Almost by chance I find that I’ve started a little sideline. Having written and self-published eight books I more or less know my way around the process. I also know that writing books is likely to lose you money, rather than the other way round. I’ve been happy with that situation and have never really sought to monetise my hobby by seeking agents, spending time on marketing, etc.
A year or so ago I was put in contact, by a mutual friend, with a local woman who had a story she wanted to tell. Over a number of months I sat down with her and chatted with a voice recorder discretely placed. I’d transcribe the recordings and slowly we built a book together. Eventually we self-published the book, the client’s name on the cover. Moderate sales to date but unbroken five* reviews on Amazon. The client was happy to have achieved an ambition, I was happy having made a few quid.

Afterwards I wondered if there might be a local market for a Writer For Hire. I ran (and am running) a little classified advertisement in the local paper. I’m happy to say that there has been a steady response. The work is stacking up nicely; one local woman is writing her hilarious and poignant memoirs longhand, I’m typing it up, correcting, critiquing, structuring and advising. Then there’s a shorter project comprising a local lady’s Occupation memoirs. I’ve been entrusted with polishing up the hair-raising story of a guy who survived, amongst other adventures, six months in Bali’s notorious Kerobokan prison; I’m getting involved in a book tracing 100 years of a local football club.
What have I learnt about the freelance life? Firstly, you need to establish mutual trust or you won’t produce your best work. People won’t volunteer personal stuff to someone they don’t trust. Second, this work isn’t a hobby and I owe each client my full care and attention. Third, this is stuff I am good at, enjoy, and can do it from my armchair at any hour if I wish. At other times I’ll take myself off to the library. As to price, this isn’t my primary, or even secondary, source of income (yet). I can therefore work as cheap as I wish. I refuse to ask for upfront payment, and I cap my price so the client isn’t concerned about rising costs.
Having spent a life working with figures I know what I enjoy most.
Good for you. I’ve been thinking about freelancing, but have made no effort to figure out how to get started–not even the websites that offer such services and could provide the platform, if not actual customers. Hope it continues to be an enjoyable sideline for you. I agree with all of your points.
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I suppose an island provides visibility for a local service. I wouldn’t like to get involved in a cut-throat national market where you might be fighting for scraps. Indeed, enjoyment is still they key.
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Very enterprising of you, Roy. Keep it up!
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Thanks Janna. I wish I’d considered it earlier. There again, I’ve now built a credible CV to work with.
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Well done, Roy. Something I would love to do, but I am not a novelist. My friend Ian Ronayne has been doing this for the past 5/8 yrs.
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Thanks Ned. Ian’s a fine historian. He freelances as well?
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Indeed. Commissions.
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Good for you, Roy. Like you, I’ve worked with numbers most of my adult life, it’s nice to break away. Wishing you the best in your new venture!
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Thank you Jill. It’s not really work, just an extension of a pleasurably hobby 🙂
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This is great – the very best of luck …
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Thank you Marie.
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Good luck, Roy. Remember to have fun with it!
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Oh indeed Jane. Happily I’m at the stage where I can pick and choose what I do rather than having to stay afloat in the world of (proper) work 🙂
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A great opportunity to share your experience and knowledge whilst having fun – good luck with it!
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Thanks ER. The danger at present is taking on more than I can handle.
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Yes, it can be very easy to give yourself too much to do – saying no is tough!
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That seems like such a fun opportunity!
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Sure is Kerry. Trouble is I can’t just write for an hour or so when the fancy takes me now. I gotta buckle down and produce the goods within a reasonable timeframe.
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When I wrote professionally, it took away some of the pleasure of my own writing but I loved the end result. You will be making your clients so happy to see their fragments transformed into chapters.
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So true Kerry. Helping others to fulfil their projects is extremely rewarding. It’s good to know I’ve learnt enough along the way to be able to offer this to others.
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Great post! Every writer has their own narrative behind the reasons why they write. In my personal case I didn’t decide to become a writer I discovered I was one! I wrote a blog article a while ago on this very subject – ‘Why Writers Write’ https://authorjoannereed.net/why-do-writers-write/. Feel free to check it out!
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Thank you Joanne, appreciate your visit and comment.
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Great post
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Thank you Saania 🙂
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Congrats, Roy! Sounds like a wonderful new venture.
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Thank you Kristine, it’s certainly filling up my days 🙂
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Welcome to the freelance world, Roy. It’s a rewarding and liberating place to be.
Personally, I love working behind the scenes and using my skills to help other people realize their goals and dreams. Although I have been asked to ghostwrite books several times over the years, I have managed to keep novels all to myself.
But, I have certainly ghostwritten content for many non-writers (probably 100 people at this point?) in the business world—people who never had their name on a piece of content now have author website pages with a library of content under their name.
Interviewing so many subject matter experts/business leaders over the years eventually showed me my love for interviewing people…hence the journey into podcasting.
I’m glad you found this. Sounds like a great fit for you!
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Thanks Britt. Certainly it’s an interesting time. I certainly find that my former, neatly-arranged 8-hour days, 5-day weeks are a thing of the past. Projects need to be progressed and every spare hour needs to be utilised. Pricing is another head-scratcher, especially the estimation of time to complete. Thanks so much for your support Britt.
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