As an aspiring freelance writer, you are probably interested in breaking into the “$1/word market†sooner rather than later. While it is difficult to find clients that pay in this range, they are out there. Believe it or not, some companies and publications pay in excess of $1/word. It would be nice if every client fell into this category, but that is wishful thinking.
If you are striving to break into this market, there are several things that you can do to help your cause. Here are four tips that should help you to earn $1/word or more soon enough.
1. Use a resource such as Writer’s Market in order to find publications that meet this pay scale. This is the best way to break into the $1/word market because you can see which publications offer this pay, and what exactly they are looking for. In my experience, this is the easiest way to break into higher paying markets. A simple query letter is all that stands between you and hitting it big!
2. You can always start at the bottom, and work your way up the ladder as time goes by. I have several clients that increase my pay-per-word as time goes by. While most of them started out by offering $.10 to $.15/word, many of them now pay more than $.50/word. By sticking with a client over the long haul, you may find that your pay will increase every so often.
3. To go along with number two, do not be afraid to ask for a pay increase when you think you deserve it. Many freelance writers increase their prices at the beginning of every year so that they have an “excuse†for doing so. This allows them to tell clients that their prices have gone up across the board, and hopefully talk them into doing the same.
4. New freelance writers are not going to find it easy to locate jobs that offer $1/word or more. You need to exercise patience when building your freelance writing career. It is common to start by writing for regional publications that pay $.05/word. But as your career and portfolio grow, it will be much easier for you to command higher rates.
Earning $1/word is possible. Many freelance writers balk at anything that pays less than this. Although I am not one of them, this is a mark that I strive to hit on a regular basis. When you begin to break into markets that pay $1/word, it is safe to say that you will be earning a solid freelance writing income.
Day after day I receive emails from aspiring freelance writers begging for work. Some of them have even gone as far as offering to work for as little as $1/word. While you may want to get started on your way to freelance writing success, you should never beg for work. The reason for this is simple: you do not have to beg in order to find clients and achieve success. There is enough work to go around, and if you continue to market your skills you will find clients.
There are a couple of things working against you when you beg for work. First and foremost, the person who you are directing your inquiry is not going to understand what you are getting at. Personally, I can never figure out what somebody really wants when they send me an email asking for work. It would be much easier if they would just outline their experience, tell me their goals, and ask if I can help.
Moving on, the time that you spend begging for work is time that you could spend on other tasks. An email is an email. Why not spend your time getting in touch with editors who are looking to take on new freelance writers? You will be much better off targeting people who are hiring writers, as opposed to hoping that you can beg a job from somebody else.
Simply put, you do not need to beg for freelance writing work. Instead, use your skills to obtain projects from companies and webmasters who are hiring.Â
As a freelance writer in today’s day and age, you are more than likely using email the majority of the time. Sure, you may have some phone conversations from time to time, but they are usually few and far between. Although you may think that communicating via email is straight forward, there are some things that you need to keep in mind.
First things first, you should always be professional when exchanging emails. This holds true no matter if you are dealing with a client, or somebody who is thinking about working with you. This means that you should properly address the other party, while keeping a professional tone throughout. On top of this, make sure that you never use any curse words. Time after time I receive emails that are full of off-color words that should not be used in a professional environment.
As a freelance writer, clients expect you to catch any spelling and/or grammar mistakes. This is more important when you are exchanging email with potential clients. You need to prove to these people that you are capable of working for them. If your first email is full of errors, you are not putting your skills in good light.
This may not sound like a big deal to you, but it is important to a successful freelance writing career. If you are going to send emails, you might as well do things right. This means being professional, no curse words, and no grammar/spelling mistakes. Surely this is something you can handle, right? After all, you are a writer!
