This Saturday we are pleased to welcome Richard Held to the Mess. Richard “Tony” Held is a freelance editor/proofreader and ghostwriter. He also writes fiction and nonfiction. You can find him at www.tonyheld.com where you can discover all about his editing business and other works. You can also view his sample edit offer on Writer.ly. He also has a short story, A Memory at Midway, that you will want to check out, as well.
I can understand what Tony is going to share with us having begun my writing career with freelance work, although not in editing. The world of magazine publishing can be just as treacherous to navigate.
So, sit back and enjoy that morning coffee as Richard shares with us some of the problems he has faced in the world of freelance.
The Three Biggest Problems of being a Freelancer
By
I have edited six books, two short stories, and several
other texts while working as a freelance editor/proofreader.
If that sounds like a piece of cake to you, well, it
wasn’t. Finding work as a freelancer is
fraught with problems. Here are the
three biggest ones.
The scam artist
I have netted several gigs via Craigslist. I have also hooked a couple scam artists via
Craigslist too.
The first scam artist was an unidentified man who asked me
to edit a short story. It was a very
badly written piece that I brought up to snuff.
He claimed I did a terrible job which he would not pay me “one penny”
for, which was a bald-faced lie on his part.
He was an awful writer, and I had given him a terrific copyedit from
start to finish.
The second scam artist was more brazen. I met a man who called himself “Michael
Russels” who claimed he had a dissertation he wanted me to edit. We agreed to a flat rate of $600. He would pay me half to start, half upon
completion. Instead, he sent me a $3,200 check in the mail! Since he did not list his name on the
envelope, or the check, I assumed it was a retainer from another client, and I
deposited it. The day after I did this,
“Russels” e-mailed me, said he had sent the check, and claimed: “Please confirm
to me if you have received the check or not. I need your fast response in order
to validate details with the issuer of the check while I pose further
instruction regarding the check.” Too
late: The check bounced within 48 hours.
Soon after that I discovered “Russels” was bogus and severed all
contact.
I now do not take anything on trust alone with clients from
Craigslist. All potential clients are
now vetted by me before I agree to do
any work for them.
And “Russels”? I reported him for mail fraud.
The competition
I might have an impressive resume, but so does the other
freelancers I compete with. So far
places like Elance and Writer.ly have been murder for me. I have not yet won a job at Elance, and I
have only one at Writer.ly so far. Every
other bid I made at those two venues has been rejected.
Some say freelance venues like these are not the best way to
find work. They may be right. Sites like
Elance attract freelancers like moths to a floodlight. The result is a line of bidders at each and
every gig listed!
How do you stand out in such a crowd? The answer is simple: You can’t. All you can do is plug away and hope for the
best.
Lack of
self-promotion
I recently learned from a fellow freelancer that the only
way to be a success is to promote your talents constantly, even when you are busy
working.
I have not yet mastered this. So far it has been something I’ve played “red
light/green light” with. It is now time
for either “green light” all the time, or I go back to working nine to five at
a dull but steady “real” job.
How can I self-promote myself better?
For one thing, I have not yet fully tapped all the job
sources on the Internet. For example, freelance
editors/proofreaders call forums at places like CreateSpace home, so why not
me? And why not submit more guest blog posts? I once read about one freelance editor/proofreader
who got his work entirely from clients
who contacted him after reading his guest posts!
Another thing I have not fully tapped yet is “real world” self-promotion. I need to get on
the ball about that, too, by either posting ads in the paper, promoting myself
guerilla-style with homemade flyers distributed all over town, or other options. The Internet is a great resource, but the
“real world” is nothing to sneeze at either.
Problems or no problems, I still like being a freelance
editor/proofreader. It is the most fun
job I ever had! All I need to do is stay
alert for scammers, come up with
winning bids at Elance and company, and self-promote myself frequently.
Did you enjoy what you read? Leave me a comment and then join me at The Mess that Is Me on Facebook!
Other posts you might enjoy ~ The Mess Welcomes Sherry Rentschler
Thanks for visiting The Mess! Keep chasing your dreams!
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