Do you have aspirations of becoming the next Ernest Hemingway?

Do you like being “in the know,” on a first-name basis with government leaders, high-profile developers, or personalities?

Do you like being sought by folks who want to tell their story, run for political office, or publicize their business?

Or do you want to earn a steady income doing what you love, writing?

Consider becoming a news reporter.

Local newspapers are a great place to build your portfolio quickly. You can also make it a stepping stone to magazines, free-lance writing, wire services, syndicates, public relations/advertsing, publishing or authorship.

The lifestyle of a news reporter is fun, yet demanding, often requiring long hours at government meetings, in courtrooms, or at the office making telephone calls and writing news stories. Dedication requires the reporter to represent his employer if he/she happens to be on the scene when news happens, no matter what the time.

A dedicated reporter also is expected to offer help during major news events like hurricanes or floods, even if they fall on his/her off days. A dedicated reporter can be caught reading their own, or a competing newspaper or magazine, even on their off time. They’ll frequently listen to one or more television broadcast.

They’re also likely to be avid readers, devouring books as a hobby. While news reporters have the reputation of being a bit pushy, sometimes obnoxiously pushy, some reporters would describe themselves as a bit shy.

The mild-mannered reporter who folks trust is likely to be first getting a hot news tip. Because even reporters can specialize, these shy types eventually can settle into a feature writing job about gardening, or write about local sports, without having to be very aggressive. It is the muckraker, an investigative reporter writing about government-related or business scandals, who likely will fall behind for lack of aggression. These scandals attract reporters from various media, making the job much more competitive.

So how do you actually get one of these coveted, glamourous reporting jobs?

We’ll take a look at several important steps.

Step One — Keep up with current events by reading your local newspaper and listening to broadcast news. Consider subscribing to a well respected newspaper like The New York Times or The Miami Herald. Read it faithfully, paying attention to how articles are crafted.

Step Two — Earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree in journalism, mass communications or a related field. Get training/references in news writing. Be sure to take advantage of opportunities to write and edit your school newspaper. Train to work for online newspapers to broaden your base of opportunities. Learn how to use a computer. Learn how to use the Internet to look for a job and post writing samples.

Step Three — If you don’t already have one, buy a reliable car. Very likely you will be paid a gas stipend per mile, or a standard gas allotment.

Step Four — Be an intern. Seek opportunities to intern at a local news operation during the summer or school year. Take advantage of this time to learn as much as you can, make valuable contacts, build your portfolio, and get professional references.

Step Five — Consider becoming a news stringer as a part-time job while you’re in school. The small part-time assignment could bloom into a full-time job when you graduate.

Step Six — Go for your dream. Apply to the news magazines, wire services, or major metropolitan dailies. Don’t wait for them to run an ad in Editor and Publisher. The ad will bring piles of competition. Be willing to take an intern job and write obituaries or engagement and wedding notices, if necessary. Consider starting as a copy editor, but be sure to let them know you want to be a reporter so they can plan to give you the job when it becomes available.

Step Seven — If you fail to get hired at your dream news organization, or if you’re not sure where you want to work, check trade resources like US Newspaper List online and send letters of application, with resume, to a big batch of eligible employers. Offer samples of your work and references. Unfortunately, the proliferation of spam leaves you no guarantee e-mail will be opened.

Step Eight — Be sure to follow up, providing all requested information.

Step Nine — When an editor requests an interview, dress like a professional. Yes, even consider buying a suit, depending on the size and reputation of the news organization. (A suit probably is not necessary for small newspapers.) Even at larger newspaper offices, reporters typically wear casual, comfortable clothing, although suits and dressier clothing are required for some jobs. An interview is definitely time to pull out the suit at these newspapers. In any event, look professional and resist the temptation to wear your tattered jeans. They may not be allowed because you represent your employer where-ever you go on assignment.

Step Ten — Prepare for your interview by learning about the company beforehand. Plan to answer basic questions like why you would be an asset to their news staff and why you would like to work there. Be prepared to talk a little bit about yourself, but have questions to ask about the company and an editor’s expectations. Check into the area’s cost of living beforehand. Editors can and do negotiate on occasion, so you should know your salary requirements and politely let them know your needs. The salary on your first job may not be negotiable, however, so avoid appearing greedy.

Step Eleven — Repeat the application and interview process as necessary until you land the big one!

