Online Freelance Writing vs Traditional Freelance Writing

The following post is a guest post written by Debbie Dragon of MakeMoneyFromWriting.com.

There seems to be some confusion regarding the two very different types of writing genres: online writing and traditional freelance writing. At first glance, the primary difference is apparent – online writers create content that is read over the internet and more traditional writers create writing pieces that appear in printed mediums (magazines, newspapers, journals, etc).

There is more to the different types of writing than where people read the finished work, however. The way the writer creates the documents is different, too. The audience of each writing method tends to have completely separate needs and requirements, and so the writing must cater to those needs.

Think about how you read information you find online. Do you usually read from top to bottom, left to right, in the same way you would read a magazine article? Or are you more likely to scan titles and headings, and skim the information until you find the piece you’re looking for?

Writing for the typical online reader generally requires the use of headings and subheadings to break up the text and make it easier to spot information. Shorter paragraphs and sentences are commonly used for online writing than what you might expect to see in your favorite magazine article.

There tends to be a general belief of many “traditional” freelance writers that online content is written poorly. While it’s true that most website owners are not editors of the English language, and that the publishing standards are much different, the fact remains that readers of online content are not typically reading for the pleasure of reading: they are in search of specific information. If the writer delivers the specific information in an easy to find, easy to understand manner, the job has been accomplished!

People go online when they need an answer to a problem. They are looking for information and they want it quickly with little effort. Magazine, book and newspaper readers, on the other hand, are often reading for the pleasure of reading. They’re happy to read the information as it’s presented, and are not really looking for anything specific. It’s a more leisurely reading experience.

When you become a writer in the online world, these are the things you’ll want to consider when crafting your articles, web page content, emails or eBooks.

The differences in writing online versus more traditional writing makes it easier for a new writer to find a means of publication. It can even be a source of income for people who don’t consider themselves writers, provided they can construct easy to read information that offers accurate details people want to know about.

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Debbie Dragon is an online freelance writer who teaches others how to start successful writing careers through her mentoring program MakeMoneyFromWriting.com.

Posted in Freelance Writing Careers | 1 Comment »

What Type of Freelance Writer are You?

There are a lot of different types of freelance writers. So what type are you?

I’m a combination of a Web content writer and business writer (specializing mostly in PR writing).

I think it’s a good idea to get a feel for who else is out there and what they do. It’s a vital element of networking. Lately I’ve had a hard time referring other writers for a few projects that I couldn’t take on, so I thought it was a good time to see what some other writers are focusing on in case I find myself needing to refer work out again in the future. Why not, right?

Posted in Freelance Writing Careers | 6 Comments »

Book Marketing Blog is Back

Just a very quick note to let you know that All Book Marketing is officially back on track today. It’s one of those blogs I’d been meaning to bring back for a while, but I hadn’t felt terribly inspired until today. Anyway, today’s post is about building relationships with your readers (read: customers).

Posted in Publicity / Marketing, Writing Books | No Comments »

In Case You’re Interested

I know I haven’t been posting very religiously here lately. I’m still in the process of doing a lot of backend work on some of my sites before I’m able to focus exclusively on content. After taking about two months off, I’m re-launching my PR blog: Naked PR (be forewarned: if you think I can be a bit too “abrasive” here at AFW from time to time, you won’t like Naked PR).

I don’t normally plug that blog here, but it’s really becoming my primary focus, and there are a few pieces coming up with the re-launch (early May) that I think would be of interest to some writers. For example:

1. I’m doing a short interview with ProBlogger’s Darren Rowse on where bloggers fit into journalism. If you’re a blogger, you might want to check that out.

2. I’m also talking to Joe Beaulaurier of PRweb about how to deal with criticism on the Web (and again, if you’re a blogger, you’ll likely be subjected to it at some point). He handles it better than anyone I know, so that should be an interesting chat.

Of course if you’re a press release writer you’ll find various things of interest there. Two other interviews that you may or may not be interested in are also coming up soon: one with my very good friend and lecturer in media studies, Andreas Charalambous, about our willingness to adapt to new social media technologies, and the other with Shift Communications’ Todd Defren on the social media press release.

Also, for the bloggers and freelancers here, if you’re interested in learning how to do anything specific on the online PR front to promote your work or site, please let me know. I’ll be doing more tutorial-style pieces soon as well, and I’m always open to your suggestions.

Posted in Blogs and Websites | 2 Comments »

Where Do You Get Your Best Freelance Writing Gigs?

I hear the same question asked over and over again when I tell people they don’t have to work for peanuts - where do you get the good gigs?

I give the same answer till I’m blue in the face, but it still doesn’t seem to sink in sometimes.

1. Specialize.
2. Network.

In short, people (in many cases) pay more for niche “experts,” and the best gigs are rarely advertised, so who you know really does count. Most of my best gigs have come through referrals from colleagues or past clients.

I guess what I want to know is this: have you had a similar experience with decent-paying writing jobs, or are there actually “places” where you go to find good gigs? Maybe I’m just a fluke. I want to know. Where do you get your best gigs?

