Life of A Writer

Back when I first signed up for oDesk I didn't know if they'd really help me gain new clients, but today I'm happy to report that thanks to oDesk I've been able to increase my clients. Not only have I gained new clients through oDesk, but I've gained friendly clients who have been great to work for. The clients that oDesk has blessed me with have been very helpful and provide great instructions, and this, my fellow writer friends, is something we all want with clients.

I'm sure you're wondering how you, too, can increase your clients, and since I enjoy helping others, I'm going to share a few tips with you. These are the things I do to increase clients with oDesk. Remember, oDesk guarantees payment on all hourly jobs!

Seven Simple Ways to Increase Clients With oDesk

1. Check writing job listings daily. If you don't want to visit the oDesk site on a daily basis, you can subscribe to be notified of new listings via e-mail, or use the search feature on your left to search for the jobs you want, and then subscribe to the RSS feeds for each search you perform.

2. Apply for jobs that only pay by the hour. This guarantees that you'll be paid for your time and work.

3. Create and save a pre-written cover letter on your hard or flash drive. Then when you run across a writing job you want to apply for, edit your pre-written cover letter to match the writing job your applying for, and then follow oDesk's steps to submit that cover letter to the potential client.

4. Use your best clips on your oDesk profile,and update every so often with more recent clips.

5. Post your resume on your oDesk profile, along with any client testimonials.

6. Follow up with potential clients who requested an interview but never got back to you.

7. Take the free oDesk skills tests, and when you score high, make the results public so potential clients can see you really do have the experience you say you have.

Disadvantages

While oDesk has been making improvements, there are still a few things I believe they could improve. For one, if you're writing in Microsoft Word or researching (reading through information), the software that tracks providers' hours doesn't always log the time as "online." Instead, it logs it as "offline," and pay for "offline" time is not guaranteed. I guess it logs it as "offline" time because it considers you idle since you're just reading and not typing. That said, if oDesk could improve this, it would be great!

Finally, there's no guaranteed payment for fixed-price jobs. Personally, I don't understand how oDesk can guarantee their providers payment on hourly jobs and not fixed-price jobs. Although I'm already grateful to oDesk, they would earn my respect more if they'd change this policy.

Rest assured that this won't be my last post about my success with oDesk, because I plan to continue sharing my oDesk experience with you. To stay up-to-date with my oDesk experience, subscribe to my full RSS feeds or opt-in to receive free updates via e-mail.

Do you use oDesk to increase clients? Feel free to share your oDesk experience in the comments area.

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Blorge is seeking a content reviewer to review posts and make necessary corrections (pays $400 monthly).

Business writers needed to write research reports on the topics specified in their ad ($60 per report).

Established travel blogger wanted (pays $700 monthly).

Financial writer wanted to write articles on stocks (pays $8 per article).

Greeting card writers are needed to write verses for adults and children suffering with cancer (pays $75 per verse).

LifeNinjas.com is seeking writers to write on topics such as finding a job, professional strategies, money and personal finance, relationships, and apartment living ($20 to $30 per article).

Media Maxwell needs business bloggers/writers to write on topics related to running a small business and starting new companies (pays $20 to $100 per post).

Resume writers wanted (offers excellent pay if accepted).

The Committee to Protect Journalists needs an experienced copy editor for their books: Attacks on the Press (pays $28 an hour for up to 80 hours of work between mid-November and late December).

Wanted: Contract medical technical writers (pays up to $20 per hour).

Wanted: Writer to write a political-related article. The article will be published in the Think Weston Magazine. Deadline: October 11, 2008 (pays $.25 per word).

Wanted: Writer to write trivia questions and surveys. Writer must be a resident of Canada and knowledgeable about Canadian culture ($300 per month).

Recommended Reading to Help You Land One or More of the Freelance Writing Jobs Above

Punk Up Your Client Pitches from Amy Derby's Punk Duck Series.

