💰 Income Report: Not doing journalism pays
How much money I made in Q4 of 2023 as a freelance writer who didn't write for any media outlets
I promised myself (and my accountant) that I’d file my tax return early this year.
And yet, with less than a week to go until the deadline, I woke up to a text on my birthday from him chasing me about it.
I replied: Tax return on my bday lolololol
Accountant: I actually don't know what day it is. All I know is it's [the tax deadline] minus six working days.
Last April, with all the best intentions I went into my accounting software to get everything ready for him. Instead, I decided to post an income report in my newsletter.
I kept that practice up and all year I’ve been publishing detailed income breakdowns, including revenue AND profit for paying readers, aka my A-Mail Pros. These are all the previous income reports from 2023:
Before I get into the Q4 income report, here are some reflections on what this exercise taught me:
Having my nose in my finances kept me sharp
These quarterly reports have been an act of money mindfulness for me, a proactive approach to understanding my financial health. I know exactly what’s coming and going in my business and that’s given me a degree of financial confidence that’s otherwise been lacking. And no, you don’t have to publish your reports publically to reap the benefits of staying on top of your finances.
Regularly exploring how I feel about money was the good habit I didn’t know I needed
When I wrote my first income report, it was important to me to include not just how much I made, but how I felt about it. Feelings as well as figures. Looking at my income through that lens helped me spot emotional debits as well as overdue invoices. Money is a powerful force, shaping our lives in ways we often don't realise. Who knew that a spreadsheet could be weirdly healing?
Pay transparency is vital and also complicated
I share these figures because I hope they help others understand the reality of making money as a writer. But I don’t ever want to suggest it’s some kind of blueprint for success. I’m careful about how I phrase things but I know that people will still misunderstand what I’m saying.
That’s why I paywall these reports – because no matter how much context I provide to my figures, it still doesn’t give the whole picture of my finances and feelings driving my money moves.
I wholeheartedly believe in pay transparency. Within workforces, it fosters openness and trust in the employer-employee relationship and for the self-employed, it empowers freelancers to negotiate fairer contracts. But at the same time, raw salary figures are just that – numbers on a page.
BTW: If you read A-Mail on the regular and want access to these reports but can’t afford one, just email me and I’ll comp you no questions asked.
This feels like a good place for my regular 🚨DISCLAIMER 🚨 before I talk about money on the internet:
This is how I make my money
I share it because I think you might find it helpful to see the behind-the-scenes of my writing business (or maybe you’re just nosey, I’m also fine with that)
I’m not a financial advisor
With that out the way, here’s how much money I made in the last three months of 2023.