Inside: Starting out as a freelance writer can be scary, especially if you’ve never done anything like it before. Here is how much I made in my first year!
Have you ever done something that scared you so much you had to refrain from peeing your pants and running away to a foreign country? That was me a year ago when I was a starting freelance writer!
In January 2016 I officially started as a part-time freelance writer, working for myself. It scared the ever-loving bejeesus out of me, but I stuck with it.
And, I’m glad I did! I learned as much about myself and a new profession as I did during my time in grad school, except this time there was less animal poop involved.
Here’s how I did.
The Numbers Behind A Starting Freelance Writer
Day Job Income
I trained for ten years to become a wildlife biologist. I went to school for two degrees in Wildlife Biology and Conservation and came out the other end with no job and $60,000 in student loan debt.
Related post: The Financial Reality Of Being A Broke Biologist
Luckily, this summer (two years after graduating) I got a temporary position with the federal government in the natural resources field. Here’s what my income looked like from my two hourly positions I held this year:
- Animal caretaker: $14,368.37
- Natural resources badass: $18,489.76
- Total: $32,858.13
In the words of one of my readers who just recently wrote to me, “What kind of fuckery is that?”
Here were some of my living expenses in 2016:
- Debt payments (student loans, auto loan, house repair loan): $11,291.52
- Mortgage for house that’s trying to kill our bank account: $14,839.80
- Rent for the apartment we’re currently living in: $11,940.00
- Total: $38,071.32
That’s just a portion of my living expenses.
Clearly I’m not making enough money at my day job. ‘Nuff said.
Moving on:
Freelance Writing And Blog Income
Here is what I earned in 2016 from my freelance writing alone, and from my blog:
- Freelance writing: $10,331.57
- Blog: $14.63
- FinCon Hotel Reimbursement: $380.93
- Total: $10,727.13
Pretty spiffy, if I do say so myself!
Related: The Best Freelance Writing Courses That’ll Teach You How To Earn Thousands
Business Expenses
Of course, everything comes at a cost. Here were mine:
- FinCon: $1,203.33
- Paypal fees: $18.33
- Freelance writing-specific training: $311.46
- Misc. expenses: $1,567.56
FinCon was definitely a large cost, but I’ve already purchased a ticket for next year (yay!).
A lot of my misc. expenses bleed over between freelance writing and blogging. I primarily write blog posts for clients, and so if I take a training course in how to write better blog posts, for example, it’ll benefit both my clients and myself. It can’t be parsed out between the two.
What I did learn from this was that my freelance writing expenses alone are basically nil—I could have done this all by just shelling out $329.79 in Paypal fees and freelance-specific training alone.
My blog is actually costing me big time compared to the puny income I’m getting from it, so that’s a big area I’ll be focusing on monetizing in 2017. Time to shake that money-maker! (Did I just compare my blog to a butt?)
Net Profit
I walked away from 2016 with an extra $7,626.45 in my pocket.
This is just the net profit. I haven’t even discounted the tax chunk yet, although I do set aside 30% of all of my earnings in a savings account to pay the tax bill. Gotta pay the government so hopefully they can hire me again in the future when the hiring freeze lifts.
The Challenges Of A Starting Freelance Writing
The biggest hurdle I had to get over as a starting freelance writer was my own mindset.
As a biologist, I was kind of taught that you don’t publish articles unless you’re the world expert in a subject, and only then if you’ve done a spiffy experiment. Ain’t no one hiring me to do personal finance science, and so getting over this hurdle alone was a huge effort.
The second major hurdle was maintaining my work while I was out in the field this summer with my second government job.
I worked an odd two-week rotating schedule: for the first week I’d be camping out in the middle of nowhere in the Western U.S. and working 12-hour days without any internet access. The second week I’d have off back at home. During this time, I’d frantically type at my keyboard until I thought it was going to take off and fly away.
It was exhausting, to say the least—both for me and my poor keyboard. But, it worked—I actually increased my pace during the three months I was doing this.
Finally, a major challenge was being social at FinCon. I had to resist the urge to hide away in my hotel room, rocking myself to calm down while singing happy tunes. I made a conscious effort to get out and talk to people, and I’m glad I did, because I met a ton of new friends and clients. Nearly half of my current client list came as a result of attending FinCon! Of course, the beer helped.
The Wins
By the end of the year, I had raised my rates by 700% over where I’d started.
That’s not a typo.
