This is a guest post by the lovely Marina, on a few ideas she’s used successfully to make money as a freelance writer.
The caveat- she does it WITHOUT selling her soul to a content farm, and guess what?
You can too, yo!
Please drop any thoughts or questions in the comments area below.
On June 16, 2011, TheFasterTimes.com posted an article by Oliver Miller, a self-described “content slave.” The article details how he had been recruited as a content writer for AOL Television. For $35,000 a year, he would get to write about TV shows. It sounded like a dream job.
It wasn’t.
Forced to write reviews for hour-long television shows in only twenty-five minutes, he was being paid to lie. He quickly discovered that the content didn’t matter.
All he had to do was meet a word count, fit some high traffic keywords into the title and article, and publish. Quantity was king, and he soon found himself working 60 hour work weeks, late into the night.
Oliver’s situation is far from unique, and AOL in particular isn’t really to blame. In fact, it’s the way that most of the content on the internet is produced.
Escaping the Content Farm Hell Hole
The Internet and digital media have revolutionized the way that publishing works. Today’s freelance writers (most of whom are talented and hold a masters degree or PhDs) have more opportunities than ever before, but they are also at risk of getting sucked into the content farm industry, which focuses nearly all of its efforts on search engine visibility.
This strategy emphasizes quantity over quality to an extent that has never been seen before, and it is not the road to success as a writer.
Thankfully, finding a true career as a writer in today’s society doesn’t necessarily require appeasing the gods of publishing either. E-books, blogs, and social media offer you the opportunity to act as a true entrepreneur and find your own audience. Here’s how.
The E-Book Revolution
In 2008, e-books took up 0.6 percent of the market. In 2010, they hit 6.4 percent. Fifteen self-published authors have hit the top 150 list on USA TODAY’s top-sellers.
New tools make it easy to transform a Word document into an e-book for the Kindle, Nook, iPad, or eReader. Furthermore, freelancers will be able to market their literature through a vast collection of social networking tools.
But freelance writers shouldn’t give up on traditional publishing, either. Amanda Hocking, author of the Trylle trilogy, achieved her success through self-published e-books.
This didn’t cause her to hesitate before signing a $2 million contract with St. Martin’s Press. It takes a lot of work to market your own content, and most writers would still rather focus on writing.
Finding an Audience
Publishers don’t just publish books. They market them. They find ways to get those books on the shelves of grocery stores and Barnes & Noble.
If you’re going to cut the publisher out of the equation, it means you’ll need to do some marketing of your own. As much as you’d like it to, content very rarely sells itself.
Here’s how to make it happen.
1. Start a Blog
Your blog is your brand. You’ll need to develop an audience before you can sell a book to them. A successful blog is one of the best ways to do this, especially if you’re looking for a local audience.
A successful blog has a clear goal, amazing content, and it’s all about the readers. Just as importantly, it is built on a solid foundation of relationships with other professionals.
2. Advertise
If you have any money at all, you can advertise. Google ads, Facebook ads, affiliate ads, and others allow you to advertise on any budget.
For many authors targeting a niche market, ads will be cheap to come by because they are bid-based instead of being priced on a flat rate. You’d be surprised how many people you can reach if you advertise in low-competition markets.
3. Use Social Media
Start profiles on Facebook and Twitter, and start building genuine relationships with like-minded people. Don’t just push your product/idea; engage with your following.
Learn how to incorporate your interests into how you interact with others. Leveraging these relationships is one of the most powerful ways to build an audience.
Final Thoughts
If you focus about half of your time developing your writing skills, and half your time as a marketer, you will find the success you are looking for. Use all the tools available to find a loyal audience, and you will find it much easier to build a writing career.
Okay lover. If you liked this post do me a solid and share it with your pals. You can use those handy icons to the left there or below, to do so without breaking a sweat. Peace.
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
so develop 1)writting skills 2)start a blog 3) use social media 4) if possible advertise.Hope it is as simple as it sounds.
johnavery´s last [type] ..Visiting Hours
It’s as simple and as hard as it sounds! Lol simple in implementation, the challenge comes with being consistent.:)
You hit it right on with the marketing aspect of writing. The ‘creative me’ is still waiting for the ‘focused, organized me’ to show up. I’ve just started writing after many years of saying I was going to do it and I appreciate your insight.
Lol my focused organized me only shows up some days, don’t feel bad.
Making Money as a Freelance Writer- WITHOUT Selling Your Soul to a Content Farm: This is a guest post by the lov… http://t.co/Zdhzo3Ro
Making Money as a Freelance Writer- WITHOUT Selling Your Soul to a Content Farm http://t.co/jC8DL2Fe via @BigGirlBranding
There will always be a demand for writers because of the need for more information. For instance, web users across the world are using the web to find every kind of information. Many people these days are also freelancing as writers and making a good income and you’ve pointed out all the right places where freelance writers can get more opportunities.
Words are currency when it comes to the web.
Up to you how much that currency is valued at.
Ebooks are the ways that I promote my products for sure. You can self publish on Amazon and Barnes and Noble as well as other stores. It’s helped me a lot. Digital products are the wave of the future.
<b>Making Money</b> as a Freelance Writer- WITHOUT Selling Your Soul <b>…</b> http://t.co/DVa6HXbL
<b>Making Money</b> as a Freelance Writer- WITHOUT Selling Your Soul <b>…</b> http://t.co/vWK9UO1p
With the online world revolving around Web 2.0 content, having a knack for writing can earn you good monetary rewards. The bidding system in most freelance sites, however, frustrates me. Charge too much and you won’t get hired. Charge too little and you’ll get burned out quickly. I might as well start a blog and monetize my content into my own hands.
Agreed.. I know there are some writers who successfully use some of the bidding sites, but competition can be stiff if you don’t know how to market yourself well on them, with a strong portfolio to back you up. I’d rather have multiple avenues of opportunity available than limit myself to just one. That said, don’t discount bidding sites altogether. For the right writer, you can make a healthy living from them if done right with a bit of elbow grease.
Thanks, Marina. I had read that article and found it very scary. I like your idea of publishing ebooks. What tools do you recommend?
Carolyn | The Wonder of Tech´s last [type] ..Manage Your Relationships the Easy Way with Facebook Lists
Hey Carolyn,
I’ve never personally published ebooks, but from my experience on the web I have to say that Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing is a great platform for writers.
James Altucher, a blogger than I follow frequently, has been successful in pushing out his self-published book.
With that said, however, finding a tool that works best for you is only half the work. Having a strong social network so you can scale your marketing efforts is just as important today as having good content.
Well said Marina! Without a strong network, you can publish books all day long, but it doesn’t mean they will be read.
Great thoughts, lovely Marina! I think blogging can be a great start. Also, we all know how social media has greatly changed and we can use that to our own advantage. Reaching an audience through social media can be a good way, too. Freelance writing can be a fun way to earn if we only learn how to maximize the potentials and possibilities.
Making Money as a Freelance Writer- WITHOUT Selling Your Soul … http://t.co/0pSUKz4K
Making Money as a Freelance Writer- WITHOUT Selling Your Soul … http://t.co/YHHXVY3B
As @ Christine said, blogging can be the best option for getting started with writing. Often people like freelance writers loses their creativity and become like a robot in terms of writing. @Marina, Your tips will definitely work.
Being your own boss and working on your own time, whenever and however you like is a dream job for anybody who enjoys writing and isn’t afraid to sail the waters of Internet waters.
The are the risks, but look at the gains!