Independence Vs. Stability in Academic Writing

Being a freelance academic writer, you can earn money in two ways:

1. You work for a large online writing agency.
2. You work independently through freelance platforms or start your own writing company.

And while the second option seems more alluring, both ways have their advantages and disadvantages. Let’s dig a little deeper so that you can make an educated decision how to further your writing career.

Common Denominator

Whichever career path you choose, there is one common factor you should remember. Whether you work for yourself or an online writing company, the biggest part of your job will constitute of writing academic papers for your clients.

You will need to conduct research, either online or offline, take notes and outline essays and theses. You’ll need to write, edit and proofread long texts. Communication with clients will also be an essential part of your job. Sometimes, revisions will be necessary, especially if you are unlucky enough to take an order from a high-maintenance client.

That’s where similarities end and differences emerge.

Independent Academic Writing

Freelance writers are always on the lookout for paying customers. When you work on the freelance platform, you have to compete with dozens of other writers. And creating your own website can be a drain on your budget. You’ll have to invest in the design, domain and hosting, pay for advertising campaigns and SEO optimize the website. It can take several months or even years to get enough profit to cover the initial investment.

Besides straining your finances, independent academic writing requires more time. You’ll need to scour the freelance platforms looking for orders or work on improving your website. You will need to develop your marketing skills and learn to sell yourself to the clients directly. Once the money flow increases, you will have to take care of accounting and taxes. Put together, these tasks will require hours of extra work every day.

On the flip side, when you work independently, you don’t have a boss. The only person you answer to is yourself. You are free to take any orders you prefer and refuse others. No one will pressure you to work on papers you don’t find enjoyable or profitable.

Writing For A Company

When you join a writing company, you don’t have to worry about looking for clients. Professional agencies spend thousands of dollars and years of hard work to build client bases and form immaculate reputations. They take care of marketing, advertising, and payment security. All you have to do is go through the list of available orders and pick those that strike your fancy.

Despite the high and low times of academic seasons, writing companies usually have a variety of orders, so you can pick whichever topics and paper types you like. Still, if there are no available writers, support managers can try to make you take extra orders that you won’t have time to complete. Be careful and don’t agree to work on assignments you can’t finish by the deadline, or you risk getting a fine.

Some writing companies offer low charges, that rise with your experience and success rate. If you establish yourself as a trustworthy and high-quality writer, you will get more orders, and your pay grade will increase. Still, you will have to deal with the company’s pricing policy while independent writers can set the prices higher and get paid more for the same job.

Where Should You Start?

If you are new to the market of freelance academic writing, don’t jump off the deep end. You don’t even know whether you will like the job in the long term. Spend a few month or a year getting to know the ins and outs of this business. Once you reach a certain level inside an online writing agency, you might feel happy enough to stay indefinitely.

On the other hand, if after a year or two you feel like you could achieve more on your own, no one is stopping you from branching out and starting a business. It is especially true for enterprising writers who are patient enough to wait for results and hard-working enough not to give up before they break through the glass ceiling.

Working for the right academic writing company can be a beneficial endeavor. You get to do what you like and earn hard cash while enjoying the benefits a stable online agency can bring you. WriteDom is among the best employers on the academic writing market and a perfect place to start your freelance career.