Freelance Numbers - Year 4

This is my third full year of freelancing, but since becoming a freelancer, I've also done adjunct (freelance) teaching at UF, and taught full-time so I'm going to show salary with that included and without it. Just like last year, it took up a bunch of my pitching and writing time, but also gave me a steady paycheck that I could (mostly) earn from home. And I get to teach students about journalism and how to do it! For me, this step was worth it.


This year, I made $77,866 total.
I made ~$54,000 of that from teaching at UF.
Therefore, I made ~$24,000 writing this year.

Last year, I made $65,630 total.

My lowest income month was February at $3,860 
(Last year's lowest income month was March at $2,663)

My highest income month was June at $10,660. 
(Last year it was July at $11,082)

On average I made $6,489 a month, which is $1,622 a week.

Last year I made $5,469 a month, which is nearly $1,367 a week.

Remember, though, I still have to do my taxes on ~$25,000 of this.

I'm happy with my professional decisions this year, and I recommend writers taking on teaching a college course or two if they have the time. It's great steady income. Of course, I swung probably too far the other way, but that's kind of what I do.


THE NUMBERS BEHIND THE MONEY:

We'll focus now on just the writing. To get that $24K, I published 45 pieces this year, which is up five from the year before when I published 40. The year before that I published 65 pieces, and the year I freelanced only, I published 80. For important comparison, that year I made just under $24K, which means I'm being paid on average twice as much per piece now.

My highest number published in a month was October with 8 pieces published.
My lowest number in a month was May with no pieces published.

On average, I published 3.3 pieces a month.


In terms of publications, I published in 12 different places, down from 14 last year, and 24 the year before that, including websites, newspapers and magazines.

The most pieces I published for one place? 7, down from 15 last year.


The lowest I wrote for was $75 for the local paper. 


The highest check for one piece I received this year was for $1,200--for my ghostwritten pieces. For a piece under my own byline, highest this year was $700.

On average, I made $600 a piece this year, same as last year, up from $440 a piece the year before and up from $300 the year before that. (This number skews high because I counted a few reprints and some blogging revenue in my yearly total, and also some private projects.) So, let's probably say I made about $450 a piece this year. (same as last year)


THE EFFORT BEHIND THE NUMBERS:

Let's talk pitches, rejections and acceptances. To publish my 40 pieces this year, I sent out 127 pitches this year, down from 165 pitches last year, 267 pitches the year before and 329 the year before that. I'm slowing down on writing to teach more. 

I was rejected outright 34 times. 
I was accepted 42 times (some are still in edits, and some were commissioned, which brings the published list to 40). 
I was ignored 51 times (which is a silent rejection, obviously).

So, my percentages work out like this:

Accepted: 33% of the time (same as last year)
Rejected: 27% of the time
Ignored: 40% of the time
Total Rejected: 70% of the time.

I was accepted 33 percent of the time, and rejected 67 percent of the time. In my four years doing this, my acceptance rate has only raised 3 percent. And my stuff is pretty okay. And usually when it's rejected somewhere, another place accepts it. THUS, IT IS NOT YOU OR ME, IT IS THE EDITOR.

Keep trying! Keep going! We can do this, freelancers. It is possible

Last year's complete numbers are here.

2016 complete numbers are here.

2015 complete numbers are here.

5 Must-Have Items For Your Family Holiday

When you are going on a family holiday, you need to make sure that you have packed everything that you are going to need. It can be difficult travelling with kids and there are some things that you cannot travel without. To help you with this, we have put together a list of the top 5 must-have items for your family holiday. Keep reading if you’d like to find out more.

First Aid Kit

If you don’t already have one of the very handy travel first aid kits, then you need to get your hands on one. When you are on holiday, you don’t know what sort of injuries might occur, so you need to make sure that you are prepared. If you are able to deal with an injury by yourself, you are less likely to need to visit a local hospital and pay the expensive medical bills.

Travel Documents

No matter where you are going on your holiday, you need to make sure that you have all of your travel documents. Not only will you need passports for yourself and your partner, but you’ll also need them for your kids. Make sure that you check if you need any visas you have them before you set off to avoid any sort of disappointment.

Sun Cream

If you are planning on travelling somewhere warm, then you are going to need to make sure that you have the correct sun cream. It is really important that you don’t let you or your kids get burnt as this can cause skin damage in the future. Take a look at the guides on how strong your sun cream needs to be and make sure that you pack it.

Floatation Devices

Not every kid is capable of swimming by themselves, so you need to make sure that you have the right type of floatation devices for your family. Make sure to get armbands for your youngest children and don’t let them out of your site when they are in the pool. Inform your kids about pool safety and check if the hotel has a lifeguard who can keep a second eye on your kids to make sure that they are extra safe.

Travel Games

Our final must-have for family holidays is travel games. This is especially useful if you are planning on travelling a long distance and you know that your kids are going to get bored. You’ll find that there are travel size versions of a lot of popular games that your kids can play on the plane or the bus to the hotel. If you can keep them occupied, you’ll find that they don’t get up to too much mischief on the long journey.

If you are planning on going on holiday with your family in the near future, make sure that you get your hands on some of our must-have travel items. When you do, you are sure to have a great trip.

Advice You Need to Give to Your Children Going to College

Do you have children who have just started college or will be soon? Starting college is a big moment in both the parents’ and child’s life and something that is really hard to prepare for. Here, we are taking you through our top pieces of advice that you will need to give to your children going to college to help them through their years of education.

Connect with the Professors

An important piece of advice that you need to give to your children going to college is to encourage them to connect with their professors. The professors will be the best resource in any class that your children take and they will also be able to help you in other ways such as providing you with future career advice, connecting you with alumni and even writing letters of recommendation which is extremely important. Professors will always want the best for their students and so your children should make as much use out of them as they can.

Have A Study Buddy

When your children go to college, they will be meeting lots of new people and you should stress the importance to them of having a friend who they can study with. Your children should be spending a lot of time studying and in the college library, so it is good to have a friend with them and especially one who is studying the same major. What’s more, this will also give you a guaranteed partner when it comes to group projects.

Stay on Top of Your Health

New students tend to throw themselves straight into college life which means lots of beer, parties and late nights. While this is all ultimately part of the college experience, it is important to communicate with your children that they still need to place a focus on their health. When you are not eating well and exercising and not getting enough sleep, this can quickly take a toll on your body and you will have a severe lack of energy which will affect your studies. Students should also be told how important it is to take time to relax for their own mental health.

Open Up A Student Bank Account

For the majority of students, college will be the first time that they are away from home and in charge of their own finances. Tell your children to open their own account so that they can manage things properly. One option is the BB&T student account which is designed for the student lifestyle. This will provide them with a host of benefits including online banking, no minimum balance requirements, no maintenance fees and no direct deposit requirements. With an account like this, they will have the financial independence that they need for their student lifestyle.

Study Abroad

One thing that many students usually say that they wish they had done is study abroad. Travelling can help you to open your eyes to different cultures, help you to learn a new language and take in a different kind of educational experience to just sitting in a classroom. Your children may not have the luxury of spending months abroad in the future, so encourage them to do it now.