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For Freelancers, Life, Upwork Tips · April 16, 2019

Six Months a Freelancer: Here’s What I’ve Learned

Think you want to start freelancing online? This post might just be what you need.

I must sound like a broken record by now but: I’ve been officially freelancing for the last six months. Things have snowballed for me in many good ways since I began, and I thought it would be nice to talk about my experience with the gig lifestyle so far. It makes sense to provide some background to how I started freelancing online.

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Posted In: For Freelancers, Life, Upwork Tips

About the Author

Afoma Umesi is the founder and blogger at Reading Middle Grade. She's a writer and editor with a deep love for children's literature. Her favorite genre is contemporary realistic fiction, but she'll never say no to a graphic novel. Read More…

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Comments

  1. Chinyere Evelyn Ifediora says

    April 16, 2019 at 5:33 pm

    Oh how I enjoyed reading this on so many levels!

    Reply
    • Afoma Umesi says

      April 16, 2019 at 6:09 pm

      Thank you, Chinyere! Are you a freelancer? 🙂

      Reply
      • Kay Kathleen Belaniso says

        April 17, 2019 at 8:26 am

        “Try many things, even when you feel grossly underqualified.” — Currently working on this but thanks for the reminder. 🤗

        Reply
        • Afoma Umesi says

          April 17, 2019 at 12:37 pm

          🤗🤗🤗

          Reply
      • Chinyere Evelyn Ifediora says

        April 26, 2019 at 7:23 am

        Hey Afoma. Thanks for your response. No, I’m not a freelancer. I’m on a career break (lawyer) and trying my hands on writing some short stories for my daughter. So that makes me a complete novice. But I enjoy your blog and it is reawakening my book-reading love. I actually have a short cut to your website on my phone. Hehehehe

        Reply
        • Afoma Umesi says

          April 26, 2019 at 7:27 am

          Aww! That’s wonderful that you’re trying a new career path — it’s never easy, but usually rewarding 🙂 Thank you for reading and loving my website. I really appreciate it. If you want to write children’s books, you should definitely be reading more kids’ books then 😉

          Reply
  2. Agnes Izah says

    April 17, 2019 at 4:23 am

    I really enjoyed reading this, thank you Afoma. Your blog and love of books inspired me to start mine, possibly one day I would start freelancing too when I get a grip on my blog. Thank you as always

    Reply
    • Afoma Umesi says

      April 17, 2019 at 12:37 pm

      Hey Agnes! Thanks so much for reading, and leaving such a nice comment. I’m so pleased to be inspiring you to read more. All the best with your blog and future freelancing!

      Reply
  3. Augustine says

    April 17, 2019 at 10:15 am

    Oh, Afoma, thank you very much for sharing this. I tried responding with a question when you put up a box for suggestions and questions on your Instagram story, but i couldn’t quite articulate what I wanted to know. However, almost everything I wanted to know was, thankfully, covered here. I enjoyed reading this so much.

    Reply
    • Afoma Umesi says

      April 17, 2019 at 12:38 pm

      Aww! I’m happy that most of what you needed to know was answered. Please leave free to leave any more questions—I’ll help if I can 🙂 Thanks for reading!

      Reply
  4. Phaena says

    April 17, 2019 at 7:34 pm

    Thanks for sharing this, it’s quite timely and helpful.

    Reply
  5. Prudence Onaah says

    August 1, 2019 at 4:07 pm

    I think the most useful tip that freelancers forget is to save. And when you are done saving, invest that money! You will need it. A time will come when the work will exhaust you. Looking back at how much you have earned and how much of it you have kept (where it is little to none) will make you keep working when you are supposed to take a break. The break you have to skip is what will fuel you up for the days ahead.

    Reply
    • Afoma Umesi says

      August 2, 2019 at 11:56 pm

      This is such a great tip, Prudence! Also a useful reminder for me >.<

      Reply
  6. Matt Sweeney says

    May 23, 2020 at 12:01 pm

    This was super helpful, thanks! I love how you organized your site. This was easy to find.

    Reply
    • Afoma Umesi says

      May 24, 2020 at 1:21 am

      Thank you, Matt! I, glad you found this helpful. I’ve just seen your email. I’ll try to write back soon.

      Reply
  7. DAVID says

    July 22, 2020 at 4:40 am

    Hi afoma,
    Your website is great, keep posting

    Reply
  8. Sola says

    January 3, 2021 at 6:15 pm

    Hi Afoma, thanks for the article, really inspiring. Just wish to know the range of money that can be obtained in a month from content editing or creation (on the average).

