If you are a good writer, you might want to consider earning extra income with freelance writing. You can earn extra money working at home, particularly if you are good at getting a message across to readers.
Freelance writers enjoy writing various types of material such as articles, ebooks and news stories.
How to Start
Your first step is to prepare a collection of writing samples. You should have some examples such as blogs, articles or news stories. As your career advances, keep a portfolio of your best work and clients to use as a reference.
Where to Find Clients
One of the easiest ways to find freelance writing work is to join one of the big freelance websites, such as Elance, and bid on the projects advertised on the site. A website or blog will also help you find clients while showcasing your ability, as you can post articles and other writing on the site. You will want to provide contact details as well as some information about your experience.
Your network of family, friends, former colleagues and employers is a great place to start looking for freelance writing work. If they don't need your services, they may know someone who does, and will be able to give you a good referral. If you know any freelancers, ask them for advice on finding work. If they are writing as well, they may be able to pass on overflow work. Sometimes freelance graphic and web designers need writing work done too, and you may be able to exchange work with them.
If you can get published in a magazine, it will make it much easier to get into others. Magazines can be difficult to crack, but keeping a list of magazines and editors to send regular story ideas to will help you get into this market. Check the magazine's editorial policy before sending them your story ideas.
Payments
Although freelance rates vary depending on the market you are writing for, you can expect to earn around $5 for a short, general article that does not require much research. Ebooks and longer projects can bring in a few hundred dollars. The amount of research required and the length of the writing generally determine how much you will get paid.
If you enjoy writing and are interested in diverse topics, then freelance writing may be just the job for you. Best of all, you can write from home, with flexible hours to accommodate other areas of your life. You should try to practice writing regularly, whether you have an actual project or not. Pick up a pen or pencil, open your document writer program, and start writing today.
Freelance writers enjoy writing various types of material such as articles, ebooks and news stories.
How to Start
Your first step is to prepare a collection of writing samples. You should have some examples such as blogs, articles or news stories. As your career advances, keep a portfolio of your best work and clients to use as a reference.
Where to Find Clients
One of the easiest ways to find freelance writing work is to join one of the big freelance websites, such as Elance, and bid on the projects advertised on the site. A website or blog will also help you find clients while showcasing your ability, as you can post articles and other writing on the site. You will want to provide contact details as well as some information about your experience.
Your network of family, friends, former colleagues and employers is a great place to start looking for freelance writing work. If they don't need your services, they may know someone who does, and will be able to give you a good referral. If you know any freelancers, ask them for advice on finding work. If they are writing as well, they may be able to pass on overflow work. Sometimes freelance graphic and web designers need writing work done too, and you may be able to exchange work with them.
If you can get published in a magazine, it will make it much easier to get into others. Magazines can be difficult to crack, but keeping a list of magazines and editors to send regular story ideas to will help you get into this market. Check the magazine's editorial policy before sending them your story ideas.
Payments
Although freelance rates vary depending on the market you are writing for, you can expect to earn around $5 for a short, general article that does not require much research. Ebooks and longer projects can bring in a few hundred dollars. The amount of research required and the length of the writing generally determine how much you will get paid.
If you enjoy writing and are interested in diverse topics, then freelance writing may be just the job for you. Best of all, you can write from home, with flexible hours to accommodate other areas of your life. You should try to practice writing regularly, whether you have an actual project or not. Pick up a pen or pencil, open your document writer program, and start writing today.
About the Author:
The driver genius program will keep your system up-to-date to avoid computer conflicts.
