The Write Way.

Make a note of these six helpful job and market resources for freelance writers as the economy perks up and work becomes more available. Whether you’re an aspiring writer or a seasoned pro – this half dozen excellent market lists can boost your career.

1. Writing for dollars – They have an archive of ten years worth of tip-filled articles. Some are dated, but many stand up to time passing. The site and newsletter are free. There’s a perk for new subscribers. They have a searchable paying markets database.
2. Worldwide Markets database - This is weekly and free. Sample available. You’ll get a pretty good free perk for subscribing. My suscription confirmation took 15 min and the free perk didn’t arrive for quite some time, but I think that’s a function of it being a fairly large, popular site
3. Accentuate Writers’ Forum -  seems on the level and has good discussions with pros and cons of markets you might want to pitch. I trolled around a bit and found a listing of off the beaten path paying publications. They seem to be mostly posted by one user who should be finding a way to monetize her diligence. Michelle L Devon (Michy)
4. Michelle Devon seems to own the one above. Not all of her market info is exactly correct, so do some checking before you rely on it. But she’s got a good resource for writers here. If you’re in to community – this is it. Objection – hey assign you a password. That’s somewhat inconvenient.
5. At WritersWeekly, you can find books and courses, articles, warnings, markets, job postings, a forum. The owner, Angela Hoy, is the queen of the freelance writing niche online. I think she blogged before there was any such thing. This site is worth a visit and a subscription, without a doubt.
6. University of Illinois at Chicago Writing Series. Check this out for online and on campus courses and seminars. Non credit. Cost ranges from free to over $500. Certification maybe offered in some areas. I took their entire not-for-profit management series a few years ago – online. It was extremely well run and packed full of information I still use.

There are two ways you can empower other writers with this information if it seems worthwhile to you. Share it by tweeting or Facebooking this page, and comment below with some resources you’ve checked out – good or bad.

Here’s some more:

Break into freelance travel writing for money

Writers Journal a perfect place for new writers

Earn $30K from your blog

Earn $30,000 daily from your blog. $30K from blogging? Well, Darren Rouse, the world’s most prolific blogger, says you can. Who’s going to argue with him? If you can manage to parley your blog into $30K a year, you should absolutely quit your day job and make your fortune with your imagination, but I’m not sure it will be in blogging.

Darren says you have to specialize. yeah. We know. Focus. OK, done. He says diversify – add revenue streams from different sources – at $80 some a day, you’ll hit $30 thousand a year. So you put up Googlee adsense, other click through ads, Amazon links, other affiliate programs and so on and so on.

I just took down Google adsense – I didn’t score a nickle in a year. Most bloggers will tell you adsense doesn’t bring in enough money to sneeze at unless you happen to be a content farm with tons of unique visitors.

Amazon – sure. I like Amazon. $30,000? Don’t think so.

Your own ebooks – another suggestion from Darren’s list.  Well, if you do some research, you’ll find many experts saying it’s highly unlikely that you will sell ebooks off a blog or personal website. I happen to have some consistent sales of mine off this site, OnText. Darren says you can do it. Try it.

And the list goes on. But, of course, the key is, as it has always been, developing a niche, developing outstanding content, and promoting the site effectively. It’s a full-time++ job to make a blog pay off. You can do it from home – working from home is an enviable situation. But you will work – make no mistake.

I think, if you are a capable writer, and want to spend a ton of time working, put your effort into submitting to regional and area-wide magazines and newspapers. Nationals are good, too, if you have a platform – like a well-established blog, perhaps. Have a look at Darren’s blog and see if his plan suits you. Good luck with it. Let me know how you do.

Want to read more?

Explore the OnText website – a resource for writers.

Writing for content mills - money there?

Make real money as a freelance writer

If you write, the following resources are some you should be following or reading. these are professionals who know the business of books, publishing, and writing. They have much to say of value to writers, freelancers, copywriters, copyeditors and anyone smithing words.

