The 10 Best Books for Freelance Writers

Most writers agree that the best way to improve your craft is to read (and write) often. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or making your freelance writing debut, there are books that can help you write better copy, better manage your client relationships, and find better work-life balance. I’ve combined some of my favorites along with some industry leading titles to bring you the 10 best books that every freelance writer should read. On Starting Out There are plenty of guides available on how to become a freelance writer (I mean, we made one too.) But if you’re looking for a different perspective on becoming a freelance writer, then consider checking out some of these books. 1. Word Work: Surviving and Thriving as a Writer There is plenty of advice around on how to write or how to make money online – instead, this book focuses on how to be a writer. Author, Bruce Rogers, takes readers through various aspects of a writer’s life, such as the managing writer’s block, working towards long-term happiness, and handling both rejection and success. If you’re considering breaking into the freelance writing scene, consider checking out this book first. 2. The Successful Author Mindset: A Handbook for Surviving the Writer’s Journey Many of the struggles writers face on their journey to success are mental. Self-doubt, perfectionism, and fear of failure are common in writers of all types. Joanna Penn approaches these topics and more in this writer survival guide. While the book focuses on more traditional publishing, freelance writers can take value from the read as well. On Creating Content 3. Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously GoodContent If you work in the content writing space, then you know Ann Handley. She is a writing and digital marketing veteran and a Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Content has become a central part of nearly every digital marketing campaign, which means that the ability to write ridiculously good content is more important than ever. Simply put, Everybody Writes is your handbook for creating flat out amazing content. If you spend any time writing for businesses, then I’d suggest checking out The Content Code for its well-referenced and well-thought advice. Written by Mark Schaefer, a best-selling author and prolific business writer, this book will give you hundreds of practical strategies and ideas for creating content that moves. It also covers topics like content distribution and how to articulate a brand through content. On Getting Clients 5. How to Get Freelance Clients This book is a collaborative effort by 3 freelance writing all-stars, Carol Tice, Linda Formichelli, and Chris Marlow and is filled with advice on how to attract and land writing clients. Whether you’re looking to find your first clients or expand your practice, this book can offer some useful advice on finding, approaching, and landing new clients. 6. How Clients Buy: A Practical Guide to Business Development for Consulting Professionals For many freelance writers, sales are the toughest part of the job. But that’s because they’re too focused on selling rather than building relationships. How Clients Buy will reinvent the way to approach and speak with potential clients, focusing more on building rapport and trust before trying to close the deal. On Motivation and Balance 7. The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal Managing yourself is an incredibly important skill for any freelancer to have. While most productivity wisdom focuses on managing your time this book takes a different approach, suggesting that you instead focus on managing their energy. While not specifically written for writers, this book gives you a scientifically based method for better managing your energy – and how many of us couldn’t use a little more of that? 8. A Writer’s Guide to Persistence: How to Create a Lasting and Productive Writing Practice â€Å"Practice. Polish. Persist.† This book’s mantra should be written on a sticky note stuck to your laptop. The journey to becoming a successful freelance writer is far from straight, but this advice can take anyone from beginner to expert, it’s just a matter of time. On Social Media 9. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World Freelance writers that can tell a business’s story really, really well are enjoying a lot of success at the moment, and that doesn’t look changing anytime soon. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook is written by social media legend Gary Vaynerchuk and explores how to create content for social media that engages readers and knocks out the competition. While it’s mainly geared toward marketers, writers can definitely take some gems from this book. Bonus 10. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action You might be wondering why I’d include a book on â€Å"great leaders† in this list. Well, let me start with why. The goal of nearly all business writing it to engage readers and inspire them to take an action. Regardless of what that action is, whether it’s to buy a product, book a demo, or schedule a call, how you inspire people is the same. Start with Why breaks down how to make real connections with people by focusing on the â€Å"why† rather than the â€Å"what† or â€Å"how.† While many businesses are focused on what they do and how they do it, many of the most successful campaigns instead focus on why. If you can master this principle and learn how to write copy that truly inspires readers, you won’t have any shortage of eager clients knocking at your door. Well there you have it, the 10 best books for freelance writers. Have you already read any of these books? Any notable omissions? Share your thoughts in the comments! Looking to land your next freelance writing client? Constant Content makes it easy for you to sell articles and land writing clients.