Once on the job, you may find yourself writing death or engagement notices, or covering police news. If you are assigned to cover suburban news, you may monitor local government, schools, police and courthouse events, take your own photographs and write features. It’s a great place to learn the ropes and find out what assignments you like best.

Consider joining the local press club or journalism society to make more contacts and establish yourself.

Image Credit – dbdbrobot

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How to Become a News Writer

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1. How to be a Freelance Journalist
2. Becoming a Paid Book Reviewer
3. Unblocking Writer’s Block
4. How to Make Money from Your Writing Skills
5. How To Earn Money Online as a Freelance Writer

Rise to the Challenge

Book reviews are a great way for readers to get a taste of the story and find out if they’re interested in it, plus gather reviewers’ opinions or recommendations on a novel. People who read books and review them must walk a fine line, revealing information about the story without giving away the plot twists or ending, while writing as objective an opinion as possible. It may not be the job for everyone, but for those who love books and are ready for the challenge of reviewing them, it is possible to earn compensation for their hard work.

Practice Makes Perfect

For those who have never written a review or have written only a few, getting experience with writing reviews is essential. Publishers won’t hire individuals with no experience with reviewing, no matter how clever a writer they may be otherwise. Studying reviews by other writers is necessary to learn style, format, and structure, as well as becoming familiar with the content and review genres that are being published. Understanding the market will put a new reviewer on the right road to selling their own work.

Making a Name

Once the reviewer has some writing experience and some understanding of the field, getting their work into the public arena is the next step. This probably won’t include payment at first. Though some exceptional new writers may be accepted by paying publishers, most reviewers find that they need to volunteer their work to make a name for themselves and to gain attractive credentials to put on their resumes or queries when hunting for paying jobs. There are an enormous number of book review sites on the Internet that are willing to assess and publish voluntary reviews, but print magazines or newspapers may also consider free reviews. Reviewers can also benefit from creating a website or blog to display their work.

Finding a Paying Publisher

After getting a few bylines to their name, the reviewer can then consider applying to a paying publisher for a review job. Reviewers need to explore the market before sending queries, to make sure that they find a good match for their type of reviews. Publishers come in all shapes and sizes, from small to mega publications, online and offline book, magazine, and newspaper publications. Publishers interested in freelance book reviewers can be found in writer’s markets, classified ads, and employment search engines. Writing a professional query letter that follows the publisher’s submission guidelines is essential to show serious interest and competence. Most publishers will also require a review sample to assess the quality of the reviewer’s work.

Be Proactive

Once a reviewer lands a paying job, they need to be able to keep it. Of course, writing interesting reviews is top priority, but it’s also necessary to keep updated and educated. Reviewers need to continue reading other reviews, updating their own styles and approaches to reviewing, plus being aware of the changes in the market itself. A reviewer who is proactive and up to date will always be appreciated by publishers and find a secure home in the world of book reviewing.

Image Credit – Ian Wilson

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Becoming a Paid Book Reviewer

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2. How to be a Freelance Journalist
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4. Unblocking Writer’s Block
5. How to Become a News Writer

It happens to most serious writers at one time or another. You have plotted out the story line. You have developed most of your major characters and you may have even completed half of your novel. Then one day you open up your word processor, or note book, and you can’t, for the life of you, think what to write next.

Writer’s block descends like a paralysing fog that seizes up the brain and sends the new writer into panic mode. When it’s the first time it’s happened it really does seem like the end of a promising career. The flow of words that have been bubbling along like a fast-running stream have suddenly dried up and you are left staring at a blank page with no idea where your cherished writing is to go next.

It could be a short term problem that is easily fixed, a bit like a computer that refuses to work properly when you switch it on. The guru’s solution then is to switch it off, leave for a few minutes and restart. This usually works, and it’s a good idea to use the same technique with the brain. Get up from your screen, or put away your notepad and pen, and do something else for a short while. Make some coffee, go into the garden and de-head something…above all don’t sit staring at a blank screen or page. It will just make matters worse. While the coffee ‘percs’ let some ideas mull around in your head. If it’s a minor hitch, like how to start a new chapter, or even a new paragraph, just relaxing for a few moments will probably do the trick. You’ll be able to go back to your writing refreshed and ready to run again.

If it’s a major block (you’ve painted yourself into a corner with the plot, or you just can’t think of a convincing piece of dialogue that’s going to be vital to the ‘show not tell’ rule you’re trying so hard to stick to) it’s even more important to get as far away from your work as possible.

