11 Books for Writers Looking to Level Up their Freelance Career
Freelance work continues to grow in popularity, with more than 62 million freelancers working in the U.S. this past year alone. And it’s not going anywhere soon as more people are discovering they’d rather indulge in a flexible work lifestyle than sit in a chair inside a cubicle 40 or more hours per week. But there is much more to a freelance writing career than starting a blog and working from home.
If you are looking to learn everything about this career, from the basics to landing clients to producing the best content to managing your finances, then we have a few books to add to your book shelves that will teach you all you need to know and help you level up your job as a full-time freelance writer.
The Basics
The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing: How to Write, Work, and Thrive on Your Own Terms by Zachary Petit
If you are new to the freelance game, this is the book for you. The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing answers all the questions you have on your list such as: should I freelance full time or part time? Should I write for magazines, newspapers, or online markets? How do I dream up the perfect article idea, and how do I pitch it successfully? How do I negotiate contracts, foster relationships with editors, and start getting steady work while avoiding financial panic attacks? As a roadmap filled with insider secrets, candid advice, and Zachary Petit's trademark humor and blunt honesty, this a great book to pick up if you are serious about pursuing freelance writing full time.
Starting Your Career As a Freelance Writer by Moira Anderson Allen
Completely revised and updated, the second edition of Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer includes an entirely new section on the "online writer," discussing how to set up your own website, whether you need a blog, how to effectively participate in social networking sites, and information on electronic publishing, POD and more. New chapters also highlight writing for international markets, ghostwriting, speech-writing, technical writing, copyediting, and teaching. Author Moira Allen, with over 30 years of freelance experience, walks writers through the process of developing marketable ideas and then finding appropriate markets for those ideas. This is one of those books that will act as your bible and reference manual throughout your freelancing career.
The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success by Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell
If you are looking to pitch your ideas articles to some of the big publications you see on the newstand, you are going to need to know the ropes. For over 20 years Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell have written for top magazines and newspapers including Family Circle, Woman's Day, Cook's Illustrated, Parenting, Redbook, Fortune Small Business, Writer's Digest, Oxygen, The Boston Globe, Self, Inc., and dozens more. They pitch magazines they’ve never read, call editors to pitch ideas, research extensively before they even get an assignment, and usually follow their own inclinations rather than the official directions. They’ve negotiated for more money and better terms without risking their careers, learned that editors are not the writer-gobbling monsters many freelancers fear, and established long-term relationships with editors at top publications. In The Renegade Writer, they share all their tips and tricks so you, too, can become the go-to writer editors love.
The Freelancer's Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Have the Career of Your Dreams―On Your Terms by Sara Horowitz
As the title suggests, The Freelancer’s Bible is a one-stop, all-encompassing guide to every practical detail and challenge of being a successful freelancer. Sara Horowitz, MacArthur “Genius” Fellow and founder of the national Freelancers Union and, most recently, the Freelancers Insurance Company, delves into everything from the essentials of getting clients and the most important ways to keep them happy. Five fee-setting strategies. Thirteen tactics for making it through a prolonged dry spell. Setting up a home office vs. renting space. The one-hour contract. A dozen negotiating dos and don’ts. Building and maintaining your reputation. Dealing with deadbeats. Health Insurance 101. Record-keeping and taxes and so much more. If you are serious about changing your career and learning from the best, grab this book ASAP.
The Financial Stuff
The Money Book for Freelancers, Part-Timers, and the Self-Employed: The Only Personal Finance System for People with Not-So-Regular Jobs by Joseph D'Agnese and Denise Kiernan
Every freelancer knows it's not easy living on an irregular income. This is probably what scares people the most about this career. But in The Monday Book, longtime freelancers and bestselling authors Joseph D'Agnese and Denise Kiernan share the easy-to-follow system that allowed them to build wealth and financial security while never sacrificing the creative careers they loved. While every self-employed person's journey is unique, wealth-building actually consists of taking the same simple but critical actions with your money month after month. This book describes a completely new, comprehensive system for earning, spending, saving, and surviving as an independent worker. From interviews with financial experts to anecdotes from real-life freelancers, plus handy charts and graphs to help you visualize key concepts, you'll discover how to pay bills even when the money isn't flowing your way, how to put in place a bulletproof system for saving, how to eradicate debt, and how to plan for all the things you absolutely deserve.
