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A great guide to learn the ins and outs of freelance writing is 6 Figure Freelancer.
1. Link up with employers: To get started, find a service that links
employers to freelancers, and begin making bids for work. These can be
found through Google or other types of word-of-mouth, but make sure you
find a service that is well-reviewed online and that does not take too
big of a cut. Elance is definetely the first site you should join up
with as they have a great reputation. Be advised that there are some
fairly poor sites out there that don't have freelancers interests in
mind. Read all sign-up pages, and dont give money to a pay site unless
you're certain that it's reputable and beneficial.
2. Create your website: Another important step in the process is to
create a personal website. Blogs are perfect, as they can show off your
intelligence and writing skills, but if you have a blog, make sure you
update it frequently so that employers will know that you're a serious
writer. The most important part of your website, though, is the "About"
page. Make this section friendly, informative, and professional. If
possible, include links to samples of your work. If you don't have any
samples that are applicable to the type of work you're looking for,
create some samples from scratch. These are meant to establish your
writing ability, so make them good.
3. Start getting jobs: You may have to start out working for less money
than you think you're worth, but just try to approach it like any other
job, you have to pay your dues before you can earn promotions and larger
salaries. Swallow your pride and be prepared to write for pennies, if
necessary, until you develop a good reputation among a network of
contacts.
Of course, like any other service that's in high demand in the internet
age, there are many scammers hoping to take advantage of
well-intentioned people. When entering the freelance writing field, be
on guard against so-called employers who just want to steal your
content. However, once you develop long-term productive relationships
with legitimate employers, this will become less of an issue.
Meanwhile, there are still all of the traditional forms of freelance
writing. Do you have an area of knowledge or an experience that you
feel you can turn into an article for a magazine? Even in the internet
age, there's still great demand for well-written, long-form articles.
It can be easy to forget that when it comes to any type of writing, the
first step is simple: Just start doing it. If your writing is good, you
will find outlets for it.
Types of Freelance Writing
Jobs
If you don’t have much experience
with freelance writing and don’t know what type of work to look for,
try some of these:
Web content writing: In case
you haven’t noticed, the internet is full of words. Somebody has to
write all of that stuff, and some companies like to give their website
copy a professional sheen with the creative touch of a trained writer.
Article writing: There are
countless types of articles to write, ranging from $10 internet articles
to $1000+ articles for print magazines or high-profile web journals.
If you have a good idea for an article and are ready to get to work,
start querying publications to see if they would accept your work. Or,
you could try writing your article first and then shopping it around
to magazines. Barring that, see if you can hook up with professionals
who are seeking bulk low-rate articles. It may not be what you imagined
yourself doing as a writer, but at least it’s good practice.
Editing and proofreading: If
you have the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to be a professional
writer, then you obviously have what it takes to be a proofreader. Editing
can be a little more difficult, but if you can get frequent editing
work, it’s a good way to hone your skills with the language.
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