The golden rule is …don’t start to fret about it. It’s not the end of your career, it’s just a blip and you will recover from it. So try and distance yourself from this particular piece of writing. That doesn’t mean give up all together. Still try to write something every day. It’s like going to the gym, but involves a brain work-out rather than a session on the treadmill. Forget the novel for the time being and start a short story, or if you’ve never written poetry before, experiment with rhyming couplets…limerick writing can be fun and relaxing. It requires word skills and a sense of humour. Something you’re probably a bit short of under the circumstances.

Don’t become obsessive about writing though. Try not to let it be the first thing you think of in the morning. You could become depressed, and that won’t help anybody, least of all yourself. Did you have a hobby before the urge to write took over your life? If so, retrieve it from the cupboard, the shed, or the last known sighting of it and take it up again (temporarily of course, just until the ‘block’ has cleared).Whilst you’re concentrating on sticking the millionth matchstick onto that almost completed model of the Eiffel Tower the solution to the tricky problem of how to dispose of the body, or how your hero is going to escape from the locked room will probably come to you.

If you really can’t bear the thought of leaving your ‘baby’ all on it’s own try skipping the part of the story that’s giving you trouble and have a go at writing the last chapter or two. Yes, you may have the ending totally worked out, but you may also find yourself going off on a slightly different track, and this in itself could provide you with the necessary route to fixing the stalling point of your plot.

The brain is a complex organ and the answer you’ve anguished over for so long can have a strange habit of popping up when you least expect it. That’s when you need to be prepared. During this ‘fallow’ period of creativity keep writing materials everywhere. In the car, by the sink,and especially on your bedside table. Three o’clock in the morning, when you’re drifting between wakefulness and sleep, is a favourite time for a piece of scintillating dialogue to spring into your mind. It’s an absolute cracker…it will set the page on fire. You roll over and go back to sleep, and by the morning you can’t remember a word of it. Oh dear, oh dear! But think about it…you wouldn’t commit a length of prose to your word processor without saving it, would you? Unfortunately the human brain doesn’t come equipped with a ‘Save As’ facility so keep that pen and paper handy at all times. A lot of very successful writers advocate a ‘jot it down before you forget it’ policy for their writing at all times and it’s sound advice.

Lastly, try sharing your woes. You need a sympathetic shoulder right now. Don’t burden your family with it. Unless they are writers themselves they won’t understand why you are making such a big deal of not knowing how your protagonist is going to get out of the mess you’ve got him into, or how your heroine is going to respond to the good-looking guy you just wrote into her life. Close, but non-writing friends will profess an interest and then quickly become bored as you chew over every possibility. You will notice this when their eyes glaze over and they suggest a sudden trip to the shops or the pub.

Hopefully, in your personal phone book you will have the numbers of a few fellow writers you can call on in times of need. Writers groups are great for this, so make sure you’ve swapped numbers with some friendly members. If you’re a writer in isolation this can be more of a problem, so it’s a good idea to go online and check out some writer’s web sites. A quick engine search will bring up hundreds….some good, some not so, but there’s bound to be one or two that you like the look of. Register, and hey presto, you’re in a virtual writer’s circle. Post your problem on their forum…offer advice yourself if you’ve experienced something similar, and suddenly that feeling of being the only writer out there will evaporate. You’ll get a wealth of advice and feedback. And who knows? Someone’s suggestion may be just the help you need.

You may develop a few pen-friendships from these forums into the bargain . These are great too. You can email off all your troubles, and even if they haven’t a solution, at least you’ll feel better having unburdened yourself to a fellow sympathiser. It’s highly probable that he or she has suffered from writer’s block as well and just being told you are not a complete failure will do your morale no end of good.

Anyone author who says they have never suffered from an attack of creative meltdown is either a genius or a fibber, so don’t succumb to the notion that you haven’t got it in you to write that book. You have, and writer’s block is all part of the process of developing your skills and completing your work. And when you’ve finally written those magic words THE END the real work (of finding a publisher) will just be beginning. And when you acheive that you’ll need to start the whole darned process off again with your next novel!

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Unblocking Writer’s Block

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5. Becoming a Paid Book Reviewer

Freelance journalists write for newspapers, magazines, radio, television and online publications.

Being a staff journalist is a job full of deadlines, stress and competition.

To land a reporting job at a paper, writers usually take a position as typist in hopes they can get in line for any staff writing jobs.

