FREELANCE - A WRITERS LIFE: HOW TO EARN EXTRA MONEY (OR A LIVING) FROM WORDS

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Kelly Gurnett is a freelance blogger, writer and editor; you can follow her on Twitter CordeliaCallsIt. Looking for freelance writing jobs? Kelly Gurnett Kelly Gurnett runs the blog Cordelia Calls It Quits and is growing her own freelance writing, editing and blogging empire day by day. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook and hire her services here. Move from irregular client work and crappy pay to being a freelance leader in your field.

For those who are a bit more familiar with AP and Chicago Style for writing for magazine styled publications, allfreelancewriting. I think writers, especially new ones, need to value their skills and pitch to clients who are willing to pay decent rates, instead of trying to get work from the penny pinching cheap clients! You are SO write about valuing your work. I am now hoping to start my first freelance writing job at uvocorp my essay sample is still under evaluation. May I hear a word or two from you as your usual advice to beginners like me?

I encountered that company once when I am looking for other academic writing companies. But the experience is just horrible. Once they see that you already has a few dollars on your earnings, the support sharks will flood you with multiple revisions with corresponding monetary penalties. The first and second revisions are ok, but after running your work on plagiarism checker hundreds of times and proof-reading for grammar mistakes thousands of time. They will still ask you to revise something and dissolve your earnings through penalties one after another.

They will not stop until you say you give up, in the end you lost all your earnings from unreasonable revisions and even end up owing them money for negative balance on your earnings. So, are you an academic writer? I have been looking for chemistry or biochem based writing work and have had trouble finding appropriate places to look. Do you have any suggestions? I worked as a freelance academic writer for about 5 years and Uvocorp was one of the sites I worked with.

I totally agree with Norbert. Everything looked fine for about assignments before I started receiving revision requests. I had them review their comments and remove fines for the first two revision requests. However, I just gave up when I got the next seemingly senseless plagiarism remark. I was not sure if it was unintentional from their part, but I felt annoyed and disappointed by then. I started out writing for a website, not quite as bad as that one, but making just a few dollars for rather long articles and no byline.

I was young and desperate though — would never do it again! The website needs to be catchy and informative, with writing samples easy to access.

I always advise my friends, who wish to get into freelance writing, to create a great website and put forward their experience. So where are the legit sites? I began as a freelancer just this summer and found a lot of low-pay cruddy stuff. I wrote a blog on my experiences and it offers tips, tools and help. My fist post may be helpful to you as a beginner: I am a writer and have a manuscript I am trying to get published. My manuscript has been accepted by two companies, but It cost a lot of money to do that, so I thought I would try to make money this way. Should I go further with this, and if so, can you help me along and teach me the ropes?

Outsourcing and exporting work over-seas occurred in my former profession by the Medical Transcription Services, and it seems a fact of life in my 2-month stint as a content article writer.

The content mill has an author forum which is helpful for learning the ropes and venting! I did apply to The Writers Hub, and was surprised when they asked what my per page rate would be? I am hoping to network locally with a non-proffit in the coming weeks and eventually find a content article opportunity that pays decently, desires my talents, and provides a reasonable degree of work or referrals. Perhaps that is what the majority of us want here. I am very grateful for this site, thread, and posts! How so many missed that only to find a chance to criticize is troubling.

I thought it was just auto-correct showing its butt again. Why is this so? I have, as of yesterday, begun exploring the opportunity of writing for income. Therefore, with no qualifications save my own, self-perceived ones, I say this: David, you should write to the editor of MedicalExpo e-Magazine and propose your journalism services. Take a look at the magazine first emag. I know the editor and they pay well. My girl came across this site, after I told her about losing a comment posting gig.

I appreciate the time you took putting this together. My international clients hate all the extra fees. You might want to consider keeping your eyes peeled for spelling errors if you want writing jobs…. On the western side of the pond, we would look at some cross-eyed if they used that term seriously. Spelt is definitely the way it is spelled and pronounced in Britain. My daughter reads and watches many British books, shows, and movies, and she spells and pronounces it that way because she has become so accustomed to it. She had one English teacher criticize her until she showed said teacher that it is the British way to spell it.

