Freelancing in Your 20s

I have a good advice from Jodi Brandon. Read it.

Beginning freelance writers are at a disadvantage—not that I need to tell you that. So many people call themselves freelance writers that you really need to put yourself ahead of the pack. But you can get tips for beginning freelancers from lots of places.

Young people are also at a disadvantage when beginning a career; they just don’t have the experience yet that more seasoned colleagues have. (The word young is broad, I know, but for our purposes here, we’re going to use young to mean 20-somethings starting out post-college or post-master’s degree.) But, again, you can get beginning career advice from lots of places.

Put them together and you’re where I was a few years ago: a 20-something beginning freelance writer. Yes, much of the general advice for beginners applies no matter what your age. My approach is to tailor the typical advice and information to 20-somethings getting started as freelance writers. Let’s begin.

A COUPLE OF BASICS

Age

Don’t broadcast your age (in today’s world, unfortunately, the perception is that older is often smarter, better, more whatever than younger)—unless it’s to your benefit, of course. One of my first clients was a bridal magazine that I still write for. When I first pitched my editor, I was engaged. Telling her that was to my benefit (it put me on the same plane as her readers). She didn’t know I was only 23 (no need to tell her that!). On the other hand, I included my age when I queried Jenna Glatzer, the editor of Absolute Write, for this article. Why? It made sense. The article targets 20-something freelance writers. Who better to write the article than a 20-something freelance writer?

Not broadcasting your inexperience (in the form of your age) seems like common sense, but many of us do this without even realizing it. We’re overcompensating: Without a lot of clips, we must sell ourselves as writers. So the more information the better, right? Not necessarily. Relevant is the only kind of information you should include. It’s the only kind of information editors care about. Trust me on that one.

Professionalism

Let’s face it: Professionalism counts. It goes without saying that you need business cards and letterhead (you know that because you’ve read Freelancing 101–type articles, right?). Here’s my advice: Keep it simple. Not only will it be cheaper that way, but you don’t need cute or crazy graphics. Aside from my contact information, the only graphic element I include on my stationery is a pencil dotting the “i” in my name and logo. Clever but not cutesy.

One other note on professionalism: You know that your outgoing answering-machine message should sound professional. Same goes for your e-mail signature and/or quote. Use this as an opportunity to tout your accomplishments and promote your web site ("Jodi Brandon, author of The Fabjob Guide to Becoming a Book Editor, www.jbedit.com"), not an opportunity to share your favorite Homer Simpson quote.