Freelance comms pro and former Head of Comms, Anna Caig’s, debut novel, The Wise Witch of Orkney, will be published on 26 February. She offers practical advice to anyone wanting to pursue big life goals alongside a comms career.
by Anna Caig
It’s been my goal since childhood to be a published author. I was that kid, obsessed with Jo March and Titty Walker, scribbling my ‘novels’ in notebooks. Over the years, I started more stories than I can count, but never finished any - and then life took over, as it has a tendency to do.
I got a sensible job in comms - working in the voluntary then public sector, rising through the ranks to become a Head of Comms. But that kid kept tugging on my sleeve - this is all very well and good, she said, but you should be writing stories.
It wasn’t until I was approaching my fortieth birthday that I gave myself a shake - not only had I not accomplished this goal, I hadn’t even given it a proper shot. So, I decided to take a year’s unpaid career break to write. We cut back on our expenditure and started saving money to make this possible.
In that year, 2017/18, I wrote my first novel. That book received seven full manuscript requests from agents and publishers (this is unusual and a great sign.) Surely, this was all going to end in magnificent success? Absolutely not. As these requests turned, slowly but surely, into rejections and neverending ghostings, I returned to work.
But something strange had happened - despite the epic quantity of rejection and failure, I knew I’d found the thing that made me fulfilled and happy. So, the saving and the planning began again. I set myself up as a freelance communications consultant and also started a business helping writers connect with readers and promote their own work, wondering if there would even be a market for that sort of support. It turned out there was - the business took off remarkably quickly, I got a couple of great freelance clients, and there was the foundation which enabled me to give up my in-house comms job.
The truth is, for me, my big goal involves something that’s unlikely to ever result in a good living, financially speaking. In 2022, The Society of Authors found that median annual earnings for authors had dropped from £12,330 in 2006 to £7,000. Yes, £7,000 - eek. So, even now, with my book deal (hurray!) I’ll probably always have to supplement writing work with other income.
My portfolio career enables me to write whilst also continuing to pay my mortgage and feed my family. Freelance comms work, it turns out, is the perfect complement to a writer’s life - and it could be the perfect way for you to build a life where you pursue other big goals too.
Many organisations and individuals that don’t have in-house comms teams need our expertise - on a short or longer term basis. When it comes to freelance gigs, I’ve found the duration of contract, days per week and type of support required vary enormously, so you can choose what works for you. For example, I’m happy to work two or three days a week for a few months when I’m not on a writing deadline. But at other times, this would be impossible.
Many organisations that do have their own in-house comms teams have fluctuating demand and resources, and I’ve often been brought in for projects a team needs to deliver on top of ‘business as usual,’ or to fill a gap between a team member’s departure and the new incumbent starting. It’s worked well for me that I don’t want loads of work all the time - and that I can often be really flexible, move other non-time-specific commitments around, and start freelance work at short notice.
Freelance comms work has given me freedom and variety, and I’ve worked with many brilliant organisations and people. Writing is a solitary business - we spend our time talking to the imaginary people in our heads. And fun as that is, balancing it out with being part of a team sometimes is a welcome change.
My advice, if you have big goals you’d like to pursue alongside a freelance comms career, is firstly to consider when you take this step. I was lucky to have worked my way up to Head of Comms with plenty of varied experience under my belt before I went freelance. This has affected the day rates I earn, and therefore how much work I need to take on in order for this balancing act to be financially viable.
I’d also give some thought to your specialisms. It’s good to stay open-minded and flexible about the work you’ll take on, but having clear specialisms is a great way to get the ball rolling. For example, I’d managed elections comms, including the setting up and running of the election count media centre, many times, and am a massive elections geek. My first freelance comms gig was with an authority that found itself low on resource as they approached an election. The Director and I had met years before when I was working in-house, he remembered my elections geekery, so he gave me a call.
And never be afraid to be open about your goals that fall outside comms. They don’t detract from your dedication to doing a great job at work - far from it. Most of my colleagues, and senior members and officers, have been hugely supportive - and genuinely interested - in my writing aspirations. It provides an often useful sense of perspective - there’s more to life than this job that can feel all-consuming when you’re in the thick of it. It’s easier to ride out challenges, stay cheerful, objective and clear-headed, if you’re not taking things personally.
You may have financial choices to make along the way. We’ve definitely made decisions to stay in a smaller house, drive a very un-aspirational car, and have periods when there was a lot of jacket potato and beans for tea. But there’s something about a life where you’re doing the thing that sets you alight that makes that stuff feel less important anyway. And having said all that, there have also been periods when I’ve earnt more as a freelancer than I ever have in-house.
The support I’ve had from the comms community on this roller coaster ride has been phenomenal - and I’m more than happy to pay it forward and chat to anyone who’d like some advice or just an informal conversation. Find me on LinkedIn or Instagram @AnnaCaig or at annacaig.co.uk
In the meantime, if you’re in the market for a historical thriller that explores women’s hidden lives in the early days of the witch trials, please do give The Wise Witch of Orkney a try.
Links to The Wise Witch of Orkney:
● https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-wise-witch-of-orkney/anna-caig/9781785308499
● https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1785308491
