whether you\u2019re a full-time freelancer<\/a> or building a part-time writing<\/a> business around other commitments, you\u2019re likely working more than 40 hours a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explain where you work, whether it\u2019s in a home office, at your kitchen table, at a cafe or a public library. (Maybe don\u2019t mention those times you do a little work from your couch.) You want to convey that while freelance writing lets you work from anywhere<\/a>, you\u2019re still working<\/b>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stress your expertise and your understanding of your field<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Be prepared for people to ask you about what\u2019s next. \u201cWhere\u2019s your promotion? Where do you go from here?\u201d are common questions, especially from concerned friends or relatives unfamiliar with freelancing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have an answer that works for you, give it (and please share it in the comments!). If not, prove your expertise in your field.<\/b> You know your market\u2019s demands and pay attention to new trends. Move the conversation to a place where you can show off your knowledge and skills — perhaps talking about a recent acceptance or publication, or a developing opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re comfortable, share your hourly or per-word rate to demonstrate that your business is viable. You could also point to pay information such as the Editorial Freelancers Association\u2019s rate guide<\/a>, Who Pays Writers<\/a> or The Freelancer\u2019s upcoming rate guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If all else fails, use your sense of humor<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If these strategies don\u2019t satisfy the skeptics — you know the ones who are least likely to understand your career — you might try responding with some good, old-fashioned sass. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n