A freelance writer needs a couple gigs she can depend on. That is why I write for and edit blogs. When the back and forth of the query process with magazines slows, my blog gigs cover the bills.
Sometimes, you lose a regular gig. Several years ago, the owners of a site I wrote for every week said they were “hit by Google’s algorithm change” and could no longer afford to keep me. I learned a few things from that experience I’d like to share with you.
What To Do When You Lose a Writing Client
Always have a back-up plan
I wanted to despair about losing my blogging job—for about an hour. Then I remembered another project I struggled to make time for. Boy was I relieved to know I already had a plan in place. The next time slot dedicated to write posts for that blog, I pulled out the shelved project and got to work. If you don’t have a shelved project, at least have a file of writers’ guidelines and start sending out those queries. If you want to replace the blogging gig, here is a list of lists of blogs that pay.
- Earn Money Online: 92 Websites that Pay Writers $50+
- 28 Parenting Blogs and Magazines That Pay Freelance Writers
- 50 Blogs that Pay Writers $50+ for Guest Posts
- Get Paid to Blog: 121 Blogs that Pay for Guest Posts
Start with a contract
Another time, the owner of another blog I wrote for decided to feature a special project for an entire month. He notified his writers the week before Christmas that he didn’t need any posts for January. Seriously? That was my grocery money he just cut for his pet project. I was left scrambling to make up for it.
If I had had a contract in the first place, this may not have happened. He would have had to integrate his project in with the regular posts, or given his writers more than two weeks’ notice. Would this have protected me with the blog that just didn’t have the money anymore? Maybe, maybe not. But it would have at least given me more notice to find other work.
Look at what you’re walking away with
I’ve written for several blogs for a couple years each. I’ve also written columns for both my local newspaper and a national magazine. That’s a lot of material that I own rights to. I could tweak that material for another market and resell. I could sell some to print publications for reprint rights. I could compile like content into an e-book. Not just that, two years of a weekly column looks pretty good on my resume. I have to keep in mind, I never leave a job empty handed.
Freelance writing has its ups and downs. Don’t let the downs keep you down, though. Just keep writing.