Skellie, a successful freelancer on freelancing

An Interview by Thord Daniel Hedengren

I think you know who Skellie is. Chances are, you’ve been reading her work, if not on her own excellent blog or the new one, then probably on Darren Rowse’s ProBlogger where she is a staff writer. I can honestly say that I think Skellie is one of the best writers in the blogosphere right now, so when it was time to relaunch BloggerTalks, I found my first interview target an obvious choice.

I’m pretty sure a lot of the BloggerTalks readers know who you are, but could you write a little something about yourself, and what you do? What makes Skellie tick? 
I’m a freelance web writer, blogger and reluctant (but grateful) university student. I like being able to work the hours I want, from where I want. I particularly enjoy interacting with people who read my stuff — especially if they like it and find it helpful. 

You’re a regular contributor to Darren Rowse’s ProBlogger, among others. How’s freelancing treating you? Is it something you would recommend as a profession to aspiring bloggers?
Since the beginning of September, my freelancing has gone from a part-time hobby to my sole means of employment (as of January 26, when I’ll be doing my last shift at my ‘regular’ job). In that sense, it’s treated me well financially, but the ultimate benefit is that it doesn’t feel like work: it’s the kind of thing I’d be doing even if I didn’t get paid for it. 

It’s immensely rewarding to be doing something that feels like life, rather than work.

I would recommend freelancing to aspiring bloggers, but if you’re getting into blogging solely to start freelancing, it can be a lot of work. I spent several months guest-posting, building relationships with bloggers and writing content before I was offered my first freelancing gig. Having said that, it’s something I fell into by accident (and the process might have been quicker if my end goal was to become a freelancer, rather than to build a popular blog.)

That’s great news, going full time and all. How do you manage to keep your steam up? Blogger burnout and such are problems most people have from time to time. How do you cope with that?
Web freelancing is soon going to be my sole income, but I’m actually not working full-time at the moment (because I’ve got to go back to University soonish). Full-time web work is something I want to do in 2009, though, after I’ve finished my degree.

Even so, I still write between 10 and 15 long articles a week. I don’t have a problem beating out the articles – once I know what I want to say, it’s only a matter of saying it – but ideas are something that I use a lot of and they’re always in short supply. One day I think I need to sit down and create a workable editorial calendar, but most days I’m too busy thinking of post ideas for the next hour, rather than the next month.

Congratulations on your recent launch of Anywired! What made you do it?
To be honest, I asked to write for Web Worker Daily and, after not hearing back for a few days, decided I must have been turned down, so I thought: “I guess I’ll just have to start my own blog where I can write about web work to my heart’s content!” 

I actually got a response from the editor of WWD a couple of days after I’d launched  Anywired saying they were interested, but by that stage it was one or the other, and Anywired was already off to a healthy start. I have a lot of posts in me about earning an income through the web, so Anywired will hopefully be an outlet for that. I also wanted to experiment with earning a supplementary income through ad-supported content. My other blog, Skelliewag.org, is an ad-free zone.

Someone at WWD feels stupid then. Do you have an ad strategy for Anywired, or will you play it as it comes?
I think they are a little busy with holidays and Om Malik’s heart attack, so it’s probably more the result of my impatience than anything else! But I’m really glad I made the decision to start Anywired.

The ad strategy at the moment is 5 paid 125×125 px banner ads and two affiliate banner ads. As the site grows, I’m hoping to charge a little more for the banner ads and make affiliate sales. I’d also like to do some product reviews utilizing the Amazon affiliate program. That being said, I haven’t even joined up yet… so I better get cracking.

Your other (first?) blog, Skelliewag, is a great resource for bloggers. You can easily tell that there’s quite an amount of time spent on the content there. Is it worth your time?
It’s worth my time, plus a lot more. Without it, I wouldn’t be working as a web freelancer, I wouldn’t know half as much about blogging and writing, and Anywired wouldn’t have 1,100 subscribers after being launched five days ago.

Funnily enough, if you value it in terms of direct income, it actually comes through in the red (minus about $200 a year for hosting and related charges). 

As a freelancer, how do you use your blogs for self promotion? Any tips there?
My About page on Skelliewag.org mentions that I’m a freelance blogger for hire, and I have a dedicated ‘Hire Me’ page on the blog. I get a handful of work requests each week as a result, and it’s enough to ensure that I have more work on offer than I can actually do (which is really the freelancer’s dream state). 

Ultimately, you need an audience who admire your work, and you need to make it easy for them to hire you through your blog. Any freelancer with a knack for blogging should definitely give it a try, because the kind of system talked about above will deliver a constant trickle of potential clients without much work on your part – once you get things rolling. 

I think lots of people wanting to get started freelancing are having trouble with what to charge. Any advice there, you being a successful freelancer and all?
My strategy at the start was to work out the kind of payment I wanted for my work, per job (about $100), and then divide that by half. It allowed me to get some experience under my belt and raise my profile. Even though you might not be getting the exact rates you want, every job you do is an investment in your future earning potential. You can then start testing out higher rates with new clients, and raise them incrementally until you’re getting the kind of payment you want.

If in doubt, I’d suggest going with a price that you’re not sure you’ll get. That way you avoid under-valuing yourself. In most cases, the person will either surprise you and say yes, or propose an alternative price they claim they can afford. From that point, don’t be afraid to negotiate the price upwards, because most people will offer a little less than they can actually afford to pay (in the hopes of getting a bargain).

I’d like to thank Skellie for doing this interview with me. Be sure to check out her personal blog, Skelliewag, and her new web work focused blog Anywired. Good reads for sure!

This Interview was published on January 17, 2008 at 5:59 am • Did you like it? Subscribe!
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