{"id":8201,"date":"2022-03-15T12:47:50","date_gmt":"2022-03-15T19:47:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/?p=8201"},"modified":"2022-03-15T12:54:39","modified_gmt":"2022-03-15T19:54:39","slug":"how-i-landed-my-first-paid-publication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freedomwithwriting.com\/freedom\/case-studies\/how-i-landed-my-first-paid-publication\/","title":{"rendered":"How I Landed My First Paid Publication (Without a Portfolio)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Kyle Geoffrey Uy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFreelance writing is something anyone can do\u201d, said freelance writer Ian Chandler in his webinar. As someone just starting out, those words gave me hope. I didn\u2019t know anything about where to begin, so I watched this free webinar to learn more. The knowledge Ian gave us viewers paved the way to landing my first paid gig. I had no portfolio, and I had never been paid for writing. If you\u2019re someone in the same situation, you can definitely score a first paid gig too. This is how I got mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Online Publications<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The webinar included a PDF called \u201cThe Paid Publishing Guidebook\u201d. This e-book is a directory of online publications that pay for articles. Ian\u2019s advice for beginners was to look for online publications, pitch them an article idea, and see if they want to work with you. I searched the e-book for websites that covered my interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 I spotted geeknative.com–a website for table-top game resources and news. I am an avid table-top gamer myself and I had an idea for an article. I found the email address for the editors and sent them a pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Pitch<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Good day Geek Native,

I have an article idea I know readers of your blog will love, and I\u2019d be honored if you\u2019d consider it for publication on your website.<\/p>


My 750-word article \u201cThe Fundamentals of Being A Dungeon Master\u201d will discuss tips for beginning DMs who may feel overwhelmed when running a quest for the first time. I will detail the core fundamentals of a quest that the DM should focus on to keep the game fun and flowing for all players without having to worry about everything the in the Player’s Handbook or Dungeon Master’s Guide.

A little about me: My name is Kyle Uy. I\u2019m from a small town outside of San Francisco. I’m a huge fan of Dungeons and Dragons and 90% of my experience with the game over the last five years has been as the Dungeon Master. I thoroughly enjoy the storytelling and imaginative process that is Dungeons and Dragons. I hope to share knowledge and help anyone I can with the understanding of the game so they can share in that passion too.

I can have this article ready by June 5th. Does that sound good to you?

Thank you again for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Kyle Uy<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Geek Native<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the editors for geeknative.com emailed me the next day. He said he would commission my article at $0.08 a word at a maximum of 1000 words for a total of $80 (a little less after some fees). Included in their offer were some questions about advertising, an agreement that payment would be through Paypal, and an extension on the deadline to June 10th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With those terms settled, I started writing the article. This was my first writing assignment since my thesis in college three years ago. I could feel the rust as I scrapped together my first draft. I keep a blog, but again, I\u2019ve never been paid to write. I wondered if the editors would read my submission, deem it unworthy of publication, and then cancel our agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, I was fueled with excitement for writing about Dungeons and Dragons. I was a happy geek, typing away at his computer about something I really enjoyed. On June 10th<\/sup>, I submitted my 1000-word article and I received my payment. The article was published on the website a few days later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Fundamentals of Being a Dungeon Master<\/a><\/blockquote>