Posted in Discussions, Making Money | 3 Comments »

Freelance Writing Myths

Stop believing in freelance writing myths says Chris Bibey of ChrisBlogging - he recently exposed some common myths on his blog. All I can say is “Shhhhh Chris!!! The more people believe that crap, the better it is for the rest of us!” I’m just kidding of course. Chris makes some good points. I’d like to add one.

Chris says:

“It takes too long to become a full-time freelance writer. This is a myth for two reasons. First off, “too long” means something different to everybody. Additionally, there is no saying that it will take you years on end to reach your goal of being a full-time writer. It only took me a few months, and with so much work available, you may be able to build your income to full-time status even quicker.”

Oddly enough, I think the opposite is just as common of a freelance writing myth. People think it’s “easy” to quickly make a lot of money as a freelance writer. My situation is similar to that of Chris… it only took a few months. But those few months were filled with a hell of a lot of hard work!

I find it slightly frustrating when a writer contacts me for advice, wanting to know why they’re not earning a full-time income. First question: how long have you been at it? It’s usually a few weeks to a few months. They need money. They thought writing would be a quick way to get it. They miss the fact that there’s a lot of marketing and networking involved (and guess what… you don’t get paid for that!).

So yes, you can earn a real income from writing relatively quickly… just don’t expect it to be “immediate.” Even a few months isn’t going to cut it for a lot of writers. But as Chris says, it doesn’t have to take forever. My position is this: as long as you’re planning for, and working towards, a long-term freelance career goal and not just thinking about getting cash-on-hand quickly, you’ll have a better shot.

What are your thoughts? Can you think of any other freelance writing myths you’ve come across often? Do you think new writers should worry so much about how long it’s going to take to “make it?”

Posted in Freelance Writing Careers | 3 Comments »

Can You Write a Book in a Month?

Do you think you could draft a book in about 30 days? Two authors say you can, and I plan to find out how effective each of their methods are.

I’m currently in the process of reviewing Karen S. Wiesner’s First Draft In 30 Days and Victoria Lynn Schmidt’s Book in a Month. When I finish reading and evaluating each, I’ll be posting head-to-head reviews here.

After reviewing each book, I’m also planning to put each process to the test personally. I’ve been itching to work on a fictional project, and had been trying to come up with something that had series potential first. A friend recently inspired me on that front, so I have a general idea which will keep the stories at least vaguely similar (which I think will help to make it a more effective test).

I’ve outlined a novel in the past using The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing. That outline and related work is shelved (and has been for a few years) until I decide whether or not to pursue it further. I have a feeling from first quickly looking through these two books that I’d consider the finished project more of an outline than really writing a book or draft as the titles suggest, but we’ll see. I’m interested to see how they compare to the Marshall Plan when it comes to keeping me motivated to finish (I spent about 3 months I think on that outline, working almost entirely during lunch hours at an old job, so I definitely think with some more daily time, you can outline a book in a month… as for a “draft,” I’m not sure yet).

I’m curious to know if any of you have used either of these books yet, and what your own feedback is - or, if you’ve written and published a novel (or even nonfiction book), what some of your own tips would be for staying motivated and hammering out that first draft or detailed outline.

Note: This post contains affiliate links.

Posted in Writing Books | 6 Comments »

Do You Use Adsense on Your Blog?

This is somewhat old news now, but I just wanted to remind everyone that if you run your own blog or site and use Adsense as your ad network, you’ll need to make sure you add an Adsense-friendly privacy policy.

If you don’t want to write your own from scratch, Jensense has a template available that you may be interested in.

Posted in Making Money | 1 Comment »

Should You Share Your Freelance Writing Income?

Deb Ng brought up an interesting discussion a few days ago, about whether or not freelance writers should publicly disclose their income information, or keep their money matters private. I have a few thoughts on that:

Is Talking About Money Really Taboo?

I’d argue that disclosing income information hasn’t been “taboo” in the freelance writing profession for quite a few years now. We’re simply seeing that discussion in a new medium (via blogs, forums, etc.) and able to have more interactive discussions about the topic. Would Bob Bly have sold as many books to budding freelance writers if he didn’t disclose at least a hint of his own income level? I highly doubt it.

Any copywriter will tell you that one thing people always want to know is how to make more money. It sells books, and it also happens to “sell” blogs. People also like to learn from the example of others. Knowing others have gone before you and reached your goals is inspirational for a lot of people, and that’s not likely to change.

Is it Ever Not OK to Talk About Your Writing Income?

As far as I’m concerned at least, how much you disclose is entirely up to you; as are your motives. I think readers are often smarter than we give them credit for, and they’ll have a good idea of your motives when you post - whether you’re just happy to hit a goal, trying to be helpful, etc.

If you Share Your Income Stats, Do You Have to Tell People How to do the Same?

