Happy Groundhog Day! I personally hope that Punxsutawney Phil doesn’t see his shadow because I’ve been freezing and my electric bills have gone up through the roof. I might need to pick up a couple extra gigs to cover the balance! [update: yeah, he saw it. time for more gigs!] Fortunately, we’ve got a huge crop of new freelance writing jobs now that we’re safely out of the holiday season and also clear of the January credit card debt doldrums. Let’s get to it!

The Freelance Writing Jobs

1. Computer accessories writer – if you can put together a compelling one-page article on computer-related consumer products such as laptops, stands, and accessories, this would be an ideal job for you. You need to have strong writing skills and an ability to translate technical specifications to a consumer market. To apply for this job, email contact information and a couple samples of your best computer-related writing. This gig pays $75 – $100 per one-page article.
2. Leadership and productivity blogger – Intuit QuickBase is looking for some awesome bloggers with a proven track record to help them with their February blog relaunch. Ideal candidates would put together articles on topics relating to leadership, teams, and productivity, be active in social media, and understand quality over quantity. To apply, send your resume with URLs to published work. This gig pays $100 – $200+ per article based on experience.
3. Palo Alto art writer – an experienced blogger is needed for a Palo Alto area blog that is a network of over 100,000 artists. The blog is currently dormant and your job would be to reinvigorate it. You must be near Palo Alto as the client would prefer their candidate to work nearby until they feel comfortable with them working remotely. To apply, check out their site and then email over some good art-related clips. This gig pays $50 per article.
4. Automotive industry blogger – izmocars is the largest producer of interactive media content for the automotive industry and they are looking currently for bloggers with heavy SEO experience to help them put together blog posts that will increase their profile online. To apply for this job, send in a writing sample and a resume via email. This gig pays $.25 per word.
5. Jersey Shore writer – disclaimer: this job has nothing to do with Snooki or her ilk. Instead, if you are familiar with Sea Isle City, Strathmere, Stone Harbor, or Avalon, NJ, then this is a great job for you, provided you have journalism experience. To apply, you should send along your resume and some of your best clips. This gig pays $150 per 1,000 words.
6. Houston Girls Night Out reporter – do you live in Houston? Do you know about Shecky’s? Then get paid to attend Houston Girls Night Out and cover the entire event. You need not be female to apply, but you do need to be fashionable, quick on your feet, and gather tons of great photos and quotes. You do need to be a photographer as well as a blogger for this. To apply, send a resume, a writing clip, and a photo of you displaying your style. This gig pays $100 per night.
7. Business book ghost writer – if you have a good business background, this is right up your alley. A complete manuscript is needed to be delivered to a publisher by August 2010. The title of the book is “The Shopper Marketing Revolution” and has not been previously addressed in depth like this book plans to cover the topic. To apply, bid on this gig on Elance, but be sure first to clarify that payment is not contingent upon success of the book. Pay should be the same regardless for an assignment such as this. This gig pays anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000 depending on the bid.

Freelance Writing Job Tip of the Week

If you’ve got a skittish first-time client, offer a discount or a coupon. Be sure to clarify that it’s a limited time offer, because you aren’t working for less than your published rate in most cases. I have found that this helps a client who has never had a freelancer to go from a no to a yes. Be sure to use this sparingly; if you always offer a coupon, your clients will come to expect it. This is also a good reason for you to charge a little more than the bare minimum that you think you’ll need, as it allows greater flexibility.

Worst Gig of the Week

Do you have a vivid, extraordinary erotic imagination? Are you prepared to share it, extemporaneously, with a generous, good-looking gentleman? This is NOT an ad for sex, but for a titillating encounter, or series of encounters, in which you share your dirtiest fantasies with a respectful and polite guy.

Respectful and polite he may be, but he has misfiled his advertisement. He put this in writing gigs, which cracks me up, as it’s clearly meant to be in the personal ad section. Unfortunately, even though he’s not looking for sex, he is looking for sex work, which is not something that freelance writers do. Yes, sex bloggers and erotic fiction writers do have vivid, extraordinary erotic imaginations, but they do not do work for vague promises of generous compensation, nor does their work involve titillating encounters–and what a clichéd adjective to boot! Skip this gig unless you’re ready to get into the phone sex business.

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.