Fab Freelance Writing Ezine
Publisher: Angela Booth.
Copyright 2006 Angela Booth
All rights reserved.
Blog: http://www.fabfreelancewriting.com/blog/
Site: http://www.fabfreelancewriting.com
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* Issue # 8
* Date: November 29, 2006
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Includes:
* Editorial: Get started as a freelance writer
* Freelance Writing Tip Of The Week: Write For Newspapers, the forgotten market
* Writing Resource: Freelance Writers' FAQ and more
* Article: Freelance Writing For Absolute Beginners - How To Get Started As A Freelancer
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** Need More Copywriting Clients? **
My "Special Report: How To Get Copywriting Clients" shows you exactly how you can get clients TODAY, with SEVEN vital methods. If you're a new copywriter, or are trying to build your copywriting business, you need this report. Format: electronic PDF, ten pages, available for instant download; readable on any computer.
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[Editorial] Get started as a freelancer
Hello Fellow Writer
This week's article " Freelance Writing For Absolute Beginners: How To Get Started As A Freelancer" is a response to the many email queries I get every year, asking me about writing for money. Now, instead of writing long email messages (or feeling guilty because I don't have the time to write a long screed), I can point all future correspondents to this issue of the ezine. :-)
The article is in two parts. The first part covers the absolute essential that you must be aware of - that people buy your words so that they can make money from them, and that you must negotiate to get higher pay. This seems self-evident, but from working with many new writers, I know that it's not.
Next week, I'll talk about modelling, which is a way of writing by deconstructing what's being published in your chosen market. Modelling works for writing anything: books, articles, business writing, copywriting - when you know how to model, you will know the form, and then you can write to that form.
Will you write fiction or nonfiction?
Start by asking yourself WHAT you want to write: fiction or nonfiction. There's no money in short stories, so if you're writing fiction, you'll be writing novels, or screenplays.
If your aim is nonfiction, the world, dear freelancer is wide. Nonfiction covers copywriting (writing for business), as well as writing for magazines, and writing for Web sites. It also covers writing nonfiction books.
As you grow and develop as a writer, your interests will change. I began my freelancing career almost 30 years ago writing romance novels. Then I wrote nonfiction books, articles for magazines, and began a copywriting services business.
I hope this week's article will help you to develop a long and satisfying freelance career.
Affectionately
Angela
P.S. In 2006, if I were starting out as a brand-new writer, I'd write a blog. See my Blogging For Dollars site at http://dollars2blog.com/ for all the information you need to start blogging. My ebook, "Blogging For Dollars: __How to become a career blogger -- in your PJs, if you want" at http://www.//Blog/blogging.html tells you everything you need to get started. Blogging is the fast-track to a lucrative freelance career.
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** Copywriting Success: Your Stepping Stone To A New Career **
Copywriters are in high demand. Develop a lucrative career with "First Steps in Your Copywriting Career: cash in on the demand for business writers" at
http:////page11/First%20steps/steps.html
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* Freelance Writing Tip Of The Week: Write For Newspapers
Newspapers are the forgotten market for many freelancers. This article "Newspapers: A Great Source of Freelance Opportunities" at http://www.writing-world.com/freelance/newspapers.shtml should inspire you to look at the newspapers delivered to your house as a source of income.
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* Writing Resource: Freelance Writers' FAQ and more
Marcia Yudkin is a highly respected freelancing colleague. Her Freelancers' FAQ has been around in some form for a decade or so. If you're a new freelancer, this is basic information you MUST know:
http://www.yudkin.com/flfaq.htm
Writing-Word.com has an extensive library of articles for new freelancers:
http://www.writing-world.com/freelance/index.shtml
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** How Do You Manage To Write So Much? **
At least a couple of times a week, I get an email message from a writer who wonders how and why I'm so prolific.
The answer is simple. I taught myself how to produce. You can do it too. In my new ebook, "Top 70 Writing Tips To Help You To Write More," you'll discover 70 ways in which you can write more, no matter who you are, or what your level of writing experience -
http:////Write-More/write-more.html
I've had great reviews of this ebook, and I'm thrilled that it helps other writers to make the most of their writing talents.
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* Article: Freelance Writing For Absolute Beginners - How To Get Started As A Freelancer; Part One
(c) Copyright 2006 Angela Booth. All Rights Reserved.
You're an aspiring writer. You have some writing skill and talent, and want to develop a writing career. Congratulations! I've been writing for money since the 1970s, and 2006 is a wonderful year to be a writer. You've truly got unlimited options and ways to make money writing.