As a freelance journalist, you can find stories, pitch them to any paper you like, and write about the issues and topics you prefer. There is also an option that falls between freelance and staff and that person is called a stringer.

A stringer is a freelancer who has been assigned an area by the newspaper on a freelance basis. Within the area the stringer writes about politics, town meetings, issues, school happenings, entertainment, basically anything newsworthy or of interest to readers.

A stringer is not an employee of the newspaper, since he or she is paid per story, but unlike a freelancer the stringer is given assignments. So, how do you become a stringer? Find the editor’s name on the publication’s web site or in the paper and give him/her a call and introduce yourself. You’ll probably want to pitch a few story ideas as well.

Freelance journalists and magazine writers have a lot of balls in the air at once. They are constantly thinking of story ideas, writing and sending out query letters (idea pitches) to publications, and always writing something for publication.

So where do you come up with ideas to pitch to papers and magazines?

1. The news is a great source for nonfiction writers. Truth is stranger than fiction, right? Cut out articles or snippets from newspaper and magazines you find interesting and create a file folder for each category. Keep a notepad next to the TV incase you hear something interesting and want to jot it down. Have an “eye” and an “ear” for the news.

2. Local and college libraries are a wealth of information (thanks to grants and student tuition.) You’ll find a great deal of information among the databases and periodical collections. Read back issues for story ideas. If the magazine ran the article in the past, they may be willing to run an updated version in the future.

3. Dig up information on local history or people who came from your area. Visit the local museum or historical society, both of which usually have boxes and boxes of local information. If you do not live in a city with a museum or library with a specialized collection consider making a trip to review their collection.

4. Go online and browse forums. If you’re thinking of writing an article on a certain topic, visit a related-forum to find out what people want to learn. For example, if you want to write a series of articles for first-time home buyers, visit forums and learn what types of questions people have. You can then answer these questions in your article.

5. Ask people! Call business owners and ask what the issues in their industry are.

6. Research publications and journals are a great source for ideas. For example, research journals with recent medical studies and the latest medicines are great sources for “filler” articles as well as features.

7. Talk to people. Be alert. If a new and interesting business opens up, interview the owner.

Opinion Writing

Do you have an opinion? Do you have a strong voice? Love to debate? If you answered yes, then you have a future as an opinion writer. This type of writing can be found in newspapers on the “op-ed” page, in syndicated columns, and in articles. Opinion writers also make great speech writers. A quick way for opinion writers to get published in a newspaper and start accumulating clips is by writing Letters to the Editor. Be aware of the issues in your community and nationwide and write 300-500 words on your views on the topic. These are now your published opinion writing clips that you can send in when submitting your resume, stories, or queries to publications.

A career as an opinion writer can be a harsh one, especially if you wish to have many friends. This is because you are calling the public’s attention to the issues and in doing so, will probably offend at least one person. However; opinion writing, if done with humor and wit, can make you very popular, like Jon Stewart host and co-writer of The Daily Show.

Opinions and Letters to the Editor need to start with an attention grabbing opener. If you are referencing an article or current news event, you should mention it. Make sure your point is clear and that readers know what issue you’re referring to. In the next paragraph, start to make and support your views. Be specific: give names, data, facts, dates. Make it part humor part informative.

The following is an example of a letter to the editor published March 11, 2005 in the Chicago Sun-Times.

Ex-hostage’s story has holes

“Something doesn’t add up about released Italian reporter Giuliana Sgrena’s story. If you were just released as a hostage in Iraq and claimed to see no checkpoint, no people, would you drive at a ”regular speed” or would you haul butt? I just can’t believe they weren’t driving as fast as possible to get out of that country if no one else was around. She claimed they were driving slowly because the danger was behind them, yet they were still in a war zone. There is a huge contradiction there.

She speaks worse of the U.S. troops than of the terrorists who kidnapped her at gunpoint Feb. 4 and held her for a month. And she speaks nothing of the unconfirmed $1 million paid to terrorists for her release, money that no doubt is now intended to harm troops, journalists and innocent Iraqis. Kidnapping has just become profitable in Iraq.”

This situation is tragic in so many ways and caused by many circumstances, but all the reporter sees is the evil United States. The loss of the intelligence officer is horrible, but I also think that with her refusal to give the United States information, there is some deflecting going on with this situation. I think the United States deserves some answers as well.”

