Here’s a question for everyone today.  With the freelance writing rates declining fairly rapidly I want to ask you today, would you take less pay if you were guaranteed work.  As a freelancer I have to admit that bidding on jobs can be quite tiresome and with so many people not even awarding their jobs at the end of the bidding time, bids are being wasted especially on sites such as Elance.  I’m glad that I don’t rely on Elance to provide me with work as I also work for another freelance company too.  The pay is less than what I would charge on Elance but the work is guaranteed and I can take as much or a little as I like.

This company has a number of writers and when we log in to the admin system there is a large list of articles available.  What you do is choose the article you want to write.  The great thing is, that you can’t take another article until you have posted the one you have previously chosen.  You have 48 hours to submit your chosen article too.  What I love about this compared to other freelance companies that I have worked with is the fact that ever article is listed seperately so you never get bored doing keyword articles.

There have been times where I have received freelance writing projects that consisted of 50 keyword articles on the same topic and after you have completed the first 10 they really start to become boring.  With this company there is none of this and like I said you can do as much or as little work as you like.  The pay is low $1 per 100 words but it really does help to fill in the blanks and balance my account at the end of the month.

So I put it to you, would you accept less pay for guaranteed work?

If anyone has anything they would like to add please feel free to comment.

Until next time,

Amanda

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I have an account with freelancer.com (formerly Get A Freelancer) and I have to say it makes me laugh when I read the email notifications that arrive in my inbox every day.  These emails are to notify me of new freelance writing jobs and they probably arrive every 10 minutes.  Yes, there really is a lot of work available on this website but you would have to be desperate to even bid on any of them.

Here’s an example of a job that was posted today at 10am.

Description
Hi,

I need people who I can send articles to and they can send it back to me within two hours. If you cannot do this, please do not bid on this project. Accordingly, I ask that along with your bid you send a PM stating what hours are you free to do this article. If I accept your bid, I will send you an article around those times and if you accept you MUST send me a PM telling me so that I do not give the article to someone. Depending onyour turnaround time, I might send more than one article to you per day. In your bid please write “I’m ready” to show that you read this project. Bids without this will not be accepted.The pay is .002 X words count. If the article is 400 words, the pay rate will be $0.80 USD Please send your times according to the Pacific Standard Time (PTS) Each rewrite must not be more than 10 words less than the original article. At least one word outof every three words must be different. This article must also make sense grammatically.

This is just one example of what this website has to offer freelancers.  Oh, and get this, payment is only by paypal after you reach $10 or two weeks has passed whichever comes first.  It is absolutely ridiculous what these people are expecting writers to work for.

I know you are probably wondering why I have an account with this website.  Well I opened an account back in 2005 and just never closed it.  It is a free account so it doesn’t cost me anything and I like to keep an eye on the way things are going in the bidding world.

This website is really busy and people do bid on these jobs.  It amazes me how these people make any money at all.  Even doing re-writes you have to put the time in and at $0.80 per article you would want to be cranking out a hell of a lot of these in the hour to even make minimum wage.

I guess quality really isn’t an issue for the people posting these jobs and it is no wonder that the internet is getting filled with useless garbage.

What is your take on this?

Until next time,

Keep writing

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A question that I often get asked is, “what is ghostwriting?” You really would be surprised at the amount of people who actually think that I spend my days writing about ghosts.

According to the dictionary, a ghost writer is:

–noun

a person who writes one or numerous speeches, books, articles, etc., for another person who is named as or presumed to be the author.

Most people assume that ghost writers only write novels and biographies for celebrities but this is not the case.  The ghostwriting industry has really developed and this is partly due to the internet.  Ghost writers today do a lot more than write novels although I must admit; this is still where the big money is to be made.

There are often times when ghostwriting and freelance writing overlap.  This is especially true when it comes to writing for the internet.  In fact most of the freelance writing jobs that are advertised are in fact ghostwriting jobs.  Your clients want you to write articles, website content, sales pages, ebooks or more and they want you to hand over the copyright for this on receipt of payment.  You are not getting any credit for this work and therefore it really should be classified as ghostwriting.

Ghostwriting really is just writing for someone else and not taking any credit for the work.  You hand over all rights to this work once you receive payment and it becomes the property of the person who has paid you.  They can do whatever they want with it and they can pass it off as their own.

