Book Review: $ix Figure Freelancing
Subtitled “The Writer’s Guide to Making More Money,” Kelly James-Enger’s book about freelancing is a good introduction to becoming your own boss and freelancing full time.
If you are already a freelance writer, you might get a few nuggets of wisdom from this book, but for the most part this book is aimed at the novice who hasn’t started freelancing, or maybe has submitted a few articles to magazines but hasn’t made the jump to fulltime writing yet. The book walks you through some of the realities of writing full time, including the solitude and unpredictable nature of the business (read: unreliable pay).
$ix Figure Freelancing doesn’t delve into any one topic too deeply, but gives you enough information to start and research the intricacies on your own. For example, the book gives some general advice about the differences between writing as a hobby and writing as your job with regards to taxes. The author then suggests consulting an accountant or a different book specifically on the legalities and tax implications of being self employed, a pattern you will see repeated throughout the book.
One section of the book that I thought could use some bolstering was chapter 6, concerning query letters. There are a few examples given, for different types of work, including novels. I would have liked more samples, personally, but the shallowness of this chapter is similar to the rest of the structure of the book; it gets your feet wet and gives a recommendation for places to look for further information.
Be aware, though, that I’m not saying that the book is worthless. It is a good high level introduction to freelancing from an experienced freelance writer–a writer who has published many articles in mainstream magazines and published books about topics other than writing, not just a writer whose primary claim to fame is books about writing. However, if you need this book, you will also need more books (she recommends several), or some other source of information about your potential markets and being self employed.
Half the book is common sense, the other half is enough to get you started. The language is friendly and informal, and the print is large. If you’re considering a jump to freelancing but you don’t know anything about the business, I would recommend it. Plus, it’s only $10.47 through Amazon, with free shipping. I don’t even have a referral link, so I’m not going to make any money off of you getting it.
I’m going to start reading Robert W. Bly’s Secrets of a Freelance Writer next.