It’s fair to say that the economy and the marketplace have changed over the last 15 years. Businesses across the world have seen the rise of the freelance workforce. Publishers are no stranger to this phenomenon as the need for good content will continue to be a challenge. They will need to hire freelancers to enhance their productivity and turn-around-time; they will also need to improve their quality of content. So what are the reasons for this upsurge in need for freelance publishing professionals? Before we get into that, let’s look at some statistics on the rise of freelancers in the marketplace.

• 51% of organizations have reportedly planned to increase the use of flexible and independent workers over the next three to five years
• 35% of the American workforce was made up of freelancers
• A 2016 report showed that 2 million people were working as freelancers in the United Kingdom

The idea of hiring freelance publishing professionals is nothing new. But because of other businesses and professions buying into the trend, it’s become a contention point within the publishing arena. In the modern world, competition is everywhere, and it’s becoming harder for publishers to stand out in the marketplace. They have to be one step ahead of their rivals. Here are some points that publishers consider when they have to hire freelancers to optimize their publishing resources. They include:

• Maintaining a strong brand
• Delivering content on time
• Managing key resources
• Focusing on trouble spots

Some publishers are unable to meet their content demands and, in some cases, have to let their workers go. It comes to an issue of cost-effectiveness. This is a big reason while publishers turn to freelancers, but it isn’t the only one. There is a multitude of benefits that publishers can get from hiring freelancers. Some of these include:-

1. Publishers can cut their overhead costs
2. Bringing on outside professionals from all areas of the globe can boost creativity and ensure that in-house teams do not burn out
3. Freelancers will have fresh ideas to contribute to the organization
4. For publishers, specific experts can be hired, such as freelance editors, proofreaders, and copyeditors
5. There is a global pool of talent that publishers can pick from

Concerning these benefits, several publishing services providers offer freelance management solutions that will take care of all the publishers’ needs on a single platform. According to the study prepared by the McKinsey Global Institute, the adoption of online talent platforms can increase output by 9% and can reduce costs by 7%. Publishers will be able to connect with publishing service professionals with qualified skill sets. Some of these top-tier talents include authors, copy editors, proofreaders, indexers, designers, artists, etc. Publishers will be able to engage freely with these individuals, review their performance, and assign them tasks based on that performance.

The freelancer-publisher relationship will continue to grow as the freelance economy gains steam in the marketplace. The publishing industry’s future leaders will be led by groups that can successfully navigate this relationship while maintaining their quality.

Sources

• https://reedsy.com/publishers/the-lean-publisher
• https://blog.reedsy.com/how-does-reedsy-select-its-publishing-professionals/
• https://www.twago.com/blog/advantages-hiring-freelancers/
• http://mediashift.org/2015/05/self-publishing-boom-boosts-freelance-editing-services/
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