101 Resources for Freelance Writers (Updated for 2015!)

by Jennifer Mattern | Feb 18, 2015 | Freelance Writing, Writers' Resources | 40 comments

Are you interested in starting a freelance writing career? Trying to figure out where to start can be one of the biggest challenges aspiring freelance writers face. To help point you in the right direction, I've put together a list of recommended resources for freelance writers -- tools to help you get started, build a network, learn from freelance writing colleagues, find freelance writing jobs, and more.

Here are 101 resources for freelance writers, whether you're just starting out or you're looking to find new freelance writing opportunities to grow your business.

While most of the writing resources listed below are free, I did include a few paid options that I felt were well worth the cost, including some freelance writing books.

Disclaimer: Several of my resources here at All Freelance Writing have been included. Obviously I'm affiliated with those resources wherever you see this site's name mentioned.

Freelance Writing Blogs

Here are 18 freelance writing blogs that I'd recommend you start with (although some don't cover freelance writing exclusively). They provide a wealth of articles and advice on various aspects of building and managing a freelance writing career.

Writing Forums

Joining writing forums can be a great way to meet new people. After all, freelance writing can be a solitary line of work. Consider these writing forums to build your network and ask questions of your colleagues.

Writer's Markets

If you want to start querying magazines and other freelance writing markets right away, your best bet might be to sift through some writer's market directories. Here are some examples to get you started.

Job Boards and Freelance Marketplaces

Here are some job boards and freelance marketplaces that might help you land some early gigs. Note: This does not include bidding marketplaces due to their "race to the bottom" approach to freelance writing jobs.

Books for Freelance Writers

If you're looking for some deeper reading before you jump into a freelance writing career, these books can each serve as a great starting place.

Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer -- by Jenna Glatzer
The Freelancer's Bible -- by Sara Horowitz
The Money Book for Freelancers, part-Timers, and the Self-Employed -- by Joseph D'Agnese and Denise Kiernan
The Renegade Writer -- by Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell
The Renegade Writer's Query Letters That Rock -- by Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell
Six-Figure Freelancing -- by Kelly James-Enger
The Wealthy Freelancer -- by Steve Slaunwhite, Pete Savage, and Ed Gandia
The Wealthy Writer -- by Michael Meanwell
The Well-Fed Writer -- by Peter Bowerman

Social Media Tools for Freelance Writers

One of the best ways to get your name out there professionally these days to is to effectively harness the power of social media to build your network. Here are some social media tools that can help you get started -- from social networks to online collaboration tools.

Writing and Editing Tools

If you want to improve your writing and self-editing, here are some tools that might help. For example, you'll find word processors and online editing tools.

Apps for Freelance Writers

Here are some Android and iPhone apps for freelance writers which make it even easier to work on-the-go.

Android Apps for Writers

Any.do
Call Recorder (for recording phone interviews)
CamScanner App (for scanning research material)
Dropbox
Evernote
Pomodoro Tracker
Tasks N Todos
Todoist
Writer
Zoho Writer

iPhone Apps for Writers

Research Tools for Writers

Not sure where to find credible information for your next story? Need to find an expert source for an interview? Then check out these research tools and other resources for writers.

Website Development Tools

It's a good idea for any freelance writer to have a professional website. If you aren't sure where to start, give these resources a try.

ElegantThemes -- Join for access to premium WordPress themes.
Google Analytics -- Track your website stats to get a better understanding of how clients use your site.
Google Webmaster Tools -- It helps you identify problems (like dead URLs) on your website.
ThemeForest -- This is an Envato marketplace where you can find premium Web templates and blog themes.
WordPress (self-hosted)
WordPress Theme Repository -- Access free themes for WordPress.

Online Tools and Calculators

Here are some of my own free online templates, worksheets, and calculators that you can use when starting (or growing) your freelance writing business.

Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator -- Set your freelance writing rates.
Freelance Project Hourly Rate Calculator -- Find out how much you really earned per hour on a project.
Keyword Density Analyzer -- Tailored specifically for writers, this tool helps you keep both SEO and readability in mind.
One Page Business Plan Template
One Page Marketing Plan Template
One Page Project Plan Template
SWOT Analysis Worksheet
Monthly Marketing Calendar

Design Tools for Writers

Whether you're looking for design resources to assist you with a client project or software to simplify design elements of your writing work, give these resources a try.

