Welcome to FLX: Freelance Success

Founded in 1993, Freelance Success brings together experienced freelance journalists and content creators ready for greener pastures to share inspiration, practical experience, and define what it means to be fantastic so that we can actually enjoy looking at our bank statements.

You know your business. We know how to make money at it.

Job search firms report that the most experienced workers have become less optimistic about their career futures. 

What?! That's news to FLXers. 

We're thriving!

The largest percentage of our members earn between $75,000 and $99,999 annually. The second-largest percentage? They bank $100,000 to $124,999. And those part-timers with fewer than 30 hours at the week at a keyboard? The largest swath reports income between $40,000 and $74,999.

Nice balance, huh?

Freelance Success is the water cooler, the green room, the celebration party at the bar after the awards show. Thanks to FLX, freelancers have go-to colleagues to turn to for support and encouragement any time of the day or night.

Networking is about schmoozing and glad-handing.

Connection, on the other hand, is all about belonging.

Want to get out of the content mill rut? Want to stop feeling isolated as you break through to the next level? Tired of fretting over red flags you should have seen coming? Need new markets, fresh eyes, fewer pitch rejections? 

You belong at Freelance Success!

Until now, you've had to piecemeal the advice you need: Premium social media services. Life coaching that can't drill down to steer you through specific publishing situations. Workshops that cover one topic. 

It's time to combine at Freelance Success!

• Market reports with inside information on what publications and companies really want. We contact the editors for first-hand feedback for FLXers—no curated lists from Twitter passing along 10-cent-a-word jobs or rehashed LinkedIn/Indeed/association job listings.

• Brainstorm Buddy, a content analysis tool you won't find anywhere else. Get feedback on your article and post ideas to sharpen your success rate.

• Monthly discussions with experts to answer your pressing questions about taxes, legal issues, tech decisions, and more. 

• Co-workers. The quiet kind. Not the ones who chew ice with their mouths open in the next cubicle. 

• Active forums to hash out what's on your mind or on your plate.

• Privacy. Freelance Success is not a social media site. What happens on FLX is nobody else's business. 

• Courses. Looking for a class? No need to find a new platform. Chances are good an expert is teaching what you want to learn—right here!

• Regional, in-person get-togethers.

• Tax deduction. Because office supply receipts alone don't earn much love from Uncle Sam.

Want to build a six-figure income? It's not as easy as the writing charlatans ... uh, courses assure you. But you already know that. That's why you and Freelance Success make a great match.

The insider market guides are just one aspect of the Freelance Success experience. Our forums are a treasure chest of great information. Because let's face it: not everyone measures success strictly by dollars. But all of us enjoy learning how others deal with the difficult, the sticky, the intractable, and, yes, the joys.

As you could guess, we talk about our good and not-so-good experiences with specific publications. We offer fresh perspectives so you can tackle problems in new ways. We share contacts, reach out for sources, occasionally even subcontract work to each other.

Need an example? Ripped directly from the thread lines:

• Plagiarism, copyright and journalists.

• Questions on getting interaction on Zoom presentations.

• Networking--how to follow up in a non-cringey way.

• How ethical is this?

• Saving a piece of yourself.

• Health insurance for freelancers.

• Gut check—a love story.

• Need help with writer-friendly contract.

• Editor doesn't understand topics assigned.

• Are deadlines getting tighter?

• Seeking followers ahead of book launch.

• Creating a carousel.

• Copy pasting posts into WordPress5.

• Examples of first-person "visionary" white papers.

• How did you land your favorite client?

I could keep going for years. After all, there are more than 900,000 searchable posts in our history.

We know we aren't for everybody—that would be exhausting, and everyone would be shorted on the community they deserve. We wish you all good things in your career, but you will not be a good fit if you are in these situations:

• You have never freelanced as a writer before and don't understand what a pitch letter is, aren't sure what it means to sell first rights or work for hire, do not have an idea what markets you could write for. 

• You are a recruiter looking to contact the creative writing field. *

• Your focus is on selling products to creatives.

• You are seeking story placement for a client.

• You are looking for designer or graphic arts or photography work only.

• You are a fiction writer only.

• You are a full-time salaried editor or publisher. *

* Reach out to me at [email protected] and I'll happily help to connect prospects from our database to you!

Your brain is great at coming up with article and content ideas. You have the writing skills to communicate them. You have the portfolio to prove your professionalism.

So why do editors still pass on these ideas? Sadly, not every idea is fully baked. But Brainstorm Buddy is about to turn your results around.

Brainstorm Buddy is a content analyzer that is as much fun as a Magic 8 ball, but this adult version is not a toy. Answer its six prompts about your idea honestly, and it weighs your elements and gives you a success score. Not up to par? Brainstorm Buddy also provides advice on how to strengthen the idea.

Designed by Linda Formichelli, a freelance writer who sold to more than 200 magazines, created content strategy for household brands, and taught idea generation to hundreds of writers, Brainstorm Buddy packages her extensive experience into an easy-to-use tool. And your radical savings on a monthly subscription is exclusive to Freelance Success.

Excellent!

Because you haven't heard the best news yet. This is going to make your whole year.

Membership is a mere $119 a year. You read that right. No digits missing on that price.

Is it worth more? You bet your last dollar it is. But adding rocket fuel to your business begins with a good deal, so let's get started on the right foot.

After all, we love tradition, and FLX has always been about value. And let's be honest: we like the good karma of an affordable price. Not to mention I personally hate telling someone that I've raised their rates (yah, not a landlord here), so if you join at $119, you are grandfathered into that price moving forward.

Compare our Freelance Success community to these common monthly subscriptions:

• Consultation at The Manuscript Academy, an awesome bunch of folks: $49 for 10 minutes; $99 for 15 minutes and 10 pages reading.

• Life coach: $225/hour.

• American Society of Journalists and Authors membership: $235/year.

• Society of American Business Editors and Writers membership: $70/year.

• Editorial Freelancers Association membership: $180/first year.

• Netflix: $8.99 - $17.99/month.

• House cleaning: $35/hour (Midwest).

• Personal weight training: $60/hour (Midwest).

• Book of the Month Club: $14.99/month.

• MeUndies subscription: $14.99/pair. (Hey, this is awesome underwear. But panties aren't a career investment.)

Still not convinced? I get it. Communities aren't commodities. You are welcome to look around and settle in before committing. Simply choose our $14.99 monthly plan with no ties, no pressure to create a profile, no judgment. You can switch over and start the annual $119 plan at any time.

(Legal information most people put in smaller type: Apple has a separate approval process and fees for any plans you purchase on iOS, and this process may take some extra time. We invite you to purchase on a different device and return to your phone to interact via our app.)

I'm Julie Sturgeon, publisher and editor of Freelance Success. Reach out to me if you have questions or concerns. I'm happy to shoot you a straight answer. Email [email protected]

Want to be featured in our exclusive market guide and hear from experts with the right experience for your needs? I'm here to help. Email [email protected].