Becoming a freelance writer is now the socially acceptable thing to do. Whereas a decade ago, it was either seen as the preserve of the middle classes and academics, now with the advent of several large freelance websites it has never been so easy to:
Like everything in life when you are first starting out the process can seem a little daunting; a little fuzzy which is why I have chosen to put together this step by step guide to help out of the starting blocks:
Before you start your first Google search you should decide how much time you realistically have to work each week. Is this a full time career? Or a part time top up? You need to factor in the total amount of time that you will need not only to do your writing but also applying for work, and general marketing activities.
Before you all start screaming, “At home, stupid!” You need to think about “exactly” where you are going to work. If you have a young family then you will need to set up your laptop where you can be distraction free. It is one thing doing some light admin or marketing duties with the kids crashing their toys into the furniture, but writing assignments is a totally different matter.
I would advise anyone starting totally from scratch to start with the big online agencies. Yes, at times it can feel like a cattle market but there is something to be said about safety in numbers and once you enter the fray and start hustling you will quickly get the hang of it. Don’t be shy. Place as many bids as you are able to.
I know that you want to make money, but in order to make money you first have to get work. The downside of these big sites is that there are dozens of people applying for one post and many are willing to work for peanuts. You don’t have to go that far, but if you are to stand any realistic chance of getting work you need to bear this in mind.
There are several general courtesies that you should follow when you get awarded work:
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