Writers@Work: Learning to Pivot

Sustaining a Freelance Writing Career

An Interview with Sherry Beck Paprocki

Welcome to the blog, Sherry! Tell us about your book, Freelance Fancy: Your Guide to Capturing Spiritual Health, Wealth and Happiness from Gig Work.

Freelance Fancy is what I call a career memoir, which is not an official term used by publishers but perfectly describes this book. I outlined the book for the first time on an airplane—I was wrapping up two years as president of the American Society of Journalists and Authors and I was flying to Florida where I was meeting my family to celebrate a big birthday. It felt like the time had come to explain how I became a freelancer. I also talk about my journey as an author of around 15 books, and the varied other projects that I have accomplished.

It had been more than 30 years since I’d graduated from college with a journalism degree. Being a full-time journalist in the beginning was an excellent launch to the rest of my career. When the time came to start writing “Freelance Fancy,” Instead of formatting it as a “how-to” manual, I shared very personal details of how one project would lead to another, as well has how my network among other writers, editors and publishers grew a career beyond what I could have ever imagined.

What are some of the lessons writers can learn from your book?

One of the most important pieces of advice I can offer to anyone involved in gig work is to focus on your own career and forget about everyone else. In other words, there’s no space for the hyper-competitiveness that I’ve seen among some writers. That never serves your career well. You do you. That’s when you’ll do your best work.

Also, this book demonstrates how you get to know yourself, which will help you determine if you’re moving in the right direction. There have been many times in my career that I’ve gone off-track, and I knew I was off-track doing work that wasn’t intended for me. But it takes a while to correct your direction. Sometimes we get caught up in just grinding out writing projects to get a check at the end of the project. Or, we may love the editor but be bored to death with the work. We stop listening to that voice inside of us that is our personal and unique GPS. 

Finally, a third lesson that I share in this book is really important. Listen to what other people tell you that you are capable of doing. Once I developed this keen sense of receiving the information that people were telling me, my career changed. I took gigs that elevated my career to different levels. Many of my book contracts came to me that way, as did consulting gigs and other opportunities. Currently, my company does more Thought Leadership and Personal Branding strategic consulting for everyone from CEOs to gig workers. That’s occurred because I listened to those outside voices and used my inner GPS to keep focused.

I want to add one last note here. The title of my book sums up more than 30 years of career experience. About 15 years into my career, I was given the opportunity to write about fabulous and fancy homes for regional publications. This felt more like a hobby than a job, but it provided the creative escape every month that powered up the rest of my work. I don’t do that type of writing any more, but the creative power I got from this gig—working with interior designers and architects—far outweighed the dollars and cents that I earned for doing it. There is so much wisdom that can be gained from a broad creative community, that’s a really important thing to remember.

I’d love to hear more about you: how did you build your successful writing and coaching career?

We need to be resilient. Keeping the same title on our LinkedIn profile for a lot of years means a person probably isn’t considering what’s changed in the world during recent years. Early on in my freelance career, I thought every freelancer’s goal should be writing for top New York-publications. But, at the time I was located in Ohio and often I’d get passed over in pitches. Jobs were given to freelancers in major cities on the coasts. I remember attending a New York conference once and realizing that I could continue competing for those nugget stories, or I could aim higher. I had the editorial expertise to do gig editing, and people had already started asking me to do that. I had several ongoing projects, which guaranteed a monthly income. I had the ability to research and write, as well as work fast and hit multiple deadlines—mid-western book publishers started asking me to write certain titles they wanted to publish. I rarely said “no” to any opportunity, but that isn’t a strategy that I recommend. It leads to burnout and exhaustion.

Being “hungry,” a term I’ve seen used by CEOs, is important when you have your own business. That’s why I never said “no.” My husband was employed full-time as a journalist in those early years, too. We had two children. We needed my second income. I took a few ongoing gigs that involved editing trade publications and I started adjuncting at a local college. As our two children ventured out on their own to college and then jobs, I took a contract to market and oversee Camp Invention programs for kids in our community. I had worked with Odyssey of the Mind as a volunteer coach for many years. I valued creativity. Camp Invention was a good fit within my career path. But it also made summertime very busy, as I continued with other writing and editing gigs.

I met and worked with many good people — editors and publishers and others — during that period of my career. I learned a lot from them. I also learned to weed out low-paying gigs. It’s important to understand the financial value you bring to clients. I started saying “no thanks” more often and got better paying gigs and more respect because of that.

I changed my vocabulary. I quit “working for” clients and started “partnering” with them to solve their challenges.

My coaching career came later—after decades of gaining wisdom. In 2008, I was at a writing conference in New York when I was pitching a book about a big retail brand located in my home city of Columbus, Ohio. By then, I’d written several biographies for middle school readers about big personal brands—Katie Couric, Michelle Kwan, Oprah Winfrey and others. My husband, as a writer and editor for the city magazine, had written about corporate brands. I was pitching both of us, as co-authors on this book about one of the world’s biggest retailers. But, an editor I met with in New York changed the conversation. Within 10 minutes we were talking about “personal branding” being an important skill. This was at the dawn of social media. Within a week, we were offered a contract for “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Branding Yourself.” 

