Resources for Freelance Writers

Writing for the love of it can be rewarding. But getting paid for it—better yet, getting paid well for it—can turn your writing into a lucrative sideline or a successful fulltime freelance career.

When I launched my business in January 1997, I did so without any help. I had no journalism background, no clients, no connections in the publishing world, and a portfolio that contained only two clips.

I made every mistake possible. I wrote articles and sent them instead of sending queries. I took what was offered by editors without asking for more money. I signed contracts without negotiating. I wrote for markets once instead of developing relationships. The list goes on…and on…and on.

But I learned. And along the way, I started teaching writing classes and speaking at writer’s conferences, and discovered that my approach to my writing career differed radically from most freelancers. I focused on the business and marketing side of my business as much as I did my writing itself.

Books

While looking for ways to write more efficiently, I developed several writing specialties. That led to my first book, Ready, Aim, Specialize! How to Create your Writing Specialty and Make More Money (The Writer Books, 2003.) Ready, Aim, Specialize shows freelancers how to set themselves apart and make more money by creating writing niches for themselves. It also includes advice from 56 successful freelancers about breaking into the ten hottest writing specialties as well as hundreds of helpful resources for writers.

My sixth year of freelancing, I reached another long-term goal—cracking the six-figure mark. That experience, along with discussions with other six-figure freelancers, led to my next book on successful writing careers, Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer’s Guide to Making More Money (Random House, 2005). Six-Figure Freelancing shows readers how to take a business-like approach to their writing careers, identify ways to produce more work in less time, and create and maintain relationships with clients and colleagues.

If you’re a writer, sign up for my free monthly newsletter, Writer’s Gear, which provides advice, encouragement and inspiration to writers. Go to our Newsletter page to review the previous issues and, if you like what you see, sign up.

Articles

If you’re looking for more tips on writing, check out these links to my articles that have been published online:

Get the scoop on six-figure freelancing techniques at Seven Secrets of Six-Figure Freelancers
Confused about taxes and freelancing? Read Business vs. Hobby
Learn how to crack this lucrative market in Writing for Businesses and Corporations
Ready to pitch your first novel? How to Make the Perfect Pitch
Want to make more money as a freelancer? Read: Dollar dynamics
Learn how to avoid the most common magazine writer mistakes: The Top Ten Mistakes Magazine Writers Make
Improve your queries with 10 proven techniques in Crack the Nationals
Get into one of the hottest subject areas by writing about health and fitness. Find out how in Pump up your sales
Learn how to write quizzes for magazine, newspaper, and web articles: Five Steps to Writing Great Quizzes
Think you'd like to specialize and make more money? Read Narrow Your Focus to learn how
Maximize your sales by selling articles more than once; read One Article, More than One Paycheck
Written a novel and now looking for an agent or publisher? Learn how to Make the Perfect Pitch: The Novel Query
Learn how to set goals for your freelance career in this interview with Kelly James-Enger

Consulting Services Available

If you are looking for a collaborative partner on your way to writing success, review our consulting services or contact us.

"If you want to make a living as a writer, forget about writing what you want. Look for what editors and clients want—and then deliver it."

"I don’t think of myself as a writer who wants to make money. I think of myself as a self-employed businessperson first, a writer second. That’s the mindset you need to succeed in this competitive business."

"To make a living as a freelancer, you don’t have to be a fantastic writer. You do have to have a business mindset, efficient work habits, and the ability to create relationships with people."

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	Resources for Freelance Writers
	Writing for the love of it can be rewarding. But getting paid for it—better yet, getting paid well for it—can turn your writing into a lucrative sideline or a successful fulltime freelance career. When I launched my business in January 1997, I did so without any help. I had no journalism background, no clients, no connections in the publishing world, and a portfolio that contained only two clips. I made every mistake possible. I wrote articles and sent them instead of sending queries. I took what was offered by editors without asking for more money. I signed contracts without negotiating. I wrote for markets once instead of developing relationships. The list goes on…and on…and on. But I learned. And along the way, I started teaching writing classes and speaking at writer’s conferences, and discovered that my approach to my writing career differed radically from most freelancers. I focused on the business and marketing side of my business as much as I did my writing itself. Books While looking for ways to write more efficiently, I developed several writing specialties. That led to my first book, Ready, Aim, Specialize! How to Create your Writing Specialty and Make More Money (The Writer Books, 2003.) Ready, Aim, Specialize shows freelancers how to set themselves apart and make more money by creating writing niches for themselves. It also includes advice from 56 successful freelancers about breaking into the ten hottest writing specialties as well as hundreds of helpful resources for writers. My sixth year of freelancing, I reached another long-term goal—cracking the six-figure mark. That experience, along with discussions with other six-figure freelancers, led to my next book on successful writing careers, Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer’s Guide to Making More Money (Random House, 2005). Six-Figure Freelancing shows readers how to take a business-like approach to their writing careers, identify ways to produce more work in less time, and create and maintain relationships with clients and colleagues. Newsletter If you’re a writer, sign up for my free monthly newsletter, Writer’s Gear, which provides advice, encouragement and inspiration to writers. Go to our Newsletter page to review the previous issues and, if you like what you see, sign up. Articles If you’re looking for more tips on writing, check out these links to my articles that have been published online: Get the scoop on six-figure freelancing techniques at Seven Secrets of Six-Figure Freelancers Confused about taxes and freelancing? Read Business vs. Hobby Learn how to crack this lucrative market in Writing for Businesses and Corporations Ready to pitch your first novel? How to Make the Perfect Pitch Want to make more money as a freelancer? Read: Dollar dynamics Learn how to avoid the most common magazine writer mistakes: The Top Ten Mistakes Magazine Writers Make Improve your queries with 10 proven techniques in Crack the Nationals Get into one of the hottest subject areas by writing about health and fitness. Find out how in Pump up your sales Learn how to write quizzes for magazine, newspaper, and web articles: Five Steps to Writing Great Quizzes Think you'd like to specialize and make more money? Read Narrow Your Focus to learn how Maximize your sales by selling articles more than once; read One Article, More than One Paycheck Written a novel and now looking for an agent or publisher? Learn how to Make the Perfect Pitch: The Novel Query Learn how to set goals for your freelance career in this interview with Kelly James-Enger Consulting Services Available If you are looking for a collaborative partner on your way to writing success, review our consulting services or contact us.	"If you want to make a living as a writer, forget about writing what you want. Look for what editors and clients want—and then deliver it." "I don’t think of myself as a writer who wants to make money. I think of myself as a self-employed businessperson first, a writer second. That’s the mindset you need to succeed in this competitive business." "To make a living as a freelancer, you don’t have to be a fantastic writer. You do have to have a business mindset, efficient work habits, and the ability to create relationships with people."
Email kelly@becomebodywise.com or call 630.795.1288