Punk Up Your Job Applications. Another great article by Amy Derby, especially if you need a subject line that will draw attention to your pitch!

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Best Poker Site Reviews needs freelance article writers. (According to the statement on their website, they offer an excellent hourly rate. If you respond and discover differently, please contact me.)

Bright Hub is seeking writers for a variety of topics related to technology ($10 per article, plus revenue sharing).

Content needed for video game websites (requests that you send your bid).

College Living is seeking experienced writers for their magazine. (Pays anywhere from $15 to $80 per article, and if you've had work published in national and/or well known magazines, they'll pay you even more.)

Eco Fashion World needs freelance writers to compose articles with a minimum of 300 words for their new eco website (state your desired rate upon contact).

Nerdgrind.com needs a blog writer to write and post 20 or more articles per day for their Tech and Gadget News section (pays $1,500 per month via Paypal).

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Blownmortgage.com needs a blogger to write posts related to mortgage and finance ($300 monthly or $10-$20 per post).

Experienced financial writers are needed to write content for custom magazines ($.40 to $.50 per word).

Local St. Louis company needs a freelance writer to create blog posts, articles and other content. (Pays $840 with 50% of payment made 7 days in advance. If the client is satisfied with your work and the way you handle deadlines, more work will be offered at a great rates.)

New England Mamma is seeking mom writers/bloggers with a passion for New England and/or being a New England mother (Specify your rate in the cover letter).

Writer with experience writing description tags needed ($.10 per word)

Writers are needed to create content on health and wellness topics for custom magazines ($.40 to $.50 per word).

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A new regional wedding/marriage magazine needs articles related to weddings and/or marriage (pays $.15 per word upon publication).

Female writers wanted to write romance and dating articles for women ($30 per article).

SmartBrief needs a freelance writer who can create daily online business and finance news e-mail publications. Pay is competitive and includes stock options, 401(k) and 100% company-paid health care. Yes, this is a telecommute writing position.

The McLean Group is looking to hire a team of B2B freelance writers who can write articles covering business issues, industries and market segments (pays anywhere from $25 to $50 per hour).

The Personal News Network is looking for a gossip blogger. You must already have an existing gossip blog that is more than 60 days old and generates at least 10,000 visits a month (pays $500 a month minimum).

TSB Magazine is hiring men's interest writers ($10 and $30 per article via Paypal).

Writer to write audio content (home audio trends, home theater products, car audio trends, etc) (pays roughly $900 monthly).

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Creative Weblogging needs experienced car bloggers to write about 15 car articles per day. Before you apply, know that Creative Weblogging requires authors that have intricate knowledge of the UK car market (may be paid up to $11 per post, depending on qualifications).

iPhone/iPod Touch blogger needed for 20 to 30 postings a month ($400 per month).

East New York Preparatory Charter School is hiring a competent, talented writer to write their monthly newsletter ($200 to $250 per edition).

Freelance web writers wanted to write articles (300 to 500 words) on a variety of different topics ($10 per article).

How Stuff Works needs freelance writers with substantial knowledge and experience in the home and garden/do-it-yourself topics. (Pay rate is not stated, but I've heard that How Stuff Works pays fair rates and not slave rates. If you apply and find out they do pay slave wages, please leave a comment or contact me with their rates, because I don't list telecommute freelance writing jobs that pay slave wages.)

A marketing company needs an amazing sponorship writer to write business sponsorship proposals or marketing pieces ($350-$750).

For instant notification of my weekly telecommute freelance writing job listings, subscribe to my RSS feed or via e-mail; the subscription is free.

Articles to Help Increase Your Chances of Landing a Writing Job

Tips to Jump-Start Your Writing Portfolio
Responding to Freelance Writing Jobs

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In case you're wondering, I'm still alive and kicking. The Lord has blessed me so much this summer that I've been busy keeping those clients happy, and in the process, I've been unable to update this blog the last week or so. After all, we have to keep the clients happy, right?

