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Serbian translation of The Freelance Way has just been published as Put frilensera!
Trivia: Serbians altered Robert Vlach’s surname for better pronunciation. They do the same, for example, with J. R. R. Tolkien → Dž. R. R. Tolkin in Serbian 🧙♂️
Freelancer Study 2022 produced by Freelancermap.com (an international freelance platform based in Germany) surveyed 2,610 freelancers in 79 countries. The data sample was not statistically representative (83% were men, 72% had a college/university), but the report is worth reading anyway. Here are some highlights:
If you’re an experienced negotiator or working in sales, the new book Split the Pie: A Radical New Way to Negotiate by Barry Nalebuff might pick your interest.
But there’s a catch: Nalebuff’s method is quite radical indeed and too arithmetical for inexperienced negotiators. On the other hand, it is far less egocentric than Chris Voss’ older book Never Split the Difference.
Conclusion: Split the Pie is an OK read for professional negotiators, who may appreciate its radical edge. Newbies would be much better served by the all-time classic Getting to Yes included in our list of the best books for freelancers.
Did you know that there is a printed Freelancer Magazine? It is a 100-pages business magazine for B2B and creative freelancers, being published every three months in the UK, and delivered to subscribers worldwide.
They also organize regular Freelance Virtual Coworking sessions every week, free for all freelancers to attend.
New research The Freelancer Pay Gap analyzed data of ca. 6,000 US-based freelancers that have billed at least 100 hours of work in the last 6 months on Upwork. It found out that men charged 48% more than women for the equivalent role overall.
However, the data sample was not representative of a wider freelance population, so the gaps for different industries varied greatly. They were huge in some technical professions, such as DevOps, and rather small-to-negligent in others. In some, such as copywriting, women were charging more than men.
What to do about it? The research not only minds the gaps but also suggests the following 7 Tips to Set Freelance Rates:
Other helpful guidelines are outlined in a related article written by Sarah Duran.
Note: In the UK, similar research by IPSE revealed in 2020 that self-employed men earned 43% more than women.
Great news: HarperCollins acquires global English publishing rights for The Freelance Way best-selling book, written by Robert Vlach. Their international edition, published earlier this spring in Asia, will be sold via major e-retailers worldwide. The audiobook production starts in September.
Across Europe, October seems to be the month of freelancing: There is Freelancers Week, the Day of the Freelancer in Brussels, and then there is Freelance Business Month — arguably the largest online event for freelancers in the world, organized by the one and only Elina Jutelyte.
As of now, you can register for free or buy a donation ticket to enjoy a full month of talks, conversations, and online networking with professionals from all over the world in a friendly informal setting. We’re proud to be among the FBM partners because the event helps freelancers bond over almost any distance.
As often happens in business, Elina’s journey wasn’t easy. She shared her origins story and the hardships she had to endure in her memorable talk for Freelance Friends. If you haven’t watched it yet, here’s a friendly reminder:
This tip comes from our favorite lifehacker Tom Baranek who uses E-Ink tablets extensively for reading and taking notes as a publisher and editor. His workflows are quite advanced, so he’s definitely to be trusted on his tools of choice.
He has recently highlighted two gadgets that he has enjoyed using besides his iPad Pro:
None of the two comes cheap, but if you work extensively with digital documents and text, it may pay off in improved productivity.
The Belgo-Dutch server NextConomy has published an English interview with Robert Vlach as a teaser for his upcoming keynote at the Day of the Freelancer conference in Brussels, on October 6.
The interview, titled The Freelance Way of Personal Finance, covers many aspects of freelance finances and pricing:
“For example, I’ve already been a freelancer for over 20 years, but my monthly revenues and cash flows keep swinging up and down, depending on concurring projects as well as wider market conditions,” says Robert about a problem that many freelancers have to struggle with. „Balancing out this level of uncertainty isn’t easy for any freelancer, no matter how experienced they are. So we’re all in this together one way or another,” he adds.
The interview also includes an excerpt from Robert’s book The Freelance Way published by HarperCollins, explaining why beginning freelancers should consult with an accountant or tax advisor.
Netflix has a great track record of covering independent professions in their original shows, such as agents representing actors in Call My Agent! or real-estate brokers in The Parisian Agency.
Their recent reality TV series Indian Matchmaking is similarly ambitious: It follows the work of Sima Taparia, who is said to be the best marriage consultant in Mumbai, guiding her clients in the US and India in the arranged marriage process.
The Emmy-nominated hit show offers a blend of modern and oriental elements, such as consulting a face reader or astrologist in client work. Sima is quite a remarkable freelancer, too. As she proudly says: “All my clients are my children.”