    Reply
    • Afoma Umesi says

      January 5, 2021 at 10:49 am

      Hi Sola, thank you so much for reading! There’s no real range – the sky is your limit. It all depends on your individual business model. There’s no real “average.” You can’t try following freelancers like Kat Boogard who share their yearly earnings but it differs even from country and niche.

      Reply

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👯‍♀️ TWINS in middle grade literature 💕 

I love seeing more twins in middle grade books. For a long time, the only twins I knew in middle grade lit were the Sweet Valley High girlies. Then, I got a glimpse of twin life with Issa and Jessie in @karinaisreadingandwriting’s THE VANDERBEEKERS. 

Since then, we’ve seen more depictions of twins, including Varian Johnson’s TWINS (a graphic novel about twin sisters Francine and Maureen entering 6th grade), MIRROR TO MIRROR by Rajani LaRocca, and Hope and Gordon in THE WINTERTON DECEPTION (review to come)!

And of course, these two books, TWIN CITIES and SAVING SUNSHINE (which I just started and am loving)! While these stories will appeal to twins, I think everyone who’s ever been curious about twins will love getting a glimpse into what life feels like as one half of a whole. 

Which middle grade twin stories have you read and loved? 😍 

#middlegrade #twinbooks #mglit #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks
📰 a beautiful graphic novel about speaking the 📰 a beautiful graphic novel about speaking the truth 

This stunning graphic novel follows Cinzia, Avvisi writer’s apprentice living in sunny Sianerra. Cinzia and her mestra write news stories/pamphlets to the city, but not everyone likes when they tell the truth. 

After an edition exposing the ruling family for extortion, cinzia and her mestra are arrested at night and she has to join forces with the princess to fight back against censorship. 

Besides the wonderfully imaginative and powerful storyline, loved the visuals and the diversity representation in this graphic novel. The main character has a bad leg and gets around with a walking stick, which is something rarely depicted in graphic novels (and it’s barely even discussed—it just is!).

Although, this book is closer to fantasy (but without magical elements), it’s set in a Renaissance-style Italian village, so it could work for lovers of realistic fiction too.

Look out for it in November! Have you read this graphic novel? Thoughts? Is it on your radar already?

#graphicnovels #mglit #booksforkids
🩰throwback Thursday - meet one of my favorites 🩰throwback Thursday - meet one of my favorites

Looking for an upper middle grade book about ballet, friendships, and body image? Meet TURNING POINT. 

This book focuses on Monique (Mo) and Rasheeda (Sheeda)’s friendship and how it changes over a summer when both girls are drawn into different pursuits. Mo is off at a ballet intensive with Mila, while Sheeda is stuck at church (with her church “friends”) feeling like she has no life.

At the ballet intensive, Mo comes face to face with her competitive attitude which is fueled by feelings of not “fitting in” with the mostly white, skinny ballet dancers. Even though she makes a couple of friends (who basically lovingly force her to befriend them), she’s insecure at times, afraid to be vulnerable because everything feels so different. On the other hand, Sheeda is desperate for something new. Unfortunately, she falls into a risky situation with Mo’s brother whom she happens to have a crush on.

Paula Chase is one of my favorite writers for this audience and this may be my favorite of hers so far. It’s in the same universe as two of her previous books, DOUGH BOYS and SO DONE but you don’t need to read them in order. 

I’d say her books are great for kids ages 12+
Have you read any books by this author? Which ones are your favorites?

#booksbooksbooks #mglit #bookstagram
🇲🇽Twins on opposite sides I’d seen this b 🇲🇽Twins on opposite sides

I’d seen this book floating around for ages but was never drawn to it (the cover maybe?) until I saw a review somewhere I can’t remember 🤪 I was pleasantly surprised!

Twins Luisa and Fernando find their paths diverging as they’re entering sixth grade. Luisa will be attending middle school in the US just across the border from Fernando’s school in Mexico. There, they come to face to face with different, but equally pressing challenges that threaten to tear them apart.

I really enjoyed this book. The side by side depictions of both kids parallel lives, the way the illustrations celebrate Mexican culture, living, and traditions, and the heartwarming way the twins find their way back to each other. 

I’d recommend this one to 6th graders and up (heads up for content warning: text mentions and depicts illicit drug use by a minor, although portrayed in a negative light) as a fascinating look into Mexican culture, life as a twin, and finding your own identity.

