5 Essential Resources for New Freelance Writers

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Allena Tapia wrote about freelance writing The Balance Careers and The Balance SMB. She is a freelance marketing and communications consultant.
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Allena Tapia
Updated November 20, 2019

If you’re at the beginning stages of exploring a freelance writing career then you may be experiencing some anxiety. It's perfectly normal. You're leaving behind whatever security blanket you had and entering unchartered waters. Some trepidation is understandable, whether you’re leaving a job you've outgrown, are considering moonlighting, or are simply entering the exploration stage. Before you begin your journey, take a look at the following five resources which will go far to help you navigate the freelance waters. 

Places to Find Freelance Writing Jobs

The go-to list of places to find freelance writing jobs.

If you begin your freelance writing career focusing on this particular list first you'll find that exploring these freelance writing jobs can answer a lot of your initial questions. You may feel like you're adrift in the sea but the truth is that most first-time freelancer writers want to know the same things you do, right off the bat: How much money can I make? What kind of work is available? What will I be writing? What do jobs pay? How much experience do I need? What kinds of samples of my work will I have to show? This list of freelance writing job sites is a great place to start exploring exactly what kind of work is out there and how it lines up with your skill-set, background, and portfolio. 

Freelance Writing Rates

Unless you're a trust fund kid and you're in the game strictly for the love of the work, then the question of money is often the number one thing that will come to mind when looking for freelance work. This is the main difference between contract work (you're assured a certain amount of money every year) and freelance work. These examples of writing rates should prove useful to most new writers. 

Examples of Resumes

Your resume, or some variation of it, will always be the first thing you're asked for once you really dive into this career path. While may only be a one-page document, it is a very important one-page document. If you don't have any clips or samples of your work, don't fret. Most new writers decide to take on some short-term projects to bulk up their experience. If this is not an option for you then bite the bullet and take on an assignment pro-bono so you have a good sample of your work. If you go this route, pick a case or organization that you believe in because the topic will be easier to write about. 

Your Clips and Samples

After a request for your resume, you'll most often encounter a request for some samples of your work (often referred to as clips). This resource links to some basic information about creating and presenting your clips. Be sure to select your best work, not necessarily your most recent work.

The Book "Bookkeeping Basics for Freelance Writers"

This book is short and gets to the point without wasting a lot of time. Spend an hour or two perusing it and you'll be on your way to understanding all you need to know about the business side of freelance writing.  

Closing Thoughts

With these resources, you are actually ready to begin your freelance writing career. And, while this is not all there is to it you need to start somewhere and these resources will give you a solid foundation for moving forward.