When I quit my lucrative yet not very mentally satisfying job as a Vegas cocktail waitress I decided to make my living while working on producing my tv show as a freelance food and travel writer. What do I know about writing? Let’s see…I don’t have a degree in literature, in fact, English is my second language. But I do read a lot…and I mean A LOT. I’d rather spend my evening at a bookstore then hang out at a bar. I currently write restaurant and hotel reviews for a luxury resort magazine called “Aqua Cabana” available next month nationwide at Barnes & Noble and Borders. (I know...Thank God for proofreaders!) Yes, I know, I still have a lot to learn as a writer but my ultimate goal as a writer is to write for “Food and Wine Magazine”, “Gourmet”, “National Geographic” and the likes, as well as, to publish a series of cook books, autobiography book about my culinary adventures and self help/motivational books. Right now I’m in the middle of reading a really good book, “Getting Started as a Freelance Writer” by Robert W. Bly. It is a must read if you want to write...AND GET PAID for doing it. I’d like to share a couple of really good advices from Bly on making money as a writer:
“To pursue commercial writing, you need a business plan (… ) “Set your annual income goal. If you want to make $100,000 a year and work 50 weeks a year, you must gross $ 2,000 a week from writing. If you work 5 days a week you must gross $400 a day.” (…)”Do you have to make $400 a day? No. Some days you’ll be writing queries or doing self-promotion and earning nothing. Other days you will get into a writing groove, finish $ 1,000 article in 6 hours, and still have time to write more queries. You are safe as long as your average revenue is $400 a day, or $2,000 a week, or about $9,000 a month”. He continues:”A doorman in New York City earns around $39,000 annually. If an unskilled laborer can make $39,000 just for opening a door, surely you can earn $50,000 to $100,000 for your skills.(…)”Value your time. If you earn $100,000 a year and work 40hrs a week, your time is worth at least $50 an hour. You should base decisions about how you spend your time on that figure.(…)”Of two resources, time and money, time is the more valuable. You can always make more money. But time is nonrenewable resource. Once it’s gone, you can’t get it back”
In his book, the author tells you exactly how to make $100,000 a year or more as a writer. I think the advice quoted above is great because it can apply virtually to anyone that does any type of freelance work or runs their own business. I hope this is as helpful and inspiring to you as it was to me.
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