Can you see why this was published? First, the author has a strong opinion and uses proper nouns (Giulana Sgrena, United States) and facts, (Feb. 4, $1 million) to support her point. A good Letter to the Editor will address a specific event, article, or other letter, use a strong voice, and have facts to support the message.

Food/ Reviews/Travel Writing

Book, restaurant, and travel reviews are also options for the nonfiction writer. These can be for newspapers, ezines, Web sites, magazines, or you can take it further and write regional guidebooks or cookbooks.

a. Book reviews:
In a book review writers give readers a little information about the book without giving anything away. Writers should also add a little information about the author, include quotes from the book, and give an opinion.

To get started write a letter of introduction to publishers telling them you are a writer and express an interest to receive certain books for review. After contacting a publisher once, often you will receive free copies before they hit shelves.

b. Food reviews:
Five-star restaurants are not the only ones worthy of a review, as you can see just by picking up the daily paper. People want to know where to go for a specific type of cuisine, price or atmosphere in any given town, state and country. Take a look, for example, at Lake Claremont Press at http://www.lakeclaremont.com/. LCP is an indie publisher in Chicago, IL, USA that creates regional guidebooks full of reviews, with the bulk being restaurant reviews.

Often publishers look for contributors to such guidebooks, so always be on the look out. When writing for newspapers, magazines or web sites make your reviews interesting. Come up with clever titles and an entertaining opening line. You don’t want to simply write that the chicken parmesan was good and cost $16.95. Give the reader a sense of the service, atmosphere, and crowd.

c. Travel reviews:
Travel reviews can be either an impartial review of a country, cruise, airline, resort, or anything else related to travel, or it can be a personal account of your trip or experience. Readers look to these reviews for unbiased information on hotels, cruise lines and resorts, while also enlightening about things to do.

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How to be a Freelance Journalist

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3. How to Make Money from Your Writing Skills
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5. Writing Your Way to Financial Independence

Many resources have been published on the topic of turning freelance writing into an ideal, work-at-home (WAH) career.

This article does not propose to repeat the tips for getting started as a freelance writer or for selecting paying markets for your written work.

Writing your way to financial independence concerns the way that you develop your mind and your skills to become a successful freelancer.

The key to successful freelancing is to establish a long-term goal for becoming financially independent.

Consider the example below:

- In five years, I will be able to choose when and where I write and how much I can charge for my written products.

Not everyone works well with goals that include specific timelines or prescriptions for success. If you prefer, you can set your mind to a different kind of goal.

Consider the following example:

- I will become a stay-at-home professional who derives a steady income from freelance writing.

No matter what your goal, you have to keep your focus on the prize. You have to keep writing until you achieve enough prominence in target markets that people keep buying your work. When the demand for your writing outpaces your ability to produce, you will be in a great position to set higher prices and to pick and choose work assignments.

The next step is to begin writing. Test the marketability of your writing in various target markets, including print and Internet markets. You can find many free Internet articles on how to write, how much to charge, where to sell your work, where to find sources and ideas, and so on.

What you need for financial freedom is a dogged commitment to writing at all costs. Think about these sample ideas.

1. Write on weekends, holidays, evenings, and vacations.
2. Write about every topic that interests you as well as topics that are assigned.
3. Bring a notebook with you everywhere so that you can jot down ideas when you are inspired.
4. Read the writings of other leading writers.
5. Improve your own writing.
6. Acquire in-depth knowledge of target markets.

These ideas are common aspects of the freelance writing career. There are many other ideas and habits to emulate. Writing is a lifestyle and a vocation. It is as noble as being a teacher or a nurse. Find out if you are really cut out for this career, and then pursue it single-mindedly. Develop your skills until you become the writer you want to be.

As a future freelance writer, remember there are two crucial ingredients to financial independence — passion and persistence. You can literally write your way to a freelancing career if you use a single-minded determination to achieve your goal. Remember your hard work and quality will eventually set you apart from other writers working toward the same goal of giving up their day job for freelancing from home.

Photo Credit – karindalziel

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Writing Your Way to Financial Independence

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5. How To Earn Money Online as a Freelance Writer

The world wide web has revolutionized the life of a freelance writer. It has opened up countless new markets, all available through a simple search (no more poring through writer’s market guides) and has sped up the process of writing, seeing your work published, and getting paid. In the old days, it could take months – even years – to see submitted work in print, and checks would arrive long after you forgot making a submission. Today, you can write, post, and receive payment in a week or less.

