Did you survive last week’s blizzards? I still have a patio table full of snow. At least it’s not slick and dangerous outside now. If I broke my neck running around out there, who’d be around to post all the freelance writing jobs? Probably someone else. But they wouldn’t be as cool as me. Just sayin’. Let’s get to them!

The Freelance Writing Jobs

1. Career Guide Writer – have you heard of FabJob.com? If you missed the last time we posted this gig, they’re still looking for people to write career guides. They need people with real experience in jobs like feng shui consultant, book publisher, documentary filmmaker, and more. They have their own application process so follow it to the letter. Don’t get creative. This freelance writing job pays $1,500 to $2,000 per long assignment, $150 to $200 per short assignment.
2. Freelance HR/Employment Law Writer – if you have a degree in law and are familiar with California employment law, this is the job for you! They’re looking for a long-term annual relationship with a talented writer out there so this is your time to shine. Be sure to clarify what they mean by answering emails for content-based subscriber questions–the compensation right now is pretty fair but if you’re going to be working as a virtual assistant, perhaps this is the gig to skip instead! This freelance writing job pays $30,000 per year in monthly installments.
3. Email Copywriter – a recruitment firm needs you, if you happen to be a great copywriter who specializes in long-form content. If this gig happens to shake out, there’s potentially more work in the mix for you. Send them samples of your work but, moreover, remember that you’re applying for a job in email copywriting. Put that in your cover letter! This freelance writing job pays $100 to $125 per email.
4. Celebrity Ghostwriter – this job sounds like an awful lot of fun if you have a track record of working well with celebrities and ghostwriting. This is part one of a trilogy (so bear that in mind with your bid) so you would potentially be committing to a long-term relationship here. This freelance writing job pays up to $50,000, depending on your Elance bid. Make sure pay is for your services outright and not based on sales.
   
5. Travel Destination Writer – do you write compelling travel copy? This is right up your alley. This company needs 40 different destinations written up at 100 words each with punchy, witty copy. Think luxe. And send in a strong sample–there are already a lot of bidders on this project, and you’ll need to stand out. This freelance writing job pays a minimum of $1,000, depending on your Elance bid.

Freelance Writing Job Tip of the Week

Specialize, specialize, specialize to get better rates. It’s sort of funny to hear that from a guy who’s still not too sure about what he loves writing about most, but I can tell you that the more specialized your writing gets, the more you can get away with charging. Think about it: are you gonna get a ton of money for writing about Octomom if the best you can come up with is stuff you’ve ripped from a Wikipedia article? Okay, bad example. No one cares about Octomom. But you get my point–the more you can specialize, the more you can charge.

And yeah, I guess I should specialize in humor writing. I can think of quite a few people who could use the help.

Worst Gig of the Week

I HAVE A STORY, AND EVERYONE SAYS GET IT ON LIFETIME.
AN AMERICAN STORY OF A FAMILY, A VISION, WORK, HARDSHIP, FUN LAUGHTER, AND THE ENDING WELL THAT IS A BIG ONE. 
WILL SHARE THE LIFETIME MONIES WE RECEIVE

Do I really have to tell you guys why this is such an awful gig?

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.

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Okay fine, I’ll tell you why it’s so awful. There’s no mention of what the story is, no mention of any sort of actual compensation or share of the profits, if it’s ghostwriting or not, and you’re getting paid to do something for free until it succeeds. On top of all that, this person just posted a Craigslist ad in all caps. You really only need one reason. I’ve given you at least six. Fish in a barrel, meet my Colt .45. I’m off to clear off my patio table.