I actually love working on holidays because you don’t feel the pressure of having to interact with anyone – you can focus intently on what you're doing without the distraction of email, social media, etc.
I've been a freelance writer since 1993, and I've learned to use holidays – any major holiday -- to actually increase my earnings. How? Following are three ways.
1. Tackle my "gonna get to one day" list: Do you have things you know you could do to make more money as a freelance writer, but just never seem to get around to it because you're always so busy with the everyday operations of your business?
I know I do. This could be anything from looking into affiliate programs to add to your website to make passive income, to following up with clients you haven't heard from in a while, to adding a page to your website that details a new service you've been wanting to roll out.
I always keep a list of things I want to do for my business – and sometimes, things stay on that list for years. Yep, years! Do I get around to implementing all of them? No. But, one thing I've noticed over the years is that if something is on this list for six months or more and it stays "in my head" strongly, then I do eventually get around to it.
2. Self-publishing: In my opinion, this is an income stream freelance writers can't afford to overlook any longer. Since 2002, I've self-published over 50 ebooks. Since 2010, over half my annual income has come from these titles.
The problem many freelance writers have is that they never seem to have enough time to write an ebook (http://inkwelleditorial.com/ebook-publishing-package-get-...). Holidays provide the perfect opportunity to start, which is the most important step. You see, once you start, you're much more likely to finish because you'll be eager to see just how much you can earn from it.
Even ONE SALE of your is enough to get you excited about the possibility of the amount of money you can make from this form of publishing.
Info products (like ebooks and e-classes) you produce as a freelance writer can insulate you from a feast-or-famine financial existence. It's an "evergreen" way of earning money that is completely in your control as a writer. You can write as many ebooks as you want, and via programs like Amazon, keep 70% of the profits (100% if you sell them via your own website/blog as well).
3. Client contact: According to the Pareto Principle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle), 80% of your work will come from 20% of your clients. Following this logic, you should be following up with existing clients regularly. I know from my own experience that this is something that many freelance writers don't do often enough – if at all.
So on a holiday, sit down and compose a follow-up letter and send it to old clients. Go back two, three or four years (if you've been freelancing that long). It works! Proof?
Conclusion
Holidays provide a unique opportunity to make some real headway in/on your freelance writing business, but you must be proactive. Free time like holidays give you the time you need to be just that.
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About the Author: Yuwanda Black heads New Media Words, an SEO writing company. She's also the publisher of a niche blog on this type of technical writing – SeoWritingJobs. She says, "With proper SEO copywriter training (http://www.seowritingjobs.com/learn-seo-in-negril-jamaica/), you can start a successful, home-based career as an online writer. Ms. Black has also authored over 50 ebooks, quite a few of which cover some element of writing SEO content. They can be found on major outlets like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, in addition to her own website(s).
