Real estate agents are fond of this famous saying: “location, location, location.” But one of the perks of freelance writing is that you can work from virtually anywhere with a wireless connection: a beachside cabana in the Caribbean, a ski lodge in the Alps, a coffee shop in San Fran.
Or can you?
Sometimes the challenges of traveling make it impossible for a freelancer to maintain the same output as at home. Maybe that coffee shop has a spotty wifi signal or doesn’t have enough electrical outlets to go around. Or maybe your editor assigns you to profile someone local and expects you to meet them face-to-face (so much for quietly slipping off to Aruba and keeping up with assignments).
Even if you’re firmly planted in your hometown, there are geographical considerations there, too. On the one hand, living in a small town gives you access to interesting stories that editors at big-time magazines would otherwise never know about. On the flip side, though, your opportunities for face-to-face networking are more limited.
For me personally, I’ve found that Boston is close enough to NYC that I can easily hop on a bus to meet editors or attend a conference, but I miss being able to regularly hobnob during happy hour. Then again, there are plenty of editors and clients here, and I’m occasionally chosen for assignments based on my ability to tap local sources.
What about you? Have you found your location to be handicap or a help? Why?
I've found my location to be very helpful when editors are searching the Web for someone in my city and find me to offer me work, but on the flip side I've often had just as many instances when I really wanted to attend something or write about something for which I'd need to be somewhere else. I guess it's like anything else, some positives and some negatives.
My location hasn't been an issue at all. I started doing print work (non-fiction articles) and short-stories (years ago!) and that was location independent too.
These days I ghostwrite and blog, and that can be done anywhere, provided of course, I have a good internet connection.
Hey Susan,
Interesting question. I sometimes wish I was within a short distance to NYC so that I could attend media industry events/happy hours. I'm jealous that you can host MediaBistro events, BTW.
But overall I haven't found my location in the midwest to be a problem for the type of writing that I do.
I am currently branching out to connect with more local organizations for copywriting work and suspect I'll have to be available for more face-to-face meetings, but that's okay since I need a break from my home office sometimes.
I have tried the coffee shop thing, but usually don't get much work done in the end because it's such a pain to set up and concentrate. I think some people can work on the beach, but I honestly don't think I'm one of those people (though I'd welcome the challenge:). I have my office set-up and it's too much bother to drag stuff out to a remote location (99% of the time).
Thanks, everyone!
@Denene: I'm with you. Sometimes it's too much of a hassle to pack everything up and go work in a coffee shop. However, I just might do it today, because it's ridiculously hot and my little window AC just isn't cutting it!
Such a good topic, Susan! When I first started freelancing as a copywriter, I had just moved from Seattle to Denver and was working with Seattle-based clients. Then I would have told you that location didn't matter.
However, now I would say it does matter, at least for copywriting. I still have some clients in Seattle and California, but the bulk of my business is local to Denver and Boulder. I've found there's an incredible dedication to purchasing locally and that applies to creative services as well.
I still take work on the road, but I'm much better about communicating with my clients and giving them plenty of notice.
Interesting question, expecially for me at the moment. Being location independent is one of the big perks of freelance writing for me, and I'm currently getting ready to hit the road for an unspecified amount of time and run my freelance writing career out of my laptop bag! I specialise in travel writing and am soooo excited about the adventure. I'll stop by again and let you know how it's going!
Karen, I'm getting ready to hit the road, too! Though I'm a social media consultant now, I got my start as a freelance writer (hence me keeping up with Susan's awesome blog) and in August I'm about to find out if I can leave Atlanta and run my business from Bogota, Colombia. My clients are a mix of local and remote, so I'm thinking I should be fine, but you never know what challenges will crop up.
Ha! This is pretty much the topic of my blog. I write for US publications but I’m based in France. It’s a bit challenging because it’s hard to keep up with what’s current and I always worry that I’ll send in a query on a topic that the magazine has recently written about. Also, F2F meetings are out and so far, I haven’t been able to make it to a conference. On the upside, living in France gives me lots of material…and writing for the web makes life easier too (thanks, by the way, for your guide Susan!)
I don't like local clients as I live in the Midwest, and the COL tends to mean most clients expect much smaller fees then what I'm accustomed to. I am also not a big fan of time-wasting meetings.
I often write about my family's house in central Mexico in a town with no internet. I still work when we go, as we go into cities, internet cafes, my Blackberry works, etc….We do a lot of traveling around, but when we get back to the town, it's just me and my notebook. I've ran my business from there with no one the wiser.
Location is something I've been concerned about since embarking on a freelance writing career. The Well-Fed Writer says there is always plenty of work, but he's in Atlanta. I'm in a small tourist-driven town in Florida, so there may not be the work there. I'm hoping some contacts in LA can help me get some work out there, but I worry that it may require a move (not that I would mind – this little town is not my cup of tea).
My location has resulted in plenty of work I wouldn't have had otherwise. I've worked onsite, which has led to ongoing work, friendships, and referrals. I've met with clients and then managed all the work offsite – but they insisted on that initial meeting.
I'm also close to Manhattan and DC – quick train ride either direction. Just two trips, but those trips netted ongoing work.
There's no question that any location presents opportunities and limitations, although of course with the advent of widespread wi-fi those limitations are rather fewer than previously.
I'm a freelance copywriter in the UK, about 30 miles out of London. I work from my home office, but local coffee houses with wireless internet were my saviour when my internet provider left me without any internet access for a week.
I still go to those coffee houses, sometimes with notebook, sometimes with laptop, to get some writing done, but I do find there are fewer distractions at my desk.
As for picking up work according to location, many of my copywriting clients are local, and really wanted a copywriter they could work with face to face, and have regular meetings with. Others are dotted all over the country, have never met me in person, and that's not affected the quality of the working relationship either.
You can exploit any location if you take the right approach…
This is a really interesting post, one that's especially relevant to me now. I didn't think my newish nomad lifestyle would interfere with my freelance work, but new clients always ask if my London location has an effect on my work.
Surprisingly, it does, but mostly in a good way. The 5 hour time different between here and New York means that I get all my work done and sent out, before anyone in the States has had lunch. But it also means that anytime I want to schedule an interview I need to call people when it's MY dinnertime. I don't ask to rearrange because I want my location to be as nonobvious as possible.
It makes payment a little difficult, so PayPal is really my only option. I have an address I can have checks sent to in the US but it's a pain for my parents to deposit.
In terms of work (sorry, this is getting long), my distance from the US is as easy as possible. Things get done faster without the constant influx of emails or phone calls. Guess it's one of those two-sided coins though. It's also still early days, so we'll see how much of an impact my UK move will have on my career.
Thanks for bringing up this issue, it's been really interesting to see other people's response!
@Marian: I saw your post about getting detained at the airport. Insanity! I would have expected that in other parts of the world, but certainly not the UK (I studied abroad in London and nobody gave me a hard time). Hope things are returning to normal for you!
As a copywriter who specializes in web content, I haven't faced any issues regarding location. The beauty of undertaking web-based work.