Breaking Down My 2023 Freelance Income & Takeaways for You
Plus some important tips, resources, etc!
Hi and happy 2024!
Breaking Down My 2023 Freelance Income & Takeaways for You
I love when freelancers break down their income streams, are transparent about how much they make / when they aren’t making as much, that sort of thing.
It can comfort me when I’m also not making as much money. It can help me set realistic goals. It can give me ideas on ways to make money. And, let’s be honest: It’s just plain interesting!
In case you feel similarly, I wanted to give you some of my 2023 numbers!
First….
I made the pie charts on 12/29, so if I received any payments 12/30 or 12/31, they aren’t included in the percentages!
Please also note (especially for the first pie chart) that the month accounts for when I was paid, not when I wrote the work. As many freelancers know, payments aren’t always on time / within the same month / on the same schedule!
Lastly, I’ve heard this year was slower for many writers, and it was for me too. Roughly, I made about $9,000 less (but still a few thousand more than I made my first full year!).
Pie Charts on My Earnings
A) Month
B) General Income Stream
C) Publications I wrote for before 2023 started (“Old”) vs. Pubs I started writing for in 2023 (“New”)
Takeaways
How can this help you (in an informational sense) on your freelancing journey? For starters, here’s some conclusions I made after looking at these graphs:
Some months you’ll make around the same amount. Some months you’ll make twice or half as much. In short, making money with freelance writing can be consistent and inconsistent.
In general, it looks like I tend to make more in the second half or last quarter of the year. I’m curious if other writers have experienced the same!
I focus primarily on writing for publications (and I personally make more money that way) by pitching and accepting assignments. I do know some people (who are probably more experienced and more interested in this) make most of their money from coaching, courses, etc, though. It’s different for everyone! The bottom line, in my opinion, is to do what you love and what works for you.
I made more through my paid newsletters & paid writing resources than I did on Medium (though I also spent more time on the newsletters/products than I did on Medium). Should you try the same, or no?
Stick with editors/publications that give you consistent work and that you enjoy writing for! And, branch out to other publications/editors, too. Branch out for more money/connections/bylines in a best-case scenario, and for money-to-make-up-for-publications-that-close-or-you-don’t-want-to-write-for-anymore (LOL) in a worst-case scenario.
Updates / Housekeeping
I updated the subscription page details so hopefully it’s clearer! Check it out!
As mentioned in a previous newsletter, paid subscribers have the opportunity to promote themselves! We’ve got some writers there so far who are offering resources, community, and so much more. Connect with them here!
I’m on Instagram! My handle is @ashleyy_broadwater.
Writing/Freelancing Tips
A formula for writing successful / boost-worthy stories on Medium
Having a slow year? You may be able to get a health insurance subsidy
Pitch Calls
GENERAL NOTES FOR THE PITCH CALLS BELOW:
If the story is about a marginalized community, you probably need to be in that community to write the piece.
Mentioning my name in your pitch won’t help, unfortunately!
Who Pays Writers can be a helpful site to get an idea of how much publications pay.
Pitch calls:
IJNet on X: "Interested in sharing tips and tricks that can help journalists globally? We’re accepting pitches! Writers will be compensated US$200 per article. Click here to send us your ideas: https://t.co/Kgy6EWeEAX #IJNeternal https://t.co/U2D4PMEuLU" / X (twitter.com)
Film Daze on X: "We are now accepting pitches! Make sure to read over our new guidelines before submitting, ty 💙 https://t.co/VOERYeiRr7" / X (twitter.com)
Margot Atwell on X: "Queer, Trans, and Gender-non conforming writers: send me your hottest takes and most memorable moments about the Rocky Horror Picture Show for the Absolute Pleasure anthology by March 1 2024. We pay 8c a word for selected essays. @FeministPress https://t.co/kaNXGNUXaT https://t.co/dlaFsrh8gF" / X (twitter.com)
Writer Jobs
Writing/Freelancing Resources
Encouragement
My Articles + Updates
An assignment on an important topic: Why is there so much confusion around 'vagina' and 'vulva'? (yahoo.com)
A fun assignment: More people hook up when they’re home for the holidays, new survey shows (yahoo.com)
A topic I’m surprised I haven’t seen talked about more often: 4 Tips To Make Recognizing Hunger Cues Easier | Well+Good (wellandgood.com)
An interesting article to write that covers one of the many topics I could get on my soap box about: Why Diet Culture and Gender Roles Are Connected | Well+Good (wellandgood.com)
Want More? Here Are Other Ways I Can Help
Don’t forget about my approved pitches document and Medium guide and coaching/editing services and writing checklist set and worksheet packet for writers!
More of my content: (1) my writing Twitter // (2) my portfolio // (3) my resource set // (4) my newsletter with tons of writing jobs and pitch calls // (5) my Instagram
(BTW, my Ko-Fi shop is here!)
This newsletter is free, but if you’d like to donate, my Venmo is @AshleyBroadwater, my PayPal is paypal.me/aebroad, my CashApp is $ashleybroadwater3, and my email for Zelle is ashleybroadwater346@gmail.com :) A huge thanks to donors!
That’s all for now! Thanks for reading this month’s newsletter. As always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions :)
The disability journalist internship sounds amazing! Did you see anywhere if it’s remote or onsite? 🤔