Most of the things that I do as a busy freelancer are your standard, garden-variety tips and tricks. Some of those tricks for freelancer success I wrote about in my book, The Starving Freelancer: How to shift from struggle to success. Creating space for an empathetic, realistic, and imperfect guidebook to freelancer success was the reason I wrote the book in the first place! But, now it’s time to get strange and questionable.

My 4 uncommon tips for succeeding in freelancing

Being a successful professional freelance writer is not guaranteed with these questionable tips. However, they have definitely helped me enjoy the process a whole lot more! Take a look.

1. Set your prices high: I’m almost entirely sure you’ve read this one before, but my version has a twist! When setting your prices, use the top amount that you’d normally charge. Firstly, you’re worth your top rate, period. Secondly, you can throw in a few extras or freebies if the customer and project warrant it. Thirdly, you’ve done the “charge low for more customers” thing already, and it doesn’t always work out!

2. Stand firm in what you can and cannot offer: You’ve probably read this one already, too, but keep reading. Pretend a customer wants you to do A and B. You’re qualified to do both, and you can do A but HATE doing B. So, don’t offer B. You don’t need to justify it or do it just because the customer has asked for it. You deserve to spend your time doing work that you love to do (or, at the very least, don’t hate to do).

3. Walk away when you need to: Sometimes a business relationship sours. Other times, the projects move in a direction you dislike or can’t help with as easily. If that moment comes where it no longer feels right, walk away. This could be temporary or permanent. Yes, it’s hard to walk away from guaranteed income, but remember that your quality of life matters as a freelancer (my book focuses on this part a lot for a reason)!

4. Keep freelancing on the side: In some circles, those are fighting words! I can hardly even believe this is one of my tips. Still, it is something that I find helps me out in my perspective on being a professional writer! I’ve been in times where my queue is overloaded and I’m working every waking hour. I’ve also been to the other extreme, where my queue is an abandoned piece of digital space. If the chaos and ups and downs of queue life get to be too much (no shame!), consider keeping freelancing on the side of your life. It could be a side hustle, a part-time job, or just something you do as a hobby. Find the pace and focus that works for you!

How strange is too strange?

So, now you know all about the weird side of freelancing. Have you read any of these before? Do you use any of these in your own freelancer life? Do you think any of these are just too strange? Or, are they still garden-variety? I’d love to know your thoughts!