Wow, freelancing has come a long way!
I was amazed to see this article, How to Become a Successful Freelancer, by Amy Gallo featured on the Harvard Business Review web site. It’s part of their “Career Planning” category, but still!
To me, this speaks volumes about “freelancing” — and may remove a bit more of the stigma 
associated with it. (Some use “freelancing” as nothing more than a euphemism for “unemployed.”)
The article is an excellent, high level overview of what it takes to succeed as a self employed professional, whether you call yourself a “freelancer” or not.
And I was glad to see it features advice by Sara Horowitz, founder of the Freelancers Union and author of “The Freelancer’s Bible.”
Here’s an excerpt about dealing with the natural ups-and-downs of running your own show:
Be prepared for the dry spells
“Seasoned freelancers learn that income is very episodic,” says Horowitz. “They plan around the troughs instead of the peaks.” This means stashing away money so that you’re prepared for the inevitable valleys — “it’s not if, it’s when.” You can employ a few coping strategies to help make those spells less frequent. In particular, Horowitz suggests building a “a social safety net through your friends.” When you have too much work to do, pass on the gigs you can’t take to people in your network, and hopefully “when you’re in a dry spell you can ask them if they have any extra work.”
And if you want to take the roller coaster feeling out of the feast or famine syndrome, check out the my free 7-part marketing course.