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Freelance Writing on the Interne
by Mridu Khullar

So, you’ve decided to take up a freelancing career in writing. You’ve hooked up the computer, installed the printer, and learnt the nitty-gritty of your word processor. You’ve maybe even got published a couple of times. You’re all set to conquer the online world of publishing. But wait. Do you know all the options available to you?

We’ve compiled a list of all the jobs a freelance writer can find on the Internet to keep the cash inflow steady:

Magazines

Most of the freelancing industry focuses on magazines, so let’s start there. You’ll find magazines on every topic imaginable. From teen issues to running, you’ll find at least one magazine to fit in your interests. While magazine publishing is huge and widespread, don’t try to get published everywhere at once. Find a few niche topics and start your way up from there. As your expertise and interests grow, branch out to other magazines as well. Topics most writers start out with include health and nutrition, computers, parenting, teens, relationships, disability, travel, etc.

Fillers in Magazines and Newspapers

Not all writers make it to the cover pages of magazines. At least not at first. In the beginning, you might just have to make do with fillers. And they pay as much as they’re fun to do. Jokes, opinion pieces, short lists, news items and other short pieces are termed fillers. Editors are always on the lookout for good fillers, so you stand a good chance of breaking through. Another great area to break into the industry.

Greeting Cards

With e-cards, paper greeting cards seem to have taken a backseat. Nevertheless, the sale of paper cards is still ongoing and they are still preferred when it comes to relatives, long-lost friends or special occasions. Despite popular myths, greeting card markets are not as easy to break into as they seem, can take a long time to respond and an even longer time to get your card into print. The upside is that greeting card markets pay extremely well for short writing. So when you need to take a break from the regular work, dip your fingers into the greeting card pool.

Doormats, Magnets, Bumper Stickers, T-shirts Etc.

If you’ve wondered how those words made it to t-shirts, stickers, doormats and magnets, think no more. Freelance writers are often required to write the slogans for such material and are paid quite well for it. If you have the ability to coin a catchy or humorous one-liner, this could be your shot to riches. You won’t get a byline, and certainly no fame, but you could be earning up to $50 per word!

Posters

They’re up in your room, you’ve seen them in your friend’s office, and you often find a funny one at the fast-food place down the street. Someone must have written them. Why not you? A lot of companies sell posters and generate handsome sales from them. In fact, writers of posters are usually paid in royalties, that is, by the number of posters sold. So, instead of being paid one-time, you’ll be paid over and over again for something you wrote years ago.

Resumes

Practically every one needs a resume (yes, even us freelance writers). Some people write them up themselves, some prefer to take the help of professionals. Write up a resume for a friend or two at work (even if she doesn’t need one!) as samples and respond to advertisements and calls for resume writers. Keep in mind though, that resume writing isn’t your regular every day writing. You’re not supposed to decorate the page with flowery prose or funny anecdotes. You need to be professional, crisp and attention-grabbing. Practice with a few fake ones, and you’ll soon be on your way.

Advertising

Advertisers need writers, commonly known as copywriters. They’re the flesh and blood of the campaign. Getting into advertising can be a tricky business, but with a few credentials and a polished resume, you’ll have no trouble at all showcasing your talent to the world. If you are indeed good at what you do, advertisers will line up to get you to work for them. If you prefer not to work for someone, you could set up your own copywriting business and promote it to get clients.

Website Copy

With the Internet revolution finally having realized in its full form, small and big companies alike are looking for writers to write content for their websites. Not only do these companies pay well, but they also give the writer a much-desired break. If you’ve written website copy, you’ll have no trouble finding more assignments of the same kind. Simply guide the prospective client to the website and he’ll know what kind of work he can expect from you. Aim for start-up companies at first. They’ll usually hand over the whole work to you and you can make a great portfolio.

Ebooks

E-books are not here to replace print books. They’re here to provide an alternative resource for distribution. However, most ebooks as opposed to print books are short, contain lots of web links and usually provide answers to a customers immediate needs. They can be downloaded off the Internet in seconds, and you can profit from a single ebook long after you’ve written it. Don’t get fooled though -- writing ebooks takes just as much time and dedication as writing print ones. It’s only the mode of delivery that’s different.

Ezines

Online newsletters, or ezines as they are frequently called, are becoming the rage of the publishing industry. Many of these ezines are paying markets and run regular features and columns. Many of them have associated websites too. While the pay in this market is less, you’ll be writing shorter articles in much less time.

Newspapers

Generally, when we think of newspapers, we think news. News reports, latest happenings and current events are what rule the day. But newspapers hold a lot more information than that. With regular columns, reviews and updates, latest findings, and point-of-view articles, newspapers are the writer’s best bet. And if you’ve gained entry into one section of the newspaper, the other sections of writing open up to you automatically. Though slow on the income, getting published in your local daily is still a major ego-booster!

Newsletters

There are many households and small companies that publish newsletters. And all the more are springing up each day. These newsletters are a great way to break into freelancing and gather clips. Their requirements are not as tough to meet as those of magazines and most editors are quite quick in their responses. To add to that, some newsletters also pay quite well, sometimes almost as much as small magazines.

Ghostwriting

If it’s the fame you’re after, you won’t get it here. But you can earn a decent amount of money ghostwriting memoirs, books or even articles for people who don’t want to or can’t write themselves. Ghostwriters are quite in demand today with more and more people trying to preserve their family history by getting memoirs or biographies written. However, apart from the money, there’s nothing else. You don’t get the credit, the fame or even the byline.

The prospects for writers today are immense provided you’re ready to experiment in different areas. The Internet has made it easier than ever to find writing assignments not only in your own country, but around the world. A simple email is all it takes to apply for a job and send in the assignment.

It’s easy for a freelance writer to get stuck doing the same old thing over and over. It’s not only fun, but sometimes necessary to introduce a little spice into your writing routine. If you’ve been writing articles all your life, try doing some greeting card writing instead. If the money is slow, and you could really use some extra money, apply for a resume writer job (freelance of course!). If the book manuscripts are lying unsold, try selling short stories for a change.

With a little variation now and then, you’ll not only find your income shooting up, but also your inspiration. So next time you find yourself waiting for word on that manuscript, send out a few short pieces instead. It’ll definitely be worth the effort.

Copyright © 2003 Mridu Khullar

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