Freelance Writing
Freelance writing, what’s it all about?
Are you one of those people who just loves to write? Do you have the savvy to make words come alive on a page? You may want to consider freelance writing you could earn some extra cash or even make a good living from home.
Freelance writers write everything from newspaper columns to web content and even ebooks. So you’ve probably read something written by one of them.
Here’ how to get started.
Before you jump to find that first freelance job, you should build yourself a portfolio of articles. You could write for your own website or blog. You could offer to write free articles for friends, or contact your local paper about writing a column for them. Work on some articles that you can use as samples of your work and build a list of references for your potential clients to contact.
Where can you find work?
The next step will be finding people who need your service. You can visit some of the big freelance sites like elance or rentacoder and bid on projects. You should consider setting up a website that showcases some of your writing, tells a little about you and your area of expertise, and of course you will have your contact information on the site. You may also want to consider adding a blog to your site; it’s a great way to keep current on today’s trends. Blogs are an easy way to add articles, short tips and any other writings to your site on an ongoing basis.
Networking is an excellent way to find work. Think about friends, former colleagues, bosses, clients and the network of people on your blog that would be interested in having some writing done. As you start building your own client list, ask for referrals. Do you know someone that’s a successfully freelance writer today? Ask them how they got started and spend some time with them. They may refer clients to you that they don’t want or have time for. You’ll need to do the same and get other freelancers if you are contacted with a project you can’t handle.
Many magazines will use freelance work. Keep a spreadsheet with names and addresses of the editors of publications and pitch story ideas on an on going basis. I’m not kidding when I say it can be tough to get a foot in the door with magazine companies, but once you start getting published it will become easier and you’ll earn more money.
What’s your worth?
How much you will get paid will largely depend on how big the project is and how involved it is. Writing short articles on general topics that don’t require research generally pay as little as $5.00 a piece. But doing research for and writing an ebook may bring you several hundred dollars.
If you’re one of those folks who love writing about a variety of topics, I encourage you to give freelance writing a try. It’s a great way to do what you love and stay home with the kids at the same time. The main key to becoming a successful freelance writer is to practice write, write and write all the time, whether you’re getting paid for it or not. Just get out your pen and paper, or open your favorite text editor and keep writing.