Writing skills, of course, are as important as ever. Though electronic technology has changed the rules of grammar and punctuation for informal email communication and text messages, writers who want to get paid to produce web content or to find offline writing work using the Internet must be able to demonstrate strong writing skills. Although more opportunities exist for beginning writers who are still honing their skills, the standards for professional content have not changed.

As new markets have appeared online, so have websites devoted to writers. Many offer inherent freelance writing opportunities. Associated Content and Constant Content are two such sites many writers find profitable.

Associated Content (http://www.associatedcontent.com/) bills itself as “The People’s Media Company.” Nearly anyone can write an article for publication here, so it’s a great place for beginning writers to start. The site’s editors pay small amounts (usually about $3-$5) for full rights on well written articles that suit their needs, including articles on local attractions, products, events, and popular culture. Writers can respond to calls for content or submit anything they choose. Those articles that are not accepted for upfront payment are eligible to receive per-hit performance payments. Promoting articles is largely up to the writers, who comment on others’ work and post links on social networking sites to draw traffic to their AC page and increase performance payments.

Constant Content (http://www.constant-content.com/) accepts articles from skilled writers, who can offer three levels of rights – Use, Unique, and Full – which loosely correspond to the one-time rights and full rights offered in traditional writing markets. (Unique is much like first rights, but without the option to resell one-time rights to someone else.) Buyers browse or request articles to buy for use on their websites. Authors set their own prices. A commission fee is taken out of the sale price, and authors can receive a percentage from the sales made by writers they refer.

Freelance market sites, such as Elance.com, iFreelance.com, and Guru.com, help match freelance writers and other freelance professionals to companies with freelance projects. Elance.com charges commissions for projects and flat rates for listings. iFreelance.com advertises no commission but requires writers to pay a monthly membership fee. Guru.com charges writers both membership fees and project commissions. All three require you to compete directly with other writers for specific jobs, and pay varies by project.

Helium.com combines writing contests with topic guides and a marketplace for writers. Freelancers can submit articles on specific requested topics to earn $20 or more, submit articles that readers can rate, or enter various writing contests.

Several additional sites hire freelancers to produce content. Many of these promote themselves as “answer” websites, where freelance experts on various subjects write basic guides on the topics about which they are knowledgeable. Suite101.com pays writers a share of their advertising revenue and requires an application with samples to join. Mahalo.com, “the world’s first human-powered search engine,” pays for freelancers to put together search-result guides to websites on specific topics. Lifetips.com hires “gurus” to write tips on their niche areas of expertise.

For those who want to write what they choose, rather than writing for requested topics, blogging is a viable option. Many writers make a living from advertising revenues generated by their own blogs. Freelancers who have strong marketing skills, adequate computer skills, and the ability to write about life from an uncommon perspective should consider starting their own blog.

Alternatively, you may find paid blogging opportunities on established group blogs. Read blogs on your favorite topics and keep an eye out for announced writing opportunities. Blogs of medium popularity (which have established an audience but which don’t have too much competition for open writing spots) are the best for freelance opportunities. Those with their own sites, as opposed to those connected to sites like Blogger.com, also seem more likely to generate enough income to hire freelancers. Blogging for others can provide you with a regular income but without the hassle of continuously marketing your work.

Social networking sites also offer opportunities to promote your writing career. Reconnect with old friends on MySpace or Facebook; they may have writing work to offer you or know someone who does. Use your profile to promote articles you have published on sites that share ad revenue or pay you per hit. Sign up for Linked In, where you can list your experience résumé style and wait for professional writing opportunities to come to you.

A few social networking sites also pay directly for you to publish your articles. Associated Content (mentioned above) works much like a social networking site, where the more you comment, the more subscribers you attract. Gather.com, a niche social site for readers and writers, pays points (redeemable for gift certificates) for your participation – both publishing articles or photographs and commenting on others’ posts. The most active members can earn cash instead of points. Earning cash on Gather, however, requires many hours on the site; you are likely to earn more by writing for a variety of freelance sites.

Consider marketing your writing skills on general auction and classified sites, as well. Advertise your strengths and offer a specific service (such as writing copy for a brochure) in eBay’s Specialty Services category, which unfortunately does not have a writing subcategory, or try a less well known auction site, such as BidHire.com (a new site designed specifically for services). Post your availability as a freelancer on Craigslist.com and browse local job listings on that site. The Internet has a multitude of ways to find buyers for your work.

