I received some disappointing news yesterday morning -- first thing in the morning, no less -- which really cramped my productivity for the rest of the day.
It would seem a certain client of mine, an online publication, is scaling back its range of content. Feeling they've overextended the scope of their website, they have decided to cut certain sections, mine included. Complete bummer.
I've been writing for them on a daily basis for more than a year now, and I've worked hard to build up my contacts with different PR reps, various companies, brands, etc. It's disappointing now to know that next week I'll be publishing my last online article for them and then that will be that.
Not to mention, all the features I was planning on publishing in the upcoming months are now kaputtsville. And moving forward, all the pitches sent to me for the site are now going straight into my email account's "Trash" folder, and there will be the long transition during which I inform every relevant contact that I'll no longer be working in that capacity for that publication.
Fortunately, I'll be fine. Financially, the publication paid 22% of my total monthly earnings -- a significant amount, but still a percentage that I feel I can pick up again within a relatively short time because 1) I'm due for raises with some of my other clients and 2) I live with my boyfriend and even if I lost 100% of my total monthly earnings, I know he would not let me starve. (Mostly because he needs me around to cook the food he buys. Just kidding. Kind of.) And creatively, the client offered me a lot of freedom regarding what I wanted to feature on a daily basis, so that will certainly be missed. But you know what they say about proverbial doors opening and closing ...
Now I can take a breather and think about which direction I want to start heading. Do I want to publish the same kind of content on a daily basis but start my own website? Do I want to start my own website but publish a completely different kind of content? Do I want to use this opportunity to break into a totally new print or web market for myself? Do I want to write a book? Do I want to team up with another local writer/blogger and see what kind of damage we can do on this here interweb?
There are really so many possibilities; I get a little overwhelmed when I start thinking about all of my ideas at once. I'll have to spend the next few days and weeks weeding out all my bad ideas and narrowing my focus.
[Sway goes into her serious audiobook voice:] And so, in summation, letting go of a job you really cared about presents a variety of challenges as well as an opportunity to take some lessons to heart and experience personal growth.
Blah blah blah. What I'm trying to say is: If you're a newbie full-time writer, or you plan on becoming a newbie full-time writer in the near future, here are some things to keep in mind.
1. Diversify your client roster. Even if you only write about a single subject, i.e., gardening, travel, crafts, fashion, whatever, you never ever want all your income to come from a single source. Unless, of course, you have some kind of iron-clad contract with them or just happen to like surprise financial disaster emergencies.
2. In that same vein, it might help you to figure out for yourself what your monthly earning cap for any single client should be. This is a percentage that only you need to know, and only you can decide. For example, I know a writer who doesn't like for any one of his clients to make up more than 15% of his total monthly income. But this means that at any given time, he's juggling close to 10 different clients and numerous projects. However, some fields are more conducive than others to a large client base. If you write mainly for magazines, let's say, you might have a lot of different clients, because the time frames between submission and publication and payment are so long. On the other hand, if you're copy editing content that requires extremely tight turnaround, you may not be able to juggle nearly as many projects/clients.
3. Understand that you could lose your client at any given time. Not even because they don't like you or think you're bad at your job. You might be really, really good at your job. But the client may go under, their budgets may get cut, they may downsize your department (see above), or they could be taken in the rapture. You just never know, so plan accordingly. For example, if you've written almost 400 articles in a year for an online publication (my scenario), you should have been preserving your best content for your writer's portfolio as you went along. [Note: I did do this. Thank god.]
4. I repeat: Understand that you could lose your client at any given time. And actually, it's pretty much inevitable that you will, someday, for one reason or another. So save up some moolah while the checks are rolling in to float you during the times they're not.
OK, that's it, kids. Tune in next week when I discuss how to convince your parents, friends and other members of your family that yes, as a writer you do actually work every day during the week -- sometimes the weekends, too -- and yes, it is possible to earn a good, honest living at this.
Actually, I don't really know how to convince your family of all that stuff. If you're a writer, it doesn't matter what you say, they're just going to think you sleep all day anyway.
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