5 Tips for a Successful Freelance Writing Career


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5 Tips for a Successful Freelance Writing Career

By

April Aragam

Copyright © 2013, April Aragam, All Rights Reserved

 

 

People seem to be divided over whether one can truly have a successful freelance writing career. It is possible. It certainly takes hard work and commitment, but that's true for most jobs. This article discusses five ways to help you become a successful freelance writer.

 

1. Always add to the list of publications you write for

While it's wonderful to have 4 or 5 publications you regularly write for, you could always be doing a bit more. Never stop trying to break into new magazines you have an interest in. You probably won't write for all of the publications every single month, so having more publications in your repertoire never hurts. Adding publications to the list will also add more money to your pocket.

 

2. Set goals and aim high

It's great to write for magazines of all sizes and rates, but if you have dreams of writing for glossy magazines you should be attempting to reach that goal. Sit down and make a list of your writing goals. Don't be afraid to aim high. Just because you decide to aim higher doesn't mean you don't need to stop writing for the smaller publications. If your goal is to write more content for the publications you already write for, write that down as one of your goals. Make sure that the goals you set are your own and not what you think you have to do or what others think you should be doing. Goals are personal to everyone.

 

3. Don't be afraid to contact editors

Many writers feel as though they shouldn't contact editors to ask what types of articles they might be looking for or to inquire about the publication. Asking these good questions to an editor not only gives you more information but keeps your name in front of the editors so they don't forget you. It's true that editors are busy, but if your email is work related, you shouldn't feel guilty for emailing them. Don't become antsy if you don't get a response right away. Editors are busy so it might take a while for them to get back to you. Better late than never.

 

4. Don't give up after the first try

If you're attempting to break into new publications and you don't make a sale on the first try, don't give up. Some writers get offended and assume that the editor doesn't like their style of writing so they shouldn't bother to try again. That's no way to break into publications and achieve your goals. An editor might pass on your query or article submission for any number of reasons. It might not quite fit with their publication or they may have used to idea recently. It's wrong to assume that an editor didn't like your writing style unless she actually said so.

 

5. File all ideas

You probably come up with lots of ideas for articles and stories, but you can't get around to using them right away. File them away for later use. This file will come in handy when you are having a difficult time coming up with new ideas. In order to be a successful, regularly published freelance writer, you don't want to take too many days off before you're inspired with new ideas again. Taking a day off now and then is a good idea, of course. But taking too many because of lack of ideas is not the right reason.

 

By following the above suggestions, you can begin to build a successful freelance writing career and continue growing it for years to come.