Less work for freelancers?
A freelancer friend and I were just e-mailing each other about the economy. She wrote, “I just wonder how the economy will affect us as freelancers. Magazines still need articles, but they’ll probably need fewer of them so the competition will be greater.”
At first glance this sounded right. Then I thought about it for a few minutes and decided that last part might not be 100 percent accurate. Yes, magazines are getting thinner because advertisers are slashing budgets ergo editors are slashing editorial space. With newsroom layoffs occurring right and left, a lot of reporters and editors do jump into the freelance pool … but I think they tend to jump out fairly quickly. Working as a freelancer and working on staff are two different beasts. You’d think reporters would make great freelancers. But remember what Linda wrote a few days ago … writing is but a small part of freelancing. There’s all the other stuff that goes along with it, like marketing, rewriting, factchecking, and sourcing, all without a regular paycheck, vacation time, and paid holidays. Pretty soon, freelancing loses it luster for most of these newsroom and staff refugees, and they’re off to look for another staff job. These freelancing waters are too cold, except for the most hearty souls.
My position is that successful freelancers have to market a lot harder in a tight economy to get the same amount of work they had back when budgets were flush. For example, you might have been sending 10 queries out a month to make your numbers a couple years ago. Today, you’re looking at 20, or even 30 queries, plus probably a lot more followup.
Does it mean working more hours? Probably. I console myself by remembering all the long hours I pulled when I worked in Cuberia and layoffs were hanging over my head. No one’s got it easy here. The good news for skilled freelancers: you’ve got a better shot at changing your fortune than your office-bound counterparts or recently laid-off editors. [db]
I’ve talked to a lot of laid off staffers about freelancing, and none of them realized how much work other than writing it is. I think if you’ve been established, you’re in a great position. I’ve been freelancing for almost four years now, so I’m in a much better position than someone jumping in right now.
Plus, I’ve been really busy the last few months. I added online writing at the beginning of the year, which is provided much more of my income than ever before.
Jen
I’m only a part-time freelancer (for now), but I would tend to agree that freelancers are a different species. Magazine and newspaper work may be decreasing, but I think that where there are layoffs, there’s generally more work for freelancers. Companies that can’t afford to hire full-time help (with benefits like vacation time, health benefits, etc.) are more likely to turn to freelancers that they can hire by project or on an hourly basis. It’s often more cost efficient for them to do so. So keep your eyes and ears open for new projects and be willing to branch out into different writing fields, and you should be able to pick up the work you need. It may take more time researching and marketing, like Diana said, but it will be worth it.
Hmm, please don’t tell me this! (grin) I may be tossed into the freelancing deep end any day now, and am still just trying to paddle!
Deb, of course there are reporters/editors that make the transition beautifully. I’m sure you’ll be one of them!
But those of us out in the trenches like to worry about these armies of former staffers descending upon our turf, and it just doesn’t happen like that.
I know a few former newspaper/magazine staffers who’ve done quite well as freelancers. No worries!