Angela Booth's Writing Blog

Writer for Hire - Freelancing for Profit

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Want to make a great income as a freelance writer? You can. I'm fond of saying that anyone who can write an email message can write for pay, and that's accurate.

Unfortunately, many new writers get in their own way. They want to make the process of writing for money more complicated than it is. It's very simple: as a writer for hire, you sell your writing services to people and businesses who need those services.

Let's look at the process involved, and then we'll discuss how you can put the process into action, even if you've never been paid a cent for your writing.

1. Decide what you'll write

The first step is to decide what you'll write. Most new writers have had this experience: you read something, and suddenly you realize "I could write that!" or "I could write that BETTER!"

This inspiration is a signal that yes indeed, you could write that, and be paid for it too. You may be inspired by anything - an advertisement, an article, a book, a movie...

Now write something similar. Yes, you need to write, to sell what you write. So go ahead and write your own version of the ad, or the article or book, or whatever it is. Use the same structure and format as the material that's inspired you, but feel free to be as creative as you like, using your own ideas and words.

2. Decide who you'll write it for

Go back to the material which first inspired you. Where was it published? Study the publication to see whether they use freelance writers. Many magazines do, book publishers do of course, and so do many Web sites.

3. Get in touch with the people who can hire you

At this stage, you may want to contact other writers on Web forums, or get a mentor so you can find out how to approach these markets.

Or you can just approach the publication directly; they may ignore you because they're busy, but on the other hand, some kind person at the publication may tell you where their writers' guidelines are, or may even send them to you.

My preference is to approach markets directly, because you'll learn more when you do.

4. Writing for money is experiential - you learn by writing and by selling

Read through the three steps above again. You now know enough to launch your freelance writing career.

Every freelance writer follows those three steps - he (or she) decides what to write, decides who to write it for, and approaches markets. However the professional freelancer is different from amateur writers in only one way - he or she performs the above process every single day, because he knows that writing for money is experiential. You can only learn how to do this by doing it.

And the more often you do it, the more you write and the more you earn.

Initially you'll be awkward. This is understandable. Whenever you learn anything new, you're clumsy. As you keep writing and approaching markets however, you'll become more confident. Each sale you make will increase your confidence and your abilities.

If you want to become a writer for hire, you now have a complete process to follow. Write out the steps, and follow them. You'll learn something new each day, and before you know it, you'll be freelancing for profit as a full time career.

Want to develop a six-figure writing income?

The September 2007 issue of The Writer had a great story: “Secrets Of The Six-Figure Freelancers”. The story’s wonderful because it shows you the potential of a freelance writing career; with the development of the Web and its unlimited markets, if you can write, you can make a great income as a freelance writer.

I chuckled when I read the story because many writers think a “six figure income” is hype. Either that, or they think that a great income is reserved for copywriters, or genre novelists, or other specialist writers.

The fact is that YOU can develop a six-figure writing career: you just need to know that it’s possible to earn $250,000 a year and more as a freelance writer, and then make that your goal.

And of course, you need know-how. That's what my writing ebook manuals give you. In 30 years as a freelance writer, I've learned the tricks of the writing trade, and I'd love to share those tricks with you, so many of my ebooks offer free coaching. Whatever your level of experience as a freelance writer, you can develop a fantastic career, when you know how.

Develop your writing skills today.

Related articles

• What Freelancing Taught Me: Part 1 - Confidence [via Zemanta]
• Mental Exercises To Get Ahead With The Freelancing [via Zemanta]
• 5 Tips For Marketing Your Freelance Writing Business [via Zemanta]

Freelance Writing Home Business - 5 Tips to a Top Income

Image by thepyrokinetic via Flickr

Want to start your own freelance writing home business? You can. And chances are, if you go about it the right way, you'll make much more than you could at your day job.

How much, you ask? Six-figure incomes for freelancers are becoming common - the Web has a voracious appetite for words. However, to hit the freelancing heights, you'll have to treat your writing as a business, not as a hobby.

This means being business-like with your writing.

I'm often asked when you should consider going full time in your own writing business, so I've chosen five tips for you. If the tips make sense to you, and you take them to heart... you're ready.

Your super-fast way to a fantastic writing career

In this week's Fab Freelance Writing Ezine our article is "Writing Cheats - The Super-fast Way to a Fantastic Writing Career".

Here's an excerpt:

Writing and developing a fantastic writing career is all about getting noticed. You need to get noticed not only by editors and agents and others who can buy your writing, but also by readers.

In this article we'll discuss the super-fast way to a fantastic writing career by getting noticed.

