“How much money can I make” is often one of the first questions a new freelancer asks. There really is no easy answer to that question, but I believe how much you make is largely within your control. Why? Because you choose who you work for, how often you work and how much you get paid. Granted, you can’t control the budgets of media organizations for whom you work, but you can work around that by planning your work accordingly and managing both your time and cash flow.

If you are a full-time freelancer, you can make as high as six-figures. If you are part-time, your income will be dependent on the amount that you work. Either way, you CAN make a living as a freelancer if you work at it, and you can make as much as or more than you do working for a single news organization. It’s really up to you.

Dana E. Neuts is a full-time freelance writer and editor and is the publisher of iLoveKent.net and iLoveWashington.net. An avid SPJ volunteer, she is the regional director for SPJ’s region 10 and is the chair for the freelance committee. She is also a candidate for the office of national SPJ Secretary/Treasurer. Followe her on Twitter (@SPJDana, @SPJFreelance, @VirtuallyYourz).

Tags: cash flow, income, news organization, revenue

This entry was posted by Dana Neuts on Sunday, September 2nd, 2012 at 9:05 pm and is filed under Advice, Freelance Finances. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.