If you are thinking of becoming a ghost writer then it is essential to understand that when looking for ghostwriting jobs online it is important to also search for freelance writing jobs.  If you use bidding websites such as Elance, all the jobs posted are ghostwriting jobs even though they might not be advertised as such.

There are a number of different ghostwriting services that you can offer and I will cover these in a later post.  For today I really just wanted to explain exactly what ghostwriting is.

Until next time,

Keep Writing

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freelance writing income can often be compared to a rollercoaster ride.  One month your income is up and the next it is down.  It’s a rollercoaster ride and one that more and more freelance writers want to get off.

Have you ever noticed what you do when your freelance writing income goes down?  What you do when your client list decreases?  What you do when you have no freelance writing jobs?

The answer to this is easy.  You start marketing.  You look for freelance writing jobs, you promote your services and you network with others.  When work is short you start looking for it.  What happens then is that all your hard work pays off and the next month your income is up.

Up and down, month after month, this is the rollercoaster ride for many freelancers.  If you want to change this and stay on the up you need to pay attention.  Have you ever noticed what happens when your freelance writing income is on the up?  What do you do when you have plenty of clients and plenty of work?

You stop marketing, you stop promoting your services and you stop networking.  This is what leads to your freelance writing income going down.  If you continue to market, continue to promote and continue to network, even when you have lot of work, you will continue to keep your freelance writing income on the up.

Most people are afraid to do this, they are afraid of taking on too much and having too many clients.  This doesn’t have to be the case you can always say no.  You can always tell potential clients that you are tied up for the next couple of weeks but that you can book their project in after this.  This is the key to a constant freelance writing income.  By booking clients in advance you always have work.  When potential clients realize how busy you are they know that you successful, they know that you are in great demand and they know that it is worth waiting until you can fit them in.

This really is the key to a great freelance writing income.  Keep marketing, keep promoting and keep networking no matter how busy you are.

Take a look at your own freelance writing income.  Are you on a rollercoaster ride?  If so what are you going to do about it?

Until next time,

Keep Writing

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If you want to be a successful freelance writer there are three things that you need to be doing on a regular basis.  These are:

• Promoting
• Networking
• Job Hunting

Promoting

Promoting yourself as a freelance writer is vital to your success.  There are a number of ways that you can do this.  You can use article marketing, post new articles to your blog or website or write guest posts for other blog owners.  Promotion is all about getting your name out there and having your freelance writing talents recognized.

Did you know that most potential clients will Google your name to find out more about you?  What does you name show up?  Have you ever actually Googled yourself to see what the results display?  You might be surprised at what you find.

Networking

Networking is all about staying in the loop and talking with other freelance writers.  Networking is a great way to meet potential clients too.  There are a number of ways that you can network and these include using websites such as Facebook and Twitter, following and commenting on other freelance writing blogs and participating in forums.  Networking is also a great way to meet other freelance writers and discuss issues or problems you might be having.  Networking also gets your name out there and to be a successful freelance writer people need to know your name.

Job Hunting

Let’s face it, without freelance writing jobs you are not a freelance writer.  Job hunting is essential no matter how busy you are.  By keeping an eye on what jobs are currently being offered along with the rates that clients are looking to pay you will know exactly what is going on.  You should be doing this on a daily basis because you never know when your dream job will be posted.

These three essential items should be part of your daily freelance writing ritual.  You should dedicate at least an hour a day to these items.  I would suggest that you leave the networking aspect till last as it is very easy to get caught up in the world of Twitter and before you know it you could have spent two hours tweeting and you haven’t even started your paying work yet.

Any successful freelance writer will tell you that promotion and networking are essential to their success and whilst they might have a full client list they still keep an eye on the freelance writing jobs that are being posted.

If you are serious about your freelance writing career then you need to focus on these three items and include them in your daily freelance writing plan.

If you are actively doing all three of the things mentioned in this post then why not share some of your tips and success stories with us.  I’m sure everyone would love to read them.

Until next time,

Keep writing

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If you want to be a successful freelance writer then you need to have freelance writing jobs.  There are a number of great websites and blogs that publish freelance writing jobs on a daily basis.  You should be looking for new opportunities every day regardless of how much work you have on.  You need to keep your eyes on what is happening in the world of freelance writing jobs.  Below is my list of 14 places to find freelance writing jobs in 2010.

