New writers often find themselves working long hours for content mills and barely eking out enough money to make it even worth the effort.
If that sounds familiar, and you are feeling discouraged, or just plain tired of hearing the heart-wrenching sobs coming from your wallet, do not give up just yet. It does not have to be this way. As a writer, you have got some very marketable skills, even if you do not know it yet.
Although it takes a bit of effort, you can start doing your happy dance now because there are lucrative markets begging for good writers. Here is how you start: once you have built up a few clips (writing speak for examples of your work), you can start branching out.
If you do not have any experience, no worries, just see one my other articles about getting started in the field of paid writing. After you have some samples and have gotten your feet wet, it's time to up the ante and build your business.
Make no mistake, when you write for money, you have to take it seriously and realize that you are running a business. Act accordingly.
Understand that means marketing yourself, doing your taxes and all sorts of other grown up business things such as having a professional message on your phone (so that people returning your calls do not hear the dulcet tones of your giggling toddler singing their happy song).
Here padawan, is your first lesson: go where the work is. What do I mean by that? I mean you should wean yourself off of the content mills and look for real, paying clients of your own.
There are plenty of free online resources which you can use to connect with the people who are looking for writers.
As an aside, I know how tough this can seem at first. I would have much preferred to remain in my blanket-fort and color all day than call on my first clients.
The only reason I did it is the greedy electric company insisted that I pay them with real money rather than IOU's written in crayon. (They are funny that way.)
Jettison the emotional baggage and buckle up, because this is where the rubber meets the paid writing road. And if you want to be a paid writer, you need to get over the fear of reaching out.
When it comes to writing for a living, you have several routes that you can take. More, in fact, than I can cover in one piece. You can, for instance, write for printed and online publications including newsletters, magazines, journals and the like. To do that you will need to learn to craft a query letter.
I will be adding an article that deals specifically with that in the near future. Suffice to say, it means contacting editors and pitching ideas. You can get the contact information from editors from sources such as the Writer's Digest or online searches.
Just type in "magazines about cattle in Texas", or whatever you are interested in. There are literally tens of thousands of journals, magazines and newsletters that need content every single day.
No matter what your skill level, someone, somewhere, wants what you have to offer. If one says no, go to the next. I guarantee you that your willingness will pay off.
A word of advice, do not try to get into big national magazines right off the bat. Go for the low hanging fruit of smaller publications. With a little research you can find out how to create a winning query letter and who to reach out to.
Now it is time to backtrack and cover another really lucrative, and surprisingly easy to break into, writing goldmine: commercial, or business, freelance writing is a field in and of itself. (Peter Bowerman has written loads on this topic.
You see, regardless of their size, businesses need writers. They need direct mail, they need manuals, and they need blogs, emails and more. There are a bazillion different kinds of written material ranging from copy (marketing, sales pitches, etc.) to content (newsletter, blogs, white papers, ad nauseam.).
You can find people who need writing work by calling them directly, emailing them or contacting them through their company webpages. And, while many people do not like Craigslist, and there are some real pitfalls and scams to watch out for, I have personally found some great clients there.
The point is to start looking. If you know something about a particular industry or hobby, start there. See who needs a blog, and article, whatever. At the very least start educating yourself about the different kinds of work available and learn to position yourself so that you can take advantage of it.
If you want to get paid to write, no one is standing in your way. Go forth and conquer. Stay tuned for more in-depth pieces to help you launch into paid writing.