#kidlit #graphicnovels #mglit #booksforkids
♠️ on spades and what it means to be a man An ♠️ on spades and what it means to be a man

Ant isn’t your average 10 year old. He loves a good game of spades and he and his best friend are planning to revamp their reputation after losing badly at the last spades tournament. But things are changing in Ant’s life. His dad is acting weird, asking him to hide things from his mom. There’s a new girl in class who Ant maybe likes and who plays spades better than many boys he knows. 

When his best friend is grounded, Ant teams up with Shirley, hoping to impress his father and finally be tough like Joplin men should be. But instead, he learns what it really means to be a man—and it’s not about never crying.

There’s SO MUCH going on in this story, but the author does a stunning job of keeping all the threads in place. I was very surprised by all the protagonist has to manage at his age and the fact that it all remains believable. The story is told by Ant’s ancestor, lending a touch of magic realism. There are also many details about playing a game of spades and I loved, loved the audiobook narrator.

If you’re looking for a meatier middle grade book perfect for kids ages 9-12 (and older, really—love the cover!) looking for books that balance levity and relatability with real issues like toxic masculinity, parental addiction, friendship issues, and crushes.

#mglit #middlegrade #middlegradebookies #kidlit #booksforkids
❤️ a protagonist for the times Willow (Lolo) ❤️ a protagonist for the times

Willow (Lolo) Weaver’s summer is not going well. Her grandfather has recently died, her grandma isn’t herself and she’s given away her grandfather’s foster dog, Hank. Lolo’s mother is heavily pregnant and Lolo is in summer school because she didn’t do too well in her last exams. On top of that their lake town isn’t a lake town anymore because the lake’s been drained and smells awful now. 

Lolo wants to help her grandmother feel better and she’s convinced that getting back her grandfather’s dog will do the trick. The only problem is that the dog now belongs to someone else. So Lolo gets on Pop’s boat to steal Hank back—only to run into her summer school classmate, Noah (who’s the new dog owner).

I really enjoyed Lolo’s story. It’s strongly reminiscent of classics like Ramona and Lolo’s voice leaps off the pages. The setting is also an unmistakable part of this story and the story feels drenched in summer. My heart went out to Lolo who always feels like she’s the reason why everything’s gone awry. I also laughed plenty at her way of seeing the world. 

This book is perfect for family readalouds especially for kids in grades 3-5. Dog lovers and kids who like a good adventure with a sprinkle of mischief will love it too.

#mglit #summerbooks #booksforelementaryschoolkids #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram
🎸 believe the hype I was very nervous about re 🎸 believe the hype

I was very nervous about reading a book about a kid with cancer, but there’s no better author than Rob Harrell to do this. 

When Ross is diagnosed with a rare lacrimal gland cancer (in his eye), it’s like a new trial for his seventh grade existence. Add to that the fact that his mom died from cancer years before, he’s going blind in one eye, his best friend is moving away soon, and mean kids at school are making terrible memes about his illness and you have a dumpster fire of a year waiting to happen. Or is it?

As heavy as everything I’ve mentioned above sounds, this book is more hopeful than anything else. We follow Ross through radiotherapy and the painful, sad side effects of cancer medications, but also through learning to play the guitar, an unlikely friendship with a school bully, and a closer relationship with his dad.

I especially loved the audiobook version which has fun interdissions featuring Will’s comic alter-ego BatPig (with a different narrator, background jingles and everything). 

I would recommend this book to 6th graders and up looking for funny books with male protagonists. It’s also a great one to hand to kids coping with cancer or chronic illnesses. 

If you’re in the WINK fan club, you just got a new member 😉

#mglit #books #bookstagram
🧽 an engaging, compelling story about addiction 🧽 an engaging, compelling story about addiction recovery

After years of dealing with opioid addiction, Franny’s mom is finally sober and on the right track with a cleaning job and a cozy apartment upstairs from a laundromat. But then she gets in an accident and has to be prescribed opioids again, sending Franny into a frenzy. 

Franny starts doing her mom’s cleaning jobs behind her back — even blackmailing a school rival into working with her — to ensure they don’t run out of money. But she soon learns that worrying about adult problems isn’t her job.

I read this book in one sitting and loved it—as I do everything Sumner writes. Maid for It is an informative, gripping, and accessible middle grade book about living with a parent recovering from addiction. This one is a page-turner.

Sumner does a great job tackling important issues like poverty, classism, and drug misuse and presenting everything in an age-appropriate fashion for middle schoolers. If you’re looking for books about parents with addiction, this is a great pick.

Have you read any books by this author? Which one is your favorite? I think this might be mine 🥰

#bookstagram #kidlit #mglit #bookworm #amreader
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