Reading is a subjective experience. One person may like a book you recommend to them. But, the next person you recommend the book may hate it and never take your book recommendations again. That is the risk you always take when to come to recommending books. However, what if you have a book recommendation where you believe all people from a certain profession should read? Well, this is the case for my latest review and recommendation, The Freelancer’s Survival Guide by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
Rusch has been a published multi-genre writer (science-fiction, fantasy, romance, and mystery) for nearly four decades, an editor, and business owner during that time. She has lived the freelancer’s life and took her popular blog posts about this subject and turned it into a book. I have the third edition of The Freelancer’s Survival Guide which was published in 2013. Some material she covers in the guide has become dated. However, the real reason that all freelancers should read this book is for her wisdom on subjects like success, professional jealousy, and setting up your estate for your heirs. Those sections in The Freelancer’s Survival Guide were worth the price of the book ($25 on Amazon).
Freelancers if you are looking for a guide that covers everything about the difficulties of this career path, then I highly recommend you get The Freelancer’s Survival Guide. This is a book I will re-read regularly and absorb the wisdom that Kris Rusch provides from those pages. Here is something from the book that I will always keep in mind:
Realize that some people will never understand your definition of success.
Make sure that you know how the people closest to you define success.
Remember that the world really doesn’t care about your success.
Success is wonderful, but it can be a minefield. When you achieve a certain level of success, you will lose friends—some of whom can’t deal with the fact that you achieved your dream before they achieved theirs. You will gain family members who believe that you owe them something, even though you had no idea that your Aunt Millie’s second cousin third wife had grown children. And you will run into some fascinating expectations, often from unexpected quarters.
Those paragraphs came from the book’s section on success. I wanted to share those quotes because I believe the fear of success is much greater than the fear of failure. Plus, I believe we talk too much about failure as a culture and it has become its own industry. Rusch provides much needed wisdom throughout The Freelancer’s Survival Guide and if you are considering a freelancing career in any capacity, then get this book. You can learn the lessons from a veteran freelancer and keep them in the back of your mind as you pursue your own freelancing career.