Canva -- This is my new favorite image creation tool for my own, and clients', blog posts.
GIMP -- Free image editing software
GraphicRiver -- Templates for business and client projects (like brochures, newsletters, and your business cards)
PixaBay -- Free stock photos
Scribus -- Open source desktop publishing software

This certainly isn't an all-encompassing list. If you can think of a category I didn't cover here that you'd like resources for, please let me know and I'll consider putting them together for you in another post.

Note: This post was originally published on November 20, 2012. The list was greatly expanded in 2014, and is periodically updated to remove stale resources and add new recommended resources.

Jennifer Mattern

Jennifer Mattern is a professional blogger, freelance business writer, and indie author. She runs numerous websites & blogs including All Freelance Writing, NakedPR.com, and KissMyBiz.com.

Jenn has 19 years experience writing for others, around 14 years experience in blogging, and over 11 years experience in indie e-book publishing. She is also an Active member of the Horror Writers Association.

Subscribe to the All Indie Writers newsletter to get personal updates from Jenn in your inbox.

Read more posts from Jennifer Mattern.

40 Comments

Sharon Hurley Hall on November 20, 2012 at 2:48 pm

Awesome list, Jenn. I will be bookmarking this. I’m familiar with many of these, but there are a couple of new ones and it’s sooo nice to have this all in one place.
Reply
- Jennifer Mattern on November 20, 2012 at 2:52 pm
  
  Thanks Sharon!
  Reply
Peter Bowerman on November 21, 2012 at 9:32 am

Thanks Jenn, for the double “Well-Fed Writer” plug (book and blog)! Sincerely appreciate it.

And just a reminder as well about my complimentary monthly ezine focused on commercial writing, “The Well-Fed E-PUB,” 10 years old this past May. Folks can subscribe on any page of The Well-Fed Writer site.

Thanks for a great list with a lot of solid resources.

Have a great Thanksgiving! I know I’m thankful to be a freelancer (19 years this January). 😉

PB
Reply
- Jennifer Mattern on November 21, 2012 at 11:07 am
  
  That certainly is something we can all be thankful for. 🙂
  
  And no problem on the mentions. I know I don’t get to the blog as often as I’d like, but it’s one of the few I try to go out of my way to take a peek at when I have the time. Always features great info. And I consider your book second to none in the niche.
  Reply
Kari Baxter on November 21, 2012 at 11:27 pm

This is an AWESOME list of resources! I was just looking for forums and I love a recommended list of books. Write on! 🙂
Kari
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- Jennifer Mattern on November 26, 2012 at 9:56 am
  
  I’m glad you liked it Kari. Definitely check out some of those books. They’re great, and most are ones I repeatedly go back to. 🙂
  Reply
Cathy Miller on November 22, 2012 at 3:15 pm

A real jeeper – thanks, Jenn!
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Cathy Miller on November 22, 2012 at 3:16 pm

uh…make that keeper-typos are faster than the fingers 🙂
Reply
- Jennifer Mattern on November 26, 2012 at 9:48 am
  
  lol Happens to the best.
  Reply
Samar @ The Writing Base on November 23, 2012 at 2:10 pm

Jenn, excellent resource of resources!

The research resources are especially helpful. Thanks!
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- Jennifer Mattern on November 26, 2012 at 9:57 am
  
  Thanks Samar! 🙂 There were several more categories I thought about adding, but I just didn’t have the time that day. So maybe I’ll do some separate lists later on with even more — including some additional research resources. 🙂
  Reply
Lori on December 3, 2012 at 12:52 pm

Thanks for including me, Jenn! Great list all the way around. There are some favorites on it as well as some new ones.
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- Jennifer Mattern on December 3, 2012 at 10:15 pm
  
  No problem Lori. You know I love your stuff. 🙂
  Reply
Steve on January 4, 2013 at 12:35 pm

Thanks for the info: Another good book to check out: The Moonlighter’s Guide To Online Writing For Immediate Income by Connie
ss
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Kristen Gomez on February 12, 2014 at 3:41 pm

Thank you, Jennifer! It’s so nice to have all of this information in one handy place!
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- Jennifer Mattern on February 12, 2014 at 3:55 pm
  
  No problem Kristen. I’m glad you found it helpful. 🙂
  Reply
Alicia Rades on March 5, 2014 at 9:03 am

Wow! Thanks for including my blog on this list, Jenn. That’s really exciting for me!

