r/freelanceWriters

Hi all. I freelanced successfully for nigh on 10 years as a copywriter but have spent the last few years in paid employment in a journalism-related field. Recently took a punt on a job I knew I would love,but paid less than what I was previously earning and I took it, reckoning that I could do some freelancing on the side where needed to boost my earnings.

So here I am. I know the market is much tougher with the proliferation of AI, but I was wondering if it is still possible to make some part time income as a copywriter? I have a strong track record on Upwork with tens of thousands of proven earnings.

Skills-wise I have done lots of technical B2B writing, both short form for blogs and long form for white papers etc. Also have plenty of UI writing experience and website microcopy. I specialised for a while in podcast scriptwriting, which I really enjoyed, and have also done a lot of YT body cam and courtroom scripting, though enjoyed this a lot less, and it was very time consuming.

So I guess my question is how is the market? Is Upwork still the go-to place for work? Is this feasible?

I am a one6-year-old writer and I need about 10$ so I can start by what I need a stylus for starting a drawing YouTube channel unfortunately it is so hard to find a single routing job and that much money is enough for me to find a stylus I really need one free runs commission and I'll be good to go and yet that one is so hard to find I'm a writer I can write fanfics as well as scripts articles and I am pretty flexible too

So, some guy emailed me this morning about a job opportunity that he’s recruiting for. He provided the company name and the job description. It looked too good to be true. But I bit down hard and sent my resume, a bio, and a cover letter.

Now, he’s trying to steer me toward using a professional resume reviewer, which I’d have to pay for.

It’s really starting to sound like a scam. Anyone else have an experience like this?

One of the biggest issues with AI for some clients is that the US Copyright Office currently does not allow AI-generated content to be copyrighted, meaning neither you nor your client own it and anyone is free to steal it.

But that's just policy, not law. The law is very much gray at the moment. The link in comments goes to a summary of recent and pending litigation and what we do and don't know.

Hey my name is Mike. I'm 33 and just became a dad which means I could use some extra money lol. I was wondering if anyone had any tips on how to get my first few clients. My only experience is this newsletter I run and writing some fiction.

I signed up for Upwork but I've already heard a lot of bad things about it. I'd love any help from you guys. Thanks ahead of time!!

TL;DR: I'm a new freelancer about to land my first big client under a retainer agreement. However, they seem to make it sound like they'll frequently ask for rush jobs. How do I mention I want to include a rush fee for these asks? What should I do if they decline?

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Hi guys, new to the freelancing world and was hoping to get your advice.

I'm being offered a monthly retainer with a 60 hour cap. This client - who also happens to be a former manager at a different company - says they move fast and will try their best to give a 12-24 hour notice for last minute requests/changes but cannot always guarantee it.

This gives me warning signals that it will be something that will happen often, urging me to ask about a rush fee.

We're still in the negotiating phase and I need help wording this change. First, I want to say, while I'd be ready to hop on urgent requests, I won't always be able to accommodate them due to other client work.

My plan is to charge a 25% premium for the hours worked on that particular rush project. This means my hourly rate will increase 25% for however many hours the rush job takes.

My worry is that they will decline and I will have to just deal with it (since this is my first major client) and accept the initial price or think of another option.

Questions:

Is this premium and ask fair? If so, how would you go about writing this in an email without sounding too harsh?

How can I pivot if the client declines my offer and says they cannot increase their budget?

Thank you in advance.

Hello, I'm currently a copywriter in an advertising agency but want to do some freelance work as well. I have absolutely no idea what to charge though, there are some projects for short video scripts (1-2minutes, some are less)

How should I price this?

Up until a few years ago, I recall Cracked accepting submissions from writers, albeit on their own terms,with a "workshop" and a heavy editing process. I have an idea I'd like to submit, but when I looked for their submission guidelines, I couldn't find anything but a page dated to 2019. I also can't find any clear answers anywhere else.

Considering the dire (to make un understatement) market today, is Cracked no longer accepting submissions?

i recently started writing freelance for a local paper (paid per published story) i’m wondering how i go about informing my editors of vacation time this summer? is it necessary “block out” days when i am away with my editors? do i bulk up my work in the weeks leading up to makeup for any loss of work being published while i am away?

finding this hard to figure out as i’ve only worked pto or had to request time off in my more hourly roles

Does anyone use a tool that gives them reliable, cited research almost every time?

Perplexity used to be my go to for this, but it's now also making up facts

And Google's answers on queries and research has been a joke for a long time now

I would be willing to spend, say, $10 a month for something that works

Thanks

Hi,

Ife currently been alerted to Wise, as it apparently has better rates for international transfers. Given that I mainly work with US clients while being based in the UM, I thought I'd give it a shot.

I downloaded the free version, but from what I can tell, you can only receive money if you have the advanced version, which costs £50 upfront.

Is anyone using this over PayPal? Do you think it's worth it? And does the client have any extra hassel over paying you this way versus PayPal?

Thanks!

I have a client right now who has rewritten the brief three times after I already started drafting. Each time it's "just a small adjustment" but it basically means starting over. We're on revision four of what was supposed to be a straightforward blog post.

The thing is, they pay on time and the rate is decent. But the mental cost of constantly pivoting is starting to outweigh the money. I'm spending twice the hours I quoted and every draft feels like a guessing game.

I've thought about adding a revision cap to future contracts but I'm not sure how to handle it with this current project without souring the relationship. For those who've dealt with serial brief-changers - at what point did you draw the line? And how did you frame it without making the client feel like they're being difficult?