An Honest Review of My 4th Year as a Freelance Writer

Let's dive into the wins, fails, and finances, shall we?

Hi, hey, hello! 

This October marked my fourth year as a freelance writer. Wild.

I still remember July 2020 when I first learned freelance writing was a thing. It seemed too good to be true. I was convinced it was a pyramid scheme and I’d end up peddling cheetah-print LulaRoe leggings on Facebook.

But freelance writing is a viable career path. I paid a freelance writing coach $1,500 to help me get started and the rest is history—and here we are four years later. 

So, did I snag the drool-worthy bylines? Do I earn six figures now?

Um…yes and no. In this newsletter, I’ll go through everything month by month. This year wasn’t easy: I made 15% less than last and went through a breakup (🚨 character development alert 🚨) that decimated my productivity.

But there were some wins too. So here it is—all of it. 

Freelancing these past four years wouldn’t have been the same without Novo.* 

I joined Novo in 2021 and it was one of the best business decisions I’ve ever made. Novo has saved me thousands on fees, lets me create beautiful invoices, manage my money with ✨ease✨ and so much more. 

After gushing about Novo for years, (long-time Internetly readers know) I’m thrilled they’re sponsoring this newsletter. 🥲

Here’s a free $40 to open your Novo account using the referral code AliceLemee.

November:  

The year started strong. 💪 I made $9,165 that October *but* nearly burnt out in the process. Come November, I needed to recover. So I dialed back my client projects and traveled to Costa Rica. 

Did I earn less? Absolutely. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned about managing productivity, it’s that running at 110% zaps your battery and requires a longer recovery time. 

Instead of pushing yourself until you feel dead inside, try not to exceed an 80% limit. It’s more sustainable in the long run. 

Consistency > Intensity

December: 

While in Costa Rica, I got a message from editor Kate Lee. We’d worked together at Lens, and she was now at Every, and asked if I’d be interested in writing a piece for them. I was! Kate sent over a test assignment, but there was one thing missing: any mention of pay. 

*screams in freelancer* 🙂

Let’s pause. This is where something called “With or Without You Energy” comes in: The power to confidently say ‘No’ to free or low-paying work because you’ve got enough savings and projects lined up to be fine with or without them. 

This energy is one of your greatest assets.

When you operate from a place of confidence and self-respect, it radiates through every part of your business.

Case in point: I kindly told Every I don’t do unpaid test assignments. Their response? “We’re happy to pay your hourly rate.” 

💡 Freelancing Tip: If you do decide to do an unpaid test assignment (we all start somewhere!) tell the client what your typical rate is beforehand. 

This saves you from the unfortunate scenario of spending hours on a test only to realize the client can’t afford you. 

Snippets of Santa Teresa and Nosara :)

January: 

I came home to Brooklyn and felt…weird.

I was 27 and still lived in the city I grew up in. Time was only galloping faster—did I really want to stay put? Did I still want to be a freelance writer?

And where did my relationship fit into it all? 

The only thing to do when you’re confused is write. So I wrote. 

Ali Abdaal hosted an Annual Planning Workshop which had a bevy of reflection prompts. I went through them one by one, which led to epiphany after epiphany. The two big ones:

1. I didn’t want to “just” be a freelance writer anymore. Admitting that wasn’t easy as freelancing felt like a core part of my identity.

2. I was ready to leave New York City and go all in as a digital nomad. For years, I’d wanted to get a one-way ticket to Bali—and it was time to do it now before it was too late.

February: 

On February 5th, I landed in Bali as a (newly) single woman. 

Now, I’m not an idiot—I expected it to be difficult—but Jesus Christ. No one tells you just how much a broken heart kills your productivity. Writing. Felt. Impossible.

I remember trying to write about how Chiptole was hiring Gen Z employees. The paragraph cost me 48 minutes, dozens of tears, and my acrylics. (Biting my nails is how I deal with anxiety. TMI). 

On a somewhat silver lining, I started writing a piece in collaboration with founder extraordinaire Sari Azout for Every. That put the grand total for February at $6,900. 

March: 

The grief raged on, incinerating every acre of motivation and optimism. Naturally, the business suffered. 

For example, a long-time newsletter client went in-house, slashing my income by 30%. Did I respond with plucky resilience and cold pitch my way to new clients? No. I did nothing because nothing mattered. That March was my worst-performing month in years. 

To top it off, I got slammed with a gnarly case of food poisoning while in Lombok (0/10 would recommend projectile vomiting). 

I was UNWELL

April: 

An old client reached out about a case study. This was fabulous news—case studies are deliverables you can charge upwards of $1,000 for because of their ROI.

(If you’re curious what goes into a $1,000 case study, go to this post). 

