Freelancing: Why?
Let’s talk about it!
You may be asking yourself why someone would choose to freelance instead of taking a traditional publishing job. I have a lot to say about that particular job market, but I’ll just talk about my journey and why I gave up on that dream. Publishing is notoriously a gate-kept industry, and it really is one of those “who you know” job markets. I somewhat knew this when I decided to pursue the career, but I wasn’t aware of just how thick that barrier is. Networking is one thing, but when I was applying for internships and entry-level jobs, I discovered a lot about the process.
Backing up here, I want to acknowledge that not everyone experiences these barriers, and maybe there was something wrong with what I was doing, who knows. There was a lack of education in resume building, and an obvious overuse of AI software scrubbing cover letters, resumes, and applications to auto-reject without any real feedback. Professionals looked at my resume and told me everything was great. So what happened? No clue. I don’t understand. And that’s the point here.
My education in publishing begins and ends with college. Both the undergraduate and graduate schools opened a curtain into a window of publishing. I had professors who were deep in the world of publishing—authors, editors, book designers, and marketing managers. I was given hands-on experience in publishing books. So I’d like to think that I knew my stuff. I padded my resume with editing credentials, volunteer and internship positions, and recommendations from people who knew other people. I worked hard. So did my peers. My cohort spent an entire year applying to jobs, and maybe one or two actually gained something by the end of it. I’m still hopeful that my classmates all received offers somewhere. In any case, it’s been a brutal process.
When I graduated, I decided to freelance because I was already working with an author whom I love, and I thought this was a good way to put my degree to use. I was still applying to big jobs, hoping something would come through, but nothing did. However, I was having so much fun working with this author and creating my own deadlines and contracts that I decided to keep going with it. It’s been wonderful! Yet, there was still something in the back of my mind, nagging at me, asking, if authors want to work with me directly, why wouldn't a publisher? And you know, sometimes, that's just the way the cookie crumbles. Sometimes, we weren’t meant for our dreams, and that’s okay.
Pivoting into freelancing was not a settlement; it was a new challenge. Instead of someone giving me due dates and projects, I have to create my own timelines and find my own clients. It’s been one hell of a journey learning social media, building a website, and understanding the ridiculously tedious SEO stuff (shoutout to my friend Shay, who majored in marketing and has been helping me so much). In many ways, I feel like I was given a better deal doing this than working for a Big 5, or so I’m telling myself to cope. Either way, it’s an adventure that uses my brain in a different way while letting me be creative and continue my passion.
All this to say, traditional publishing may not be for everyone. Whether it’s a job or finding a place for your book, sometimes doing the thing yourself helps others see how good you are without barriers stopping you.
