A Chat with Freelance Writer Kelly James-Enger

After five relatively unenjoyable years working as an attorney, Kelly James-Enger struck out on her own to become a full-time freelance writer.

In her new role, she quickly learned that making it as a full-time freelance writer wasn't easy. But she's one of the few who not only survived, but thrived, in her pursuit and learned how to make more than a decent living.

Specializing in health, fitness and nutrition, she has now written for more than 50 national magazines including Family Circle, Health, Parents, Redbook, Self, and Woman’s Day. She also has several books to her credit, including Six Figure Freelancing, a highly regarded book that explains, to aspiring and new freelance writers, the many fundamentals of writing as a business.

This month, we had a chance to catch up with James-Enger to get her insight on what it takes to truly make it as a full-time freelance writer. Here's what she had to say.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE "SIX-FIGURE FREELANCING"?

I'd written my first book, Ready, Aim, Specialize!Create your own Writing Specialty and Make More Money, several years ago and it focused on how specializing could make writers more productive. But there was a lot about running your writing as a business, developing relationships, boosting productivity, and the like that I didn't have room for. When I was asked to speak on a panel on six-figure freelancing, I realized the outline for my 12-minute speech was also a brief outline for a book. I pitched it and Random House bought it!

WHAT HAVE BEEN THE MOST REWARDING ASPECTS OF BEING A FULL-TIME FREELANCER?

I do love being the captain of my own ship, so to speak. I choose the work I take on instead of being handed the crappy cases by a partner (I was a lawyer in my former life). That doesn't mean I always love what I'm working on, but I definitely like the feeling of being more in control. After nine years of being self-employed it would be pretty much impossible to go back to “working for the man.”

THE MOST CHALLENGING?