Working for Yourself: Law & Taxes for Independent Contractors, Freelancers & Gig Workers of All Types by Stephen Fishman J.D.
Taxes can be a nightmare. Especially when self-employeed. Whether you’re starting a full-scale consulting business or booking gigs on the side, Working for Yourself provides all the legal and tax information you need in one place. This excellent, well-organized reference will show you how to decide the best form for your business (sole proprietor, LLC, or other), make sure you’re paid in full and on time, pay estimated taxes (and avoid trouble with the IRS), take advantage of all available tax deductions (including home offices), choose health, property, and other kinds of insurance, keep accurate records in case you get audited, and write legally binding contracts and letter agreements.
Landing Clients
Warm Email Prospecting: How to Use Short and Simple Emails to Land Better Freelance Writing Clients by Ed Gandia
While landing clients requires a great deal of hustle, determination and the ability to handle rejection well, Ed Gandia believes there is a faster and simpler way to prospect for clients using nothing but email. It's called "warm email prospecting." In this nuts-and-bolts guide, freelance copywriter and business-building coach Ed Gandia will show you how to use this simple, proven and underused approach to generate high-quality client leads faster and more cost-effectively. You'll discover the three psychological triggers that get prospects to respond to your message and contact you to learn more. You’ll get samples, templates and step-by-step instruction. And you'll walk away knowing how to write simple and short prospecting emails that get results.
How Clients Buy: A Practical Guide to Business Development for Consulting Professionals by Tom McMakin and Doug Fletcher
If you are going to land new clients, you are going to need to understand them and their habits first. How Clients Buy comes to the rescue with real, practical advice for selling what you do. You'll have to unlearn everything you know about sales, but then you'll learn new skills that will help you make connections, develop rapport, create interest, earn trust, and turn prospects into clients.
Content Creation
The Content Code: Six Essential Strategies to Ignite Your Content, Your Marketing, and Your Business by Mark W. Schaefer
SEO and knowledge of optimization are crucial when launching a career in freelance writing and content creation. Mark W. Schaefer has delivered a path-finding book exploring the six factors that will help you break through the overwhelming wall of information density to win at marketing now … beyond content, beyond social media, beyond web traffic and Search Engine Optimization. The Content Code starts where your current marketing plan ends, and provides the launch code for next-level success. The book dives deeply into the true value of social media marketing and the steps companies need to enable to achieve measurable results. This title is able available on Audible.
Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content by Ann Handley
In Everybody Writes, top marketing veteran Ann Handley gives expert guidance and insight into the process and strategy of content creation, production and publishing, with actionable how-to advice designed to get results. These lessons and rules apply across all of your online assets ― like web pages, home page, landing pages, blogs, email, marketing offers, and on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media. Ann deconstructs the strategy and delivers a practical approach to create ridiculously compelling and competent content. It's designed to be the go-to guide for anyone creating or publishing any kind of online content ― whether you're a big brand or you're small and solo. Some section examples: How to write better. (Or, for "adult-onset writers": How to hate writing less.) Easy grammar and usage rules tailored for business in a fun, memorable way. Giving your audience the gift of your true story, told well. Empathy and humanity and inspiration are key here, so the book covers that, too. And Content Tools: The sharpest tools you need to get the job done.
Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All by Tom Kelley and David Kelley
Running out of creative energy is a problem no freelancer wants to take on. But we have a book suggestion for that. IDEO founder and Stanford d.school creator David Kelley and his brother Tom Kelley, IDEO partner and the author of the bestselling The Art of Innovation, have written a powerful and compelling book on unleashing the creativity that lies within each and every one of us. They identify the principles and strategies that will allow us to tap into our creative potential in our work lives, and in our personal lives, and allow us to innovate in terms of how we approach and solve problems. It is a book that will help each of us be more productive and successful in our lives and in our careers and keep that creative energy flow running on high.
