Wordpreneur.com

There are two kinds of freelance writers:

• Those with paying gigs…
• …and those who do not.

The most common complaint I hear from the non-workers is that the marketplace is very competitive. Translation: Difficult, if not impossible (as some of them lament) to break into.

Funny thing: The most common complaint I get from the workers is how overworked they are.

Huh?

Something doesn’t compute. Especially when you consider huh #2: Many of the overworked don’t even bother to look for work. The editors just keep sending stuff over. I can even remember more than just one occasion where the editor begged the writer to be fit in.

Thing is, both complaints are true.

What usually goes unsaid among the non-workers is that they’re whining about the marquee markets: the thick newsstand glossies, top tier book publishers, etc. etc. etc. The ones that for obvious but more often than not suicidal reasons all the newbies like to hit first despite the fact that these markets are indeed very crowded and difficult, even for the very experienced and connected. (But boy do they pay very well!)

The marquees, however, are only a very small percent of the whole marketplace. Don’t take my word for it: Look through the market directories I mentioned previously.

Ka-ching!

Sure, none of these markets are any good for when your new dentist pores over your just-filled-out patient form and says, “Oh, says here you’re a freelance writer; have I read any of your stuff?” (Unless you’ve got articles in Dentistry Today of course.)

But who cares? It pays his bill.

Share This

Popularity: 7% [?]