Since this post is supposed to be a listing of the latest telecommute freelance writing jobs, I won't go into details about my many blessings. Don't worry, though, I plan to share them with you in an upcoming post entitled Summer Blessings, so keep watching Life of a Writer for that post, or subscribe to my RSS feed or via e-mail for immediate notification.

Enjoy the following list of telecommute freelance writing jobs, and may the Lord bless you as well!

Capitalist Banter needs a business/tech satire writer. If you're great at making up fake news, then you just may be the right candidate for this writing job. (Payment starts at $15 per article, with a $100 traffic bonus for the most popular article each month.)

Devlounge needs someone who can write PHP tutorials, tips and tricks on a weekly basis ($10 per post).

Editor needed for safety booklets ($50 per project).

Experienced writers are needed to blog about fashion and luxuary ($5 to $15 per article).

Flockey needs writers capable of writing quality tutorials about design, i.e. - Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator related ($20 for 500 or more words).

Funny, celebrity-obsessed blogger wanted (pay starts at $500 per month).

Media Maxwell Blog Network is looking for writers to blog about green living, social media, social responsibility, nonprofit charities, health, education and fitness ($20 to $100 per post).

Stock market/trade articles writer wanted (pays between $50 to $200 per article).

Quality Stocks needs a writer who has experience with financial markets to write articles on stocks ($8 per article).

For instant notification of my weekly telecommute freelance writing job listings, subscribe to my RSS feed or via e-mail; the subscription is free.

Previous Blog Posts to Help Increase Your Chances of Landing a Writing Job

How to Beat Out Your Competition With Your Past
Writing Tips: Impress Potential Clients

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Happy Wednesday! Following are a few telecommute freelance writing jobs for this week's listings. I know many of you get tired of seeing freelance writing jobs and blogging jobs from Craigslist for several reasons, so this week I've decided to share some leads from other sources that I use. There are still a few listings from Craigslist, but beginning today and continuing each week, I'll do my best to share telecommute freelance writing jobs from sources other than Craigslist.

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Just recently I signed up as an oDesk provider, and even though I haven't landed a writing job just yet, I had one interview last night. I understand that it may take a little time to land some new writing jobs because I've not been a member long, but so far, I love the system. In fact, the thing I love the most--other than it being free--is payment is guaranteed if I bid on the hourly jobs. All buyers must have a verified payment method before they can hire you. You'll also have to download the oDesk software that lets those who hire you track your hours and see that you truly are working on their project and not just surfing the web and charging them for it.

If you'd like to gain more writing jobs and not have to worry whether you'll get paid or not, sign up for oDesk today. Again, it's free to sign up. Furthermore, there's a great selection of choices for receiving payment (Paypal, direct deposit, oDesk debit card and more).

Do let me know if you sign up or are already a member.

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Good evening, friends! I hope your day has gone well and the rest of the evening continues to go well for you. Following are a few telecommute freelance writing jobs that I hope will make your evening even better. Good luck!

Bloggers and freelance writers to write articles related to the gaming industry and poker (Competitive with wages found at major blog and freelance networks such as Gawker Media and IDG).

Fashion writer to write catchy, informational and fun product descriptions ($10 to $15 per product description).

Freelance writers to write health stories for magazines ($.50 per word).

Howcast Media, Inc. needs writers to pen how-to guides on a wide variety of subjects (competitive salary, stock options and benefits package).

Personal News Network seeks a gossip columnist/editor to write entertaining news on everything celebrity, fashion and sex ($500 a month minimum and a share of ad revenues).

Seeking several content writers ($25 per hour).

Seeking writers to write general interest feature stories related to healthcare ($150 for each 1,500-word feature or $300 for each 3,000-word feature).

Tatiana's Travel Corner needs freelance travel writers to write general travel articles based on chosen topics and/or reviews of travel books ($150 per article and $100 per book review).

Are you looking to hire a writer or blogger? Contact me with the details and I'll include your job listing in next week's listings.