It is not incorrect. I have so many stories and poetry and even a couple of novels that I have written or started writing and I always joke that when I die, someone will find my writing and only then, will I get famous for my writing. I, as the writer, would never turn something in, to have it read by anyone, without proofreading it myself either.

One of the posts reads: Any sites you can recommend off the top of your head for someone starting out as a freelance academic essay writer?

Should pay well too. Science-Fiction Writers of America, which I use as a guideline, advocates for no less than six cents a word as professional rates. Most good clients who hire freelance writers will pay considerably more. Most of the content mills I have seen pay about three cents a word. Just saying…again, it trying to be rude or mean.

I wish the best of luck to you! I too, am trying to get some writing gigs, and just starting out. I have no idea where to even begin.

With that said, I think constructive criticism is a good thing, that if we take need to, can help us out in the long run. If anyone has any constructive criticism or constructive advice for me, please comment. Hi Donna and others, The online writing lab at Purdue University has resources on the Chicago Manual of Style and the APA manual, as well as many articles related to English grammar usage that are user-friendly!

Just type owl purdue university in your fave search engine and it should appear as a result. I got a fairly good rating but not tops. Glad to have joined this particular thread and sooo thankful for the supportive content on here. Smiles to all, David. And hopefully a movie. It is called Zombie Revelations and has the old with a real touch of reality. I hope it can save some writers from going through the penny-a-word phase too many of us went through at one point!

I would add staying away from Yahoo! Good for you for approaching businesses directly! Thanks so much Kelly for taking the time to research and put together this list. It will get some good use here! Your skills and time are worth far more, and there ARE clients out there who will recognize and honor that.

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Hold out for the good ones. I am so glad to run across fellow writers who value what they do and will stand up and say so. I tried ODesk and was not only appalled by the pay rates, but by the attitude of many clients. Well now, I posted a response that I cannot quote in polite company.

So, thank you, your voice is much appreciated. One client said that he already had words. When I looked at what he wrote, it was on a sixth-grade level. No research, statistics, compelling copy, SEO keywords, etc. So I had to start from scratch.

How to Make More Money as a Freelance Writer

I ended up acting like a tutor. Another client loved my work but kept disappearing. I asked for her website address, information about her company, etc. She let another week go by then disappeared again. I could go on and on. I think that clients who use the content mills do believe that they can get stellar writing for peanuts. I believe these incidents are blessings in disguise. I follow top-notch bloggers and copywriters and hone my skills continually.

It is up to the freelancer to determine his standards and ultimately his worth. Hello Denita and others, I am thankful for this site, thread and continued posts including yours. At present I am an IC with Textbroker International, and try to look at most the jobs as blessings in disguise. Generally, I am a better conversationalist since starting this in late September, agree with you about developing writing skills, and have kind of found my subject niche as it were.

The big picture tells me I have it pretty good, given local opportunities and employment services for those of us who have a handicapability are inadequate in my place of residence. I hope your experience is dynamically different, but you sound quite capable and willing to improve where need be which says a lot favorably concerning what you bring to the proverbial table.

Business, Career, and Finance

All the best to you Denita, enjoyed the chance to talk shop! Avoid sites like Researchwritingcenter. I think the better question is, what kind of writing do YOU want to do?

What topics interest you? What style are you most comfortable writing in? Freelance writing is a huge industry, and you could be everything from a lifestyle blogger to a marketing copy writer. You need to determine what niche fits your skills and interests best; that will make it much easier for you to locate specific, nitty-gritty advice. I am based out of India. I would like to write short stories. Could anyone guide me as how I should go about it.

Please recommend sites where I should register myself. I have registered myself in Freelancer. You can find them here: This article was quite helpful and the comments were too. I am just about to finish my English MA and I am broke as joke, living at my parents, and finding writing work online is my priority for the time being. Best of luck to everyone trying to survive out there! Thank you for this post. I just recently got into freelance writing and I feel so stupid already. I feel so cheated. Should I even complete the job?

