Looking for awesome writing gigs?
Then you’ve come to the right place.
Here are today’s writing job opportunities that could kickstart your freelancing career!
Looking for awesome writing gigs?
Then you’ve come to the right place.
Here are today’s writing job opportunities that could kickstart your freelancing career!
I had planned on taking the rest of the week off. Normally, I post on Tuesday and Thursdays, but Christmas and New Year’s this year I gave myself the Thursday before each holiday off. Then this morning I woke up with a memory:
Years ago on New Year’s Day I was sick, had the day off from work and was researching information for the beauty and fashion column I wrote for a friend’s site. It was a fun thing I did on the side, but while researching I came across the term “freelance writer.” I realized there were people out there writing full-time from home and earning a decent income to boot. I decided right then to become one of them. I spent the next few days on research and few months later I quit my job and went into freelancing full-time. I was one of those New Year’s Day resolution/goal makers.
So for those of you who have decided today is the day, I wanted to drop by and offer encouragement and my favorite posts from FWJ on getting started:
by david 2 Comments
A query isn’t just about developing a good idea and sending it to the right person, a query is designed to show your idea meets the publication’s needs and reader demographic.
Before pitching a publication, a writer has to do one very important thing – read the publication. You wouldn’t believe how many writers skip that part and wonder why their idea was rejected.
Once you’ve read the publication, go back and read it again. Most experts suggest reading six months worth of information. At the very least, look at the last three months. This will help you determine four things you need to know before you craft your query:
All four of these points will help writers determine how best to craft their query. Matching the tone and audience is imperative so that the query speaks to the publication’s audience. When reading through take note of the tone. Is the letter from the editor friendly? Cheeky? Authoritative? Are the articles edgy or family friendly? Are the graphics and colors bright or subdued?
When researching the target audience, start with the media kit. The media kit tells advertisers important information about number of subscriptions, audience demographic, type of lifestyle, etc. The media kit is not enough to “get” the audience, reading the publication will help you feel the audience. Ask yourself how does the publication make you feel? This is an area where checking out the advertisers helps.
Advertisers work hard to find just the right publication for their ad dollars. Their ads are targeted and heavily researched. You can tell a lot about a publication and who they think their readers are by checking out the types and styles of advertising.
Next, study the topic. Topics help shape a publication’s tone so be sure to look beyond the cover stories. What are the regular sections? And perhaps more importantly, what topics have they covered recently? One of the biggest waste of query time and power is pitching a recently written about subject.
Finally, check for the number of freelance writers, also known as contributing writers. Actually, to be honest, that should be the first thing to check for before getting started with the other stuff. In magazine markets and writing guidelines, magazines often note that they use freelancers, but the question writers must answer is how many are used within the pages on a regular basis?
One easy way, beyond checking the contributing writers section, is to check the masthead and then thumb through the publication to see if any of those names appear. Also, be on the lookout for articles – especially regular features – that do not have a byline, often these are written in-house.
If the majority of the work is completed in-house, a writer knows they face tough competition to get their foot in the door. Plus, looking over a few month’s worth of work can also help you learn if they have a small or larger pool of regularly featured writers.
While it sounds like a lot of research for a one page pitch, it’s important to remember that each pitch has the potential to lead to more work and contacts within the industry. So before you pitch, read!
What do you do to learn more about a publication? Share your query tips!
Rise and shine, FWJ friends! It’s the middle of the week, and I hope the mid-week slump touches no one. Here are your job leads – I hope you find something you’ll like.
Content Writing Jobs
Blogging Jobs
Copy Writing Jobs
Proofreading/Editing Jobs
Journalism Jobs
Technical Writing Jobs
Plan/Proposal/Grant Writing Jobs
Travel Writing Jobs
Sports Writing Jobs
Resume Writing Jobs
General/Misc. Freelance Writing Jobs
Magazine Writing Gigs
by Noemi 2 Comments
Good morning everyone! Here are your jobs leads for today. Hopefully, they’ll help with the hangover that you may have from the holiday.
Introducing the Personal Life of Susan Gunelius
Content Writing Jobs
Blogging Jobs
Copy Writing Jobs
Proofreading/Editing Jobs
Journalism Jobs
Technical Writing Jobs
Plan/Proposal/Grant Writing Jobs
Travel Writing Jobs
Sports Writing Jobs
Resume Writing Jobs
General/Misc. Freelance Writing Jobs
Magazine Writing Gigs
by david 5 Comments
Treehuggers, today is your day. I’ve researched some environmental and nature writing markets for those of you who rock the green freelance writing jobs. If there are online guidelines, I posted the links. If I can’t find online guidelines, I included contact information so you can contact the market directly for updated guidelines. As with all other markets posted recently, don’t forget to read several past issues in order to familiarize yourself with each publication and follow all instructions for submission. These environmental writing markets are current as of February 2010.
If you liked these markets, you might also enjoy last weeks market lists:
If you successfully query these markets or have tips to share for pitching, do share in the comments.