Wordpreneur.com

Came across this article that gives you a good brief overview of the online freelance writing market. I could have written it myself, but was just too lazy today. The piece is quite obviously an attempt to get you to click-through the links in the sig, but it does a decent job of covering the basics of this particular freelance writing market opp regardless. No, I’m not sold on the “writers group” thing, so tread very carefully if you’re inclined to dig deeper into that possibility (if they want you to pay to join, blecch!). — EES

Article by Jorge Chavez

The Internet moves by and communicates through the written word. Billions and billions of written words. Someone must generate every page of the unique content that gets websites ranked high with the search engines. All that text costs money to generate.

Most of that text is paid freelance writing. It is generated by people like you and me who work by small projects and get paid to write online.

Higher gasoline prices mean that it costs more to move people physically from one point to another. This higher cost will be a boon to the Internet, where people can shop online and work online without physically going anywhere. All they have to do is to sit down at their computers and connect to the Net.

The Internet will grow even more rapidly and more people will get paid to write online, generating the copy that the Internet needs. And these writers will not have to commute any farther than from their breakfast table to their computer!

You could be getting some of that money. You can get paid to write online, to generate that content, provide the information and explanations needed. You do not have to be an experienced writer. If you can write in simple, clear English, at the 5th to 9th grade level, then you qualify to make money writing online.

There are basically three different approaches to getting paid to write online:

• Pure for-hire freelancer
• Independent Freelancer with a client list
• Member of a writers group

As a pure for-hire freelancer you would frequent such websites as eLance, Guru.com and others that offer a meeting place (marketplace) for buyers and sellers. You bid on contracts posted and offered there. You go for as many or as few contracts as you wish. Ideal setup for part-timers.

As an Independent Freelancer, you would have developed a reputation and a client list (perhaps at least partly from buyers you met at eLance, etc.). You would accept writing projects from your known clients and their referrals, aiming for the higher-end writing contracts that pay better.

Independent Freelancers get paid to write online by combining freelance writing opportunities into a regular freelance writing business.

As a member of a writers group you would join and then choose amongst the standing projects the group has already negotiated. You decide in which parts you want to participate. That way you avoid the hassle of the selling and negotiating parts and just concentrate on the ‘writing to get paid online’ part.

There are many people with large numbers of specialty content websites for which they get revenue from AdSense advertisements. They need a constant stream of new articles to attract website visitors and keep them coming back. So they post a list of subjects and requirements with a writers group.

You look at the lists, look at the terms and payment offered, pick your subjects and start writing articles. The writers group collects for the articles written, then writes you a check for the articles you have written. Payment for writing work done is usually made on a regular monthly basis.

There are guide books about how to be a successful freelancer, written by people who have ‘been there, done that.’ You can find several good ones by following the links below. Also there is a link to a writers group that you might want to consider joining if you want to go that way to get paid to write online.

Jorge Chavez is an experienced writer, Internet marketer and author who both buys and sells written materials for the Internet. He publishes the MakeMoneyWriting site. For more on writers groups and a chance to see how one works up close, visit: Get Paid to WriteFor more on writers groups and a chance to see how one works, up close, visit Join a Writers Group.

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