My 2024 Freelance Year in Review 💰
By the numbers.
My FIFTH year as a full-time freelancer just ended. Wowee. But how can that be if 2020 was only three years ago? Not sure.
Financially, my 2024 looked quite similar to 2023 (I made, like, $1,800 more this year). I don’t love how my earning power over the last two years has stalled around $75K. However, on the flip side, I’ve maintained a steady living through three tough years for freelancers and media workers in general. I pitched about the same amount over the last two years, but I wrote more editorial pieces in 2024 (21) than I did in 2023 (15) — yet I only earned $65 more from editorial work this year. Dismal.
I followed through on many of my 2024 business goals (more on these below) and made some major mindset, business, and branding shifts that I’m proud of and started branching out into new opportunities, including newsletter consulting. I also launched 1-on-1 services and booked some career consulting and editorial consulting clients, and found that work highly fulfilling!
I’d love to work with you this year if you want support pitching, developing a personal brand and voice, building a creative habit, launching a personal project, starting (or editing) a newsletter, and a whole lot more. Just reply to this email and we can set up a free discovery call.
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Professional highlights of 2024:
Launched my new website and the new look of CSBC, all designed by the wonderful Ashleigh Keith. FINALLY felt like my online identity represented who I am and what I love!
Launched new professional services you can instant-book online, including editing, ghostwriting, editorial consulting, and career consulting.
Worked 1-on-1 with clients on pitching and career and editorial consulting. Hoping to do much more of this fulfilling work in 2025!
Launched my first lead gen, 101 useful tools and resources for freelancers!
This brought me 92 newsletter subscribers!
Rebranded CSBC as “a newsletter (and podcast) about making space for your art and yourself” with new art from designer Nayeli Crossdale. Leaned into sharing more knowledge about the systems I actually use as a writer, editor, creative, and freelancer.
Relaunched the Cruel Summer Book Club podcast; published nine episodes in 2024. Interviewed author , comedian Zach Zimmerman, and artist . Got back to the core of my life’s purpose, which is having honest conversations about life and art with others.
Hosted podcast talking through ten years of
’s freelance career:Pitched and landed new bylines in Vox and Huffington Post (stories incoming soon).
Got published in print in Tribeza magazine a few times! Wrote 13 pieces total for this pub!
Established myself as a local arts and culture writer, something I longed for when I first moved to Austin in 2021. Regularly saw art and theater and wrote about it. Work came easier. The dream.
Published a piece about the Texas Wine Trail in print in Voices magazine.
Hosted a panel with all-women tech execs at SXSW, and hosted a panel with brilliant authors at Texas Book Festival!
Pivoted to being a newsletter consultant and began working with a bestselling author. Learned a lot from them and enjoyed an intimate working relationship in which I help make someone’s writing life easier, richer, and more aligned with their goals. I started working with my second newsletter consultant client yesterday!
Hosted November of No via email with 15+ people who committed to hitting through goals through chasing more rejections. This was the first group project I’ve hosted, and I really enjoyed it and hope to do more like it this year. It really helped me get shit done too!
Supported my own creativity with my yearlong creative coach, Catherine LaSota, and started applying Tarot to my creative life for the first time.
Finished 1000 Words of Summer for the first time; wrote the first 10,000 words on my novel!
Made a serious effort to network locally. I met with 22+ successful, smart, helpful people, and went to several group meetups.
I sent out 47 newsletters in 2024 and gained 200 subscribers!
2024 newsletter highlights:
My 2024 in freelancing, by the numbers 💵
Average monthly income: $6,410
Up $50 from 2023 — I’ll take it!
Estimated hourly wage based on a 40-hour workweek: $40.06
Though I often work less than 40 hours a week.
Lowest invoice month: $4,513 in June
Highest invoice month: $8,125 in July
The exact same amount as 2023. Quick note that Dec. 2024 was projected to be my highest earning month, but I had to push $1,750 of editorial writing work to complete and invoice in January after a family loss in late November. At least Jan. 2025 is starting off strong!
Number of income sources: 15
Compared to 12 in 2023.
Anchor clients: 3
Two as an editor, one as a newsletter author.
Total earned from top anchor client: $49,905
Percentage of income from anchor clients: ~78% (compared to 57% in 2023)
Editorial writing assignments: 21
Total income from editorial writing: $4,685
Just $65 more than last year even though I wrote 5+ more pieces. Sigh.
Average editorial assignment rate: $223.10 😢
Percentage of income from editorial writing: 6.1% 😭😭😭
Another year of this small figure slapping me in the face. It’s so tough that the work I enjoy doing most pays me so little. However, it’s also on me to learn (maybe this year!) how to exclusively go after high-paying work, rather than work that is easily available to me.
Total earned from 1-on-1 consulting: $697.32
A solid start!
New clients: 8
Lost clients: 2
Slowest invoice payment: 70 days (booooooo!)
Late invoice fees collected: ~$667.50
Fastest income payment: A few hours!
Pitches sent: ~39
Pitches accepted: ~7
It’s important to note that I was assigned several of the 20+ editorial stories I wrote this year without pitching, due to establishing relationships with local editors.