For instant notification of my weekly telecommute freelance writing job listings, subscribe to my RSS feed or via e-mail; the subscription is free.

Disclaimer: I can't guarantee that any of the telecommute freelance writing jobs listed above will still be available when you apply for them. Furthermore, I'm not responsible for the credibility of the freelance writing jobs. Before committing to any writing gig, get the details and promised payment in writing. If you can't get it in writing, at least save all e-mail communications between you and the company or individual you will be writing for.

If you're scammed or have been scammed by any of the companies or individuals from one of the telecommute freelance writing jobs above, please warn your fellow writers by sharing your experience in the comments area, which can be done anonymously.

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Since my weekly listings of telecommute freelance writing jobs weren’t generating comments, I wondered if y’all were actually viewing them. So, to find out if you wanted my weekly listings to continue, I ran a poll (results below). According to the poll, the majority of you want me to continue bringing you telecommute freelance writing jobs on a weekly basis. With that said, I’m bringing them back starting today. Please don’t be shy, though. Comment and let me know if my listings are helping you land new writing gigs. I love hearing about your success in the writing industry, especially when I was able to help in some way.

Without further ado, today’s telecommute freelance writing job listings follow. Enjoy and best of luck! …

Feature authors/contestants to create how-to craft videos and content with photos (winner receives a $300 beginning author contract and share of future sponsorship revenues).

Freelance reporter to cover business and technology news ($40-$60 for quick turnaround news stories).

OTR Global is seeking an investigative reporter for cyclicals and industrial markets (competitive pay and expense reimbursement).

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Blogger to write on wedding topics such as trendy wedding ideas, etiquette and tips ($10 per post).

Financial journalist to manage a new monthly newsletter ($1000 monthly).

Fishing Facts magazine accepting articles ($30 per published article. Pays on publication).

LoveToKnow needs a writer to create web articles related to home improvement and interior design ($20 per article).

Technology writers and bloggers wanted ($10 per post).

TV and movie bloggers (modest payment, which is open for discussion).

Writers to research and write on a variety of topics ($1000-$2000 monthly).

Writers to write about hair fashion and styling for a hair fashion website (Send your desired compensation).

Writers with a strong background and understanding of the banking industry ($35 to $50 per article).

YouthNoise.com is seeking bloggers who are passionate about sports and social change ($500 monthly).

Are you looking to hire a writer or blogger? Contact me with the details and I'll include your announcement in next week's listings.

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Academic writers wanted (averages $20 per page for model essay/report writing)

Articles related to environmental issues, environmental chemistry or hazardous materials ($.20 per word plus bio)

Blog writers for corporate clients ($8 per post)

Blog writers to write about activities, events and functions in Tacoma, WA. and its surrounding areas ($10 per post)

Part-time writer for a MMA news site ($500 monthly)

Religion writers ($125 to start)

Sustainable Life Media seeking an online news editor to cover the latest trends in the green business ($20-$25 hourly, depending on experience)

Writer to write headlines for a romance site ($15 hourly)

Writer to write on a variety of legal topics for LawInfo.com ($25-$40 per 500-600 word piece)

That concludes this week's telecommute freelance writing jobs. Remember, if you're looking to hire a writer or blogger you can contact me with the details and I'll include your announcement in next week's listings.

Disclaimer: I can't guarantee that any of the telecommute freelance writing jobs listed above will still be available when you apply for them. Furthermore, I'm not responsible for the credibility of the freelance writing jobs. Before committing to any writing gig, get the details and promised payment in writing. If you can't get it in writing, at least save all e-mail communications between you and the company or individual you will be writing for.

If you're scammed or have been scammed by any of the companies or individuals from one of the telecommute freelance writing jobs above, please warn your fellow writers by sharing your experience in the comments area.

