So You Want to Become a Freelance Writer? Part 4: Advice from the Pros
May 31, 2008 by Lillie
Table of contents for So You Want to Become a Freelance Writer
- So You Want to Become a Freelance Writer? Part 1: Learning about the Business
- So You Want to Become a Freelance Writer? Part 2: Choosing What You will Do
- So You Want to Become a Freelance Writer? Part 3: Finding Gigs
- So You Want to Become a Freelance Writer? Part 4: Advice from the Pros
In this final installment in the freelance writing series, you’ll find lots of advice from freelance writing pros.
Getting Started
How I Launched My Freelance Writing Career - These are the steps that Melissa Donovan followed to start her business.
Make Money from Writing - Debbie Dragon offers freelance writing advice. You have to give your name and e-mail address, and you will receive e-mails that include solicitations for her coaching service along with some good advice.
Going freelance in a down economy - Susan Johnston tells why she chose to start her freelance business during a slow economy and why it might be the best time to go freelance.
Putting a Price on Your Capabilities: How to Set Your Fees as a Freelance Writer – This advice from Debra Jason will help you set your fees for freelance writing.
Building Your Business
Five Paramount Principles for Freelance Writing Success - Bob Younce reminds us that freelance writing is a business and shares five principles essential to success.
Five Step Plan for Setting and Achieving Goals for Your Freelance Writing Career - This plan from Jennifer Mattern gives you an outline to build your business.
Tips for Slowly Building a Freelance Writing Career - Chris Bibey reminds us that business growth doesn’t have to be fast and furious.
Learn from the Best
Top 10 Blogs for Writers 2007/2008 – The list of winners in Michael Stelzner’s second annual contest includes some blogs not listed elsewhere in this series.
Top 60 Blogs for Freelance Writers - The category divisions in this list of 60 blogs compiled by Chad will lead to blogs in your specialty.
Promoting Your Business
Why Every Freelance Writer Must Have a Blog - Ashwin explains why freelancers need to have blogs.
Setting up a Website or Blog: My Favorite Resources - Jennifer Mattern and I share only one favorite resource – WordPress – but the resources she recommends may be perfect for your needs.
5 Tips for Marketing Your Freelance Writing Business - Colin Galbraith offers marketing advice for freelancers.
10 Ways to Promote Your Freelance Writing – These tips from Michelle Vranizan Rafter are covered in other articles listed here but are organized into a single neat list.
Ways to Market and Promote Yourself and Your Writing - Look through this collection of articles at About.com: Freelance Writing for articles of interest to you.
Paying Taxes as a Freelancer (added 6/4/08 as a result of a question in comments from Renae):
Taxes and Freelancing – Tax professional William Perez gives advice on taxes in a series of five articles
If you’re a beginning freelance writer, I hope you have found this series helpful. If you’re an experienced freelancer, please share your advice or links to other resources in comments.
Great resources! Thanks for sharing
This is a great list to help even more. What better way to learn than from the pros who are doing what us aspiring writers want to be, making it on their own.
Diane Brunners last blog post..Friendship – Short Story Part 3
So much advice here, what a great resource. Thanks for putting this all in one place for me to bookmark.
Writing Contents last blog post..By: Friendly SEO Competition Heats Up – Internet Marketing in 10 Minutes
Hi, this is a great article with lots of valuable links. There are a lot of resources for freelance writers out there, but this is short, sweet and useful — you’ve done half the work for us by putting all these great links into one blog post. Thanks!
if only i could just get past the ‘just starting’ phase >_<
excellent resource. One of the hardest aspects of freelance writing is setting your own fees. Most writers put too low a monetary value on their own work.
I just stumbled across this series, and boy, I’m glad I did!
Thanks for compiling all this information. It has definitely been helpful.
These are GREAT links. I’ve seen some of them, but not all, so thanks!
–Debs last blog post..MM: Colonoscopy
Thanks for the info. I have done freelancing now for a couple of years, and one thing I have found to be important is consistency and dedication. It is not easy, but it is very rewarding, and your advice is excellent. Thank you.
Hi Lillie! I’m away from home this week, and have missed some of your posts. I only have a quick minute now, but I have a question. Have you posted about filing taxes as a freelancer? This is the first year I’ve gotten paid any amount worth filing. Before ‘08, I was a SAHM and the few dollars I got was lost in the tax shuffle; I’m not sure I even reported it – don’t remember, but I doubt they will arrest me for the price of a Big Mac, LOL! But this year, I need to keep better records. Can you direct me?
thanks a ton – this is a great list, especially for me the newbie on the block
This whole series is packed with great information thanks.
In the article by Melissa Donovan, she mentions craigslist as a way to build clientèle. I hadn’t really thought of that. The one by Debra Jason also has some great information in it. Thanks again!
Fabulous series, Lillie! Chock-full of resources for the aspiring freelance writer!
Jeanne
That’s great, Lillie! It’s always rewarding to get a good response from our target audience–especially when a significant portion of that audience consists of new readers. (Forgot to nest this comment. Sorry! Tried to delete it so I could nest it, but didn’t seem to be able to.)
Certainly many great points and ideas here. Thanks for all of the resources!
Thanks very much for posting this, it is a great resource. Certainly details everything you need to get started. I am looking forward to making the leap into the world of freelance writing.
I checked out your resources, they are excellent! Thanks for posting.
I recently investigated going freelance and checked out some of the freelancer websites. I couldn’t compete with the prices that writers from some countries were charging. Any advice?
I think one of the best resources you pointed out is taxes and freelancing — because a lot of beginning freelancers don’t realize that freelance income is taxable income. Thanks for all the links, this is one packed blog post that helps a lot.
This is an excellent list, thank you! I’m off to check out some of these resources now!
Deb,
I’m glad you found the list helpful.
Thanks for the link love! I think it’s important for established freelancers to help people who’d like to give freelancing a try and this post does just that
Melissa,
You’re welcome. Your advice is valuable for beginning freelancers.
Wow, Thanks a million for that link, Lillie. I know I might be too late in thanking you, but I didn’t even check. I came back and logged in after a long time to see that you gave me some link love.
Well, my actual blog vanished one day( the database went kaput).
I’ll be starting all over again
Ash
Ashwin´s last blog post..Auditor: IRS doesn’t check cyberaudit logs
Ashwin,
That just shows you need to visit my blog more often.
Sorry to hear about your database crash. I’m glad the link to the article still works—it’s a helpful article.
Some great tips here. I think with the advancement of blogs, it is making writing more accessible to people which is always a good thing.
Jenny,
You’re probably right that blogging makes writing accessible to more people. Not all bloggers take writing seriously—some think that grammar, spelling, and punctuation aren’t important and that it doesn’t matter how they express themselves. Hopefully, that is changing as blogging matures and bloggers will realize that they communicate better when they do more than just type out whatever they’re thinking without attention to mechanics and style.
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