Freelance Writing 101 “Handout”

Kristen King

It’s time to create a new conference handout, so here’s the old one for your reading pleasure!

Freelance Writing 101

Recommended Reading

Getting Started

§The Well-Fed Writer and The Well-Fed Writer: Back for Seconds by Peter Bowerman

§How to Start a Home-Based Writing Business by Lucy Parker

§How to Become a Fulltime Freelance Writer: A Practical Guide to Setting Up a Writing Business at Home by Michael A. Banks

§Getting Started as a Freelance Writer by Robert W. Bly

§Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer by Moira Anderson Allen

§The ASJA Guide to Freelance Writing: A Professional Guide to the Business, for Nonfiction Writers of All Experience Levels by Samuel G. Freedman

§“How Much Should I Charge?” by Lynn Wasnak (updated in each edition of Writer’s Market)

Developing Your Skills

§How to Write Irresistible Query Letters by Lisa Collier Cool

§The Writer’s Guide to Queries, Pitches, and Proposals by Moira Anderson Allen

§The Renegade Writer by Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell

§The Freelance Success Book: Insider Secrets for Selling Every Word You Write by David Taylor

§Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer: How to Win Top Writing Assignments by Jenna Glatzer

§Ready, Aim, Specialize!: Create Your Own Writing Specialty and Make More Money by Kelly James-Enger

Building Your Library

§2006 Writer’s Market by Kathryn S. Brogan, Robert Lee Brewer, and Joanna Masterson

§The Street Smart Writer: Self Defense Against Sharks and Scams in the Writing World by Jenna Glatzer and Daniel Steven

§Formatting and Submitting Your Manuscript by Cynthia Laufenberg

§Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne, Dave King, and George Booth

Group Work

National Writers Union (www.nwu.org)

§“…the trade union for freelance writers of all genres. We are committed to improving the economic and working conditions of freelance writers through the collective strength of our members. We offer contract advice

and grievance resolution, member education, job banks, networking, social and professional events, and much more.”

§Membership benefits include press passes issued to qualified applicants and the NWU Job Hotline, where employers list contact jobs, which members can then bid on. Also included in membership is a resume bank, where you can upload your writing resume to be searched by potential clients.

Editorial Freelancers Association (www.the-efa.org)

§“…a national, not-for-profit, professional organization of self-employed workers in the publishing and communications industries. Members are editors, writers, indexers, proofreaders, researchers, desktop publishers, translators, and others who offer a broad range of skills and specialties. …[EFA] works to raise the professional status of its members and to make the freelance life more dynamic and rewarding.”

§Membership benefits include a listing in the online membership directory, which you can use to advertise your services to potential clients. For an additional fee, EFA offers the JobList subscription service, which provides job descriptions that members can bid on.

Washington Independent Writers (www.washwriter.org)

§“WIW members write and edit fiction and non-fiction. Some specialize in magazine or newspaper writing, while others write through contracts with corporations, government agencies and nonprofit organizations. Members also write novels, short stories, poetry and film scripts.”

§Membership benefits include local professional development and social activities, writing contests, and online discussion forums. For an additional fee, get six-month or annual membership to the WIW Job Bank.

Washington Book Publishers (www.washingtonbooks.org)

§“…open to those who work in book publishing, excluding only the technical work of printing and binding, and to legal and educational professionals. Members work in virtually all of the non-technical aspects of book publishing, including editing, design and production, proofreading, translation, indexing, marketing, administration, and management. The diverse membership comes from government, educational, commercial, and association publishing.”

§Membership benefits include six or seven local programs each year on topics suggested by members.

Extra Credit

Online Writing Resources

§DCpubs (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dcpubs/)

§About Freelance Writing (www.aboutfreelancewriting.com)

§Freelance Writing at About.com (http://freelancewrite.about.com/)

§Writers Write (http://www.writerswrite.com)

§Worldwide Freelance Writer (http://www.worldwidefreelance.com/)

§The Well-Fed Writer (http://wellfedwriter.com/)

§FreelanceWriting.com (www.freelancewriting.com)

Creating Your Own Website

§SelfPromotion.com (www.selfpromotion.com)