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Last week Diane said she was looking forward to reading my articles at Newsvine and asked if I knew they had been removed. I didn't know the articles had been removed at the time -- thanks for the heads-up, Diane. When Diana alerted me to this, I tried to log into my Newsvine account to find out what the problem was, but when I logged in, I got a message telling me my account had been disabled for "promotional advertising." What! I couldn't believe it! I've never -- not intentionally anyway -- written "promotional advertising" content for clients (unless that's what they ordered) in all my years as a writer. I ALWAYS read the client's guidelines and etc. so that I could follow them. I read the Code of Honor guidelines at Newsvine, so I knew "self-promotional" and "promotional advertising" content wasn't allowed. However, I guess my definition of "promotional advertising" content is different than Newsvine's. To me, "promotional advertising" content is spam.

To make a long story short, I contacted Newsvine through their contact form to find out what it was I wrote that was considered "promotional advertising." The next day they replied and informed me that all three of the articles I had written for them was "promotional advertising." Maybe I misunderstood something, but they was kind enough to re-activate my account. However, the articles that were there were removed, so I have to start from scratch.

What did I write? Well, because I decided to go with writing and blogging news, I wrote one news article about upcoming teleseminars for bloggers. In my Upcoming Teleseminars for Writers and Bloggers news article, I began with a couple paragraphs about the benefits of teleseminars, and then I listed (and linked to) approximately four upcoming teleseminars for writers and bloggers.

My next news article was about a new digital pen that I thought would be a great tool for writers. Ok, I can in some ways see how this could be considered "promotional advertising," but it was news, and I wrote it as a news article. I listed ways the pen could benefit writers. Guess that's not allowed -- news or not.

Finally, I decided that each week I wanted to share a listing of writing and blogging jobs with fellow writers and bloggers, but according to Newsvine, this too was considered "promotional advertising." They stated in their e-mail to me that listings to teleseminars and writing or blogging jobs were "promotional advertising" and not allowed. I then wondered about interviews, so I e-mailed back and asked if I could publish interviews with writers and bloggers on my vine and also include a link to their website and blog. Newsvine replied back and said I could do that as long as it was "newsworthy."

I guess I just don't understand what Newsvine is looking for or I'm missing something. Before signing up I browsed the vines of other Newsvine writers to see what they were writing. I guess this is where I missed something. Anyway, after contacting Newsvine, I spent over an hour exploring vines again in an attempt to get a better understanding of what they wanted and to see what I may have missed, and I think I figured it out: They want short articles giving your opinion on the latest news in your niche. Plus, I noticed that many Newsvine writers "seed" news more than they write their own news articles. They "seed" articles, blog posts and etc. written by others and state their opinions about that piece in a couple sentences.

After all of this, I think I've come to the conclusion that Newsvine isn't for me. Therefore, I believe I'd be better off searching for other, more lucrative writing jobs that aren't as confusing. It may actually be simple if I spend more time there. In fact, later I would probably smack myself on the forehead and say "Duh!" but the truth of the matter as it stands now, is I simply don't have the time to waste to try to figure it all out. If Newsvine paid me an actual income instead of "Net Advertising Revenue" only, which is basically for page views and ad impressions, then I would probably spend the extra time trying to learn more about what they really want than what I thought they wanted. As for now, though, I think my time would be better spent writing for my current clients who pay as well as searching for other writing and blogging jobs that come with a guarantee of payment.

For those of you who were looking forward to my weekly writing and blogging job listings, I have some good news! I think I will share what I discover here at Life of a Writer. I'll begin listing telecommute writing and blogging jobs next week. Subscribe to my RSS feed or by e-mail to stay up-to-date with my weekly listings of telecommute writing and blogging jobs.

What do you think? Am I making the right decision? What would you do if you were in my shoes?

Photo courtesy of Eric I.E.

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Good morning, friends. I hope your weekend was a great one!

To start of this Monday morning, I would like to share some of my wonderful blessings with you. As most of you know, I've landed some new clients over the past few months, and a couple of my clients hire other writers, too. I wanted to give you the chance to add to your clientele by sharing a couple of those writing jobs with you.

