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Freelance Your Heart Out
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130 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 13, 2012
Practical and personal advice for anyone who has ever pondered writing as a freelancer. Kris writes with honesty and enthusiasm and her own stories of both success and failure balance out the "how-to" nature of the book.
January 11, 2014
Most of the self-help/business/freelancing books I read are written from a writer’s perspective. Kris Emery’s Freelance Your Heart Out caught my attention because it was different: It’s written by a professional editor/transcriber.
While most “positive-minded” books are written with such optimism they forgo all sense of reality, Kris Emery keeps it real—reminding readers that freelancing success comes only with hard work. Though that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be a big dreamer. Because, after all that hard work, you’ll finally get to “live the dream.” And Kris details what that’s like too.
Kris shares what it’s really like to be a new freelancer. The freedom may be desirable, but “freedom” is not for the lazy. The “freedom” in freelancing is hard-earned, and Kris doesn’t shy away from sharing exactly how much hard work she’s had to put into maintaining her glamorous-only-on-the-surface career.
While many authors in this genre keep their mistakes to themselves, Kris openly shares the bumps she hit in the road to success. The heartache that comes from getting screwed by a seemingly perfect client. The awful sense of stupidity and self-loathing that comes when something you “should” have known to watch out for—like the dangers of working without a contract—smacks you in the face. Or the guilt you may feel when you initially “bail” on your current position, whatever that may be, to strike out on your own.
Kris also shares some frustrations unique to editors: Like accidentally mistranslating certain terms. Or the “seasonal fluctuations” that come with editing work—as in, the work isn’t always there, so remember to sock away some of your hard-earned cash for later.
However, Freelance Your Heart Out isn’t just about the dark side of freelance editing… Kris always brings it back around to the wonderful side of things. The pure elation one gets when things (finally!) do go right.
These sections are further emphasized by Kris’ interviews with other successful freelancers in the field.
The main takeaway from Kris Emery’s Freelance Your Heart Out is this: You are not alone.
Every new freelancer will go through similar experiences. And that’s okay. You’ll get to where you want to be if you persevere. (Note: Perseverance is another HUGE theme of FYHO).
In summary, I liked it.
My one qualm with the book was its odd formatting. It’s horizontal (11×8.5) rather than vertical (8.5×11). My 1st edition Nook was unable to read it without copy/pasting it into a Word document first (wherein I lost all of the pretty pictures!). I also couldn’t read it comfortably on my crappy netbook/“laptop.”
Fortunately, the formatting issues I had with it could be fairly easily solved. As I said, you can, with a little effort, transfer the text into a different document. Or, you can print out the e-book copy on your own. Or, you can buy the print version (printed out for you!). Or, you can get better equipment. Which is what I ended up doing in the end. (My third read-through of FYHO on my new computer was quite enjoyable!).
That said, I love this book.
To be honest, Kris Emery’s Freelance Your Heart Out was a huge part of what inspired me to work with her on an upcoming project. In other words, FYHO was not only a great read, but it showed off Kris’ competency as a writer/editor/business woman so well that it made me want to work with her!
Not only is Freelance Your Heart Out a lesson in “learn by example,” but it’s an example that got the author a job!
And isn’t that what every freelancer is truly striving for?
While most “positive-minded” books are written with such optimism they forgo all sense of reality, Kris Emery keeps it real—reminding readers that freelancing success comes only with hard work. Though that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be a big dreamer. Because, after all that hard work, you’ll finally get to “live the dream.” And Kris details what that’s like too.
Kris shares what it’s really like to be a new freelancer. The freedom may be desirable, but “freedom” is not for the lazy. The “freedom” in freelancing is hard-earned, and Kris doesn’t shy away from sharing exactly how much hard work she’s had to put into maintaining her glamorous-only-on-the-surface career.
While many authors in this genre keep their mistakes to themselves, Kris openly shares the bumps she hit in the road to success. The heartache that comes from getting screwed by a seemingly perfect client. The awful sense of stupidity and self-loathing that comes when something you “should” have known to watch out for—like the dangers of working without a contract—smacks you in the face. Or the guilt you may feel when you initially “bail” on your current position, whatever that may be, to strike out on your own.
Kris also shares some frustrations unique to editors: Like accidentally mistranslating certain terms. Or the “seasonal fluctuations” that come with editing work—as in, the work isn’t always there, so remember to sock away some of your hard-earned cash for later.
However, Freelance Your Heart Out isn’t just about the dark side of freelance editing… Kris always brings it back around to the wonderful side of things. The pure elation one gets when things (finally!) do go right.
These sections are further emphasized by Kris’ interviews with other successful freelancers in the field.
The main takeaway from Kris Emery’s Freelance Your Heart Out is this: You are not alone.
Every new freelancer will go through similar experiences. And that’s okay. You’ll get to where you want to be if you persevere. (Note: Perseverance is another HUGE theme of FYHO).
In summary, I liked it.
My one qualm with the book was its odd formatting. It’s horizontal (11×8.5) rather than vertical (8.5×11). My 1st edition Nook was unable to read it without copy/pasting it into a Word document first (wherein I lost all of the pretty pictures!). I also couldn’t read it comfortably on my crappy netbook/“laptop.”
Fortunately, the formatting issues I had with it could be fairly easily solved. As I said, you can, with a little effort, transfer the text into a different document. Or, you can print out the e-book copy on your own. Or, you can buy the print version (printed out for you!). Or, you can get better equipment. Which is what I ended up doing in the end. (My third read-through of FYHO on my new computer was quite enjoyable!).
That said, I love this book.
To be honest, Kris Emery’s Freelance Your Heart Out was a huge part of what inspired me to work with her on an upcoming project. In other words, FYHO was not only a great read, but it showed off Kris’ competency as a writer/editor/business woman so well that it made me want to work with her!
Not only is Freelance Your Heart Out a lesson in “learn by example,” but it’s an example that got the author a job!
And isn’t that what every freelancer is truly striving for?
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews