As bloggers, one thing we all have in common is a love for writing. Now imagine how amazing it would be to be able to quit your day job and get paid to write full time.
There was a time I would have said it was impossible unless you were one of the lucky few who secure a massive book deal. Then I discovered blogging, and through that, I went on to discover freelance writing.
There are many options on what sorts of things you could be paid to write. It could be blog posts, similar to your usual blog posts, it could be sales related blog posts or it could be fiction.
Personally, I prefer writing fiction rather than articles. Articles tend to be short and it can be time consuming finding work when each project is only around 1000 words. With fiction, the projects are generally longer, better paid and if you do a good job, usually lead to long term work.
I thought ghost writing would be extremely difficult to get into, but it is actually pretty simple. There’s lots of sites out there that act as agents between writers and people who need writers. I personally use Upwork and I have had no problems with it.
You will pay a fee to the site, but you are protected against non-payment in a way you’re not if you go it completely alone.
On Upwork, you set your own fees and deadlines with the client. Some clients want something very specific, other give you full creative control – it just a matter of scrolling through the available jobs and applying to the ones that appeal to you. It won’t be long before clients are approaching you rather than you going to them. I can’t remember the last time I worked on a job where the client hadn’t approached me.
Some Tips To Help You Get Started
- A lot of clients will ask for writing samples. Make sure you have some available either on your blog, or on a Word document within your chosen niche.
- Don’t be tempted to plagiarize other people’s work – most clients check your work using Copy Scape, and even if they don’t, stealing other people’s work is just wrong.
- Decide on your rate and stick to it. You will get some clients who want the earth but aren’t willing to pay much. I saw one advert for a 50,000 word novel and they were offering $5. And people had applied.
- Don’t promise anything you know you can’t deliver, whether that be unrealistic deadlines, or quality of the work.
- Don’t allow yourself to get bullied into going offsite – it can be tempting to avoid paying the fees, but chances are if a client asks you to go offsite (for payment – Skype or email conversations are perfectly acceptable) you won’t be getting paid.
- Don’t let fear hold you back – if you see a job you’d love, go for it. What’s the worst that can happen?
- Make sure you fully understand what the client wants – ask questions and get things clarified. It will save time in the long run, and clients want someone who seems enthusiastic enough to check things.
- Try to build up your feedback – after each job, the writer and the client leave feedback for each other – the better your rating, the more likely you are to get hired.
- Jump out of your comfort zone – I mainly write horror fiction for myself, but as a ghost writer, I also write crime, fantasy, mystery and romance.
- Make sure you double check everything – a client doesn’t want to have put a ton of mistakes right.
I’m sure there’ll be people out there who think its too good to be true – I was one of them. I really thought I’d start out earning pennies and getting taken advantage of. That wasn’t the case at all. If you know your worth and stick to your guns, you can make real money writing.
I have been doing this around two months now and I currently work less hours than I do in my day job and earn far more money than I do there. I really wish I had the balls to make the jump and leave my day job. I’m sure in time I will, but the danger is that when you rely on the money as a main source of income, you may end up having to take lower paid jobs.
If I had found this ten years ago, I would have left me day job without thinking twice. The irony is though, if I had done it then, I wouldn’t have had the discipline to hit deadlines and find more work.
Have you ever tried ghost writing? Would you? Let me know in the comments 🙂
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I’ve looked at some freelance writing sites, but I’ve gotten no takers for my services.
You should try Upwork if you still want to do it. I had work within two days of joining so it is really doable on there 🙂
Sounds really interesting and impressed that you are making some money out of it! I’m now where you were a few months ago and naturally assume I’d get nothing out of it! But I’ll definitely have a look! Thanks.
I’m really enjoying it, its definitely worth checking out!
It sounds like you’re doing really well. I’d heard about these freelance sites but always thought they were a bit scammy. I’ll have to take another look. Thanks for the interesting post.
I did too (I’d read about “content mills” where you earn less than 1p per 10 words and things). I think its down to using a bit of common sense – if it sounds too good to be true it probably is, and if it sounds like you’re being underpaid, then ignore the job. Other than that, it’s great!
Very interesting info. Thank you!
You’re welcome, hope it helps 🙂
great info
pinning this for later
hopefully someday I’ll make a buck
#anythinggoes
Thank you 🙂 Go for it, good luck!
I have never thought about it, mainly because I don’t know anything about it, so this was actually really interesting! #anythingoes
Thank you, give it a go, you’ve got nothing to lose!