If your writing tends to be book length, and you can’t find a traditional publisher for your work, try self-publishing via the Internet. In addition to the online presence of old-fashioned self-publishing houses, sites like Lulu.com help you put together, promote, and sell your self-published book or e-book. E-books can also be created using Adobe Acrobat and sold through your own personal blog or specialty sites related to the topic of your book. To increase sales, make your e-book as professional as possible, with well written text and a cover that does not look amateurish. Perhaps you can enlist a copy editor and a graphic designer who are willing to work on a commission of your sales. (Check your contacts on social network sites!) Knowing your target audience and marketing directly to them also helps sell e-books.

Remember that organizations that offer you help in publishing or marketing your work are providing you a service, so expect to pay for their assistance. Before you pay for any services up front, consider whether you are confident enough that your work will earn you enough to make up the costs. Start with sites that pay a small amount or charge only a sales commission before moving on to sites with a membership fee.

Freelance writing does involve taking some risks, especially when you first start. You may spend many hours writing on speculation, only to receive a series of rejections. Writing is a competitive field, and even excellent writers sometimes have difficulty finding the right market for their work. Nevertheless, the Internet truly has opened up a whole new world for writers. While traditional venues, such as short story magazines that provided the staple income for F. Scott Fitzgerald, are becoming difficult to enter, the world wide web allows more and more people to earn money with freelance writing. As you explore the sites mentioned here, you will gain experience and build your portfolio, making your services more valuable to potential customers both online and off.

Photo Credit – Chaparral [Kendra]

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How To Earn Money Online as a Freelance Writer

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Write To Sell.

Have you been submitting religiously, but still not getting many acceptances?

It happens to the best of us but there are some steps that you can take to up your chances of acceptance no matter what you write:

1. Keep An Idea Notebook

Many, but not all, writer’s have an idea notebook. A place to scribble random ideas that they may or may not use and different approaches they can take. Ideas can hit at any time of the day or night. You may not have your notebook with you all the time, but jot ideas down on whatever you can so that you don’t lose them. As soon as you are able, put those ideas into your notebook. This notebook will be a treasure-trove for future pieces. An idea you might not want to use today, might be most interesting to you in 6 months. Never brush off an idea.

2. Find A Market

So, you have your great idea and you want to get started on it right away. Stop! Are you sure that your idea has a place to go once it is finished? If you don’t already have one, now is the time to create a guidelines folder on your computer or in a binder. A place that is organized by genre, that you can refer to quickly when you need a market. Whenever you find a new market, whether you think it’s useful to you or not, save it. You just never know, and why waste time later trying to find it again? So, does your piece have a market? Two or three possibilities is even better, you need backups just in case. If you don’t have any markets on hand you have two options; spend time looking for some or decide on another idea.

3. The Query Option

Some markets require queries. Other will take submissions or queries. Querying is a handy time saver. If you plan to write a thousand piece article, but aren’t sure whether it will sell, you may prefer to query with your idea before investing a lot of time into research and writing. The shorter the piece your are writing (such as a filler) the less likely you need to query. Although your query must be good in order to catch the interest of the editor, it won’t take nearly as much time to write.

4. Write Your Best

This seems like an obvious thing to do, but with e-mail making it so easy to submit work, we’re often too quick with the finger and send off work that may not be our best. Treat every piece of work as if you can’t take it back, because you can’t. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Check for things like spelling, grammar and punctuation. Make the best impression you can on the editor. A good tip for self-editing is to write a piece and set it aside for a day or two and come back to it with fresh eyes. You see things a couple days later that you wouldn’t have noticed before, therefore leading to a better written piece.

Image By : © dabawenya © (believes in the power of smile…

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Write To Sell

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The Three Things You Must Have – Apart From Writing Skills – To Be Able To Sell More Of Your Work

Just imagine being able to write more, be more organised, sell more, break into more markets, and get your work seen by more people.

Well I am about to reveal to you the three things you must have to be able to achieve all this and more.

Good writing alone won’t allow you to achieve your best.

You could have some incredibly good ideas for articles, but in today’s market you need far more than that to really get the cash rolling in your direction.

Just think about how many writers (and would-be writers) are out there… and they are all competition for you.

Every single thing you can do to place yourself ahead of them has to be worth doing – and that’s where this article comes in.

But first of all, let me tell you how I discovered this three pronged attack method.

Over the years, I’ve read lots of books on writing – how to write, how to sell, how to write better, faster, easier… you know the kind of thing.

