In medieval era, lance service was in high demand. Lords would use the services of mercenary warriors and pay them to fight a war, behead enemies, or execute orders.
The word “freelance” was coined during that period. It was first used by Sir Walter Scott in 1820 to indicate that the mercenary’s lance was not just meant for the aristocrat’s jobs, but for anyone who is willing to pay.
But, today, mercenaries and their lances have no place in our societies; yet, we hear phrases like “freelance journalist,” “freelance photographer,” and “freelance writer.”
Freelance Writer Defined Like the 18th Century warrior, a modern freelance writer uses their spear of talent to service contractors. In fact, modern writers are more aggressive than the olden-day warriors. Let me explain why…
Contract freelancers resort to all kinds of arms and ammunitions – the killer headlines, the hook, and the cliff hangers among others – to champion the project of their clientele or compel a reader to keep reading their written content till the last word.
See, a self-employed person, who sells writing services to employers without a long-term commitment to any of them, is known as a freelance writer. They’re like an eBay seller. The only different is that while the power seller sells goods, the freelancer sells words.
In order to offer their services, freelance writers have to hunt for writing projects, both online and offline. Online, they storm freelance marketplaces, such as:
• Elance.com
• oDesk.com
• Helium.com
• Yahoo Voices.com
• Constant Content.com
• iWriter.com
Offline, they usually market themselves by the word-of-mouth – telling their friends and families what they do for a living – or by distributing cards and flyers to companies, local clubs, pepper soup spots, and
pami joints in their vicinity.
Freelance writers operate with a PC, a laptop, or an Internet-subscribed Smartphone. These technologies made their work both easy and flexible. They can work from anywhere (as long as they have Internet connection), and earn a decent amount of income from the comfort of their home.
Services OfferedFreelance writers offer many writing services, such as:
• Article writing
• Web content writing
• Product description
• Copy writing
• Essay/non-fiction writing
• Fiction writing
• Ghost writing
• Journalistic writing
• Speech writing
• Grant/proposal writing
How Does a Freelance Writer Charge for Their Services? Almost every writer charges differently because everyone is in charge of their business. However, writers are using a yardstick to calculate their rate. They project their annual income and divide it by 1,000 billable hours to get their per hour rates.
The cost of service between one writer and the other differs, and this is mainly because of two main factors:
• Professionalism and
• Experience
While a professional copywriter can earn $200 per a copy of 100-word sales pitch, a newbie in similar niche can only earn $50 or $100 for the same.
Freelance marketplaces also determine the rate of a writer. Bidding sites such as Elance.com, where freelancers usually charge $5 for 500-word article, are cheaper markets compare to places like Constant Content.com, where a writer can list their 500-word article for $30 or $50 USD.
A freelance writer is a wordsmith; he creates new, compelling content out of his head. He is an engineer; he re-writes, edit, and polishes a poorly written article. He is an artist; he romanticizes words before finally luring them to the attractive reader.
A smart freelancer is sharper than the lance of a medieval warrior. We often see them online with their spear of words trying to convert the busy browser into a loyal customer.
Topic: Who is a Freelance Writer? (Read 2425 times)