I don’t think you need to justify your own income by telling everyone else how to do what you do. Sometimes it would be inappropriate (such as if the work itself is confidential). Other times you just want to share your success story if you reached a personal goal, and there’s really nothing “special” in how you did it… you just did your job. I’ll be “taboo” myself for a moment and share a personal example:

It’s looking like this month or next month will be my first five figure month through freelance writing work. That’s a goal I didn’t expect to even come close to this year, especially considering I only write for clients part-time. (It’s also something I don’t expect to continue in following months - I just happened to have a few excellent contracts coming in together.) So I’m having a good year, I’m pepped up about work, and decide to share my enthusiasm with other writers. I don’t think it’s a big enough deal to warrant its own post if and when it officially happens, but I’ve found that when I discuss things like my rates (which are always publicly available on my business site), I get more of a positive reaction than a negative one.

Perhaps that’s because I network with a lot of newer writers who appreciate having the positive stories to look forward to in their own work. I’ve even had quite a few writers tell me that they charge more now in part to seeing my rates as an example of something beyond those crappy $5 / article gigs. If I targeted an audience that was already more established, perhaps I’d get different reactions. You’ll always run the risk of alienating people, but if you have something others might find useful, or if you just want some support from your fellow writers, go ahead and talk about reaching your own goals - I’ve found the freelance writing community to be quite encouraging and supportive most of the time.

Now, since I told you (even in vague terms) about my current writing income, should I also tell you how to do the same thing? If I could give you a step-by-step and tell you it was “easy,” I would. But reaching goals doesn’t happen overnight, and I don’t think any reader should expect to be able to mimic someone else’s success… they have to create their own.

The How-To

Despite the fact that I don’t think anyone has to tell you how to earn what they’re earning, I’ll do it. I simply followed the advice I gave to my blog readers, writers I met in forums, etc. for the last few years:

1. Specialize. (For me that’s press releases, business copywriting, and business-oriented content writing.)
2. Don’t under-price your work from the start.
3. Find ways to interact with your target market, and build your reputation as an expert in your niche or style with them. (In my case, that involves a lot of forum participation around potential buyers, and running several blogs.)
4. Build a strong referral network of other writers. My best gigs almost always come from referrals from other writers if they’re not from a repeat client. It’s a two-way street though. To get referrals, don’t be afraid to give them. You can’t do everything. Point clients to someone better suited to their needs, and chances are they’ll come back to you later when they have work available in your specialty.

Three and four take time. There’s no getting around that. Other than the four points above, I simply did what I do… I wrote articles, press releases, and Web copy for clients, and I did it based on my advertised rate schedule and appropriate discounts (for extremely large orders, old regular clients still on extended lower rates from last year, etc.). By all means, I haven’t been writing as long as some (about nine years overall, and about four years online). But I had to work my ass off for those years building something from (literally) nothing. There’s no magic pill or secret formula that’s going to make it “easy,” and I think anyone telling you otherwise is a liar.

So even if someone does give you a detailed account of how they reached impressive earnings as a writer (or anything else for that matter), I’d suggest being more wary of that than the writers simply wanting to share their good fortune, hard work, and encouraging story. All you can do is what you’ve been doing all along - building your writing career one (sometimes slow) step at a time.

Your Thoughts?

So what do you think? Should people never share their writing income stats? Should they be more open about it in this day and age? Are you uncomfortable with doing so, but don’t have a problem with others doing the same if they don’t mind? Are you one of those readers who likes to see the stats for inspiration and encouragement? One that still hopes someone’s going to give you that “secret strategy” to making it big?

Related Posts:

• Setting Freelance Writing Rates the Right Way
  
• How to Get High Paying Freelance Writing Jobs
• Five Reasons Your Writing Career is Going Nowhere

Posted in Discussions, Freelance Writing Careers | 7 Comments »

Theme Changes - What’s New?

As you can see, I’ve changed the theme here at AFW. I mentioned a while back that this was coming. I also promised in the newsletter that I would update you on where you could find things with the changes. So here you go:

1. The newsletter signup, category links, and blogroll are essentially in the same place, so there shouldn’t be any problems there.

2. I’ve included archive links (previously unavailable) in the inner right column to help you better navigate to older posts.

3. I’m still making a few minor changes to the site, but you’ll soon be able to find links to the writing blogs list, forums, and freelance writing jobs blog again in the header. (EDIT: These should now be available.)

4. The search box is now located a bit higher, on the right, below the leaderboard ad. There is no job search bar anymore, so we should have less confusion for those searching.

5. You may have noticed that the freelance writing jobs options have been removed from the category list. These were being redirected to the jobs, which were previously moved back to their own domain at AllFreelanceWritingJobs.com. You can find the job categories there (the theme will be changed there to match here shortly). Job posts still actually located here will be removed (they would be too far outdated to be helpful anymore, and this will get them out of the archive lists - they should also already be in the new domain’s archives).

Other than that, I hope the layout is simple enough, the fonts are large enough, etc., but this is pretty much how the site’s going to look moving forward. If you’re looking for something and just can’t seem to find it, leave a comment. I’m hoping I didn’t miss something, but hey… I’m only human.

Posted in General | 3 Comments »