How Can I Get My Freelance Writing Career Started? Ask Anne, The Pro Writer
October 24, 2008 by Anne Wayman
Filed under Jobs
Dear Anne,
How can a person without professional writing experience or degree but with a serious love of writing break into freelancing?
Thank you,
jk
Dear JK,
As you already recognize a freelance writing career isn’t like some. If you want to be a banker, you usually start by working as a teller in a bank.
The secret to a freelance writing career is first of all to write, write, write and write some more.
You’ve also got to submit your writing. With persistence and some luck, you’ll gradually get better and start selling what you write.
Another approach would be to get a writing job. Community newspapers don’t pay well, so there’s usually a lot of turnover and the qualifications can be pretty minimal. The work is hard, but it’s a way to get your feet wet while earning minimum wage or slightly better. You may also be able to land a job with other publishers, but be careful you don’t end up just making copies for the writers. You want experience writing.
Good luck.
Do you have a question about freelance writing? Ask Anne, The Writing Pro – that’s me ;) Ask in the comments or send an email and put Q&A in the subject line so I can sort it out from spam and I’ll do my best. Meanwhile, you’ll find some Q&A’s here:
Write well and often,
Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing – a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision – for those who want to get a book written.
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You could start writing some stuff on the squidoo website. It’s free to join and you can make mini web sites.
1. Put your writing profile and portfolio on Elance and search for small jobs that you think you can do. Search for jobs that will help you get your name out there. For example, I did a couple of books that paid almost nothing but that got my name in print in the field I want to write in.
2. Start a blog and write, write, write – a post a day, and 100 posts minimum. Use a ratio of 75% interesting, relevant content, 25% self-promotion.
Good advice… a warning re elance… it’s a bidding site so you’re apt to get paid only a pittance as Jean indicates, so limit your projects there to one or two unless you have a specialty that gets higher prices.
Do you have any resources for letters of agreement, and also info on how to estimate time on a project? I am interested in a ghostwriting job and am talking to the author soon. I don’t know how to price the job if I don’t know how long it will take.
Thanks!
BQ
I want to improve my self writing skill as well as the writing job.
THANKS AND REGARDS .