The other day you had a post about other writing related jobs available. Like the person who asked the question, I have up and down days of wondering if I’ll ever get a book published. It’s not top priority in my life right now. However, I would also like to find jobs that have to do with writing, because I love to write.
There are tons of websites advertising online jobs, but I’m sure many are not reputable. Do you recommend any? Do any of the readers recommend any?
I do not personally recommend any of the online writing jobs—not because they may not be legit, but because I haven’t done any research on them. What I do recommend is Funds for Writers by C. Hope Clark. She has done the research.
I have gotten all my writing jobs via word of mouth. I tell my family, friends, other contacts that I’m looking for work and it starts to trickle in. The hard part is getting that first job, and doing a great job so that they’ll enthusiastically recommend you to others.
Readers, do you have any recommendations?
Most online jobs are scams. Those that aren’t tend to pay ridiculously low rates (e.g., 1 cent per word). My suggestion is to do your homework before applying for any of them. If you’re looking to build a portfolio, then some legit jobs may give you the experience you need to be able to find clients that pay more.
And getting that first writing job (that leads to better, higher paying jobs) may mean doing it for free. I just volunteered to write and edit for a local mayoral campaign. I did it because I like the candidate and his positions – not for the experience or the $$$. But it will be nice to have some political material to add to my portfolio. Politicians are always in need of people who can clearly communicate their message.
In addition to letting everyone know you do freelance writing, look around your community and if you see a writing need, volunteer or apply for a job to fix it. That's opened a lot of doors for me.