Start A freelance writing Career

Do you enjoy writing? Or typing on forums like this? If so then maybe you should start a business as a Frelance Writer.

Facts and Figures:
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2002), there are 319,000 writers and editors in the United States. Of those:
one-third are self employed
139,000 are general authors and writers
50,000 are technical writers
130,000 are editors
Surely these numbers are at least slightly higher, as there are many people who do this part time, or have careers that overlap.

Money
For print and magazine writing, the going rate is usually between $.50 and $1.00 per word. This usually equates to somewhere between $36,000 and $48,000 per year when you include research and rewriting. Often you can command a higher salary if you have experience in a specific area such as computers, medicine, business or science. Technical writers tend to earn a little more, averaging $50,580 per year, while general writers average around $42,790 per year.

Start Up Costs
Start up costs are generally very low. All you really need is a computer, phone, some business cards and an internet connection. A laptop computer can be very useful, because you can take it with you to do research.

Hours
As a freelance writer, hours are very flexible, and you can write whenever you feel inspired, unless of course, you have a deadline approaching. Many writers work more than 40 hours per week, but the time is usually spead throughout the day, rather than working 8 hours in a row. Many people start out writing on their spare time. It is pretty easy to start this business while you continue to work your job.

Training/Education
Many freelance writers have a degree in Journalism, English or Creative Writing. Generally, a good education helps you to have good writing skills, but more important is experience. It is much easier to get contracted for jobs if you already have published works.

One way to get established is to do an internship for a magazine, newspaper or website. Do some free writing, get published, and then use this as a reference. Another place you might check is the smaller local newspaper. Often these smaller publications have space to fill and are more than happy to publish interesting stories.

Lastly, you might want to take a writing class at the university to fine tune your writing skills before you start submitting to more important publications.

Outlook
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the outlook for writers is good, and growth is expected to remain steady for the next several years. One are of growth will certainly be the internet, as websites start having an increased demand for content.

Websites
www.nwu.org
www.iabc.org
www.writersdigest.com
www.writersmarket.com