When a copy of The Wealthy Freelancer showed up at my door, the wife was quick to open the package and start perusing the contents. Now, I won’t get into how I feel about other people opening my packages, but what she said next caught my attention.

“You’re going to like this,” she said.

I asked her why, but she kept replying, “Just read it. You’ll find out.”

So I did.

What’s it about?

The Wealthy Freelancer is actually a collective work of three career copy-writing freelancers – Steve Slaunwhite, Pete Savage and Ed Gandia.

The book boils down to their collective experiences during their freelance career and is broken up into 12 secrets to building a high income in any freelance occupation. And although the authors are all copywriters, there are enough interviews and experiences from a wide range of freelance professionals to give the book a broad appeal.

What’s in a name?

When I first heard about The Wealthy Freelancer and its 12 secrets, I imagined it may require a healthy dose of Kool-Aid to wash down. The problem with many books claiming secrets to wealth is that they typically dispense knowledge that is long on theory and short on practicality.

While The Wealthy Freelancer has plenty of wealth building ideas it doesn’t downplay the hard work that is involved when putting them into action. There are no easy paths to the executive income and while the contents of the book may help you refocus your efforts, the authors are upfront and honest about the work that will be required to be successful.

What’s inside?

Each of the 12 secrets contains strategies and success stories of freelancers who have actualized them to a measure of success.

Here is just a sampling of what’s inside:

• Secret 1: Master the Mental Game – Whether you’re just starting out in your freelance career or well along your way, having a clear action plan is invaluable. You will really appreciate the advice on defining your ideal freelance day along with a set of business standards. With that in hand, you’ll be well along in being focused on who you want to work with rather than just taking any job that comes your way.
• Secret 2: Simplify the Process of Getting Clients –Our AskFreelanceSwitch column gets the “How do I find clients?” question asked more than any other question. This chapter will aid you in developing a strategy for finding and turning leads into prospects.
• Secret 5: Cultivate Repeat and Referral Business – Word of mouth is a powerful tool in increasing your client base. This chapter contains action tips for earning repeat business and advice on when and how to ask for referrals.
• Secret 7: Price Your Services for Success – Probably my favorite chapter. Here you will learn how to determine your prices and quote effectively. Even when asked the dreaded “ballpark” question, the chapter gives good direction on how to respond and why it is not such a bad idea to ballpark your price.
• Secret 8: Bring Focus to Your Freelance Business – I think we as freelancers all suffer time to time from a lack of focus. Taking the magnifying glass to what you currently offer and then identifying the market for your services helps you avoid needlessly spinning your wheels or getting stuck doing work you hate.
• Secret 12: Live and Work in the Wealthy Triangle™ – While I found this chapter a little short on application, I did appreciate the authors touching on the fact that more money doesn’t equal more happiness. Wealthy Triangle™ living means you can still be successful without sacrificing time with loved ones or time spent pursuing your own passions.

Conclusion

If you are just beginning your freelance career, there are plenty of common mistakes that can be easily avoided, and this book will help you identify and hopefully avoid those mistakes. For the current freelancer looking to increase his take home pay, you’ll no doubt find some suggestions to put into practice as well.

The Wealthy Freelancer has been lauded as the must have book for freelancers. And while you may not execute or even agree with all the advice given, I do believe there is something of value in the book for almost any freelancer.

As mentioned previously, I particularly enjoyed the sections dealing with methods for successful quoting and the encouragement to stand up and fight for your ideal freelancing experience. So much about being a successful freelancer is how we define where we want to be and how we focus our efforts in getting there. I believe this book can help with that.

While the authors do have a succinct focus on the copywriting sector, their writing is top notch and there are plenty of tips that will have a crossover benefit to almost any freelance business. That being said, if you are currently a freelance copywriter, you would be daft not to own a copy of this book.

The 274 page book is currently available from Amazon for $11.53.

View full post on FreelanceSwitch