The Business of Freelancing

When I decided to quit my full-time job at 23 years old, I did not have a perfect career plan as a freelancer in my mind. My motivation was (still is) to stop doing what I don’t like: I don’t like repetitive and simple tasks in the office, I don’t like a fixed nine-to-five, Monday-to-Friday schedule. Instead, I prefer working at home or remotely, which saves my time and energy from the daily commute. I also like leading projects, which can boost my skills and knowledge intensively. By 2024, I have been a freelancer in literary arts for about ten years. I am glad to share with you some tips here:

First, searching and learning.

Answers are for those who ask questions. If you want to become a successful freelancer, start to search how. These days, you can easily get useful information online. Build a database to continuously collect and analyse the information you gather. Your goal is not to search once, and then forget about it. Your goal is to keep a close eye on the news, trends, policies, and innovations in your industry. So, you can better update your outlook, polish your skillsets, and validate your value in the market.

Second, networking and branding.

As a freelancer, you need to present yourself proactively and effectively. The more people know you, the higher your chances will be to get work contracts you like. You can build your professional profile online, so people can get to know you and your expertise easily. You should update your profile at least once a year to reflect who you are at the moment.

Third, mentoring.

The guidance from mentoring is like a lighthouse for freelancers. Mentors rarely show up and knock on your door. You should take responsibility for your growth and ask mentors for help. Mentors can be reached online, or they are living in the same city. You can have more than one mentor and you can ask them for suggestions on different career
aspects, for example, leadership, financial independence, or strategic thinking.

Fourth, wearing many hats.

In comparison with clearly defined full-time job positions, freelancers need to have versatile skills. They learn new skills all the time to get things done. In the long run, the advantages are freelancers become more and more well-rounded, and very likely, they can build multiple careers. For example, in the literary industry, it is quite common for an author at the same time to be a translator, sometimes also an editor, a professor, or a critic.

Finally, leading a team.

As you accumulate more experience, you can plan to move up from an entry-level freelancer to a team leader. Instead of doing everything by yourself, now your goal is to lead a team and oversee product quality. Leaders are needed in every industry, and they are less likely to be displaced. They can also start their own business should the opportunity arise.

Zoe Wenqin Xie 谢文琴

Zoe Wenqin Xie is an independent curator. She has coordinated more than ten international literary festivals between China and other countries, including 2017-2022 the 1st to 7th European Union-China International Literary Festival, sponsored by the EU Delegation to China. She is a grantee of the 2022 British Council “Connections through Culture” (CtC) programme and the 2023 esea Contemporary “Reconnecting: Artmaking and Mobility” programme.

Zoe has established strong partnerships with acclaimed authors, publishers, translators, and festival organizers in both Europe and China. In 2023, she collaborated with Alexandra Büchler, Director of Literature Across Frontiers, on a project featuring women professionals in the fields of art and literature from the UK and China.

Her UK partner for the esea contemporary programme is Ivan Wadeson, Executive of Manchester City of Literature. Zoe is also the international cooperation specialist for CITIC Publishing Group·SIGHT and the mainland China coordinator for the Hong Kong Poetry Festival Foundation initiated by poet Bei Dao.

Her academic background is in English literary studies, with a bachelor’s degree from Wuhan University, mainland China, and a master’s degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

The International Literature Exchange is a partnership project by National Centre for Writing and British Council, supported by Arts Council England.