Priceless Writing Tips
Freelancing Investments – How Much Money Do You Really Need to Start Freelancing?!
If you are considering a writing career, then you have probably given some thought to the cost involved in such a move. The question is simple, but the answer depends on how you look at it.
If you already have a full-time job, then it might be a lot easier for you to start your freelancing career from scratch.
However, what if you don’t have a job, and you’re looking at freelance writing as your main source of future income since you can’t find any decent openings in your field? What if you have lost your job and want to start freelancing? There are a number of things you should consider.
First, if you don’t have another form of employment, at least a part-time job, for example, it is going to be hard to start a freelance writing career. This is because in order to be a freelance writer, there are certain items to which you need to have access. Without them, freelancing will be virtually infeasible.
If you are independent and have a source of income, acquiring all these thing is realistic.
Now, keep in mind – mobility means a lot for freelance writers, especially, if you have another part-time job and/or travel: you don’t take a vacation from freelance writing. Experienced freelance writers know this well. You might want to be away, taking a trip, or spending time with family, but there is inevitably one client who doesn’t understand something, needs an explanation: whatever it might be.
Thus, you absolutely must be able to go online wherever you are, at least intermittently. This all suggests that you need a laptop or, at least, a netbook.
I want to point out that prices vary in different countries, so we are going to average everything and the prices will be in US dollars. Given that proviso, how much will a laptop or a netbook cost you? An average laptop is going to cost you $500-$600, and an average netbook will start at $300.
Of course, you should remember that online prices are often better and searching the web for a gently used product is a great idea.
I’m sure that you will need a flash drive to store, transport, and access your work anywhere. Pen drives are relatively cheap; you can get one starting from $10, and up, depending on their capacity. If you are only going to use it for text, you don’t actually need much more capacity than 8 GB. Text, PDFs, and other useful freelancing data don’t take up vast digital space. Additionally, some older computers may not recognize the higher capacity flash drives.
Of course, you will need Internet access, and that’s when cost begins to be a major, ongoing factor. If you want a broadband connection, that can cost you around $100-200 monthly. A simple dial-up plan, if this is still available in your area, might start at $5-$10 per month.
However, you need to remember that a slow Internet connection will directly affect your work speed and productivity, especially when you are conducting research online. We do not recommend scrimping on this business expense.
You may also need an accountant to deal with your finances if you are not ready to handle your money by yourself. This one is tricky to estimate, because prices vary so much depending on which forms with which you need help. We should probably not even try to put a hard and fast number on this, but in the US, you could probably get away with $100-$150. Here, there is so much variability that you should probably check with a local accounting firm.
Now, we consider the last item, but not the least important: an online library. Any freelance writer should have access to one of these. First, they save initial research time. Searching online through a database is far more efficient than trekking to the library and locating (maybe, if it is on the shelf and has not been stolen or checked out by another borrower) a book that you need. Second, online sources are often searchable.
For example, the online version of Macbeth can be searched for all appearances of the word ‘blood’. Third, it is often possible to copy and paste (citing properly of course) quotes to get them word perfect rather than re-typing them.
Prices for these services vary widely. The suggestion we offer is one that is being used right now by some of our writers, and we have used the service before. Questia.com’s yearly subscription price of $100 is by far the best value of all the alternatives we have considered. For this fee, you get access of over 70,000 books and more than 4,000,000 journal articles. This is NOT an advertisement: this service is really one of the best on the market.
We think it is a great investment in you freelancing career.
Of course, if you already have access to most of this stuff, then becoming a freelance writer is going to be a lot more feasible for you. Just do the math for yourself with the items we have listed!
Again, prices vary from country to country, so it’s up to you to come up with the correct price tag just for your situation! Good luck with your freelancing gigs 
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Wow!
This,is marvelous!Thanks to this highly informative article.
In spite of everything, I am very proud of RWC.Unlike many of those Writing agencies,it is increasingly becoming unmatchable in so many ways.
This is good news.Keep the spirit.
Thanks a lot, Jacob!
We appreciate your feedback!
Hi Alex Toll,
I have read one of your comments on a blogpost. Regarding that, I have sent a request through your ‘contact us’ form. Hope to hear from you soon.
Well, I am also a freelance writer, working on different portals and your website sounds clean and good. I am planning to give it a try as well.
THanks & Regards
Ali.
Hello,
Please give me the link to the article, where I said this (based on the contact we’ve received from you)? Maybe you’ve confused it with the Research & Writing contest from the RWC? And if it’s possible, please copy-paste the exact message of mine. I might have made a mistake either by posting something of a vague content, which gave you wrong clues. Thank you, waiting for your response! Have a great day!
Hi Mr. Alex,
First, I am really impressed with your customer service department’s quick response.
Well here is the link to your comment – which is not confusing at all, but it is pretty old and you may not remember it or maybe someone else has posted it on your behalf:
However, I must apologize if I caused any unnecessary bother. Best of luck and thank you very much
That was a request from me to the owner of that blog – Dana! I already wrote a guest post for her and that’s a pretty old comment. You misinterpreted in – we do not accept any guest posts at this time! Thank you.
Hi Alex?
Just wanted you to confirm to me whether this is true:
1. I have over $400 in my RWC account. Will this money be transferred directly into my bank account or must I apply for the payment?
2. My total earnings indicate above that similar figure. Do the total earning indicate the amount i am supposed to paid? or are there other deductions?
Thanks and I look forward to your response.
Hello, Ben
1) The money will be transferred according to the payment details you have provided, automatically during each payment period (if the limit of $400 was reached)
2) I’m sorry, but we’ve checked your e-mail and it seems that your account hasn’t even been activated. That’s why you probably can’t see the Earnings panel, which shows both payments due and fines due and offers you the balance on your account. More info available here http://researchwritingcenter.com/payment_info (link will only work for registered, logged in users).
Thank you
Truly Yours
Alex