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to write for nothing, for pennies, or for anticipated royalties that you might receive at some future time.

14. Are you willing to accept critiques, or criticisms, because those are also part of freelance writing. You may prefer not to write for someone, if you know that your articles are likely to be rejected, eg. a website, or a publisher. You determine what you write and who you write for, but you should expect to receive appropriate remuneration for it. Sometimes you may want to write just to help someone out. That can bring its own rewards in different ways.

15. Design your own freelance contract to offer to publishers. You may want to do some research side first, in order to see what this involves. It should have stipulations including how much time you need to write your articles, your expectations re payment, how you are to be paid, how you normally submit your articles, etc. Also include any specific guidelines that you want to send to them, eg. information they require regarding travel expenses, specific criterion, recognition, copyright, credits, etc.

16. How do you plan on doing your billing? How often do you plan to bill your clients? Purchase a statement book, receipt book, etc. and make certain that you have some way of logging, or keeping a record of all of the payments you receive for your freelance writing.
Make a decision as to what you will do with respect to any unpaid accounts.

17. Incurred expenses are really important to document as well. Keep good records of your vehicle or car expenditures, insurance coverage, mileage, rental equipment, cost of meals, lodging, etc. Don't forget to include your heat, hydro, telephone and internet expenses.
If you are going to advertise your freelance writing business, you will need to include your advertising costs.

18. Speak with a bookkeeper, or an accountant about building your own freelance writing business. A lot of your costs can be weighed against your actual income when it comes to calculating your income tax.

Organizing your freelance business immediately can save you a great deal of frustration and confusion at a later time. Enjoy building your new business as a free lance writer and always continue build further on your successes!

Learn more about this author, W. Diane Van Zwol.
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