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Is it possible that the work she is doing for oDesk would at least provide a portfolio for her future use? I am brand new to the writing game. Love your words of encouragement to stay true to writing and get properly paid for your talent. I love writing and have been caught up in content mills since I decided to write online about a month ago.

I must admit the pennies I have received for my time, talent and dedication has been great to encourage me to seek something better. Are there any books or articles you recommend for beginners looking to earn a living writing online? The Write Life has actually put together a great list of resources to check out.

You can find it here: This article was an actual eye opener. Once again a big thank you for now I know what to expect and whom to deny. Thank you for the tips. I am handicapped and a fairly new mom at 41 to our 9 month old first and only son. Can anyone give me additional tips on the best way I could start a blog aside from wordpress or blogger please? First of all, congrats on your new baby! Second of all, my thoughts are with you and all your friends and loved ones — are you located in the Philippines yourself? Third, The Write Life has put together a great list of resources you can check out.

First off, congrats on your 1st son! Sounds like you come central Visayas too like me, am from Bohol Phils. Yolanda Haiyan and the quake that hit our country — and the economic woes they brought are really challenges we need to hurdle. You see, I am more comfortable in writing articles than blogs. Also, writing websites that work like a vendo machines like Xoobiz, in , but now seems closed where writers can draw writing jobs from a queue — will also help, as we need not waste time in pitching for jobs.

Thank you for the great tips. I also get money writing for Bubblews and I I also write for sendmeglobal where they only give award to a writer each month. I was able to win it once. You have opened my eyes to other relevant targets. There is soooo much info out there and this article has saved me from contentmills, not to mention wasted hours-thanks very, very much!!

I guess you your words of wisdom are meant for US-based writers, knowing how much it costs to live there, this makes sense … well, kinda. One good way to find content writing clients is to spend some time networking. Sending letters of introduction and samples of your work to potential clients can also be a good way to start building a relationship and hopefully gaining a new client. Figuring out what to charge can be a bit of a challenge. Rates and rate structures vary widely. Freelancers can get paid by the word, the hour or even a per-project rate.

For guidance on typical rates, the Editorial Freelancers Association shares a list of market rates for a variety of services, from transcribing to ghostwriting.

When determining what to charge a client, consider how long the project will likely take you. Most writers have a range of rates. If you know a client will want a lot of revisions and meetings that take up a lot of your time, by all means charge a premium rate to account for your time and effort. Another technique is to ask a client about their budget for a project and then provide them with a few options of what you can provide for that amount. Clients generally like having a few options to choose from. There may be other factors that make a lower paycheck worthwhile.

For example, if you write mostly about technology and want to veer into the health and wellness space, you may have to start at publications that pay less in order to get started and build your name in that field. Then you can likely use your clips and connections to work your way up to higher paying publications in the same field. But be patient with the process. Working towards your goals, even with small steps, is a great way to achieve them and ultimately earn more income as a freelance writer.

Kristen Pope is a Jackson Hole, Wyoming based writer and editor. Here are 9 strategies to increase your freelance writing income. Learn about your income The first step to making more money is learning more about the money you already bring in. Evaluate your clients To evaluate your business, evaluate each of your clients and income sources. How often do you write for each client? What types of materials do you write? What is the word count and pay like? On average, how long does each project take?

How much do you earn a year from this client? If you have to pitch times for every accepted story, it may be time to reevaluate working with this client or consider pitching differently to boost your acceptance rate. Endless rounds of edits can be frustrating and reduce your earnings on the project. Do you enjoy working with the client? Set goals Think about how much money you would like to make and set income goals.

Find higher paying clients Everyone wants higher paying clients, but how do you find them? Set your new rates Figuring out what to charge can be a bit of a challenge. How do you work towards earning more income as a freelance writer? Free Newsletter Join 40, subscribers!

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