I charged $50 per blog post starting out, and just before the year ended I signed a new client on for $350 per blog post.
I’m not sure that a 700% yearly increase is sustainable over the long term, but I’ll sure as hell take it now! If only I could get my day job to give me a 700% annual increase…
Why Freelance Writing Is Such An Awesome Side Hustle For Me
I really like to write. It saves me from having to talk. If you’ve ever met me in real life, I’m pretty much reduced to a gibbering idiot. I can’t put two thoughts together in oral form. But on paper, I’m suddenly transformed into a genius… mua ha ha…
It’s really important for me to have a flexible side gig because my day job demands might mean I’m not here for a week at a time. It kind of makes showing up for in-person engagements a wee bit hard. Of course, that is when I actually even have a job…
More importantly, freelance writing pays really well, especially if you choose your clients wisely. I’ve found the sweet spot to be large companies in high-paying niches, like personal finance. I have one tiny client in the science education field, and they’re my lowest-paying client by far. But I loves them!
Freelance writing is also fun. I spent three years studying one thing really intensely in grad school, and now I’m ready to learn new things. I like that I can spend an hour or two doing research on a new topic, write about it, and then move onto the next thing.
It satisfies my inner ADD person. It’s also way better than the ~5,000 revisions I did for my thesis.
Where to, next?
I’ve switched over into full-time freelance writer mode, at least for the time being. I was due to be hired on a more permanent position with the government, but the Federal hiring freeze put the kibosh on that idea.
So, for the moment, I’m looking for more writing clients (feel free to drop me a line if you’ve got a lead!). I like dogs, reading, and long walks on the beach… 🙂
Speaking of freelance writing clients, I’m going to make more of an effort to reach out into different niches. Personal finance has been a very profitable niche, but I’d still like to stay diversified. If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that the more baskets you have your hands in, the safer you’ll be. (Note: this did not work well for me as a kid in the candy shops)
I’m particularly interested in writing more in the science space, if I can find some clients. I also like outdoor recreation activities like hiking, camping, and fishing. There’s a lot of big businesses in this area, so it’s potentially profitable as well. Other areas I’m looking into include language learning, fitness, arts and crafts, and reading. Too bad sleeping isn’t a well-paying niche—I’m great at that.
Finally, I’m going to continue to work on improving my writing. If I ever get to the point where I think, “Man, I’ve really learned everything there is to know about this writing thing…,” then it’s game over. Time to move on to underwater basketweaving.
Luckily, there is always room for improvement—like with my blog. Money-wise, it was a massive failure this year. It cost me far more than I earned back from it. Should I just give up then? Never. I’ve got ideas. Big ideas. Now it’s just time to muster up some lady ‘nads to get it done.
Have you ever tried freelance writing? Did you make any money? Leave a comment below!
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Eeeeks – I need to get on the freelance train. I love writing but could probably use some coaching in this respect. What a great way to plump up your income while doing something that you love to do! I made it a goal to publish 3 pieces this year…I haven’t yet set any steps to achieving it. Thanks for a push in the right direction. 🙂
You’re a great writer, you could totally do it!
I’ve still found that taking training helps. You can never be over-educated, and besides, it helps boost my confidence if I know I’ve invested into my skill set.
Awesome earnings!
I don’t do any freelance writing, but I’ve been trying to get my improve my writing. Once I improve it to a point that I’m satisfied with, maybe I’ll get into some freelancing then.
It’s great you have a blog now; that’s how I got started. You’ll improve with time for sure – I’ve definitely noticed that I have even since starting this blog. You don’t need to wait until you can pen epic prose, though – at a certain point, you’ll be good enough for paying clients. The trick is to know when that point is. 🙂
Kudos to you for the progress you made last year. Last year, I took making sense of affiliate marketing so I could focus on increasing my blog income. Im glad I did because at least I can afford the darn blog now, lol. I do miss freelancing though and Im looking forward to taking on a few more clients this year. Diversification is totally necessary!
Agreed! And if I could make it to a point where I’m at least breaking even with the blog’s costs, then I’d be happy for now. That’s great to hear you’re doing a lot better too!
We’re so glad to hear about your freelancing story! It is so amazing how far you have grown and we can’t wait to watch you grow your blog even more!
Thanks! 🙂
Thanks for writing up a post on this! I’ve always gravitated to writing since I ramble on and on whenever I actually do talk. Case in point, I did a video for my site. The unedited footage was 24 minutes and the edited footage was 11 minutes! I was rambling for 13 minutes, ugh.
