Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Learn How to Earn a Living as a Freelance Writer—Part One


Now that I've whetted your appetite with writing for the internet, I’m going to back up a little and give you the basics of becoming a Freelance Writer. With the economy as it is, lots are feeling the need for additional or even primary income. With some hard work and diligence, freelance writing could be the answer you’re looking for.

Freelance writing isn’t a get rich quick scheme. It takes hard work—and a certain amount of a daredevil attitude. BUT, if you do the work and put in the hours you WILL see success.

The Basics
There are a couple of things you MUST do to succeed in this industry.

•   Send out the queries...daily.
•   Stay on top of the marketing...daily.

The Specifics
Queries—let’s face it, it's hard to get an assignment if you don’t apply for it. Landing freelance writing jobs is often a numbers game. For every 10 jobs you inquire about, you’ll land one to two. Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing how to make those odds better.

The critical thing to remember is if you’re sending out ONE query a week, you’ll probably land ONE job in the next 10 weeks. If you’re serious about earning an income you need to send out 10 queries a day.

Marketing—a simple explanation of marketing is job searching. I check the job boards every single workday. Even when I have regular work, I still spend about 40% of my time marketing. Otherwise, the work will dry up and I’ll have times with no income coming in. There is more to marketing than just checking the job boards, but I’ll get into more specifics as we cover each type of writing.

Here's a list of my favorite job boards:


You’ve decided to make the jump from writing as a hobby to writing for profit, so now what? Here's your first step for your journey to freelance writer.


Step One—Start Thinking Like a Writer
Now it’s time to start thinking like a professional. By that I mean, everywhere you look and every experience you have has the potential to become an article.

Ideas for articles are everywhere. Are you at the grocery store? Look at the free magazines and publications offered near the entrance and exit – they have content – they need writers! Check the community bulletin board. There may be a story you can sell to your local newspaper. Did you have a flat tire last week? There are tons of safety magazines that would welcome your story with a slant.

Next Tuesday I’ll continue with specifics on getting started. In the meantime leave a comment or ask a question. This will help me make sure this series covers everything you need to get started.

Don't forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie

21 comments:

  1. Thanks, Edie!! I'm bookmarking these for future use. Maybe I'll get the God-nod on this someday soon :)

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    1. Susan, I like that...the God-nod!. I'll be praying. Blessings, E

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  2. This is a great topic, Edie! I'm looking forward to learning more about it. I haven't done much freelance work for pay, but it something I definitely want to learn more about. It can dove tail with a fiction novel's research. Thanks for getting the conversation going...

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    1. Michelle, you're so right. Freelancing is a great way to get more mileage out of your research. That will be one of the topics I cover. Thanks for stopping by, Blessings, E

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    1. Thanks Lori! I appreciate you stopping by. Blessings, E

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  4. Woo hoo! Can't wait to read this series. Last year, I quit my full-time job to teach and freelance. I was so busy with the teaching that I didn't spend as much time looking for the freelance opportunities like I should have. I have had a few steady freelance opportunities, but I had no idea where to look for more except for writing for magazines--and most of those don't pay! I welcome ANY advice on gaining momentum and where to look for paying writing OR editing jobs.

    I also am wondering how long it really takes before you're making a decent living at it.

    Thanks, Edie!

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    1. By the way, I should mention, I wasn't making enough money and we had debt to pay, so I went back to working full time. But my ideal job someday is to be home full time freelancing, teaching, and writing (novels). :)

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    2. Lindsay, assuming you can send out a minimum of 10 queries a week, it should only take about 6-9 months to work up to a moderate income. There are lots of variables, but if you don't limit your specialties too narrowly, this is a reasonable time-frame.

      It sounds like you already have a good basis, with editing and some experience. I think you'll be surprised by the options you find.

      Thanks for stopping by, Blessings, E

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    3. Thanks! Is that with working 40 hours a week? Or would it take 6 months to also get up to doing 40 hours' a week worth of work? (Sorry if that was confusing!)

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  5. I am way behind on my following blogs as my computer is down. I know this is late but thanks so much for the post. I have often thought I would like to try writing articles but just didn't know how to get started. Thanks again, God bless you.

    Glenda Parker

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  6. Glenda, I feel like I stay behind on the blogs I follow! I think you'd have fun with articles and I know you'd be good at it, just from reading your blog. Thanks for stopping by! Blessings, E

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  7. At a crossroads, Edie. Either get some paying gigs or go back into the 9 to 5 world. So this advice and links could not be more timely. Thank you.

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    1. Elaine, I'm glad this is coming a good time. Please feel free to contact me anytime for help. ediegmelson@gmail.com. Blessings, E

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  8. I'm a beginner at this writing & freelance writing so this is great information I can use.

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    1. I hope this series helps, please consider me a resource if you have any questions. Just email me at ediegmelson@gmail.com Blessings, E

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  9. Edie,
    What is the etiquette of submitting articles that began as a blog post but have been modified and lengthened? Is that a no-no or an acceptable way of doing "business" as a freelance writer?
    Thanks and blessings,
    Linden

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    1. Linden, great question! As long as you change the article or modify it by 50% you're good. I usually tell my source that I've explored the subject on my blog, but this is a different article.

      You want to reuse the research time you've put in with blog articles. This is definitely an acceptable way of doing business!

      Blessings, E

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  10. Great post. I'm filing it in my "Edie Melson" file! By the way, I did have a flat tire a little over a week ago and blogged about it. My dilemma is finding the right publications to match up with my stories. Parenting, homeschooling, devotionals--I know those publications. Flat tire story and other stories I'm not so sure.

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  11. Sally, that was a great post, I remember reading it! What about a travel magazine? Or AAA has a magazine, I think. Depending on how you want to spin it, the article could be about precautions to take, how to, or even a Chicken Soup type story. Actually, you could use the same example and write all three. Thanks for stopping by! Blessings, E

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  12. I am going back and re-reading your helpful tips for a successful writing business. This is fantastic stuff. Thanks. Beth

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