Looseink Freelance Ninja - How Do I Pick A Freelance Job?
How Do I Pick A Freelance Job?
If you are just starting out in the freelance world, you may have a different approach than I do. I will say that when I started about 2 1/2 years ago I bid on just about every job I could find that sounded like something I could do. Now that I have well over 100 jobs under my belt, I'm a little more picky as to what freelance jobs I'll consider.
I enjoy small 'piece work' jobs that may be for just a single long article or a few smaller articles. I also look for jobs that could lead to long term ongoing work (the listing usually indicate this) as well as unusual items I may be able to finish in a single sitting. One example was for a job I bid on last week. The description was that the client was looking for a short (only a few pages) eBook on Zombies. The idea was to use an online source that translates English to Zombie (there are a few) and to keep it brief but funny.
I'm a fan of zombies. I used to have my 3rd Gen iPod Touch loaded with zombie game apps and just enjoyed a brainless (pun intended) few minutes here and there pumping lead into zombies at the touch of my screen. So I submitted a bid with a few suggested headlines I would use to write about in the eBook (as was requested). A few days passed and I had not heard anything. Typically I will withdraw a proposal after a week.
Yesterday afternoon I was going to yank that particular bid. I don't normally have more than three active bids at any time. For some reason I got sidetracked and never removed my bid. Later in the day I received word that I was chosen to write this eBook. A couple of messages were passed back and forth to confirm minor details and I was told to "have fun with it."
So, I sat down last night in front of my laptop and started pounding out a short survival manual on how to identify zombies in your workplace, family and love life. It didn't take long to complete. I proofread it a few times, ran it through SpellCheck and submitted it to the client later in the evening.
This afternoon I received a notice that I had been paid for the job, plus a 30% bonus and later received a message from the client. She was extremely happy with the product I submitted and mentioned she started laughing three paragraphs in. That was just one of those jobs that jumped out at me that I thought I could fit into my steady stream of work and still do something reasonably good.
I have an eBook I published with more tips and tricks on how to land a freelance writing job. It is available at Amazon at this link: "Write Like Me!"