Marcela Landres, former editor Simon and Schuster

Men with Pens - not men at all, for some reason it’s a woman with a pen, well worth reading and outed recently as being a women *shrug*. Subscribe to the blog.

10 universities that offer FREE writing courses online – check it out.

GrammarGirl - I enjoy her podcasts. Quick, pithy grammar tips.

Chip MacGregor – Agent and writing guru -not always right, but always interesting.

Publisher’s Weekly Newsletter – all about what’s up in the book world

WritersWrite – one of the oldest around and worth a look. Good market leads for magazine and copy writers.

Follow on Twitter:

WolfsonLiterary

mkpelland

InkyElbows

EditorMark

Read More:

Need to write good press releases?

Turn down substandard pay

The digital world

This essential list is all the efficient freelance writer or editor might ever need to put together the best articles on the web or in print. These are sites used by professional writers for many years. See the links that are are long-time success makers. Whether you need a synonym, a definition, an interview source, an expert, or a new topic to write on – you’ll find them here. Browse government statistics. Learn about independent publishing. Get tips on writing for children. Bookmark this list in your favorites and never feel lost again.

www.writersmarket.com                 You can’t work without this 

http://www.writejobs.com/          Interesting site that sometimes produces real job leads 

www.asja.org                                        The association to aspire to 

http://www.gf.org/                          Possible funding for serious writers 

http://www.underdown.org/      If you write for children 

http://www.indiebound.org/      About independent publishing 

http://www.dailywriting.net/     Get a serving of inspiration for any day-one of my faves  (search for Heather Blakey and read about her) 

http://tinyurl.com/64dvc           Collection of resources, but not always up-to-date 

http://www.factmonster.com/      Dictionary, encyclopedia, fact finder 

http://tinyurl.com/5sa34              Thesaurus search from University of Chicago 

www.dictionary.com                         Quick and easy

http://www.fedstats.gov/               Federal statistics 

http://www.phrases.org.uk/          Phrases and their origins 

www.infoplease                            All the knowledge you need 

www.about.com                                  Experts compile mini-Webs here on any topic 

http://www.helpareporter.com/   Help a reporter out — be a source or find a source

The following article is written by an angry beginning writer who is bitching about the publishing industry. The writer wishes to become a highly paid freelancer. What would you advise this writer?

I just finished reading “Why freelance writers agree to work for almost no money,” and I couldn’t help but think, “Hey that’s me!”

The problem is that things aren’t really any better outside the web world.  I got front-page headline on an investigate (sic) report (900 word story)on home invasions (The ____ Record–location deleted) and the best they could offer me was 35$!

They claimed that the paper almost folded several times, readership is down, advertisement is not covering costs and they regularly pay their writers 25$ a story so I should be happy with what I got.  UGhhhhh!  Does that make sense or am I being taken for a ride?

I’m new to journalism (though I have been writing–yes, for free–for (website name deleted) for over a year now and have spent years working on novels/poetry/short stories of my own.

Also, I’ve recently had some fantastic scoops (and subsequent interviews) from within the music biz…and still I can barely get anyone to even look at my articles let alone buy them. I’m talking artists that played at The Newport Folk Fest, have their songs featured on t.v. episodes of well-watched programs–not my cousin’s garage band.

The hardest part is finding contact info, many music sites have a generic contact form that doesn’t allow you to reach a specific editor or attach any documents…how are you supposed to hook in the person with a simple pitch? I find you can’t fully appreciate that something is newsworthy unless you read it first…a pitch is just not enough to get past editors biases against the artist or the writer they’ve never heard of…

Also, many places don’t even give you an answer, they just don’t respond.  Is that proper in the business?  Is there no etiquette?

What kind of animals are we dealing with where a simple “No thanks, we’ll pass on the story,” is too much to ask?

Is it improper to write back with a request for a response or does that just make you look more desperate?

Are there “rules” and if so, what are they? I’m green, plain and simple, but very willing to work hard at learning the ropes.

Any words of advice to offer me on any of the issues I brought up?

Ok, readers – do you have advice? Do you concur? Do you disagree?

Here’s my response