As the days count down to the New Year, it’s a good time to reflect on the last 365 days of work. I came back to writing full time in September 2007, so this was my first full year of work.
By most measures, it was a good year. I reconnected with several clients I’d written for before. I rediscovered former colleagues who are now editors and who were more than happy to give me work. And I discovered a few new markets, some that were fine while they lasted and others I hope to grow into bigger clients in 2009.
I wouldn’t necessarily call it a banner year – I’ve still got a ways to go to reach what I was making in 2000 during the last go-go days of the Internet boom. But if I play it smart I could be back there next year or in 2010.
Every freelancer’s work mix is different. Some do only magazine work. Others do copywriting, corporate writing, ghostwriting, speech writing or teach. Here’s now my client mix broke out for 2008:
- Trade publications – 55 percent
- National business and tech publications – 27 percent
- Custom publishing – 12 percent
- Regional biz publications – 5 percent
- Blogging, reprints – Less than 1 percent
Analyzing income by genre or market is useful for strategizing or creating a business plan. I had been contemplating adding corporate writing to my business mix next year, something my heart really isn’t in. However, analyzing the numbers, I see untapped opportunity in some segments of my existing business – especially blogging and regional work. So I’ll go after those more aggressively in 2009 before trying to branch out.
What did your market mix look like in 2008? How will you change it next year?
Michelle,
You inspired me to calculate my own market breakdown, which I’ll be publishing after the holidays as a “year in review” type post. A little less than half of my income comes from copywriting, which is because those projects tend to come in larger chunks than editorial assignments. Though I share your preference for writing articles, I’ve also found that copywriting offers different creative challenges and has made me more flexible and versatile as a writer. Aside from that, about a quarter of my income came from writing editorial content for websites, and a much smaller % came from print magazines and other sources. Thanks for getting the conversation started!
Susan
Thanks Susan. I’ve done copywriting for 10+ years on a pro bono basis for schools and non profits – it’s the way I volunteer my time & talents to my childrens’ schools and groups they belong to. But I’ve never tried to get any paid gigs. Reading your comments makes me think that maybe I should.
Michelle