Freelance Writing Tips
When it comes to Freelance Writing, we've been there, done that, now serving 101 tips in 21 categories ranging from Answer User Questions about FreelanceWriting to Writing for a Web Site.
Pay to Publish or Perish? Finding Publishing Funds
While your parents love your college chapbook of poems, Mom and Dad probably can't give you carte blanche, or Visa, to publish your groundbreaking poetic epic about your childhood in Ecuador.
Do a Google search for "funds for writers" and you'll hit the mother lode of grants and awards. Also, go to your local community foundation and search their grants database. Your state or country offers fellowships and funding for the arts.
Talk to professors, critique group leaders, editors and writer friends. They may know someone who knows someone. Ask for letters of recommendation and support.
While you're searching, spend some time polishing. Grants usually require writing samples, so send your best work.
Poetry and fiction awards often feature publication (not to mention cash) as the prize. Get that short story collection or epic poem edited, vetted, rewritten, and printed or submitted electronically--while many contests still require a hard copy, some accept electronic submissions.
This way, Mom and Dad can save their money to buy copies of your brilliant literary work. Good luck.
The "Agora Model" for Online Business Success
Online businesses have tried all kinds of different business models in their search for success online.
Agora Publishing, instead of following typical online strategies, has instead followed a traditional, offline direct marketing approach. They don't stress over search engine optimization, but instead focus attention on building a house list of people they email to a size of over one million names.
Case studies have proved this method effective (one model produced over $100 million in sales last year alone).
Online Retirement Opportunity - Freelance Copywriting
It is becoming painfully clear that our pensions alone won't give us the glorious retirement years we have been hoping for. In fact, millions of Americans, Canadians, and Europeans are now facing a retirement with no luxuries at all—just the bare minimum.
Is there a way to make things better? Absolutely. The key is to start saving with a second income, not a second job. Try a part-time source of income that will build you a nice nest egg before you retire, and will continue to generate income after you retire.
One of the very best second income generators is freelance copywriting. It doesn't matter where you are, what age you are or how 'educated' you are. Anyone with basic writing skills can do it. You just need to take the right copywriting course to get you started.
Your Mobile Office
Many freelance writers and copywriters enjoy the freedom of working from home and on the go. Do you have your mobile office set up so you can run your business efficiently from wherever you are? Can you send and receive faxes, collect phone messages, share information and updates, back up your work and keep in touch...wherever you are?
If you truly want to enjoy the freedom of being mobile, and work from anywhere, you need to pay attention to the fundamental communication and technology needs of seamlessly running your office while away from home or the office. Freelance writing jobs are out there waiting for you, but you need to be readily available to stay ahead of the competition. Here are just some of the factors to consider:
• Selecting the best laptop computer
• Phones, messaging and fax services
• Web services to manage your time, communications and accounting
• Internet connectivity options
• Fax-to-email services
How Much Do Copywriters Earn?
Interestingly, it is not necessarily the best copywriters who earn the most. It is the good copywriters who really know how to market their services well. Freelance copywriters can earn from $30,000 to $300,000 a year and over. The figure you earn will depend on a number of factors, including:
• How much experience do you have?
• How good are you ate marketing your services?
• What rates do you charge?
One essential resource when trying to estimate how much you should be earning each year, and how much you should charge per hour or per job is Chris Marlow's 2005 Freelance Copywriter Fee & Compensation Survey.
This survey tells you how much freelance copywriters earn in a year, how they estimate for their work, and how much they charge for a variety of different writing jobs both offline and on the web.
Freelance Copywriting Rates and Fees
Whether you are new to freelance copywriting, or an old hand, you need to know how much to estimate for copywriting jobs. If you estimate too high, you may lose the job to someone else. And, if you estimate too low, you'll be leaving money on the table and may do your reputation some damage at the same time.
So, how do you KNOW how much to charge? You can ask around and check with other copywriters. But your best bet, however, is to get a current copy of “The Freelance Copywriter Fee & Compensation Survey”.
This survey tells you how much freelance copywriters earn in a year, how they estimate for their work, and how much they charge for a variety of different writing jobs (offline and on the web). This is an essential resource for anyone who needs to know current freelance copywriting rates.
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