How Do I Become a Freelance Writer

Exactly How Do I Become a Freelance Writer?

If you are already working a steady job, the best advice is to not quit your day job, literally. It takes a little time to get started in the freelance writing business because you'll need to collect some clips (published examples of your work) and establish a client base.

Get Clips

Unless you've already been working in the publishing business, it may be difficult to get those first freelance writing jobs. You may need to work for very little money or volunteer to write a few articles for your local or regional papers. Either way, once you have a few of these to show potential clients, you'll be well on your way to landing better paying freelance writing jobs.

Find Jobs

There are many places to find freelance writing jobs on the Internet. Many of the paid sites have higher paid positions, but those positions also require that you have a lot of experience first. In your first year of freelance writing, you can save a lot of membership fees by surfing the free job sites. Some of the more popular job bank sites are as follows:

• World Wide Work at Home
• Goliath Jobs
• Journalism Jobs
• Online Writing Jobs
• Pro Blogger

Check Out Potential Employers

Before you apply for a job, be sure to check with a few blacklist sites to make sure that the company you're applying to is legitimate. Writers should also see what the Web site they will be writing for looks like and what writing style they prefer.

Places to check out legitimate employers include the following:

• Better Business Bureau
• National Writer's Union
• Writer's Weekly

Apply for Jobs

When you're ready to apply for a job, have your resume ready. Most freelance jobs that can be found on the Internet require that you upload a resume formatted in Microsoft Word. They may also ask you to upload a cover letter describing your qualifications and why you are interested in the job.

The most important thing you can do as a writer seeking jobs is to apply for jobs as soon as you find them. This is a very competitive job market; the job you see posted in the morning may very well be gone in the afternoon.

Spread the Word

Once you've decided that you want to pursue a freelance writing career, you'll have to advertise your services. In order to do this, you should do the following to promote yourself:

• Create a Web site using your name as the domain name. Try to avoid using free Web hosting services for this. You want potential employers to be able to type www.yourname.com instead of trying to remember a more difficult one.
• Write blogs about your career and experiences. There's one catch though: make sure that you keep the really personal details about yourself out of the blog. It is also advisable to avoid slamming clients – the writing and publishing world is a close-knit community. Don't burn potential bridges down!
• Write comments in other people's blogs and provide links in your comments to your blog or Web site. This will help your ranking in the search engines.
• Use social networking Web sites such as Hub Pages and MySpace to promote yourself and your work.

Write Content

If you're still having trouble landing jobs, don't be discouraged. There are a few other ways to get writing clips and get your foot in the door. Try the following sites that will buy your writing as long as it meets certain standards:

• Associated Content
• Constant Content
• eHow

Using the above referenced tips should help you resolve your question, "How do I become a freelance writer?" As long as you have the desire to write, the money will follow.