Do you want to become your own boss, walk away from your 9 to 5 job, and enjoy the freedom of working anywhere in the world? This book will show you how to earn a real living with a successful writing career so that you can set your own hours.
In this book Allan Calder shows you how to become a successful writer by using lessons he has learned on his own personal journey.
He encourages you to be determined, persistent, and passionate about your pursuit of writing as a career. You have to be prepared to work hard, but if you’re a good writer and you follow the techniques laid out in this book you will become a successful freelance writer.
The Freelance Writer’s How To Guide will show you how to make your writing journey a success. It’s all about the passion!
Table of Contents
About the Author 5
Chapter 1: Where Do I Start and Do I Need to Have Formal Writing Training? 6
Start Writing 8
Free Article Platforms and Blogs 8
Find a Contribution Platform 9
Blog and Be Your Own Boss 10
Guest Blogging 11
Chapter 2: Dealing with Self Doubt – I Just Don’t Think I’m Good Enough 12
Practice, Practice, and Some More Practice! 12
Build Your Resources 13
Don’t Be Afraid to Sign Up for an Online Course 14
Be Your Own Professor 15
Chapter 3: Now That I’ve Built a Bit of a Portfolio What’s Next? 16
Stay Away from the Content Mills 16
The Freelance Marketplace 17
Upwork 17
Freelancer & Guru 19
Better Paying Alternatives 19
Professional Job Boards 20
Major Publications 21
Networking 22
Don’t Discount the Random Search 22
Chapter 4: How Do I Set My Pay Rate? 23
Don’t Be the Lowest Hanging Fruit 23
What Are You Writing? 24
Who Are You Competing Against? 26
Is There a Lot of Research? 27
Hourly Rate vs per Article Rate vs per Word Rate 27
Chapter 5: I Don’t Know What My Niche Is 31
I Already Know My Niche 31
I Don’t Even Know Where to Start 32
Should I Just Choose a Profitable Niche? 33
Remain Versatile, Avoid Pigeonholing Yourself 33
Research Can Help You Overcome 34
Don’t Be Afraid of Change! 35
Explore Your Niche (Read Articles Find Popular Topics) 36
Is This a Hobby or a Business? 36
Build a List 37
Chapter 6: How to Market Yourself 38
Consistent Social Media Voice 38
Spreading the Tentacles: Online Networking 39
Living Life: Offline Opportunities 40
Engaging the Experts: Other Networking 40
Creating Backlinks 41
The Query or Pitch Letter 42
It’s All About Hard Work and Passion 43
