Synopses & Reviews
Amazingly, one-third of the American workforce is freelance--that's 42 million people who have to wrestle with not just doing the work, but finding the work, then getting paid for the work, plus health care, taxes, setting up an office, marketing, and so on. Now help is here, and consultants, independent contractors, the self-employed, "solopreneurs," and everyone else living a freelancer's life will never be alone again but instead can be part of a strong and vibrant community.
Written by the authority on freelance working, Sara Horowitz, MacArthur "Genius" Fellow and founder of the national Freelancers Union and, most recently, the Freelancers Insurance Company, The Freelancer's Bible will help those new to freelancing learn the ropes, and will help those who've been freelancing for a while grow and expand. It's the one-stop, all-encompassing guide to every practical detail and challenge of being a nimble, flexible, and successful freelancer: the three essentials of getting clients and the three most important ways to keep them happy. Five fee-setting strategies. Thirteen tactics for making it through a prolonged dry spell. Setting up a home office vs. renting space. The one-hour contract. A dozen negotiating dos and don'ts. Building and maintaining your reputation. Dealing with deadbeats. Health Insurance 101. Record-keeping and taxes. Productivity, including a quiz: "What Is Your Ideal Day?" Building a community. Subcontracting and other strategies for taking your freelancing career to the next level. Retirement plans, plans for saving for education, and how to achieve financial freedom.
Review
"We live in a gig economy today and there's no better guide to making your way in that world than The Freelancer's Bible. It will help you be savvier about building your brand and getting work."
--Tina Brown, Editor, Newsweek & The Daily Beast Tina Brown, Editor, Newsweek - & - The Daily Beast
Review
"The Freelancer's Bible provides the road map for independent, creative entrepreneurs."
--Chad Dickerson, CEO, Etsy Chad Dickerson, CEO, Etsy
Review
"This is an amazing resource for real people in the 21st century."
--Scott Heiferman, CEO and cofounder of Meetup Scott Heiferman, CEO and cofounder of Meetup
Review
"Practical, easy to read, full of immediately useful information that will help anyone transition into today's entrepreneurial economy."
--Joe Navarro author of the bestseller What Every Body Is Saying Joe Navarro author of the bestseller What Every Body Is Saying
Review
"A constant theme of this excellent guide is that 'success depends upon connecting with people.' These pages contain warm and engaging advice
Review
"Horowitz has captured the hard-won wisdom of thousands of freelancers who have figured out what works. They've learned the hard way so you don't have to."
--Clay Shirkey, Author of Here Comes Everybody and Cognitive Surplus Clay Shirkey, Author of Here Comes Everybody and Cognitive Surplus
Review
"By their nature, successful freelancers are innovative. Use this book to realize your full potential, be it financial, creative, or social or all of the above."
--Bill Drayton, CEO, Ashoka Bill Drayton, CEO, Ashoka
About the Author
Sara Horowitz founded the organization that became the Freelancers Union in 1995 and then launched the Freelancers Insurance Company in 2008. She is a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, one of Forbes Top 30 Social Entrepreneurs (2011), and a writer whose work appears
in the Huffington Post and The Atlantic online. She is Cornell-, Columbia-, Harvard-, and SUNY-educated, and comes from a long line of labor lawyers. Ms. Horowitz lives in Brooklyn, New York.