How to Make Money as a Freelance Writer
Everyone has got the capacity to write. It is ingrained into our genes from as early as we can remember, and stays with us as we evolve into adulthood. However, there is a distinct difference between the writing style you are taught at school, to the skills you need to become a Freelance Writer.
Every element about you matters: your education, your writing experience, your knowledge of the industry… each of these elements can influence your successes as a Freelance Writer.
In the following article we will answer all your questions about freelance writing and help you to determine whether this niche is for you.
What is Freelance Writing?
There are many kinds of freelance writing: business, marketing, web writing, magazine, anthology, newspaper… so there is plenty of scope for you to get your teeth into, but as a rule a Freelance Writer is generally someone who:
‘Sells their writing services to a company/business on a contractual/project basis.’
Most freelance contracts are established over the web these days, using bidding websites such as Elance. Here you can advertise your writing portfolio and openly bid and compete for jobs advertised by businesses.
It is rare that you will find a freelance writing job offline, but it does happen so it is good to keep your eyes open and on the game.
What do I need to be a writer?
Some would argue that all you need is a love for writing to become a powerful freelancer, but there is much more to Freelance writing than being able to formulate a sentence.
Most career guides will tell you that you should:
• Have mastered the language you are writing in – this particularly affects those of you who can write in multiple languages. It is important that you can clearly write in your chosen language before you advertise it, as this can cost you bids if you keep on making grammatical mistakes
• Know how to cater to your clients needs, be flexible and modify your writing style
• Be able to work independently for prolonged periods of time without the need to procrastinate
• Be able to brush off rejection and keep plugging on – you will not always experience success with your first submission, so you need to be prepared to receive criticism and use it to write stronger content
• Be very self-motivated and disciplined
Visit bidding sites such as Elance or writing forums, and you’ll soon discover that there is a profit to be made out of freelance writing.
On Elance.com in particular you can view a writers ‘earned total’ (based on the income paid to them directly through the website) and see that some of their top writers have earned over $16,000 in the last 6 months.
Similarly go online and visit a writers’ forum, and you’ll soon find bloggers who make an easy $5,000 a month simply through their blogging and freelance work.
Writing can be profitable! You just need to be prepared to put in the time, hone in your skills, sell your work and make valuable contacts. The stronger your reputation is amongst the freelance community, the more success you will experience in winning bids and getting writing contracts.
