Make Money From Freelance Writing

Learn how to make a living from your interest in creative writing

Claire Gillman

• Publisher: Teach Yourself
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9781444174526
• eBook ISBN: 9781444174540
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Writing & Presentation Skills

Make Money From Freelance Writing takes you step by step through every avenue for making an income from professional writing. Covering everything from travel writing to writing self-help features and full-length book commissions, it also includes writing for new media and the practicalities of finding a route to market/self-publicity. Each chapter contains a diagnostic test, case studies, practical exercises and Aide Memoire boxes. Each chapter concludes with a reminder of the key points of the chapter (Focus Points) and a round-up of what to expect in the next (Next Step) will whet your appetite for what's coming and how it relates to what you've just read.

1

Why write for a living?

In this chapter you will learn: About the aptitudes and qualities you will need to sustain a career as a freelance writer About the current climate for freelance writers – both the opportunities provided by the expansion of new media and the pressures imposed by the economic downturn About the wide range of media outlets – from traditional media like newspapers and books to ezines and blogs – that can provide opportunities for the freelance writer.

The traditional image of the impecunious writer scribbling away in a garret flat to earn a crust has changed significantly. Now, being a professional writer is one of the most desirable jobs available and a 2011 survey showed that the fourth most popular choice among media job hunters was to be self-employed (behind Google, the BBC and the Guardian).

What is it then that is so appealing about being a freelance writer? On investigation, it seems that what first attracts the uninitiated to freelance writing is not the same as the major benefits cited by many of those already in the profession.

Perhaps surprisingly, full-time freelance writers say that one of the things they value most about writing is that it offers an interesting life. As a writer, you have access to people that, in the normal course of events, you might never meet, and you experience things that you might never normally get to try. That’s because, to make copy newsworthy, entertaining or informative, the topic you are writing about has to be interesting. Therefore, it stands to reason that you will be exposed to fascinating and out-of-the-ordinary people, activities, places and events because these are the fundamental ingredients of the copy that editors, publishers, producers and readers want to buy.

Remember this: Freelance writing improves your life–work balance

As a freelance writer, your life–work balance tends to be good because you can make sure you are on hand for those life events that matter to you. You never have to miss a school play, children’s sports day or important anniversary or birthday again because you can always work early mornings or evenings to fit around the event.

Yet, all the many attractions of being a freelance writer amount to a hill of beans if one element is missing. Writing has to be a pleasure if you are to make a career of it. If you like the idea of working from home but actually find writing a bit of a chore, or you simply see it as a way of making money, then, let’s be clear, there are much better ways to make a living that will pay you more without the isolation, rejections, insecurity and lack of appreciation that you get with a writing career. Yet, if writing is a joy for you, whether it’s fiction, journalism, blogging or broadcasting, then there really is no finer way to be self-employed.

Writing professionally can be a liberating experience. You are able to specialize in the areas that interest you, you can change direction and specialism whenever you want, you can work anywhere in the country (or the world for that matter), and you can work the hours that suit you (deadlines notwithstanding).

That, of course, is the up-side of the career once you are established. Yet, it would be irresponsible to raise your expectations unrealistically – it’s true to say that becoming a successful freelance writer is not easy, and you are unlikely to get rich in the process. But it is not impossible.

Like all things, if you want to make a decent living at it, you must apply yourself fairly studiously to your writing, and you must also master all the other aspects of being a self-employed one-man band, which means you must be able to pitch your ideas, make the sums work, chase payments and market yourself and your product. In truth, if you consider yourself an ‘artiste’ and are only interested in the noble art of writing itself, you would be best advised to continue writing as a hobby and a pleasure, and to earn your living in some other way.

If you are prepared to roll up your sleeves and get stuck in, to be versatile and open to investigating every potential avenue, then professional writing is a career well worth pursuing. So let’s explore some of the searching questions that a writer needs to ask him/herself before giving up the day job and launching a writing career.

Key idea: Fame, if not fortune

Perhaps this should not be a prime motivator for choosing a career as a freelance writer but it has to be said that seeing your name in print is a thrill that never diminishes. I defy any writer to say that a by-line in a newspaper, blog or magazine or seeing your book on the shelf is not a huge ego-boost.

Are you suited to it?

First and foremost, you have to ask yourself whether you can write. A silly question you may think, but writing is a skill that you craft and hone over time. It is not an ability that everyone possesses. Now is the time to be candid about your aptitude. You may get great pleasure from writing but is the finished product saleable? Does it do what you set out to achieve, that is to inform, entertain or uplift the reader?

In reality, you may not be the best judge of this – and neither are your loved ones and friends, who will not be able to give unbiased feedback for fear of hurting your feelings. The best way to judge your talent is to pitch it in the commercial arena against other professional writers or to invite feedback from impartial and truthful friends/colleagues who have your best interests at heart and, preferably, some publishing experience.

Once you have established that you have the necessary writing ability, there are other qualities that are essential to the freelance writer and other obstacles to face:

SOLITUDE

Each of us needs time and space to get in touch with our creativity and to let the writing flow, but, although it can be a wonderful, absorbing and fulfilling career, writing can also be quite an isolating experience. You will spend a good deal of your time alone with your thoughts and your computer. For some, the solitude is a rare luxury. For others, it is one of the hardest aspects of writing as a career.

If you find spending large periods of time on your own difficult to handle, then you might want to reconsider whether you are cut out for writing as a full-time job. Most freelance writers who work from home will tell you that it is a double-edged sword. Advances in communications allow an author to live anywhere – all you need is a laptop and access to a telephone line and/or a postal service. Certainly, the short commute and the flexibility of being your own boss cannot be underestimated, but still working on your own as a one-man band can be a lonely career.

SELF-DISCIPLINE

You must also have the self-discipline to work at home and ignore all the distractions and temptations on offer. This is not a holiday. If you don’t work, you don’t get paid. Nonetheless, there are plenty of writers who fail because they fall prey to the many time-consuming distractions that eat into the working day, leaving themselves without enough time to get the work done.

FACING REJECTION

Have you got a thick skin? As a freelance writer, you will face rejection on countless occasions. It happens to the best writers and it is an occupational hazard. If you are a delicate flower who cannot stand criticism of your ideas or your work, then this is clearly not a good profession for you. And coupled with the ability to bear rejection is the need to be tenacious. If J.K. Rowling had fallen at the first fence, the world would never have witnessed the delights of the Harry Potter series. So gritting your teeth after a knock-back and persevering is another essential characteristic of the freelancer.

UNSHAKEABLE

Do you think you will be able to deal with the instability and unpredictability of being a freelance writer? Not everyone has the temperament to handle not knowing where and when the next paying project is coming from. Even for seasoned freelancers, it can be a temptation to take every piece of work offered, no matter how busy you are, as you never know when the next job will arrive. For novice writers, this ‘feast or famine’ scenario is an ab...

Table of contents

• Cover 
• Half Title
• Title
• Contents 
• 1 Why Write for a Living
• 2 Getting Inspiration and Selling Your Ideas
• 3 Finding Material
• 4 Writing for Magazines and Newspapers
• 5 Writing non-fiction Books
• 6 Writing a Novel
• 7 Travel Writing
• 8 Writing for Broadcasting
• 9 Writing for New Media
• 10 Writing for Business
• 11 Writing for Children
• 12 Ghost-writing
• 13 Routes to Publication
• 14 Marketing and Promotion
• 15 The Art of Freelance Living
• Further Sources of Information
• Copyright