I hope the hustle and bustle of the holiday season hasn’t got you overwhelmed. If you’re feeling like you need a hand, check out this week’s freelance writing jobs. We have quite a few more than usual. And remember, we only publish freelance writing jobs where you can earn at least $50 per article.

The gigs

1. Washington D.C. correspondent – AHN needs a part-time contract reporter to contribute to their publication. To apply, you must have five years’ experience in journalism, well-developed contacts in DC, and be a strong self-starter who is willing to put in some serious hours. Pay is $25,000 – $30,000 a year.
2. Business plan writer – A nonprofit organization is looking for an as-needed writer who can put together simple business plans for small businesses. To apply, simply submit your website or resume and contact information. Pay is $250 – $300 per plan. Be sure to get more details such as plan lengths before deciding if the pay is worth it to you.
3. Columnist – A start-up news site focusing on African-American issues is seeking experienced writers for their launch in late December. For this position, it helps to be well-versed in some aspect of African-American affairs or business. To apply you will need your resume, a cover letter, and two writing samples. Pay is from $30 to $100 per piece–be sure to ask what they require for the higher-paying articles so you earn your $50 minimum per piece.
4. Various creative works – Descant considers submissions of poetry (submit about six poems), short stories, novel excerpts, plays, essays, interviews, musical scores, and visual presentations. Standards for acceptance are high, so send only your best, most carefully edited works. Pay is $100 per work. These assignments appear to be on-spec, so factor that into your submission decision.
5. Philadelphia-area columnist – Two columnists are needed for a start-up local news site in Philadelphia–one is political, the other personal. If you have an interesting voice and something humorous to say, this is an ideal position to apply for. To apply, send in a column, 600-800 words. Pay starts at $50 per column.
6. Internet safety blogger – R&C Associates is looking for a short-term blogger to write four blogs in addition to website copy and other writing duties related to child safety on the Internet. To apply, you will need a resume, a cover letter, and two blog samples related to this topic. Pay is $1,500 for the assignment. Be sure to request more information about how “short-term” the contract is for the advertised pay rate so you don’t commit to more monthly blogging than initially expected.
7. Personal finance journalist – An upscale lifestyle publication seeks a personal finance writer with a lively voice and sharp sense of humor to put together an article about compiling a portfolio of alcohol and beer stocks in the current economy. To apply, send along three samples. Pay is $350 – $550.
8. Children’s story writer – StoryJumper, a personalized children’s story site, is seeking children’s story writers to contribute their works retelling famous children’s stories. Works must be 15 – 20 pages of text (30 – 40 with illustrations) and around 1100 – 1500 words. To apply, you must actually submit the story for approval (another gig on-spec). Pay is $500 per story. Please verify length requirements with the client–the page count and word count listed in the ad seem a bit contradictory unless they’re talking about very few words per published page rather than manuscript pages.

Job tip of the week – Don’t be afraid to ask for a client referral! Your clients are presumably happy with your work so if you’re running short on ideas of where to find work, it doesn’t hurt to ask people you’ve already worked with. In some cases, they may have work that they hadn’t thought of assigning you–I’d worked as a blogger for one client when she said that she had some editing work to do, which I gladly accepted. This is a key way to grow your business.

Worst gig of the week – Our blog will cover the following topics: Pop culture, media, psychology, ethical style, feminism, politics, environment, art, economics, literature, film and television, literary, intellectual, or political figures, DIY, and science fiction. Pay will be based on how many hits your posts produce. We are also looking for an advice columnist who would be willing to answer questions from progressive activists, students, artists, nonprofit, and public service workers.

Doesn’t look so bad, does it? In fact, I almost posted this job until I saw that one little key line that moved it from a decent gig to worst gig of the week. See it? Pay will be based on how many hits your posts produce? Yeah. I’m afraid that being paid based on the number of hits your post produces is the freelance equivalent of stuffing envelopes at home. Let me be clear though: an employer can, should, and must–if they’re awesome–pay you a bonus if your post gets a lot of hits. That’s exposure for them. But basing your pay on how many hits it gets to begin with? That’s unacceptable.

If you’d like to look through longer aggregated lists of freelance writing jobs to help you save time in your job search, All Freelance Writing recommends Anne Wayman’s freelance writing jobs at AboutFreelanceWriting.com.