Did you stay in the hotel for FinCon16? I’ve already got my FinCon17 ticket but haven’t decided if the hotel block is worth it.
Ha! That’s hilarious. I feel like if I did video, I’d need to do SO much editing to cut out all the “ums” and “ahs.”
I was at the hotel for FinCon 16 and it was expensive, but I found a roommate. They had a document online somewhere (you can email the FinCon peeps) where you could sign up if you were looking for a roommate so you could split the cost, and that’s what I did. I’ll probably do the same this year.
Is there a particular freelance writing course that you can recommend? I’ve always been interested in writing but like you I’ve never felt I had anything of value to say.
I took the Be A Freelance Blogger course to get started with more of the business-ey side of things. Also, the Write A Blog People Will Read course was great for teaching you to write well. I hear that Holly Porter Johnson’s Earn More Writing course is good too. I’ll probably be coming out with a guide to freelance writing resources soon, because I get this question a lot, so stay tuned!
Also, I wouldn’t cut yourself out just because you don’t feel you have anything to say. Everyone has something to say that would be interesting to someone else at certain times and places in their lives. Just because you don’t have an overarching Gandhi-like philosophical tome to spread to the world doesn’t mean you can’t say anything. Some of my most successful stories have been about mistakes I’ve made and how I’ve come back to them, because other people can relate. Some stories aren’t even about me – I’ll interview other people to tell their stories, or I’ll even write mundane things like credit card reviews that aren’t even stories at all (these actually pay quite well).
Well done Lindsay!! Sorry to hear the hiring freeze impacted you but freelance writing definitely seems to be serving you well. It can only go up from here for hustlers such as yourself, right?? Cheers to your success (and to much more in the future)!
PS: I HAVE met you in person — a gibbering idiot you are not!!
Thanks Kendal – both for the congrats and for the vote of confidence in my speaking ability! 🙂
You absolutely gotta write for businesses. Freelance journalism doesn’t pay well and pays slow, to boot (generally speaking). I’ve done a lot of freelance writing over the years for a range of clients and industries and seen the huge variations in the market.
Yeah, it’s really strange to me how large the differences are between niches and who you’re writing for. When I started doing this I emailed a science writer and she was like, “Honestly, I don’t know why anyone would ever want to do this as a career. You don’t get paid like anything.” Here I am a year later, and I’m making $100/hour or more when I sit down to write. Of course, there’s a lot of down time in between assignments while I’m pitching and chasing new stories…but it all works out in the end. It kind of makes me sad that I can’t make a good living doing the writing I absolutely love (science writing for the general public), but whatevs.
Thanks for posting this. Freelance writing is something I’ve wanted to try as a supplemental income source, but I have no clue how to get started! For instance, how do you go about finding clients who will pay you for your work?
It’s a multi-step process, for sure. As far as getting clients goes, it’s been a combination of things. When I first started and I knew no one, I just sent out random emails to people who I saw had blogs that I’d be interested in writing for. Most people said no, but if you send enough, a few people will say yes and that’s all you need. I went to a personal finance conference a bit later and met a lot of people in real life, and that also helped a ton – probably half of my current client roster came as a result of going to the conference and putting myself out there in introducing myself to people (that was super hard for me as an extreme introvert!).
As for the rest of it – the writing, the biz side, and carving out time to do it – I wrote a lot of that in my post here: How I Made $2500 In My First Four Months As A Freelance Writer.
If you have zero experience in most (or all) of this like I did, I’d suggest taking a course – both to increase your knowledge, and your confidence that you can actually do this. I’m planning on writing a post about this in the future, so stay tuned! 🙂
Freelance writing is something I am hoping to dip my toes into. So it’s great seeing a post like this. Science writing like you probably would be forte…. I have always been more used to wet lab work but circumstances at the moment have me looking into writing. That’s why I decided to start a blog to get more knowledge and practice in the world of writing about different topics and things that interest me. Also as a creative outlet. Like you said though, I’m not too sure how easy it is to get into the world of freelance science writing. Will have to pick the brains of some of my old Professors/bosses. Looking forward to the post on gaining knowledge and confidence in freelance writing 😀
Yes, pick your old professor’s brains. I mentioned it to my old advisor once, and he was like, “Oh, yeah, when I was in grad school I would publish articles in Ranger Rick sometimes…” that would be super awesome!
