Started business

When you make the decision to become a freelance writer, you will want to know how to get started and where to go for work, this series will teach you the basics. This article is an introduction to the business.

Freelance writers are writers who work for themselves, they make a living writing for anyone who pays and offers work in their line of expertise. They then contract the work and they find their own assignments. The writers market themselves, build their own name, then work the long hours to make the money in the business they love.

To become a freelancer, you should then ask yourself if you are ready for that kind of commitment. Though some people try freelancing part-time, freelancing is clearly a full time commitment. In a day you will need to not only be a great writer, but you must also become an accountant, a marketing executive, a secretary, and a project coordinator. The hats you wear as a freelancer can be a scary experience if you are not committed.

The most important thing you should think of when becoming a freelancer is, whether or not this is the job for you. Can you financially manage while you get your buisness up and going. This is very important because many freelancers don't last very long, because very real finances come along and tell them to go back to work. They dont have the time or financial stability to create the career they always wanted.

The rewards of becoming a freelancer does happen eventually, but you must be prepared to take the time necessary to create the writer you want to be.

Before choosing freelance writing you should first do the following:

• Balance your checkbook, be sure you have enough savings to survive financially for at least 6 months. Be sure that if you have children, that you have alternate sources of income.


• Take a class on writing a query or a proposal. Becoming a freelancer depends on your ability to sell yourself to others. Find other like minded writers they will have information that could be valuable to you.


• Learn Marketing and bookkeeping strategies, and get good bookkeeping software that breaks up jobs. My recommendation is Quickbooks, it will break up jobs, create your invoices, pay your sub contractors if you should expand, and it can keep track of each and every job you do. You can even file your taxes by creating a disk for your accountant.


• Learn as many types of freelance opportunities as you can.

The next thing is to decide how you want to work. Do you want to write e-books, build websites, write articles, ghostwrite, design architecture, graphics. What is your expertise and how can that make you money.

Come up with a plan and stick to it. This is (or should be) the first step of every new freelance writer.

Pastor Katherine Johnson is a mother, a Christian Pastor and currently works as a freelance writer. The Bible is her favorite book and she makes the study of her bible her main cause in life. She has been a freelancer for the past 3 years. She has a website called The Quality Freelance Writer at http://www.thequalityfreelancewriter.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - The First Step to Become a Freelance Writer