Since December, I've been writing articles for eHow, which you can check out here. If you go to the site you'll discover that they only pay for page views. However, Demand Studios will pay you to write articles for the site. So, if you go through Demand Studios and they hire you as a writer, you'll be paid $10 per article as well as for the page views the articles receive. I'm currently on my fourth assignment with Demand Studios, and after my second assignment, Demand Studios added to my blessings with a $5 raise. Now I'm paid $15 per article instead of $10. I don't know if this is something they offer all their writers, but it may be something to look forward to if you're hired and do a good job.

The articles are short step-by-step articles, so they don't take too long to write, and for your first assignment, you should be assigned 10 articles with a one-week deadline. Demand Studios pays by check once a month, and they've paid me for each assignment thus far.

My newest client is still seeking writers to write about their local area. This client pays $50 a month for a minimum of three blog posts per week. Right now the $50 compensation is referred to as"trial compensation," because they're testing the site, but from what I understand through their wonderful communication with us via e-mail, I believe things are going well for them. As for keeping their payment commitment, they just recently sent my first $50 payment through Paypal. The work is fun because it's about my local area and doesn't require a lot of research. All you really have to write is a paragraph or two. You can, of course, write more if you like, but they prefer you keep it as short as possible and include pictures when you can. The company is MyZip and you can find out more at MyZip's website. $50 a month for a couple paragraphs three times a week isn't too bad, and because you're writing about your local area, it shouldn't be too hard to come up with something to blog about. MyZip also has a blog where they share content suggestions with their contributors.

That will do it for me on this Monday morning. If you apply for one or both of the above-mentioned writing jobs, I hope you're blessed, too. And by all means, do come back and let me know if you landed one or both of the jobs in the comments area.

Photo credit: Flickr

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In the last blog post I made, I promised I would blog about the biggest mistake I made in my freelance writing career. Therefore, since I intend to keep my promise, that is what I will be blogging on today. So, Michele, since you did tag me for a meme, it will be my next blog entry, which I plan to enter either tomorrow or the next day. Thanks for the tag, and I'm looking forward to it very much!

The biggest freelance writing mistake I made was one I knew better than to make, but for some reason I didn't listen to the angel on my shoulder telling me, "Now, Misti you know you're not supposed to depend on this so you'd better fix the problem soon." Instead, I listened to the angel on the other shoulder -- the evil angel -- and he told me, "You're good to go. There's no reason to waste time right now, just keep on doing what you're doing." Errrr… I could kick myself in the butt for not following the advice of the good angel, but it's too late now.

I know you're dying to know what I did, even though I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but I'll share it with you with the hopes that you'll learn from my mistake. You see, several months back I landed my first BIG freelance writing job. This freelance writing job put an additional $500 a month income into my pocket. Yes, for me that was big, and I was persistent in following-up with the editor for that job. However, as many freelance writers know, you can't always depend on the freelance writing jobs to last forever. Why? Well, because some companies, publications or etc. may not make it, some will pay for a while then one day stop paying, or something unexpected may pop up that causes you to lose that freelance writing job. With that said, you should ALWAYS have a few other clients as well, just in case one doesn't work out. With no other clients under your belt, if something happens that causes you to lose the only big freelance writing job you have, then you lose a big chunk of the income you've been depending on to pay bills, feed your family and etc..

As I said, I was persistent in following up on that job. When I first applied, I sent the editor my cover letter as well as clips to some of my past articles, which were relevant to the freelance writing job I replied to. Within 24 hours, the editor replied to tell me she loved my writing and my style, but unfortunately, she already had a writer for the job I applied for. However, she did tell me since she liked my writing, she would keep my information on file in case another freelance writing position came open. One week later as I was searching the job boards as usual, I ran across another freelance writing job opening by this editor. I remembered her saying she would keep my information on file, so I typed a quick e-mail to remind her of what she said, and then I let her know I was interested in the freelance writing job she had just posted. She did remember me, and to my surprise, I got the job and began work the following month! I worked hard to get this freelance writing job, because I wasn't making very much with the gigs I currently had under my belt, and of course, hubby was telling me, "You have to do something. I need help with the bills." The only income I had at the time was writing articles for Associated Content, which we all know doesn't pay a whole lot, and there were times when they didn't offer me what I believed to be a fair rate for non-exclusive rights, so I would decline their offer. Then there was the normal submission process, and as all writers know, this can produce several rejection letters. Furthermore, when you get an acceptance letter, sometimes you have to wait months for the payment to arrive. To make a long story short, I was only making around $200 a month, so I had to do something.

