People passionate about writing are fortunate these days as they have more freedom in choosing the type of work they want to pursue. The best part is they can do it in the comfort of their homes. That’s the best perk of freelance writing.
In North America today, writers make up nearly half of freelancers. In the U.S., an estimated 53 million Americans are freelancing. Based on the 2012 Freelance Industry Report, 18 percent of freelancers claimed writing as their primary skill while 10 percent said they are skilled in copy-editing and another 10 percent listed copy-writing as their main skill. Other skills listed included translating, web development and marketing.
The number of freelancers is predicted to continue growing moving forward and more companies are expected to embrace this growth. Writers who wish to do freelance work can simply visit several sites including freelance jobs board that provide a list of online and other freelancing jobs. Elance is a popular platform that connects freelancers including writers and editors with contractors looking for staff to outsource certain tasks.
With the trend in content marketing going strong these days, the demand for freelance writers remains high. Reports have noted that companies of all sizes are now allocating a specific budget solely for content marketing and many use freelance writers to meet this demand. In addition, writers can actually more if they are resourceful enough. As of 2010, the median annual wage of writers was at $55,420 or an equivalent of $26.64 per hour based on data from the U.S. Department of Labor.
The outlook for freelance writers is bright. It is predicted to grow six percent until 2010. Among the writers that will be in demand moving forward are those specializing in SEO, social media and content marketing.
Apart from able to work from home, freelance writers can also easily find a job without having to prove their educational background. As long as they can show samples of their writing work, they can eventually get writing projects even from several contractors. Furthermore, as a freelancer, one can choose the niche he or she wants to focus on, set his own rates and create his own service offerings.
An added bonus is that you can actually become a sub-contractor. This means you can create your own team of writers and then accept assignments in bulk. Or you can also accept work from other freelance writers who may need help in writing the many assignments they have.
The infographic below provides more details on the trends in freelance writing.
