Your Unlimited Freelance Writing Opportunities - Which Will You Choose?

The writing world is changing fast. If you're limiting your opportunities to a single writing market, like magazines, you're missing out. In this article I'll give you an overview of opportunities for writers, both new and experienced. Remember, this is only an overview. It would take a book to cover all the opportunities.

Let's Start With Your Hourly Rate - Place A Monetary Value On Your Time

I know many writers who never consider their hourly rate. They have no idea how much they're earning for the hours they spend writing. Yes, some of them love writing, and would do it for nothing anyway, but this is scarcely the way to develop as a writer, or to become successful.

Everyone's time is limited, we all get the same 24 hours. Therefore, you need to set a monetary value on your writing time. When you're starting out, you can set a minimal rate, like $30 per hour. With some writing experience, and writing credits, you will be charging more, anywhere from $100 to $300 an hour.

Once you take your hourly rate into account, you soon realize that there's lots of time for which you can't charge. If you're writing queries and proposals for example, this is unpaid writing time, and that time is gone forever. Writing queries and proposals to markets like magazines therefore cuts severely into any writer's income.

I like to be paid for the work I do, with a retainer before I start. I hate writing fruitless queries and proposals, and doing work "on spec", so I don't do it, ever. If you're like me and hate no-profit busy-work, there are two opportunities which pay you a retainer before you start writing - copywriting and Web writing.

Copywriting Opportunities: Writing For Business - An Ever-Growing Demand

Every business needs to market itself, or it won't be in business for long. Copywriters write for businesses, chiefly marketing collateral, which can be anything from product descriptions to brochures and newsletters. The best way to start out as a copywriter is to write for local businesses, because you'll usually be the first copywriter who's ever approached a business. When you've built your writing credits, you can write for businesses across the globe.

As stated, I enjoy copywriting because this is paid writing - a business establishes its bone fides by paying a retainer, and most businesses have work for you several times a year. With some clients, you become a de facto member of staff, writing for them weekly.

Web Writing: Explosive Growth, High Demand - Great Opportunities

Web sites are vital to a business because they lower a business's costs. Since Web sites need writers - the Web is built on words - you can see that the writing opportunities are massive, and they continue to grow. If you can write for the Web, you can name your price as a writer.

Web writers are divided into Web copywriters, who write Web sales material, and Web content writers, who write everything else. You don't need to choose between these two opportunities, you can write both copy and content for the Web.

Take Advantage Of The Massive Opportunities In Copywriting And Writing For The Web, And Prosper

Copywriting and Web writing are packed with opportunities for you, even as a new writer. Once you become known for what you do, you'll have clients who eagerly approach you to work for them. This is the best of all possible worlds for a writer - great money, fun writing opportunities, and no rejection, ever.

Freelance Writing - Make Your Own Freelance Writing Jobs

Although there are unlimited opportunities for freelance writers, most freelance writers are looking in the wrong places. They focus on the few "jobs" which are posted online for freelancers.

Although some of these jobs are legitimate, many are not. There are thousands of other writers all applying for the same freelance jobs, which pay measly rates. That's the reason they're posted online - because (often) the advertisers are looking for freelancers who are naive enough, or desperate enough, to accept minimal rates.

It's easy to lose your self-respect if you play this game.

If this describes your experience when you're looking for freelance writing jobs, take the path less traveled. Realize that the best freelance jobs, as with all other jobs, are never advertised.

Realize that you can make your own freelance writing jobs.

When you do, a new world will open for you. A world where you decide what your writing is worth - and shock, horror - people pay it. Yes, that's right. People pay you decent (and in some cases large) sums to write for them... and best of all, they come to you.

Your Writer's Web Site: The Key To Making Your Own Freelance Writing Jobs

Successful freelance writers rarely look for work, because they have more work than they can handle. Their clients contact them through the freelancers' Web site.

Think about it. If you wanted to hire a writer, what would you do? Would you advertise and open the floodgates to hundreds of applicants? Would you have the time and staff to wade through all the resumes and letters? Genuine buyers looking for freelancers don't have the time to do that. They find freelancers on the Web, by typing "freelance writer" into a search query box. They're looking for freelancers' Web sites.

When someone finds you on the Web, they look at your site, and get a fair idea of your writing style, your expertise, and your experience. If your qualifications match what they're looking for, they will contact you. And because you advertise your rates, you get the writing fees that you want, every time.

As a veteran writer and writing teacher, I'm in touch with writers every day. It amazes me that many writers say they have "no time" to create their own Web sites. And yet, these are the same writers who say that they can't find writing projects which pay well.

Create a Web site. When you do, you're making your own freelance writing jobs.