I was so excited about the new freelance writing job and the extra $500 that I failed to listen to the good angel telling me to keep on searching and applying for more freelance writing jobs as a back up. Moreover, the job I had taken required much more work than I had expected, so my time was limited. In fact, the work involved was worth more than $500 a month, but we needed the money, and $500 a month wasn't necessarily chump change.

I can honestly say that now I wished I hadn't listened to the evil angel, because hubby's complaining again, and now I have to start at the bottom. I think I got lucky last time getting that freelance writing job so quickly, because this time it seems like it's taking forever. I have applied to several freelance writing jobs in the past two months and still have nothing. I do get responses, but they tell me they hired someone with more experience, which is understandable. In addition, writing for Associated Content just isn't doing it for me. They have lowered their offers significantly since they launched their new pay for performance, and because of their unreasonable offers, I have been declining some. Don't get me wrong, the pay for performance is great on top of their already one-time offer, but I do believe they could go back to making at least halfway decent offers, because from what I hear, Associated Content makes a lot more money than they pay their writers. Hmmm… I think I'll research this a little more; I'm curious.

I think I've rambled long enough now, but I hope that my biggest freelance writing mistake has taught you not to depend on one freelance writing job -- no matter how much it pays. ALWAYS keep searching for other freelance writing jobs and applying to them, because you never know when the one you just got will no longer be there, and then you'll be in the same boat I am in now, if you too listened to the evil angel instead of the good one. Please, friends, don't make the same mistake I did.

PS
If you believe in prayer, please pray that the Lord will help me find the freelance writing jobs I need to feed my family of six -- three children, and including myself, three adults. I pray every night, but the more you have praying for you the better, right?

Oh, yes, before anyone asks, yes, I could go back to work and write too, but I don't think my Asthma will let me.

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On a daily basis, I scan through freelance writing jobs put up for bid on freelance writing job sites like Get a Freelancer. This is a normal routine for many freelance writers, but the thing that bothers me the most is over half of the freelance writing jobs offered through these bid sites take advantage of writers. The companies and individuals posting the freelance writing jobs think for a mere $5 or less we freelance writers will give them just what they're requesting -- high quality and unique content with absolutely no grammar errors! Personally, when I run across one of these freelance writing jobs, I just shake my head and move on. However, the other day I ran across one and couldn't help but laugh before moving on. The individual was re-posting his/her freelance writing job, and in the details, he/she stated they were re-posting the job because the previous writer they hired didn't complete the job. They not only stated that they wanted several high quality articles with no grammar errors, but they specified they were buying all rights for only pennies! I laughed because I wondered if the writer who failed to complete the job, discovered how much time and work was really involved for such low pay. Now, don't get me wrong, writers should be dedicated to their clients and complete the work they agreed to take on, but you'd think the individual re-posting that freelance writing job would have at least ask themselves, "If I had paid the writer what she was worth, would she had finished the job?" Should I offer a fair payment to the next writer when I re-post this freelance writing job offer?" Of course, we all know they don't ask themselves those questions. Instead, they try to sucker another writer and hope that he/she will deliver on their promise. Moreover, when that writer does deliver, you can bet the individual or company that "suckered" the writer is jumping up and down in excitement each time they make more money off that writer's work. Why? Well, because they got all rights to great content for a VERY small investment, they didn't have to do the hard work, and finally, they're making more money off another writer's hard work so they can turn around and sucker another writer for more articles, then pocket what's left of their profit. Unfortunately, the writer who did complete the job may be feeling down because of a very small paycheck for the amount of work she just did. Yes, even if she was paid for bulk articles, the paycheck was still small compared to what she could have earned. Let's compare, shall we? At $5 an article for 50 articles, the writer earned a grand total of $250 (less than that after Paypal deducts their fee). Now, if the writer had sold those 50 articles to several different trade magazines for $15 each (some trade magazines may pay more), she would have earned a grand total of $750. In addition, she would have also retained reprint rights, which would have allowed her to make even more money off the same article.

