Comments on: Are you a freelancer writer or journalist entrepreneur?

By: Freelancer union asks for government tally of indie workers | WordCount

Freelancer union asks for government tally of indie workers | WordCount — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:53:21 +0000

[...] worker, working in temporary gigs? Or do you prefer to call yourself a business owner, freelancer, entrepreneurial journalist, self-employed or something [...]

By: Bob McDonnell

Bob McDonnell — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 17:10:52 +0000

Great question.
My card says Writer and Blogger. I like the term independent writer, and may use this in the future.
It seems that some seem to take the FREE in freelancer too seriously.
Never heard of journalistic entrepreneur before.

I had a fellow writer do a guest blog post for me on how the term freelancer came about. http://tinyurl.com/2enqe2r

By: hope

hope — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:28:15 +0000

What about ‘writer?’

As a longtime self-employed person who started out in corporate communications and then branched-off into journalism, I’ve always had a mix of assignments (marketing materials, custom publishing work, straight journalism), so I’ve always ‘tweaked’ my job-description to suit the situation.

Any adjective can be pre-pended to writer, you know. If I’m in a situation where it’s called for–or seems to be–I’ll sometimes call myself an independent contractor, since that’s how I am thought of by longtime clients and it correctly conveys a level of professionalism (and capability) that maybe “freelancer” or “freelance writer” no longer does.

That said, in most situations I also don’t automatically assume that everyone needs (or wants) an immediate summary my capabilities/services. In other words, I don’t treat everyone like a potential client. Quite the opposite, in fact. I’m at my best when I’m gathering information rather than dishing it out, and that seems to work for me. After all, most people can tell (just by talking with you) if you have something to offer.

By: Michelle V. Rafter

Michelle V. Rafter — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:03:08 +0000

Carson: All day long I’ve been vacillating between panic at an overdue deadline and lingering emotion and amazement from last night’s stand-out “Mad Men” episode. You gave me my first good laugh of the day. Thanks for that. Factotum it is.

Michelle

By: Carson

Carson — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:51:02 +0000

My business card has my name on it. No title.

If I had to pick one I’d consider “factotum”.

I never liked “freelance .” When a doctor has an office, he doesn’t call himself a “freelance physician.” Attorneys put their names on their shingles, not “freelance lawyer.” When you’re self-employed, you’re running a business.

By: Kim Priestap

Kim Priestap — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:04:46 +0000

I was at the University of Michigan/Penn State game on Saturday and sat next to a very nice and, I must say, a very devoted Penn State fan. We struck up a conversation (At least while our teeth weren’t chattering. It was a blustery and rainy afternoon.) when he asked me what I did for a living. I replied, “I’m a writer.” He became immediately interested and asked if I wrote for a particular publication or if I worked freelance. I answered freelance since that is what I do; however, your post, Michelle, now has me thinking about my answer.

What if I had answered, “I am a journalist entrepreneur”? I have to agree with Susan that it would have sounded pretentious. Not only that but freelance writer is a recognizable descriptor to almost everyone, including Mr. Penn State. Journalist entrepreneur, not so much.

@Susan, as a new freelance writer, I appreciate your advice about seeing yourself as a small business owner whose product is writing.

By: Links: Somewhere between Columbus Day & Halloween 2009 Edition | Meryl.net

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:49:55 +0000

[...] Are you a freelancer writer or journalist entrepreneur? Great words for thought. I consider myself a small business that provides writing services. Writing isn’t all I do — I still have to do marketing, networking and all that fun stuff. [...]

By: Michelle V. Rafter

Michelle V. Rafter — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:52:51 +0000

God bless poets – if non-fiction writers think we have it bad, I can only imagine what you must go through.

MVR

By: Sarah Graham

Sarah Graham — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:39:27 +0000

Lately I’ve been saying independant contractor since I’m spending more time on that than anything at the moment. I started out in poetry and still write in that genre, in addition to doing essays and contract proposals. If you want things to get really awkward, just tell people that you’re a poet!

Thanks for the article. Interesting stuff.

By: Susan Johnston

Susan Johnston — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:00:17 +0000

Michelle, this basically describes the rift between freelance writers who see themselves primary as writers and those who see themselves as small business owners whose product happens to be writing. I fall into the latter camp and I think that’s why I’ve been able to support myself entirely on freelancing even during a recession.

But I still call myself a freelance writer, because terms like “journalist entrepreneur” seem pretentious. Like calling a dog walker a “pet fitness facilitator” or a nanny a “home childcare provider.” Maybe once the phrase “journalist entrepreneur” becomes more common I’ll start using it myself.

Until then, I don’t worry about getting lumped with the other type of freelance writer because once people see my website or my list of clips, they know I’m a professional.