When you start most careers, you find a job that offers a nice salary and hopefully a decent benefits package to boot. You know exactly what your income will be for your efforts, and this often takes a lot of the stress of starting a new job out of the equation. If you have decided to make a run at a career in freelance writing, however, you will find that this is generally not a salaried gig. You will get paid based on your efforts. First, though, you have to find someone willing to pay you for those efforts.
The good news is that there are a few different options available to you that can have you earning money as a freelance writer within just a few days. Here are some tips to get your career off to a profitable start:
Content and Article Services. There are several different websites online that serve as a liaison of sorts between clients who want your services and you. Each offers a different pay rate and has different expectations in terms of quality of work, so you will want to take a closer look at the options. Once you find one or several that you want to work with, you will then need to apply to write for them. Often, you will submit a quick online application and will have the ability to write a few articles initially. These articles generally need to be reviewed before you will be allowed to work on other articles. However, in most cases, the review process takes just a few days, and then you can often enjoy unlimited access to the work orders available through these sites.
Self-Publishing Articles. Another great way that you can start working as a freelance writer and getting paid for your efforts is by self-publishing your own articles. You can post articles on sites like Hub Pages, Yahoo! Voices, and other such sites. The payment options for these self-publishing sites will vary, and so you will want to review what those sites have to offer first before you start writing. Also, most of these self-publishing sites cater to a certain audience and expect a certain style or tone in writing, so this should be researched as well.
Selling Your Work. There are other sites, such as ConstantContent and others, that allow you to write your articles and sell the rights to those articles who want to buy them. Many of these sites allow you to set your own price, and this gives you greater control over your income. However, while some articles may be bought right away, others may await a buyer for months. However, another thing to keep in mind with these sites is that often you can control the rights you sell, so it is possible to sell usage rights but not full rights. This allows you to sell the same article over and over again and maximize your income.
Many people who are interested in making a profitable start in their new career as a freelance writer will actually put each of these various options to use. Some may sit down to write and earn guaranteed income available through writing services websites and self-publishing articles, and then spend a portion of the day writing articles that will be sold for various rights, too. You can spend a full day writing for these sites each and every day, earning money as you go and never running out of work to do!
