You will agree with me that academic writing is a challenging venture but pays handsomely. When a writer understands what they need to do with a certain order, you bet they will deliver good quality work and in turn make good money.
However, when you have no prior knowledge of what lies ahead of you,you are likely to suffer immense frustration. You have heard of academic writers who live off the art and can also afford a few luxuries. You too can be counted among them if you are the type that heeds to professional advice.
So, what do you need to become a successful freelance academic writer?
1. Academic Qualification
Freelance academic writing is not a dumping site for academic dwarfs. Here, you also need basic academic knowledge, preferably college level education.
Only a person of such academic stature can deliver excellent work. If you are having difficulties completing your own academic assignments in college, you will find it more difficult here.
Essay writing, proposal writing and report writing are not everybody’s piece of cake. Evaluate your skills before you decide to give it a try.
2. Excellent English Writing Skills
Although native English speakers pull this off better, what matters most is that you have the ability to coherently express yourself in written English.
Grammatical errors are inexcusable and careless typos have no place here.
This calls on the writer to employ keenness in their work and ensure they submit good quality work.
3. Ability to Adhere to Complex Instructions
Freelance academic writing is more complex than content writing. With academic writing, a writer has to follow set down rules and structure of the academic paper and deliver nothing less.
Listen to your clients’ instructions carefully and write just that.
Clients will always come back for more if you demonstrate mastery of the subject matter and ability to heed to instructions.
4.Proper Understanding of All Academic Citation and Referencing
This is usually the ultimate test that tells whether or not a writer is up to the task. Academic qualification plays a major role here because you need some past experience which is best achieved in course work.
You will find it quite difficult to do freelance academic writing if you have never heard of the various referencing styles and worse if you have never applied any.
Clients will have varied preferences in citation methods and referencing styles and they need you to deliver.
5.Keen Eye On Quality
You will not always get a second chance to make things right in academic freelance writing. Employ all your prowess and writing skills and your work will never be rejected.
A freelance academic writer must edit and proofread their work thoroughly before submitting. Remember you need your client tomorrow, so you do not want to give them the chance to try elsewhere.
See to it that the paper matches the instructions given by the client.
6. Eye On the Clock
What is more disappointing to a client than a writer who always comes up with a bunch of excuses not to finish the work on time?
There is a very thin line between lateness and laziness and some clients won’t see it. That’s how you lose your clients.
When you keep time, you keep your clients too.
Freelance academic writing, as challenging as it is, could be your breakthrough in freelance writing. You only need to master the tricks and you will be smiling all the way to the bank and forth.