I wasn’t even asked for a proposal! The book deal came soon after I’d submitted our bios to that editor.

We learned so much from writing that book. Both of our careers entirely changed. Some colleges hired me to help brand their alumni magazines — as well as branding specific classes for students. My husband Ray became a publisher at a magazine group in Naples, Florida. Moving outside of the region where I’d been a writer for many years opened doors for me. It took months, though, to get more resilient. I reenvisioned myself as a “branded content specialist.” It was 2012, which was really the dawn of the branded content era. Being able to talk like a CEO, landed some interesting gigs. For three months, for example, I was the interim publisher for San Antonio Magazine. (I had done three short-term publisher’s gig in Ohio prior to this, including 11 miserable months as a weekly newspaper editor/publisher.) I was now able to hyperfocus on the big picture of branded content and that was a lot of fun. Even city magazines deal in a certain brand.

When I coach others—or consult with CEOs—being able to see the big picture is really important. A lot is happening in the world right now regarding artificial intelligence. I’m a firm believer that people who can see beyond 2025 will be able to find work.

What are 3 tips do you have for someone who wants to build a freelance career today.

1. Network with other writers, editors, publishers and business owners. No matter what field you’re in, continue to build your expertise. Getting 10,000 hours of experience in your field is important—as Malcolm Gladwell wrote in his book “The Outliers.” Work hard but don’t do it in isolation.

2. Know your financial and career goals. Figure out a career path that can help you meet those goals. One of the most frustrating things in the world of writing is that it’s like a lottery. Your brain works tirelessly at coming up with ideas only to have an editor tell you they aren’t necessary, or they’ve already been done. Know that most of your work is going to come from people you know. (See #1.) The broader your network, the better you’ll be able to develop a satisfying career.

3. It’s not about money. Honestly, for some reason every new freelancer I meet thinks they need to figure out the pathway to earn $100,000 or more each year with their writing gig. That’s not necessarily a good goal. It can lead to a lot of burnout. Value the skills you gain every year. Take the time to assess your career and consider whether you are doing work that you love. Money comes easily when you are happy doing whatever work you are do. 

How do you manage life and stay productive? What tools do you use to get things done (and not doomscroll)!

First, let me answer the productivity issue. I’m a high-energy individual. But, some things just don’t hold my attention for very long. Therefore, juggling a lot of various types of work that feeds my passion has always motivated me. There are two important lessons that I learned from some of the world’s greatest inventors:

1. Trial and error makes sense. If you start a gig and you just don’t have the passion for it, quit. If your relationship with an editor is flailing, it’s probably not the right match. Quit. Work with people (and gigs) that allow you to be successful. 

2. Juggling various projects and ideas is natural. Great inventors tried a lot of things before they hit success. Listen to your gut, it’s the best tool that you have for success.

We carefully decide in our company if a system or another piece of technology is necessary, before we spend time buying and adapting to it. As you know, you can spend a lot of unpayable hours figuring out systems that you think will simplify your life but, in the end, they really don’t help that much.

My best help is probably the assistant who I employ part-time. More than 15 years ago she worked with me for a year, or so, while looking for her first, full-time job.  Now, after years of full-time career experience, she does gig work wrapped around her own young family’s life. I’m happy to support her in her career goals by providing a weekly income that she can depend on.  

Face it, we all doomscroll some days. I watch reels for fun on other days. That helps us avoid burnout, but it also keeps us current on pop culture. 

Two years ago, my husband retired as a group magazine publisher and joined my company. Our thought leadership business grew out listening to what our potential clients needed. During the first year we worked together, we had a lot of meetings. Many of those meetings were with people that one or both of us knew — work has flowed in the thought leadership direction since that point. 

We do life—and work—together every day. Our conversations are nonstop when it comes to ways that we can help our clients. And then we find joy. We have four grandchildren ages seven and under. We’re fortunate to have time with them. We travel when we want. We’ve relocated and renovated a house in Maine, near our daughter’s family. We frequently spend time  in North Carolina, where our son and his family live. We decide which jobs make sense and which ones do not.  We only work with clients we like. 

What are you reading now?

For much of 2025, I have focused on national and international daily news reports. On certain topics, I’ve studied them like I’m working on a Ph.D. It’s important right now to keep up with—and understand the ramifications of—all of the news coming out of this administration. That’s been my priority.

During a recent plane trip, I read a brief handbook called: “How to Deal with Toxic Personalities.” It was published in 2021, but I wish I could have read it 40 years ago. It would have saved me a lot of time.

While writing this, I reread some of the chapters in my own book, “Freelance Fancy.” It heartens me to know that the advice I offered in that book is still very relevant three years later.

Next up? Melinda Gates’ biography. Her life has been very different from my own.

About the author: Sherry Beck Paprocki is an award-winning journalist and author. She is the founder of R.S. Rock Media, a strategic communications firm that focuses on thought leadership and personal branding.