Let's start by looking at WHY you need to get noticed. It's simple. Ten per cent of the population want to "be a writer". Of course, this means that this ten per cent needs to actually write, which is the major stumbling block for most.

Of all the writers who sit down and write, most never realize that they can "cheat" their way to a great career by getting noticed. In fact, many writers strive not to be noticed at all, and therefore never make any real money from their writing. Their writing is just a hobby.

You need to get your name known, as soon as possible.

Read the rest in the ezine. This issue is out tomorrow.

Subscribe to Angela Booth's fabulous free weekly ezine for freelance writers: get a free report just for subscribing. Even if you're a new writer, you can freelance your way to a fantastic writing career.

Join the thousands of freelance writers who are making great money freelance writing, using Fab Freelance Writing Ezine as their guide.

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Get More Writing Jobs When You Become a Credible Writer

In 2008, if you've got a pulse and can write a shopping list, you can make great money as a writer. The only thing you need is the energy for self-promotion via a small Web site.

Self-promotion means you never have to hunt for writing jobs, because you now have credibility.

Here's how it works: you write and promote your writing and writing skills, and clients come to you to use your services because they've seen your Web site and writing samples. They know that you're the perfect writer for them, because your skills match their needs.

The alternative is to hunt for writing jobs. Hunting for jobs not only wastes time and energy you could spend writing, it's also frustrating, because many writing "jobs" are not what they seem.

Just as you should check out potential writing clients, you need to check out any jobs you find online very carefully, because scams abound. Writers tend to lack confidence and are often very naive: this makes them tasty prey for sharks.

Here are three reasons you should establish your credibility online with a small site and writing samples:

1. Anyone can claim anything online

I'm constantly amazed at some of the claims I see made online. These outrageous claims make writing clients wary of hiring writers they don't know.

Anyone considering you for a good writing job will Google your name. If you have no Web site with writing samples, your credibility drops. You will lose out to writers who do have a site and samples.

2. Opportunities for writers are unlimited online

As more businesses move more of their operations online, and as thousands of new Web sites are launched every day, the opportunities for writers are unlimited - people need writers.

If you've established your bona fides, you will be swamped with writing jobs: they come to you. You can pick and choose what you want to write, because you have credibility.

3. You can enhance your credibility with testimonials on your site

As soon as you can, put some testimonials on your site. RELIABLE writers are rarer than pink diamonds. Testimonials prove that you're a reliable writer - they're the ultimate way to become credible.

Whether you're new to writing, or are an established pro, remember that your credibility counts. The people who hire you have a lot riding on your words: don't let them down. Establish your credibility, and build your reputation, and you'll be booked solid with writing jobs.

Recession-proof your freelance writing career

"Write More And Make More Money From Your Writing: Develop A Fast, Fun Productive Writing Process" gives you all the tools you need for a thriving writing career, no matter what the economic climate.

Three weeks after completing the class one student wrote:

"Thanks Angela, for all your help and advice in class. I'm quitting my job next week. I printed out my letter of resignation tonight after landing a contract writing job that will pay me more for three months part-time work than I earned in from my day job in the whole of 2007! You were right – the great gigs are out there, and now I've got the skills to land them. Your class opened my eyes. Bless you…"

"Write More And Make More Money From Your Writing: Develop A Fast, Fun Productive Writing Process" shows you how to thrive as a freelance writer. Would you like to write five times more than you're writing now, and sell to higher-paying markets? Take the class.

Technorati Tags: freelance writing

Writing fees: beware of charging too little

Over on Writing Hacker we're discussing writing fees.

This got me thinking that I've never, ever met a writer who over-charges.

Why is this? I think it's a lack of experience of negotiation, combined with a lack of self-confidence. (If you've got any input on this, please leave a comment to this post.)

Other professions charge outrageously - just go to a hairdresser in an up-market location and compare his fees with a hairdresser in the suburbs.

Yet many writers (especially on the out-sourcing sites) seem to feel that if they're charging more, this is somehow wrong. If you feel this way, ask yourself WHY you feel this way.

Here's what I just posted on a forum about charging too little:

If you charge too little:

* You will burn out. Writing is hard work - you get drained. When you're under-pricing it removes your motivation.

* You'll have constant client churn.

It's easier to get and keep good clients if you charge what you're worth. I'm still writing for clients I first wrote for 15 years ago. If you charge too little, your clients, to be honest, usually aren't worth keeping. :-)

Get a few solid clients, and you can relax, because your basic expenses are paid and those clients will stick with you for years - a good, reliable writer  is GOLD to clients.