And after a while it became clear that all the people who continually sell lots of articles have one thing in common – a business point of view.

It didn’t matter whether they were full timers or part timers.

They all had a similar approach to their work, whether they realised it or not, and that’s what I am going to reveal to you below.

So check out these three vital skills, and put them into action today:

- have a good sales strategy in place. Know where you are going with your writing. Have say, half a dozen markets to aim for at a time. If you start looking at too many at once, you’ll water down your talent and be less successful. Organise your time and focus on each section of your strategy in turn.

- brush up on your marketing skills. Copywriter skills aren’t often connected with article writing – we tend to look on it as a different avenue of writing altogether. But a basic knowledge of it can boost our sales enormously

- work on having a positive state of mind, all the time. We all know what it’s like to have our work rejected. But it’s a fact that the more we write, and the more determined we are, the better we’ll get.

Apply these methods to your work from now on.

You’ll soon notice a difference in the amount of work you produce – and the amount of cash going into your bank account.

by Allison Whitehead

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The Three Things You Must Have – Apart From Writing Skills – To Be Able To Sell More Of Your Work

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How to Make Money from Your Writing Skills.

Writing is a pleasure and a passion and many enthusiastic writers would do it for free.

Unfortunately, free doesn’t pay the bills.

That’s why it’s so important that budding writers find markets for their work.

Online sites such as Associated Content and Constant Content are the answer for many, providing a supportive environment to develop writing talent while getting paid in the process.

But, there are a variety of other ways to market your writing if you’re willing to try new approaches.

Here are two, more unusual ways to make money by writing:

Market your writing : Write local restaurant reviews

If you enjoy writing and the pleasure of trying new foods, why not put your skills to work and make money at the same time by writing restaurant reviews ?

You could potentially market your restaurant reviews both locally and online.

Is there a local publication in your area that might publish your reviews on a weekly or monthly basis ?

Call your Chamber of Commerce and get a listing of all the local publications in your area.

Get the name of a contact person and see if they would be interested in having you write reviews of local restaurants for their publication.

You can also market restaurant reviews online by submitting them to Constant Content, Associated Content, and by setting up your own local restaurant review blog.

Once your blog is up and running, send out a press release to your local newspaper and other publications announcing your site.

If you live in a city of moderate size, you should be able to establish a regular readership for your reviews.

Be sure to include Google adsense ads on your blog to monetize your reviews.

Market your writing : Write personal ads for others

More and more people are looking for members of the opposite sex by searching online.

Unfortunately, very few know how to write a compelling personal ad.

You can fill this gap by writing an ad for them and charging a fee for your service.

When a prospect chooses to use your service, you would send them a brief questionnaire to get the information needed to write their personal ad.

You would then proceed to write a personal ad your customer can be proud of.

This business could be easily promoted online through online classifieds such as Craig’s List, by publishing a blog, as well as through participation in online dating forums with a signature line promoting your unique business.

This business would likely be well received since so many people have difficulty expressing themselves through writing.

Who knows ? Your ad may help to create an online match made in heaven.

To market your writing successfully, learn to think out-of-the-box a bit and consider both local and online markets for your writing skills.

By doing so, you can build a successful, long term business doing what you enjoy.

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How to Make Money from Your Writing Skills

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 Finding top-notch Freelancers is even easier with Guru.com’s new quality Rank.

Guru.com’s new quality Rank highlights Freelancers by the traits that are essential to you and your business..

To ensure that you connect with the best Freelancers for your business needs, Guru.com now ranks Freelancers using a quality score system that is unique to service websites.

This new system provides you with a true and clear valuation of the quality of Freelancer services.

Freelancers are now ranked by the same three components that traditional offline businesses use to gauge success :-

- The acquisition of new customers,

- Earnings from each customer, and

- The ability to keep customers over a long period of time.

The design of the new Rank calculation encourages and rewards Freelancers for submitting targeted proposals, providing first-rate comprehensive services, and retaining customers.

The previous ranking system positioned Freelancers based on subjective feedback and the amount of money earned over a 12-month period.

The new Rank better highlights quality Freelancers by eliminating subjective feedback from the calculation and focusing on objective business success factors.

You will still be able to review the feedback others have left for a Freelancer and leave feedback on Freelancers you have worked with, but it is no longer a component of how they are ranked.

Check out Guru.com for your freelancing needs.

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Guru.com – Find Quality Freelancers by Rank

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