1. Freelance Writing Gigs – http://freelancewritinggigs.com/webandprint/ This is probably the best freelance writing jobs websites around.  It is updated daily and there is plenty of really great freelance writing articles to be found on this blog too.
2. Problogger – http://jobs.problogger.net/ up to date list of blogging jobs
3. Freelance Switch – http://jobs.freelanceswitch.com/categories/subscriptions if you go to the jobs feeds page you can select the writing category and subscribe via email so that you get it in your inbox
4. Media Bistro – http://www.mediabistro.com/joblistings/ some freelance jobs on this website and you can also create an account in the freelance marketplace section.
5. Poe War – http://www.poewar.com/freelance-jobs/ keep an eye on the blog on the homepage too as this seems to have some posts relating to freelance writing jobs too.
6. Sunoasis Jobs – http://www.sunoasis.com/freelance.html you can also subscribe to get live updates via Twitter.
7. Telecommuting Jobs – http://www.tjobs.com/index.php?cat=97 This is the link for the writing jobs category.
8. Writer Find - http://www.writerfind.com/freelance_jobs/
9. Writer’s Weekly – http://forums.writersweekly.com/viewforum.php?f=4 This is a forum but well worth looking at.
10. Online Writing Jobs – http://www.online-writing-jobs.com/
11. About Freelance Writing – http://www.aboutfreelancewriting.com/category/freelance-writing-jobs-job-baord/ Daily blog listing of jobs.
12. Morning Coffee – http://www.freelancewriting.com/newsletters/morning-coffee-freelance-writing-jobs.php get this in your inbox so you never forget to check for jobs each day.
13. All freelance Writing – http://allfreelancewriting.com/jobs/
14. Craigslist – http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites choose your country, choose your area and then choose writing and editing on the jobs tab.

These are the websites I visit on a weekly basis to check out what is going on in the world of freelance writing jobs.  I do tend to check out all the other websites in this list before visiting Craigslist as many of these websites will have already searched through Craigslist and posted the best jobs.  I do tend to check Craigslist daily for European freelance writing jobs though. I have included all the links in this post rather than just using anchor text.  The reason for this is so that you can take a copy of these links if you want.  I tend to keep a master file of freelance jobs websites on my computer that I use.  I can then add to this list and remove websites that no longer post relevant leads.

You might have more freelance writing jobs websites that you could add to this list and if so I would love for you to share them.  If you post them in the comments I will add them to this list so that we can keep it updated.

Until next time,

Keep writing
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Last week I received an email from Neil Asher in which he included a link to a free Elance E-book. This free e-book has been written for people who want to outsource but it is also a good read for freelance writers who use Elance as a means of getting freelance writing jobs.  This e-book explains how buyers can use Elance which you probably won’t find interesting but it also goes on to explain how buyers should screen freelancers, what they should look for and how they should evaluate bids.  This is great for freelance writers as it will give you an insight into the mind of the buyer and what they are really looking for.

As you probably know I am a big advocate of Elance and I have been using this website to obtain freelance writing jobs since 2004.  I still use Elance and probably complete at least one writing assignment per month.  This free Elance e-book is great for all new freelance writers who are confused about finding jobs on Elance and it will explain what you need to include in both your portfolio and your bids.

This book is free so if you are in anyway curious be sure to download it and see what information you can take from it.

Until next time,

Keep Writing

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European Freelance Writing Jobs

It’s Tuesday and again I have a good listing of European freelance writing jobs today.  I have to admit that I am always delighted when I have more than three jobs to post.  It is slightly harder to actually locate freelance writing jobs that are located in Europe but so far it seems to be going well.  I know that with freelance online writing jobs you can be located anywhere, but the main purpose of this category is to try and find freelance writing or editing jobs that pay in European currencies.  Please don’t forget if you have any comments or suggestions in relation to this section of my blog please don’t hesistate to let me know.  I am always open to feedback, good or bad.  All you have to do is leave your comments below the post.

Here’s today’s European Freelance Writing Jobs:

French copywriters/ copyeditors with advertising/marketing experience (Anywhere)

As well as the above copywriting job, there are also three other freelance jobs listed in the writing and editing section of the Paris Craigslist, so if you speak french make sure you check them out.