It sucks that there aren’t any big industries around science like there are around personal finance, where all the money is right now (literally). I’d probably be way more happier if my client load was 50/50 personal finance/science, but it is what it is. Don’t be afraid to supplement your writing with things outside of science.
I’d recommend checking out the Freelance Writer’s Den if you’re interested in writing – when I was in it, it seemed like there were a lot of niche-specific writers in there, including science writers. It also helped me a ton when I was just launching off the ground, getting feedback and input on how the ‘biz works and everything.
Also, great job in starting your blog! I just wrote a post about how it actually kind of sucks from a moneymaking perspective for most people (haha), but in reality, it’s fantastic practice for writing better. No one starts out as a good writer (I certainly didn’t, and I will always have room for improvement!), and if you don’t have any clients, than writing for your own blog is a great way to hone and refine the skill.
Good luck – keep in touch! Great to see another fellow science nerd here 🙂
Thanks Lindsay a.k.a. fellow science nerd 😀 Yeah hopefully they might send me in the right direction. Well done though on getting into the world of Personal Finance… it shows you can flex your research brain to cover other areas! That’s the aim of the blog to hopefully better my writing skills (as you probably know with science they can get super technical)! So hoping to find a voice outside of that.
Thanks for the recommendation must check that writer’s den out. Because honestly I don’t know a whole load about how the freelance world works but slowly learning.
Enjoy the rest of your week 🙂
I really enjoyed this post! I came across your blog through your recent guest post on MakingSenseofCents. I think you have a great sense of humor and I’ve enjoyed reading through your site!
I completely agree that blogging is NOT a good side hustle for the majority of people; it’s a lot more difficult than many successful bloggers lead on. I’m about to start my own blog in a few short weeks (I’m trying to put together a decent amount of content before going live) and I’m super excited and extremely nervous. I also signed up for a few freelance sites and wrote my very first paid blog post the other day! But I completely jipped myself: 6 hours spent on a $35 post.
Ouch.
I’m still figuring it out and looking forward to both freelance writing and blogging as fun side hustles.
Thanks for this, Lindsay!
Duuuude! Congrats! Getting your first paid post is the biggest hurdle; don’t worry how much time it took you. You’ll refine your skills later and be able to pop’em out like Pez candies. The important thing is you proved to yourself that you can do it. 🙂
Good luck with your blog too! Sounds like you’re on the right track; I’ve seen a lot of blogs peter out after like two posts. Just make sure you do get going with that one too, and don’t stop. It’s easy to put it off because you’re tweaking things here and there to the point where you never launch it. Here’s a secret: you’ll always be tweaking things. I’m going back through my blog right now and changing a lot of stuff because holy wah were my first few posts total garbage…lol!
You’ve got an awesome road ahead of you!
The hardest part for me is finding clients! It seems to take SO much time and effort and often doesn’t pan out. But I’m trying!
That’s the key – you have to try, even if it’s not easy. It’s a numbers game. Most people will say no, so you need to send out a lot of emails. Be willing to branch out into new areas if there aren’t enough leads within your preferred field. 🙂
I started on Upwork because I didn’t know how to pitch to clients on my own. My best clients are the ones pitched through emails because they are established blogs (steady work) that have bigger writing budgets.
Upwork is full of many new blogs that are just launching and might fold after 3-6 months if it doesn’t get a foothold in the online community. Plus, most clients only want to pay $30 (at most) per 1000 words. This is good at first, but, that’s it.
This is one of the big areas I’d like to learn more about at FinCon this year! Hope to run into you and chat a little about it!
FinCon is a great place to start your freelance writing career. Make sure to hit up the Freelancer’s Marketplace – that’s what really jump-started my career last year! I’d be happy to chat about it if I see you.
Thanks Lindsay! That’d be great! Hope we are able to run into each other!
I love your posts. They are great with a little humor thrown in. Keep up the good work and keep the post coming.
Thanks Celeste!
It is so nice to see someone rewarded for there time and talent. Congratulations on growing your client list and revenue. Sounds like I need to make plans for FinCon.
Thanks! And yes – you should definitely attend FinCon, especially if you want to grow your blogging and/or freelance writing business! I’ll be honest: I’ve had way more success with the freelance writing than I have with the blogging income. Sometimes I wish I had more time to work on the blog, but I gotta do what will pay the bills now vs. ten years from now, haha 🙂