25 Links to Help you Make Money Online as a Freelance Writer

Mon, Nov 3, 2008

If you’ve only just joined this discussion, please read this post first. For the rest of you, here are some useful links to help you get started as a freelance writer on a part-time basis whilst at University or college.

Firstly, I would like to offer some basic advice before you get head to toe in this.

Decide on how many hours per week you can afford to dedicate to this, remember to put your University work first.
Don’t take on too many projects. This can result in missing deadlines and your University work may suffer.
Set your rates as realistic as possible, different online markets have different prices, set your rates accordingly and know what you are worth.
Don’t take on anything you really don’t think you can do.
Write out a pitch to win over those clients.

So let’s get started with the links you’ll need.

Learning about freelance writing

Freelance Switch – A great blog with some fantastic advice for freelancers.

writing.org – Very good advice for writers.

Freelance Writing Tips – Exactly as the title says.

Software

Microsoft Word – Very popular but expensive, the most widely used and can be bought as a package in Microsoft Office

OpenOffice – In my opinion, the best free alternative to Microsoft Office.

Abiword – A great word processor, best of all it’s free.

Google Documents – A great office suite which is all hosted and saved online, no need for bulky software and it’s 100% free. All you need is a free Google Account

Finding Clients

Elance – A very nice bidding site, head over to the writing section and find some projects you may be interested in. Easily bid on the projects along with an informative and appealing pitch. All the transactions are handled through the on-site escrow service.

ScriptLance – Similar to Elance but it’s hard to find well paid gigs here. Make sure the project owner has uploaded the funds into the on-site escrow system before handing over the goods, many people get scammed by trusting members too much.

People Per Hour – My personal favorite, you really can find some high paying clients here and targeted more towards UK writers, make sure you read the fees involved in winning a project here.

Digital Point Forums – A huge forum, allows you to offer your services and promote your sills in the Content Creation category. You can also create content beforehand then sell it in the Content category. The only criticism is that there is already huge competition on Digital Point, as a result you have people offering to do the projects at ridiculously low prices.

CraigsList – An online classified ads site, take a look in the writing section under jobs and the writing gigs section. A huge number of scams happen every day on CraigsList to vet your client thoroughly and ask for details such as address and phone number, I would even ask for payment up-front.

Get a Freelancer – Very similar to scriptlance, although the jobs are even lower paid here.

Your own website – Creating your own website creates an online presence where the clients can come to you. On your website you may promote your services, display rates and provide samples of your work. It really does make you seem much more professional.