Book Review:My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire by Michelle Goodman

Tired of clocking in and losing out? Want to pursue creative, fulfilling work on your own time and also make a living in the process? My So-Called Freelance Life is a how-to guidebook for women who want to avoid the daily grind and turn their freelance dreams into reality. Michelle Goodman, author of The Anti 9-to-5 Guide and self-proclaimed former “wage slave,” offers tips, advice, how-to’s, and everything else a woman needs to pursue a freelance career. Confused as to whether you should tell your clients that the odd gurgling sound during a conference call is emanating from the infant sleeping on your shoulder? Goodman answers all of the unusual questions that may arise for women exploring the freelance world. Far more than your normal business guidebook, My So-Called Freelance Life blends candid, humorous anecdotes from a wide variety of freelancers with Goodman’s own personal experiences as a creative worker for hire. Whether you’re a freelance first-timer or a seasoned creative professional, copyediting queen or web guru, My So-Called Freelance Life is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in freelancing.

I have started to take my freelancing career very seriously this year, and I was interested in someone else take on how they had a successful freelancing career.

I loved the tone of this book. It felt as if the authour was an old friend telling how she made her freelancing career work. I found lots of useful tools in this book. Things that I didn’t even think about like timing yourself so that you know that you have enough time to finish all of your work. Since reading that I have been timing myself with Toggl and some things amazed me. I thought that I worked fast, but some things take me longer than others. Luckily I have not had to miss any deadlines but it has made me more aware of how long certain tasks take me.

This is a 101 kind of book. Experienced freelancers might not find a lot to take away from this book, but if you are just starting out this is chock full of information. I am the only one of my friends who I know is freelancing so this kind of book is helpful for me. At first I struggled but after reading a few books such as this one I found my footing so to speak and have been doing better. If you are just starting out, I highly recommend this book.