Very informative and really interesting! It’s great to know that we can actually progress and do better with our writing skills compared to our day job. Good stuff! #AnythingGoes
Thank you 🙂 It is good to know it’s possible!
This sounds like an amazing site, what’s the joining fee (if you don’t mind me asking)? I would love to do something like this. Congratulations on your success :).xx #anythinggoes
It’s fantastic, I really love it! It’s free to join. Thank you 🙂 x
I don’t think I am a writer or as talented as you so I will never take the plunge. But you should go for it! I really like what you write. Good tips for people who would be tempted here. #AnythingGoes
You’re a fantastic writer! If you like the sound of it, go for it! Thank you 🙂
Really interesting article. I’ve looked at this before but never proceeded as the return for time looked low. I’ll check out upwork though.
Sally @ Life Loving
#AnythingGoes
Thank you 🙂 Obviously it depends how fast you can come up with ideas and type, but it’s definitely possible to make a good hourly rate 🙂
Really helpful pointers Debbie wether you’re writing fiction or something factual. Our niece is a freelance writer now (she took the plunge about 18 months ago) and is doing really well. She also comments that there are some who ask for a lengthy piece and yet are only offereing $5! Yet there are others where the payment value is negotiable and will even happily increase their offer if you are confident enough at selling your work. Book marking.
Angela x
Thank you 🙂 That’s brilliant, good on her for taking the plunge! There’s some fab clients who will pay a decent price but yeah, some really take the mick! x
Great information! I would love to be able to get paid for what I have to say. I have tried looking on UpWork, but thought I would strengthen my writing skills first!
Great information! I would love to be able to get paid for what I have to say. I have tried looking on UpWork, but thought I would strengthen my writing skills first!
#AnythingGoes
*Didn’t get to add on the linky! 🙂
It’s good to have a few good writing samples to use if they’re needed. Good luck!
Awe i’d love to get paid for what i love doing.
Maybe one day 🙂
#AnythingGoes
It would be fantastic to make a full-time living this way!
Really interesting article, I’m on a career break, and my previous job was writing (trying to make engineers sound exciting!) but much prefer the blogging. I’ve never considered ghost writing, it does sound interesting …who know maybe the next Zoella needs a book ghost written! Thanks for the post!
Thank you 🙂 If you can do that, you can do anything lol 😉
Never thought about it before. I’ve never thought I’d actually be good enough, but you’ve got me thinking about it now….. #anythinggoes
Give it a go, you’ve got nothing to lose!
This is such an interesting post. My absolute goal in life is to be a professional writer. It’s what I’ve always wanted but I’ve always been put off because of how competitive the market is. I’m deffo gonna take a look at Upwork. Thanks for this #anythinggoes
Thank you 🙂 It is quite competitive but I’ve found there’s plenty of work out there if you’re willing to take the time to look 🙂 Good luck!
Great stuff, I self published a few children’s ebooks and it was much easier, in many ways, than I thought. For me it wasn’t about making money but this is all helpful stuff either way. #anythinggoes
Thank you 🙂 It is so much less hassle to just do it yourself isn’t it, especially if its not about making money
well done Debbie – fab tips #anythinggoes
Thank you 🙂
This is great. I love writing fiction and have often wondered about ghost writing but didn’t know where to start and also lack the necessary discipline. I am hoping the blogging work will help build up my discipline for daily writing and then take a look at ghost writing again. Thanks for the recommendation x
#AnythingGoes
It does take a bit of discipline and blogging definitely helped me with that aspect of it x
With my maternity leave ending in the future this is something I have been thinking about. Thanks for the tips. #AnythingGoes
You’re welcome, I hope you found them useful 🙂 Good luck!
That’s really interesting. Like you, I have been kind of assuming that making a living writing won’t happen for most people. I hadn’t considered ghost writing – I might look into it now! #anythinggoes
Thank you 🙂 It’s definitely worth looking into, it really is doable!
Wow this is so interesting! I might well be back in touch to ask you more questions! X
Feel free 🙂
Thanks for this. I’d love to be able to write for a living. That’s part of why I started the blog. It’s a kind of stepping stone to where I want to be. Really useful info, thanks, will give it a try.
That’s kind of how it happened for me – although I had no idea it would lead here when I started the blog.
How To Write Fiction In Any Genre - My Random Musings
[…] is great if you want to write and publish your novels. However, if you find yourself wanting to make money from writing, you may well find yourself going down the freelance writing […]