The really sad part about this whole situation is many freelance writers who are just starting out grab these worthless freelance writing jobs up like hot cakes. Because they're just starting out, they know they have to make money some way, and they feel taking these freelance writing jobs are the only way they're going to make money and build their portfolio. However, what most beginning freelance writers don't realize is they don't have to write for free or worthless pay to build their portfolios, they can still get the money they deserve by writing for trade magazines. Trade magazines may not pay a whole lot for articles, but they pay more than $1.50 per article, and they're great for building one's writing portfolio.

Come on, friends we're worth so much more than $5.00 or less. For the time you spend writing out an article for a paycheck that won't even buy a gallon of gas anymore, you could be spending that time typing out query letters and submitting them to trade magazines that will pay you what you're worth. As long as we continue to give in to these cheapskates, they'll continue to take advantage of our services. It's time we take a stand, wouldn't you agree?

With that said, I'd like to invite all of you aspiring freelance writers to read a few of the following articles. These articles will help you get started without having to work for pennies, because you're worth much more than that:

Tips to Jump-Start Your Writing Portfolio
Breaking in Through Stringing
Writing an Author Bio That Will Knock the Editor's Socks Off!
Finding Experts -- Expert-Finding Advice for Writers
How to Find Writing Jobs and Paying Markets
(Remember, apply only to the freelance writing jobs that pay you what you're worth.)
Writer's Guide to Paying Markets: How to Search the Internet for Paying Markets

Finally, do you need help finding trade magazines and other fair paying markets for your writing? Add the following two books to your bookshelf and you'll have access to several:



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Before I began writing tonight, I visited some blogs about freelance writing, and while I was reading them, I ran across a post on Michael Kwan's blog, which I found through ChrisBlogging. As I read Michael's post -- Freelance Writing for a Niche or for the Masses -- I came up with an article idea of my own. In his post, he shared his own experience about what it was like when he first started searching Craigslist for writing jobs. As he discussed his experience, he told his readers how he didn't have "much of a professional portfolio" at that time, but he said he would still offer his services. He went on to say, "Unfortunately, not many of them listened. I even offered to write for free in exchange for some 'exposure,' but without a proper portfolio of work and a series of satisfied customers, they weren't prepared to take a chance on me."

After reading about Michael's experience, as well as relating to him, the idea for my own article hit! He kept talking about not having a portfolio, and lack of this portfolio is what kept him from landing the writing jobs he was seeking. However, he did eventually build a portfolio and increased his chances of landing those writing jobs. Therefore, the article idea that I got was an article for aspiring freelance writers. The article will discuss ways aspiring writers can build a portfolio for themselves. Then, once they've built their portfolio, they may have better luck when they go to apply for writing jobs.

Now for the good news: this article has already been written and submitted. Yes, friends, you read correctly. Not only did Michael's post spark the article idea, but also it inspired me to get my butt in gear and write it right then. I wrote the article and submitted it for publication. So, once my client (The People's Media) has published the article, I will be sure to post the link to it here for all you aspiring writers to read.

Now I'm off to type out a couple more articles, and then I will probably join hubby in bed. Oh yes, thank you so much for the article idea, Michael! And ChrisBlogging, thank you for referring me to Michael's blog! You both provide very valuable information on your blogs.


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