In Part One of this article, I'll cover the fundamentals of freelance writing. Few writers give these fundamentals much consideration, and that leads to unnecessary hiccups in their writing career. Other writers breeze along quite happily, then suddenly smash up against one of the fundamentals, and because they're blissfully unaware, they proceed to destroy their career.
If you understand the fundamentals, these fundamentals form a basis for creativity, money, and confidence, because you will KNOW how freelance writing works, and you will understand how and why you get paid, and how to set your rates.
Next week, I'll cover "modelling" which is an easy way write as a freelancer. When you learn how to model, you'll be able to write anything, for anybody.
When You Write For Money, People Make Money From Your Words
Freelance writing is writing for money. And, when you write for money, your buyer makes money from your words. A book publisher publishes your book, and makes money from the book's sales. A magazine editor buys an article, and makes money from the advertising in the magazine. A creative director at an advertising agency hires you to write the copy for a brochure, and gets paid by the client, who uses the brochure to make sales and build his business.
The More Money Other People Make, The More You Make
The second fundamental is "the more other people make from your words, the more you make". (You'll need to negotiate for the higher pay, however.)
As a freelancer, you will soon learn that some markets are not markets for you, because they can't afford to pay you. You won't get upset that some magazines don't pay except in copies, and some business owners expect writers to write for $5 an article. You will understand that these people are not making a lot of money, so they can't afford you. This is not a problem, because there's no point in putting lipstick on a pig. You need to go where the money is, not where it isn't.
Money-Potential Check - Do It First
Therefore, before you consider writing for a venue, check to see where THEIR funding is coming from, because if they're not making money, neither will you. If you don't know, ask on a writer's forum. When you're writing for a magazine, for example, check the circulation, and the advertisers in the magazine. If it's a national magazine with a large circulation (over a million copies) and international companies advertise in the magazine, they should pay well.
If you're writing for your local newspaper, check the circulation figures, and the number and size of advertisements. Find out how much the newspaper charges for a half-page display ad. If the newspaper is making money from advertising, they can afford to pay you.
As a quick rule of thumb: if there are advertisements, the publisher can afford to pay writers. This applies to print media, and online - any Web site with advertising can and should pay their writers.
Follow The Money - Consider The Money FIRST
If you remember that "writing for money equals other people making money from your words", this will guide you in choosing markets to write for. For the first few years of my freelance career (admittedly this was the 1980s, long before the Web existed), I didn't make this connection. This meant that I signed contracts that weren't in my best interest.
If you remember this simple point, it puts you in a strong position. You can now assess markets so you know whether a publication is worth spending time on, and you can also negotiate from a strong position. For example, if a publication offers you a $50 all-rights deal, and you see advertisements from airlines and high-end clothing companies in the magazine, you can feel quite secure asking for $500 for First North American Serial Rights (FNSR) only. You may not get it, but you WILL get four and five times the original offer.
Negotiate: Get Assertive
Your ability to negotiate is a vital freelancing skill. If you're shy about negotiating, don't be. Editors expect you to haggle. The first offer you get is only a first offer. "Standard pay rate" is so much nonsense - I'll repeat what I just said, you're EXPECTED to haggle. Professional writers negotiate; new writers slave for low pay until they have a light-bulb moment, and then they negotiate.
So haggle. Always. Essentially haggling is just asking for more. When you start haggling with editors, you may feel like Oliver Twist, with a begging bowl and a "please, Sir", attitude. However, the more you do it, the more fun it will be. After a few years, you'll enjoy haggling.
So there you have it - the absolute fundamentals of freelance writing. You now know how to get started - how to find markets which will PAY you, and that you must NEGOTIATE a higher rate to get paid well. You can now write and sell with confidence.
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** Discover Blogging And Increase Your Freelance Income **
What's a blog? A blog is a fantastic way to make BIG money as a freelance writer. Find out how to blog with the blogging best-seller "Blogging For Dollars: How to become a career blogger -- in your PJs, if you want". It's my complete ebook package, with free coaching/ consultations as well.
Find out more at:
http://www.//Blog/blogging.html
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Get the latest freelance blogging news on Blogging For Dollars at:
http://www.dollars2blog.com/blog/
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YOUR PRIVACY
Your privacy is important. You've signed on for this ezine in good faith. Thank you. I will never betray your trust by making the subscriber list available to others.
Contact Angela at: angela.booth@gmail.com
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