There's a hierarchy of clients too. Clients are not equal. The clients you want are those who dovetail with your own experience and skills. Some clients will never be for you, because writing for them is just too difficult - as when for example, you have no interest in a topic.

So if you feel you're in competition with writers who are charging minimal fees, please realize that this has nothing to do with you - you set your own fees. And if you set appropriate fees, you will prosper.

What if you're a completely NEW writer? (Update)

Thought I'd add this nugget for you, if you're new to writing.

If you're new, you need credits, and you need to get those credits any way you can. This may mean writing for low rates, until you've written three or five items for your portfolio.

Once you've got that, raise your rates.

Write another five to ten projects, and raise your rates again.

You see how this works? Your experience makes you more valuable. You'll get to the point where you know a lot more than 99.9 per cent of your clients... then you become a consultant.

So start where you are, and go from there. And never be afraid of charging too much. ;-)

If you find writing easy, you can write for money...

Did you know that most business people struggle with their writing? It's true. If you enjoy writing and find it easy, you can write for money, for business. In short, you can become a copywriter.

Copywriting is writing for business: promotional writing. Copywriters write material like advertisements and compared to most writers, they're VERY highly paid.

The explosion of the influence of the Web means that copywriters are flooded with offers of work. Even new copywriters find it easy to get copywriting gigs and to build their copywriting services business.

If copywriting intrigues you, join me in my Copywriting Master Class. I'll take you from copywriting novice to pro.

“Copywriting Master Class - Ten Weeks to Copywriting Genius” gives you a comprehensive copywriting course, as it helps you to set up your copywriting services business.

Technorati Tags: get started freelance writing

Write more and sell more: become a prolific writer

In this week's Fab Freelance Writing Ezine we discuss the "Top Five Secrets To Writing More, and Selling More of Your Writing".

Here's an excerpt:

Would you like to become a truly prolific writer, someone who's writing much more than you're writing now? Imagine if you could not only speed up your writing, so that you're writing FASTER, but also improve the quality of your output, so that you're writing BETTER.

There are many secrets to writing more. Let's look at my top five secrets to writing more, while improving your writing, so that you're making more sales than you're making now.

This issue is out on Wednesday. Fab Freelance Writing Ezine is free; it helps you to understand the fast-changing world of the freelance writer, and sets you well on the way to making the income that you want to make, and that many writers are already making.

Technorati Tags: get started freelance writing

New video - Write and sell Web articles

I've just posted a new video on Writing Hacker  - "Make money Writing: Write and sell Web articles - they’re in hot demand".

The video is for new writers, as well as experienced writers who are making the switch to writing for the Web.

I'll be posting a new video every week, so subscribe to Writing Hacker by entering your email into the eNews & Updates field just above the video.

If you're new to Web writing, my Perfect Article Writing System helps you to make money writing articles for the Web.

Enjoy. :-)

Technorati Tags: freelance writing

Writing short stories for money

I've just posted "Can you make money writing short stories?" on Start Writing For Money.

I hope this article helps you if you're writing in this form.

Technorati Tags: get started freelance writing

Hooking and credits - write for money

I'm writing about hooking and credits in this week's Fab Freelance Writing Ezine. It's out tomorrow, so if you're curious, subscribe.

I've been publishing the ezine in PDF format for a few weeks - easier to read and to print - and subscribers love it. You receive the download link and can collect the PDF at your leisure.

With great writing credits, your writing income goes up

Credits are vital to a freelance writer. Once you work your way up the ladder of credits, YOU set your rates. And, since you're making great money per word, you can pick and choose the projects you take on. Once you have the credits, you'll find that you're more than happy to decline projects - you'll only got a limited amount of time to write each day, and the best paying projects deserve that time.

Read the rest in tomorrow's ezine.

Technorati Tags: freelance writing

Freelance writing: How to get motivated to write

I've had a great response to the article "Get Motivated To Write – Eliminate Procrastination, Have Fun And Become A Better Writer" a few issues ago in Fab Freelance Writing Ezine.

Comments include:

"Thanks - I never considered that I might be pushing too hard..."

"This is just what I needed to hear..."

"I love the step by step..."

I'm pleased it's helping you; thanks for the kind words. :-)

If you missed that issue, you can download an easy-to-read PDF of it here.

Subscribe to receive a download link of Fab Freelance Writing Ezine's latest issue in PDF. It's packed with great new exclusive content to help you to build a profitable freelance writing career.

Technorati Tags: freelance writing