Freelancing For Dummies [Paperback]

Susan M. Drake (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2001

Are you ready to fly the corporate coop and become the boss of you? Do you dream of busting out of the cubicle wasteland and finding greener pastures as a freelancer? If so, you’re in good company. The U S Department of Labor estimates that nearly one-fourth of the American workforce is self-employed and that number is sure to increase over the next decade. But do you have what it takes to succeed as a freelancer, consultant, or contract employee? Do you even know what it takes to make it on your own? Here’s your chance to find out.

A total guide to starting and running a freelance business, Freelancing For Dummies is for anyone thinking about striking out on their own, or who’s already decided to make the move into self-employment. It’s also an excellent resource for established freelancers looking for ways to jumpstart their businesses. Written by a top corporate communication consultant, it features hard-won tips from a slew of successful freelancers, including an accountant, a wr iter, a computer trainer, a graphic designer, a market researcher, an event planner, a medical trainer and others who share what they know about how to:

• Organize your home office and budget your time
• Create the ideal working environment
• Evaluate jobs and projects
• Land new business and manage client relationships
• Manage your money and pay your taxes
• Stay positive and manage the emotional uncertainties of self-employment

Here’s your chance to take the leap from employee to boss with minimal stress and minimal sweat. A survival guide to building a successful freelance career, Freelancing For Dummies features:

• Self-assessments to gauge your skills and personality
• Critical “Get in, get out” information
• A gold mine of checklists, tear-out sheets, and sample forms
• Top ten lists
• War stories from freelancers who’ve made it

Do you long for the freedom of being your own boss? Relax and let expert Susan Drake help you make the transition to becoming a fulltime freelancer.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Your survival guide to building a successful freelance career

Go it alone with savvy, strength, and confidence! Sick of the office and looking for a change? Relax! Let expert Susan Drake help you make the leap from employee to boss — with no stress, no sweat. From practical tips on assessing your skills to real-life stories from successful freelancers, this friendly guide will pave the way to a smooth and fulfilling freelance career.

Discover how to: Organize your home office and budget your time Evaluate jobs and projects Land business and manage client relationships Create the ideal working environment Manage your money and pay your taxes

The Dummies Way^™ Explanations in plain English "Get in, get out" information Icons and other navigational aids Tear-out cheat sheet Top ten lists A dash of humor and fun

Get smart! www.dummies.com Sign up for daily eTips at www.dummiesdaily.com Choose from among 33 different subject categories Get news you can use on everything from money to health to computers

About the Author

Susan M. Drake has been a successful freelance writer for fifteen years. She covers subjects ranging from working from home to operations management, marketing, and communications.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (June 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764553690
• ISBN-13: 978-0764553691
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #763,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan M. Drake is a free-spirited freelancer who lives in Memphis, Tennessee. At the urging of a Catholic nun in high school, Susan took up her pen and chose journalism as a course of study. "The greatness of writing is that you get to learn about a myriad of topics and share your wonderment with the world." Susan writes a weekly newspaper column about employee engagement and customer satisfaction, consults with corporations on communications and dabbles in editing fiction. One day she will be brave enough to write a novel. Stay tuned!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written, comprehensive, funny, August 3, 2001

By 

L. Kirk "Technologirl" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Freelancing For Dummies (Paperback)

My first "for dummies" book. I don't know if they're all this good, but I have found the Freelancing book to be top notch. It is very well written, well organized, comprehensive in content ... there are plenty of real-life examples; the advice is realistic and there's plenty of humor. The author did a lot of research among many different types of freelancers, which adds some nice diverse perspectives on the world of freelancing. This book is juuuuuusssst right for someone contemplating making the jump out of corporate life into self-employment.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Should be "Freelance WRITING for Dummies", February 25, 2005

By 

TheCafeWriter (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Freelancing For Dummies (Paperback)

That's what the author is and that's the perspective she writes from. Which is fine with me, because that's what I'm looking to do.

For freelance biz writers, this is a good one-stop-shopping kind of book. I've seen plenty of freelance writing books, and this really addressed my needs transitioning from staff writer at a software company to contractor to freelancer. Too many of these books are all about breaking into magazines (VERY tough to do) or start off by suggesting that all you need to do is just open the Rolodex from your old job and start phoning those CEOs you know. Easy! Others have an aggressive, in-your-face "gonzo" approach to marketing that can be profitable or off=putting. If you're not comfotable with that style, it'll also be UNprofitable.

By contrast, I *like* the upbeat tone, professional tone of this book. I'm tired of all the negativity in freelance books of the "why you'll likely fail" variety. Nobody ever succeeded at something by believing from the outset that they would fail. And with so many others around us willing to say that, who needs a book to say it? The book covers that ground quickly and then gets on with it.

Much of the focus - such as setting up a comfortable work environment and tracking your billable hours - is really targeted to writers and others whose work is mainly sedentary and likely at home. If this doesn't describe you, you may find the book a little frustrating.

I'm just getting started in freelancing from contracting for others, but I found the information in it to be detailed, thorough and accessible. Besides "Freelancing for Dummies," I like Peter Bowerman's books ("The Well-Fed Writer" and "Back for Seconds") a lot, too, on the subject. By contrast, Bowerman skipped the whole "write a business plan" thing. If you're looking to go into freelance writing, these 3 books should be enough to get you off to a good start.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for those just getting into Freelancing, July 8, 2003

By 

Wendy Ponticello (Fairfax, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Freelancing For Dummies (Paperback)

I have been doing freelancing work on the side for years, but have recently decided to go at it full time. This book laid everything out as far as what it takes to make it in a situation where what you do directly affects how much food gets put on the table. It also details exactly how to go about everything from naming your company/freelancing, to how to getting paid for your work. It's a great book!