A few other resources I personally recommend:
-Be a Freelance Blogger community forums
-Write Your Way Out of the Rat Race…And Step Into a Career You Love (an eBook for people looking to quit their jobs and start freelance writing)
-Make a Living Writing blog (I’m really surprised you didn’t include this one)

This is a great list of resources! I love that you’ve included things like apps and freelance rate calculators.
Reply
- Jennifer Mattern on March 5, 2014 at 9:41 am
  
  Not a problem Alicia. I enjoy the blog. 🙂
  
  I wasn’t aware that Sophie’s site had forums. I’ll have to check those out.
  Reply
  - Alicia Rades on March 6, 2014 at 2:54 pm
    
    She just released the free community recently. It’s fun for me because I’m one of the few moderators over there!
    Reply
    - Jennifer Mattern on March 6, 2014 at 4:48 pm
      
      Congrats! 🙂
      Reply
Anne Wayman on March 5, 2014 at 1:59 pm

love being included… twice 😉
Reply
- Jennifer Mattern on March 5, 2014 at 2:51 pm
  
  Two good resources. You know I’m a big fan of the community. 🙂
  Reply
Ashley on March 5, 2014 at 10:45 pm

What a great list! I’m hanging on to this one. I signed up for Canva a while back, but I haven’t used it yet. With your seal of approval, it’s worth looking into more closely 🙂
Reply
- Jennifer Mattern on March 6, 2014 at 7:19 am
  
  I love it. I’ve always been a Photoshop fan. But if you just want simple blog graphics, there’s no need to pay for that each month. Canva makes that process faster anyway, with all of their built-in design elements, templates, and drag-and-drop interface. 🙂
  Reply
Grace Amante on April 10, 2014 at 12:14 am

Thanks for this goldmine of information, Jen!

This list is Godsend! More power!!
Reply
- Jennifer Mattern on April 10, 2014 at 1:35 pm
  
  No problem Grace. I’m glad you find it helpful. 🙂
  Reply
Twin on April 30, 2014 at 6:51 am

Awesome Post! Would like to add another tool for online collaboration & project management is www.proofhub.com. Simple & feature rich.
Reply
Laura Spencer on February 18, 2015 at 5:25 pm

Thanks for including my blog on your resource list. This is a great list of all-around resources. I’ll definitely share this with new writers and others. 🙂
Reply
- Jennifer Mattern on February 18, 2015 at 8:40 pm
  
  Thanks Laura. 🙂
  Reply
Robyn Petrik on February 19, 2015 at 12:49 am

Awesome list of resources again this year! I’ll have to check out a few of the ones I don’t know. Thanks for updating!
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Emily Johnson on February 20, 2015 at 8:22 am

Jenn, thank you for the awesome list. It’s really good job! If you don’t mind, I’d like to add my favorite forum for writers www.writingforums.org
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- Jennifer Mattern on February 20, 2015 at 8:58 am
  
  Thanks Emily!
  Reply
Alicia Rades on February 28, 2015 at 11:44 am

Thanks for updating this list. It’s a great, comprehensive list. And thanks for including my blog again!
Reply
- Jennifer Mattern on March 2, 2015 at 8:28 am
  
  You’re very welcome Alicia.
  Reply
Scarlet on June 26, 2015 at 9:54 am

One more useful online tool for fiction writers – http://CityNameGenerator.com
Reply
Amit on September 26, 2015 at 10:00 am

I have recently developed an online tool that checks jargon words and calculates jargon density! Will be good for business writers –

http://www.jargonbuster.repairtxt.com

– Amit
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Joe Cotellese on November 24, 2015 at 7:53 am

Hi Jenn, thanks for the post.

I’m a huge fan of Scrivener. It was good to see that it’s listed here. I wish they’d come out with an iPad version soon. It would make my life a lot easier.

I wanted to share another writers resource – WriteWorks.co. @TrishSammer writes a lot of great content to help freelance writers build steady streams of content.
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- Jennifer Mattern on November 24, 2015 at 9:11 am
  
  I’d love an Android version too. I’ve found myself recently using Google Docs more than Scrivener for shorter pieces simply because I work on any device without having to move files and content around later. I still use Scrivener for manuscripts and love it for blog organization though. I thought they were working on an iPad version a while back. Hopefully they’ll have it ready soon-ish for you. 🙂
  Reply
Cate Hogan on December 3, 2015 at 11:28 pm

Thank you for sharing this wonderful article! Four years ago I also left my job as a marketing manager in Sydney to do something I’d always dreamed of: writing and editing romance novels full time. Anyways, here are also my 8 best tips and tricks for those wanting to follow a similar path http://catehogan.com/tools_for_writers/
Reply
Archit Jain on July 13, 2016 at 12:54 pm

Great great list Jenn..it gives one what it wants and needs to know ..i just bookmarked it..
Reply