Acceptance rate: ~18%
Average pitches sent per month: ~3
Amount I invested in my business this year: $8,655
Including my creative coach, financial advisors, designers, and business/creative/language classes.
What I paid my accountant (who is invaluable to help me run my S Corp): ~$1,000
Annual bills and subscriptions (Canva, YNAB, Descript, Squarespace, The Pitching Hour, newsletters, etc.): $2,448
Looking to cut down on this amount in ‘25.
2024 $ takeaways:
Securing an anchor client who pays me within 15 days of invoicing changed everything. My main client for over two years now pays me on a net-45 schedule, and sometimes pays me late at that. This has caused a lot of issues with my cashflow, because my bills get paid every 30 days, not 45. I got a new anchor client this fall who generally pays me within 10 days, and man it made a difference. I’m no longer in mental distress between paychecks, strategically plotting how to move money around just right. This one change made me feel so much more financially secure. Lesson learned: For me to thrive as a freelancer, I need to work with clients (at least some of them steadily) that respect my time and pay me in 30 days or less, period.
Referrals continue to be so, so important as I build my business. Referrals directly gave me five of the clients I worked with in 2024, two of them anchor clients. I spoke to a journalism class at Syracuse University (where I went to J-school) recently, and here’s what I told them: Start building your spreadsheet of contacts now. If I had started keeping track of my contacts and regularly reaching out to them through my time at Syracuse, then internships, then several media jobs in New York City, I’d be invincible. But I didn’t. Don’t be like me! Referrals will likely make up 75% of the jobs and assignments you receive in your career, especially as a freelancer!
Don’t be afriad to pivot (and expect that you will). Thanks to heaven-sent referrals, this fall I landed two longterm newsletter consultant clients, and found that this is work I love and am really good at. I am well-suited to support people through both the emotional creative and business-building process, as well as super knowledgeable about the ins and outs of newsletters, and what works and doesn’t. Sometimes you’ll be great at a job you didn’t even realize was an option for you, so stay open. And know that, as a freelancer, every single year will look different from the last. Flexibility is key to survival and sanity.
I make less money than I’d like to overall — and I’m working on changing that every year and securing my own income streams that don’t rely on others/businesses. In the meantime, the benefits of being a freelancer continue to outweigh the benefits of being a full-time employee. I had full flexibility to be states away with family during a difficult personal year. I spent August in California once again this year. I’m planning to take full advantage of my freelance status and travel abroad for six months the second half of 2025. I go to the grocery store and the gym off-hours. I set my own hours and take long, beautiful walks almost daily. I like this little life, and I value my freedom more than extra money — though ideally I’d have both! Manifesting that in 2025! ✨
Looking back on 2024 goals:
Work with a writing coach. ✅
Roll out my new website and personal brand. ✅
Grow this newsletter to 5,000 subscribers and launch paid subscriptions. ❌
I’m still not quite ready to go paid, and I didn’t focus on growth at all.
Make season three of the CSBC podcast! ✅
I made nine eps and enjoyed the process! I’d like to get on a more regular publishing cadence, but recognize this isn’t my top priority right now. Instead, I’m going to keep making the podcast fun and easy for me!Create and stick to a pitching schedule. ❌
’s The Pitching Hour, which I adore.
Eh, not really. This is my biggest creative block, year after year! But I did pitch more in 2024, and I did joinImplement a social media strategy for my work, including experimenting on TikTok. 〰️
I did social my work, and I did experiment on TikTok, but neither in a strategic, habitual way.Make $100,000. ❌
As we already covered — NOPE. But staying grateful, booked, and blessed!
2025 business and freelance goals ✨
To be BRAVE and AUDACIOUS when it comes to sharing my ideas and my words, connecting with people I admire, applying for gigs, asking for support, asking for more money, trying out new business strategies, creating new offerings, etc.
Work with more 1-on-1 clients, and make more of my own money.
Pitch my dream publications! If it scares me and makes me feel like I’m not good enough? That’s the one! This year I will break out of my comfort zone that I’ve been chilling in for too long.
Go for editorial work with a payment-first lens, meaning writing for publications that will pay me at least $500 per piece. Continue to learn to value my time and expertise.
Raise my rates across the board! Every freelancer should do this every year!
Offer online workshops and classes teaching my own skills to others, and continue to help others embrace their own creativity.
DO and TRY more, LEARN FROM OTHERS less. I habitually pay others to learn their skills, tips, and tricks — when in reality I have everything I need and just need to go for it!!!
Hire a personal assistant to help me with social media, invoicing, and emailing. Gift myself help for the parts of my job I find the hardest. Keep building out my own freelance team, and treating my business like a business.
Book more hosting and public speaking gigs!
Experience being a remote worker for 6+ months abroad.
Thank you for sharing this year and all of its ups and downs with me! I’m excited to keep growing and changing with all of you.
Reading Cruel Summer has helped me in so many ways in life♥️ You give me the strength I need♥️ Every time I check my email, I am excited when I see Cruel Summer♥️ Love ya Jill
Worlds collide! Catherine is in my world - I’m a business consultant.