I am feeling frustrated tonight. I am tired of writing for pennies. It makes me sick that I spend time writing for people who don't appreciate me or who don't want to pay me what I am worth. On the other hand I feel like I don't have a choice, at least, not until I can find some decent paying clients.
I realized tonight while looking at some professional portfolio pages that I am not charging nearly enough. I know I need to charge more for my services when it comes to private clients, but at the same time I am scared to death to raise my rates. What if I can't find anyone who will hire me at higher prices? What happens then? It feels like everyone around me is getting great jobs that pay much more than mine and I am sick and tired of it. What am I doing wrong?
I don't know where to look for jobs anymore. Everyone has advice but none of it works for me. I am floundering and I hate feeling this way. I have seriously been considering getting a job outside of the house. I think about it and look at local job postings but when it comes to applying for them I just can't. I know I don't want to go back to a regular job. I like being able to do things when I want them rather than having to schedule them around work.
Anyone who has words of encouragement please send them my way. I have to come up with a better plan and soon or I am going to go crazy.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Frustrated
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9 comments:
Cheer up Katy! Photo Gent and I are rooting for you. We know that you have come a long way since you started this blog, and that you just keep getting better. So chin up, put on your racing clothes and go chase those private clients down the race track! They can't outrun a Nascar fan after all. Put a big smile on with that new price tag you will be charging for your work. Be confident and know you will find better paying assignments. Confidence sells Katy. Approach companies who need a blog or content for their websites with a nice letter of interest and make an offer to tweak their style. Tell them to check your blogs for an idea of what you can do and give references. Don't forget to add me as a reference.
Hugs to you Katy and don't give up. We are right here on the trail with you.
I understand your frustration. When I read the demands of some buyers it really makes me angry. So I have decided to raise rates and try and get more fulfilling work. I don't know what to say, but I think mainly you just need to go for it as soon as you can. If you want to be inspired that you can do it, have a look at this post... http://allfreelancewriting.com/2009/02/16/freelancing/making-money/how-one-freelance-writer-increased-her-income-ten-fold/
Don't give up. You know what you are worth so put it out there. Be positive. In all lines of work where you deal with the public you are always going to have those who want something for nothing. Don't let them discourage you.
You are worthy.
It may take a while before you have the clients, but eventually you will. Write for the people you write for and start looking for new work at a higher rate. As inquiries start coming in, start quoting higher. Network with other freelancers, be active on NON-WRITER boards like Digital Point Forums, Warrior Forums, Webmasterforums, Webmaster-talk, etc. Develop your professional page, get some samples that aren't from cheap SEO jobs (even if you have to create these samples just for sample purposes) and start quoting higher rates when you get inquiries. Also, figure out what your niche is- don't be a generalist. Learn how to write sales pages, PRs, stuff like that. Email me some samples and your "desired" rate range and if I get any new clients that I don't have time for, I'll pass them on to you. I've passed on jobs to 3 people in the past 2 weeks ranging from .02 to .05 per word. It's all about networking...I think....?
The toughest part of setting your own rates is believing in yourself, and believing that you're worth the same amount of money as the other professionals out there.
Which is scary.
The truth of the matter is, though, a reputable company will only respect you more if your rates are in keeping with industry standards. If your rates are too low, they may worry that what they'll get from you will be low quality.
If you charge high-quality rates, the high-quality clients will follow!
Sounds tough. I don't have much practical advice for you as I'm facing most of the same issues. But, it sounds like you're up to your neck in this stress, so maybe it's time to step away for a little bit, even a few hours and try to take a new angle/perspective. I'm sure you know that if you get too close to the page trying to figure out what's written, you'll lose the meaning and everything will get blurred.
In other words, good luck :-)
Like another commentator said above, try to focus on what you have accomplished. Take a few moments to think of where you were when you started and vision the journey that you've taken. The solid contacts you've made as evidenced here in your comments is great proof you are succeeding networking. One night sometime in the future everything will fall in place, and you'll wonder how it all happened.
I wish I had good advice for you. Just keep your chin up and keep moving forward. Thanks for the kind comment today. I really appreciate it!
Lydia
Hi Katy.I totally understand how you feel. I write for pennies too when I first started as a freelance writer. Over the time, the rates increase but the worse part is to lose a project that I had been working for a rather long time. Still, cheer up Katy.. don't be too frustrated, that can clog up your mind.
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