Freelance Book Reviews: The 4-Hour Workweek
I read six different books for my freelance project and they fall into two categories: those that focus on the business mindset side of running your own business (these are more inspirational mindset books that don’t necessarily apply directly to freelancing), and those that are written with the freelancer in mind and offer more actionable, specific how-to advice for freelancers. This one falls into the inspirational mindset.
The 4-Hour Workweek
by Timothy Ferriss
"The 4-hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich" is an entirely different sort of book. It’s a New York Times bestseller, and it will turn your assumptions about working is, and what your working life can look like on their head. It’s far more radical than the other books I read. Ferriss’ philosophy will have you think outside the box and consider how a freelance career could change your life by enacting his strategies. He focuses on helping you train people to work with you in ways that will make your life easier and free your time, and also offers tips for living a more unattached, 9-5 life in today’s prescribed world. Even if you don’t enact his advice, reading the book is an interesting insight into another way of life and will get you fired up about breaking out of a normal desk job scenario.
The purpose: Completely change the way you look at work and a working life
The good: It really had me thinking about work in a different way and think about possibilities I had never considered. Even if you wouldn’t go as far as he does, there are still lots of smaller scale lessons to be learned.
The bad: All of his advice is very aspirational, but probably won’t work for every average person. I would have a hard time enacting some of his practices because they seem rude and selfish.
Specific How-to Freelancer Advice
Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer
by Moira Allen
I read the second edition of "Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer," which was a little bit dated (it’s what was available through interlibrary loan), but I’d imagine the newer third edition has more up-to-date information, and less of the “internet as a new and wondrous tool” perspective. I really liked this book because it has information specific to freelance writing. It’s also kind of a reality check. The book offers a holistic, unromanticized view of what freelancing is and what it requires. The book covers the nuts and bolts side of freelancing (exhaustive information on exploring markets, rights and contracts, pitching stories and commercial freelancing), and also covers things like time management and overcoming writer’s block. Even if you’re not a freelancer, but simply have a career in writing you may find this book useful.
The purpose: This book gives you a wide perspective on all the things you should consider before you embark on a freelance career. Having a more flexible schedule and being your own boss comes with big responsibility.
The good: This felt like a mini-refresher on my journalism undergrad. A lot of the things I learned in classes like magazine writing were covered, and I can see the book being very helpful for someone starting from square one.
The bad: Some of the information was dated, but I didn’t have the newest version of the book.
Creative, Inc.
by Meg Mateo Ilasco & Joy Deangdeelert Cho
"Creative, Inc.: The Ultimate Guide to Running a Successful Freelance Business" was the least self-helpy book, but was still written in a relatable style and has a modern layout and formatting. It was written for people pursuing any area of freelancing, from design to writing, so it’s widely applicable. The book also includes several case studies of real freelancers and sequences their paths into freelancing--this was a feature I really liked because it shows that there is not one “correct” way to do it. This book includes information on creating a business plan, marketing ideas, handling clients, getting paid, agents and balancing regular life with your freelance career. This booked appealed to the technical communicator in me because it was set up like a how-to manual with clear sections, but didn’t feel too boring.
The purpose: To help people in any field learn how to become a freelancer through practical advice and real-life case studies
The good: The book had an attractive layout and tips and case studies that were interesting to read, even if they didn’t all apply to my own situation
The bad: Since the book covers such a broad array of freelancing areas all the information may not be applicable to a technical communicator
You’re My Favorite Client
by Mike Monteiro
"You're My Favorite Client" isn’t specifically about freelancing--in fact it’s actually written from the perspective of the employer of freelancers. This is an excellent perspective to explore, and it gives an in-depth look at the design-for-hire processes and shares the considerations companies should make before hiring a designer. Freelancers can turn this around to learn how to become a favorite freelancer.
The purpose: This book was written to help employers of freelancers learn how to work with a designer and what to expect (both good and bad).
The good: I thought it was fascinating to read about things from this perspective and I learned a lot about how to conduct yourself once you become employed.
The bad: The book doesn’t so much give the “how to become a freelancer” side of things, but gives excellent perspective into professionalism and processes for being employed as a freelancer. It applies more to design than writing, but there are still valuable lessons for all freelancers to learn.
Combination of Both Types
Stop Thinking Like a Freelancer
by Liam Veitch
"Stop Thinking Like a Freelancer: The Evolution of a $1m Web Designer" felt like a mashup of all the books I read. The author is very personable and uses his own experience and mistakes to craft a narrative about what freelancing should be. I also noticed some lessons I’d read in Book Yourself Solid and 4-Hour Workweek repeated in this book. The difference is, this book is written specifically for freelancers, making it the most concrete guide to freelancing specifically with both the inspirational “here’s why you want to do this” side of things AND “here’s HOW to do it” perspective combined. and clearly the guy who wrote it learned from other books and his own life. Interestingly, the book also covered a lot of the lessons I learned from speaking with the freelancers I interviewed for this project. The author specifically talks about
The purpose: Learn from the experience of a self-made freelancer. He approaches it with a “There’s not an easy path, but here is the mindset and tools you need to succeed like I did,” message.
The good: Again, this book is a combination of the inspirational and actionable lessons from the other books I read. It’s nice to have a bit of both in one book.
The bad: The book sometimes feels a bit homegrown, but the author is very earnest . It also isn’t super specific to tech comm skills like some of the other books (the author is a web designer), but it’s still vastly applicable.