Italian copywriters/ copyeditors with advertising/marketing experience (anywhere)

Spanish copywriters/ copyeditors with advertising/marketing experience (ANYWHERE)

Experienced tech blogger

Danish – Freelance Copywriters Needed

Experienced Copywriters Needed – Greek

Well that’s it for today.  Good luck to eveyone who applies for any of these freelance writing jobs.

Until next time,

Keep Writing

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Let’s face it, if you work at home then job hunting is probably part of your daily chores. I try to avoid the bidding websites as much as possible and have therefore come to rely on a number of different websites to get my leads.

On thing that I do use is Twitter. I use tweetdeck and the search facility it provides. I just typed in freelance writing jobs and I get a list of 100 leads that are updated constantly. Many of the leads are form GAF or other bidding sites but I have come across some great prospects too. If you are already on Twitter then I recommend trying this. It can save a lot of time and hunting.

Another excellent resource that I want to give you is a post from August last year on the Freelance Writing Jobs Network. This is a list of 22 places to find freelance writing jobs and is a great reference point for anyone looking for some additional work.

I should also remind you that job hunting is something that you should be aiming to eliminate from your daily schedule and indeed you should be aiming to have clients come to you. In order to do this however you need to start marketing and getting your name out there. I will discuss this further at a later date but for today I just wanted to give you some additional resources to help you find more freelance writing jobs.

Until next time,

Keep Writing

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You may remember a couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I would be reviewing GetAFreelancer to see what type of service and projects they offered freelance writers.

Well I’ve reviewed the website over a period of one week and now I am ready to give you my honest opinion on whether or not you should look for freelance writing jobs there.

First off let me just say that registering wth GetAFreelancer is free so this is a bonus but probably about the only one as you will see.

Get A Freelancer Reviewed:

Day 1: Sunday 26th April 2009

• Placed bid for weight loss article project – budget $20 to $50

Project to create a 500 word piece using information supplied by client.
Bid placed $20
Other bids – 1 at time of placement
Received PMB from client stating:
as part of the project you will have to do a keyword reaserch (this is the reason for the high payout)
can you with the right keywords get this article to the google top 10?
Project awarded 2 hours after initial bid for the amount of $30 instead of $20 and escrow was funded immediately. Project was completed Monday morning and payment was received within 20 minutes.

• $5 bingo articles needed

Looking for someone to write 10 articles 300 – 400 words each keyword rich for $5 per article
Bid placed $50
other bids – 0 at time of placement

• Lawn Articles

Project for 10 lawn articles, UK grammar, 750 words each.
Bid placed $140
other bids – 4 at time of placement (my bid the highest, other bids were $80) – bid wasn’t chosen, project bidding ended 28th April.

Day 2 – Monday 27th April 2009

541 open copywriting jobs

• Quality Article Writer Required

Placed bid for 20 articles to be submitted to ezines, etc. – Budget is $30 – $250
Project specified native english writers.
Placed bid of $200 to be completed within 2 weeks.
Other bids at time of placement = 7

most of the jobs listed today were private jobs or articles for $1 for 500 words. There was even one offering to pay $5 for 1,000 word articles.

Day 3 – Tuesday 28th April 2009

543 open jobs in copywriting section today
Majority of jobs are:
$0.75 per 400 words
$1 for 500 words

One decent job listing today:
$6 – $8 for 350 – 400 word ayurvedic articles. Looking for people from India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh though so didn’t bid. Project was for 30 articles initially.

Day 4 Wednesday 29th April 2009

another really bad project – looking for really good english writers to write erotic stories. Stories should be 2 pages long at least and pay is $1.50 per story. Looking for 20 stories. 6 bids placed on this job.

No jobs to bid on today.

Day 5 Thursday 30th April 2009

Again a disasterous day, no jobs worth bidding on am I am really getting tired of wasting 10 to 15 minutes looking at projects that want you to write 500 words for $1. Why are people bidding on these jobs?

After 5 days I had enough. What started off looking good turned into a waste of time. Ok so there maybe a couple of jobs on this website but to be honest the amount of time you would waste looking for them really isn’t worth it.

My honest opinion: Until bidders stop bidding on $1 articles GetAFreelancer won’t be featuring in my list of websites to find freelance writing jobs again. I don’t know, would it be possible to start a petition going to ban $1 articles from these websites? Anyone with me on this? Could we educate new freelance writers and give them a mimimum amount to bid on 500 words?

Until next time,

Keep writing.
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