Self-employment has never been a more popular career path, and for thousands of writers, freelancing is becoming an appealing – and sometimes necessary – option. But alongside the benefits of a freelance career come very real obstacles that are daunting for anyone going it alone. We all need some guidance.
Sian Meades-Williams – freelance writer, editor and founder of the Freelance Writing Jobs newsletter – knows all too well that while freelancing doesn’t come with hard and fast rules, sometimes there is a wrong way to go about things. Drawing on her extensive experience and dozens of industry interviews, she pulls back the curtain with tips on how to get out of your pyjamas and pitch effectively, find new ideas and hone your voice, build a network of contacts, deal with edits and editors, cope with rejection, know your worth and get more money for your work, manage your finances, deal with late payments and file your taxes, care for your physical and mental health and ultimately find a path to success that makes you happy.
Inspiring, optimistic and – above all – real, The Pyjama Myth is an essential, practical survival guide for anyone embarking on their career, established freelance writers and everyone in between.
‘Invaluable … A wonderful, warts and all book written in a friendly, approachable manner. I wish I’d had a book like this years ago’ Simon Brew
What's in the book?
Starter For Ten
You’re doing it, you’re making the jump into freelance writing. You’ve got your new notebooks and a cup of tea. You’ve made your “personal news” announcement on Twitter (excellent gif choice, by the way). You’re even sitting at your kitchen table and not your sofa. So what do you do now? The chapter covers the really early days. You can start freelancing without having a clue what you’re doing – I certainly did – but if you’re smart you’ll have a plan.
“Where do you get your ideas from?”
Your friends and family will ask this question at every single opportunity so this chapter will help you find an answer. This chapter not only talks about ideas, it covers how you spot a unique angle when everyone is talking about the same thing. It’ll also help you muster up ideas even when you are adamant that everything in the world has been written about already.
Pitch perfect
Got a great idea? This chapter will tell you what to do with it: how to hone your pitch, how make it something that an editor cannot refuse and how to spin your idea instead a feature that’s what you really want to write. It will also cover what you should absolutely not do in your pitches.
Writing’s on the wall
This book isn’t a writer’s manual, but this chapter shares tips and stories to help you improve what you do best. It’s about nailing the house style, improving your editing process and polishing your redrafts so the copy gets the thumbs up and you get future commissions.
#selfpromotion
AKA “can I be a successful writer without a Twitter account?” (The answer is a resounding yes, by the way.)
The bad and the ugly
What to do when things are going down the pan. This chapter covers the bad stuff no one else talks about: dealing with rejection, imposter syndrome, the green-eyed monster (you will suffer from it regularly so we’ll talk about how to harness it for good rather than evil). The chapter will also address burnout. It is real, and it is scary.
File under W for writer
If you think freelancing is all writing features in the park under a tree, skip straight to this chapter. We really need to have a conversation about tax. And deadlines. And folders and colour-coding and all the things you’ve been putting off while choosing brilliant gifs. You need a schedule, you need spreadsheets. You need a budget. Most importantly, you need goals.
The side hustle
Seemingly everyone’s got a side hustle but when you work for yourself it’s really hard to tell if you have one or not (maybe it’s just five different jobs that keep you awake at night?!) This chapter talks seriously – and critically – about the multi-gig economy.
It’s not about the money
You’ll spend approximately 73% of your time as a freelancer sending perky emails while you cry on the sofa about paying your rent. This is the money chapter and it will help you get paid and keep on top of your finances. It’ll also answer the age old question: should you ever work for free?
Self-employment has never been a more popular career path, and for thousands of writers, freelancing is becoming an appealing – and sometimes necessary – option. But alongside the benefits of a freelance career come very real obstacles that are daunting for anyone going it alone. We all need some guidance.
Sian Meades-Williams – freelance writer, editor and founder of the Freelance Writing Jobs newsletter – knows all too well that while freelancing doesn’t come with hard and fast rules, sometimes there is a wrong way to go about things. Drawing on her extensive experience and dozens of industry interviews, she pulls back the curtain with tips on how to get out of your pyjamas and pitch effectively, find new ideas and hone your voice, build a network of contacts, deal with edits and editors, cope with rejection, know your worth and get more money for your work, manage your finances, deal with late payments and file your taxes, care for your physical and mental health and ultimately find a path to success that makes you happy.
Inspiring, optimistic and – above all – real, The Pyjama Myth is an essential, practical survival guide for anyone embarking on their career, established freelance writers and everyone in between.
‘Invaluable … A wonderful, warts and all book written in a friendly, approachable manner. I wish I’d had a book like this years ago’ Simon Brew
What's in the book?
Starter For Ten
You’re doing it, you’re making the jump into freelance writing. You’ve got your new notebooks and a cup of tea. You’ve made your “personal news” announcement on Twitter (excellent gif choice, by the way). You’re even sitting at your kitchen table and not your sofa. So what do you do now? The chapter covers the really early days. You can start freelancing without having a clue what you’re doing – I certainly did – but if you’re smart you’ll have a plan.
“Where do you get your ideas from?”
Your friends and family will ask this question at every single opportunity so this chapter will help you find an answer. This chapter not only talks about ideas, it covers how you spot a unique angle when everyone is talking about the same thing. It’ll also help you muster up ideas even when you are adamant that everything in the world has been written about already.
Pitch perfect
Got a great idea? This chapter will tell you what to do with it: how to hone your pitch, how make it something that an editor cannot refuse and how to spin your idea instead a feature that’s what you really want to write. It will also cover what you should absolutely not do in your pitches.
Writing’s on the wall
This book isn’t a writer’s manual, but this chapter shares tips and stories to help you improve what you do best. It’s about nailing the house style, improving your editing process and polishing your redrafts so the copy gets the thumbs up and you get future commissions.
#selfpromotion
AKA “can I be a successful writer without a Twitter account?” (The answer is a resounding yes, by the way.)
The bad and the ugly
What to do when things are going down the pan. This chapter covers the bad stuff no one else talks about: dealing with rejection, imposter syndrome, the green-eyed monster (you will suffer from it regularly so we’ll talk about how to harness it for good rather than evil). The chapter will also address burnout. It is real, and it is scary.
File under W for writer
If you think freelancing is all writing features in the park under a tree, skip straight to this chapter. We really need to have a conversation about tax. And deadlines. And folders and colour-coding and all the things you’ve been putting off while choosing brilliant gifs. You need a schedule, you need spreadsheets. You need a budget. Most importantly, you need goals.
The side hustle
Seemingly everyone’s got a side hustle but when you work for yourself it’s really hard to tell if you have one or not (maybe it’s just five different jobs that keep you awake at night?!) This chapter talks seriously – and critically – about the multi-gig economy.
It’s not about the money
You’ll spend approximately 73% of your time as a freelancer sending perky emails while you cry on the sofa about paying your rent. This is the money chapter and it will help you get paid and keep on top of your finances. It’ll also answer the age old question: should you ever work for free?
A career-changing book, packed with real, lived-in wisdom and advice not just about working but really living as a self-employed person. If you’re thinking about going freelance, read this first