“But Alice, who would ever pay me $1,000?” This ⬆️ is proof that your writing has very real and profitable outcomes for a client. Charge accordingly.

Around this time, I started to regain my creative strength and published a piece on my separation: Why We Break Our Own Hearts. It was creatively nourishing and a huge help in processing my grief, but cost me dozens of newsletter subscribers. 

Can I just say? If you’re a writer (and I’m assuming you are) you probably want to publish your own personal pieces—about love, loss, life—but are afraid of people unsubscribing or repelling a potential client.

There’s this idea that everything you create must be for your “personal brand” and “attract clients.” 

Respectfully…no.

Don’t forget why you wanted to become a writer. As Neil Gaiman says: “Leave the world more interesting for your being here.” 

May: 

It was hard to be productive in Bali. Between the 86-degree tropical weather, 12-hour time difference with clients, and throngs of unemployed Westerners detached from reality, my #grindsetmindset faltered.

But I kept writing, producing two YouTube scripts for restaurant software Owner and several more client newsletters. 

June: 

After four months in Bali, I decided to return to NYC. Why? A flurry of factors—not being able to focus on growing the business, missing my family, feeling unsafe (a peeping tom was stalking me and my roommates. It’s a long story). 

Once in Brooklyn, the projects picked up. I landed a new LinkedIn ghostwriting client and wrote two more scripts for Owner. This put June at a healthy $7,450. 

I also started my unofficial “Summer of Yes.” It’s exactly as it sounds: Say “yes” to (almost) any opportunity. This experiment would later land me two new clients (more on that in a second).  

July: 

Summer in NYC is always an adventure—especially if you’re in love. 

I rekindled my relationship and the productivity that had previously stagnated within me came gushing out. I couldn’t write fast enough—and that’s when I met Sakul. 

Sakul found me through Write of Passage and was looking for a writing coach. I’d never formally offered coaching because I’d always been too scared: I hadn’t hit The New York Times BestSeller list or published a book. Who was I to coach? 

But Sakul wasn’t looking for an expert. He wanted someone relatable. Someone a few years ahead of him. Someone like, well, me. 

Sakul was a reminder that you don’t have to be the “best” or have “the most experience” to start selling your knowledge. People want to learn from those they can see themselves in.

That someone can be you. 

August: 

I pitched Business Insider on a potential article for Bali’s tourism industry. I’d left the island befuddled and conflicted. While I loved Bali, there was no denying that my impact as a digital nomad was destructive. 

BI’s editor answered, and we exchanged a flurry of emails. I was this 🤏 close to signing a contract when the editor—you guessed it—ghosted. 

Me trying not to be emo about it </3

The pitch was also rejected from Fodors, The Lonely Planet, and half a dozen more. 

But never let gatekeepers stop you from publishing your ideas. I still published the article in my newsletter–and it got dozens of responses and raised money for charity! 

Towards the end of August, I also hired digital consultant Nick Bennett. This came from my January epiphany of wanting to be more than “just” a freelance writer. But to expand my services, I needed to get clear on who I serve and what I do.

That’s where Nick came in. 

September: 

I spent a month traveling–first to France to visit family, then to Greece and London to see friends. Every few days, I’d pack, travel, unpack, and repeat. I. Was. Exhausted. This constant go-go-go made me realize that the  “digital nomad” life is…overrated. 

But I can't complain. Greece (and its cats) is the best

Two interesting things client-wise happened in September: 

1. I started a copywriting consulting project with SeekPTO. I’d met their founder, Gabby Beckford, at the beginning of “My Summer of Yes” at an entrepreneur meetup in Williamsburg. 

2. I finalized my first-ever LinkedIn brand sponsorship with Novo.

October: 

Remember that piece with Every? After spending nearly 24 hours writing I’m glad to report it was published…nowhere. 

This scenario—working on something only for it to never see the light of day—has happened to me countless times as a freelancer. Zero hard feelings with Every! Life gets busy.

But great things happened in October, too. Not only did I sign a freelance coaching client, but I also figured out my offer (shout-out to Nick) as a Digital Writing Coach, which you can read more about here.

…aaand that wraps up my fourth year!

While I didn’t land the drool-worthy bylines or earn six figures, this year was far from a “failure.” I started diversifying my income streams, grew my LinkedIn to 6,500 followers, and still made a great living while traveling the world.

Sending you good vibes as you navigate your journey. Don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or just to chit-chat. 💌

(If you made it this far and haven’t subscribed…it would be nice to have ya. Just sayin’.)

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*This post is sponsored by Novo. All opinions are my own. Novo Platform Inc. (“Novo”) is a fintech, not a bank. Banking services provided by Middlesex Federal Savings, FA. Member FDIC.

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