Are you interested in becoming a full time freelance writer? Perhaps you’re already working a 9 to 5 job and thinking about how great it would be to ditch the commute and work from home instead.
But before you hand in your notice, you might be wondering “how many hours do freelance writers work?” After all, one of the main benefits of freelancing is being able to choose your own hours and work around your commitments.
The truth is, there is no definitive answer to this question. Some freelance writers work very few hours per week, while others work long hours every day. It all depends on factors like your price per article, the type of work you’re doing, and how much experience you have.
How Many Hours Should You Work As a Freelance Writer?
How many hours you work as a freelance writer is entirely up to you. You can work full-time, part-time, or even just a few hours a week. It all depends on your goals, your lifestyle, and your other commitments.
If you’re just starting out as a freelance writer, it’s probably best to start off slow and gradually increase your hours as you get more comfortable with the work. Once you’ve been freelancing for awhile, you’ll likely find your sweet spot in terms of the number of hours you want to work.
What If You’re a Full Time Freelance Writer?
In most cases freelance writers write on a per 1000 word basis. Meaning, they’re paid for each 1000 words they write. If your price is $50 per 1000 words, and you write 5 articles per day, then you’re earning $250 a day, or $1250 a week.
How Much Time Does One Article Take To Write?
If you’re an experienced writer, you can probably write one 1000 word article in about 1 hour. So, if you’re a full-time freelance writer working 8 hours a day, you could theoretically write 8 1000 word articles, or 8000 words total.
Of course, this is just a rough estimate, and the actual amount of time it takes to write an article will vary depending on the topic, the length, and your own writing speed.
So, How Many Hours Should You Work as a Freelance Writer?
There’s no right amount of hours. What you need to do is take your monetary need and figure out how many articles you need to write per day or week in order to reach that goal. Then, work backwards and figure out how long each article will take you to write.
Keep in mind that you also need time for things like marketing your services, networking, and taking care of administrative tasks.
Based on our example, if your price per 1000 words is $50, and you need to earn $4000 per month, then you would need to write 80 1000 word articles each month, or 20 articles per week.
If you can write one article in 1 hour, then you would need to work 20 hours per week. However, if it takes you 2 hours to write each article, then you would need to work 40 hours per week.
How To Work Less Hours As a Freelance Writer
If you want to work fewer hours as a freelance writer, there are a few things you can do.
First, you can increase your price per 1000 words. This will allow you to earn more money for each article you write, and ultimately allow you to work fewer hours overall.
You can do this by increasing your skills and experience. For example, a finance writer with a background in investment banking will be able to charge more than a generalist freelance writer.
You can also specialize in a particular niche or industry. Writers who focus on highly technical topics like medical writing or SEO can often charge higher rates than generalists.
What Is a Good Hourly Rate For a Freelance Writer?
Even though most freelance writers don’t charge per hour, it’s important to track your hourly rate so you know how much you’re making for each hour you work.
To calculate your hourly rate, take the amount of hours you worked that week and divide it by your total earnings.
For example, if you worked 40 hours and earned $2000, then your hourly rate would be $50 per hour.
Conclusion
As a full time freelance writer, you can expect to work between 20 and 40 hours per week. However, how many hours you work is ultimately up to you. You can adjust your hours based on your goals, your lifestyle, and your other commitments.
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