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Resources for Writers
Get Paid to Write! |
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If you love to write, why not get paid to do it?
These days there are many sites on the Internet that will pay you to write. Some of them pay you for anything you write (provided it meets the standards of the site, of course), and some will give you assignments and tell you what to write about.
On this page are links to some of the sites I've found that do pay you for your writing. Some pay only a few dollars, and some pay much more.
The first thing you need if you're just starting out is a portfolio of articles you can show clients when you join freelance sites like Guru, ELance or oDesk. You can join as many of these sites as you like.
- Helium -- supportive community and good place for your portfolio and to sell articles
- Associated Content -- another good place for your portfolio and sell articles (US only)
- Constant Content -- a good site for selling articles
- Guru -- one of the biggest freelance sites for writers
- Rent a Coder -- a free freelance site for writers and programmers
- Elance -- another big freelance site for writers
- oDesk -- another free freelance site for writers
- LetterRep -- a site where you get paid for writing letters
- Textbroker -- a good site to sell articles (US only)
- Triond -- another good place for your portfolio
- Scribbly Billy (I love the name!) resources for writers
- Sunoasis -- a site that puts writers in touch with buyers
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You will also need some resources about the online world and its opportunities for making a living. I'm building a page of e-books that I've found useful. Keep checking back as I will be adding more as I get the time. Most of them will be FREE.
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This site is a great place for beginners to build up a portfolio as they learn the craft. The rating system allows you to see how readers rate your writing in comparison to others, which can help you learn. There's a mentor system and a vibrant community, and as your ratings improve you get stars and start to receive upfront payments on top of page views.
Helium also has a marketplace, where you can make good money, and it also has journalism awards and article writing contests to boost your income.
LetterRep is a site that sells custom letters, or to be more specific, custom letter templates. That's good for writers because it means your letters can be sold over and over again. Their new chat feature means you can talk directly to customers live, and this can lead to custom requests for you to write letters for them.
LetterRep is also introducing work for copywriters, so it is worth checking out if this is your skill (and they have training).
LetterRep does pay. They pay by PayPal 30 days after the sale. Letters can sell over and over again, as I'm constantly discovering.
Elance is another freelance site. There is a monthly fee, but they do have an escrow service, which makes it likely you will get paid.
I haven't looked at this site for a while, but you can join all of these freelance sites to increase your chances of finding writing gigs. Having subscription fees might keep down competitiion from third world writers who think $2 an hour is a good rate.
Textbroker seems a bit like Constant Content, but it's only for US writers. I've heard they pay $5 or $6 an article, but I wouldn't really know as I'm not in the US. I'm really not sure why they decide to discriminate against non-US writers when the others seem to have no problems with it.
Triond publishes your articles on a variety of selected websites and shares the profits of advertising revenue with you 50/50. I haven't tried them, but probably will soon.
Scribbly Billy is a new website that is building a full compendium of resources for online writers, from the beginner to the seasoned professional.
There are all kinds of links to places to learn, places to earn, software and tools, writers' hangouts and more. It is still under development, but well worth watching.
Sunoasis lists job openings for writers. These include 'proper' jobs as well as short term and casual telecommute writing jobs.
E-books
I've uploaded a couple of e-books, but many more will be coming.
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Associated Content |
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Associated Content is similar to Helium in many ways, and is another great place to build a portfolio and answer marketplace request. One drawback for non-US based writers is that no upfront payments are available, so you only get page views.
oDesk is a free freelance site where writers are hired. A drawback with oDesk is that there are writers here from third world countries who will write for hourly rates that are probably good for them but that are ridiculous for people from developed countries. Some buyers also have outlandish expectations, such as "800 word articles by native English speaker with impeccable English. Willing to pay $1"
Hourly jobs are guaranteed payment, but fixed rate payments are not guaranteed, and they do not have an escrow system for protection. This means you can end up working on a fixed rate job and not getting paid if you're unlucky.
Guru
Guru is one of the biggest freelance sites. There are quarterly charges, but they do have an escrow system. I have just signed up here and have done a few ebooks for clients here. So far it's been a good experience with no problems whatsoever.
They have a SafePay escrow system to protect you from unscrupulous buyers.
You can sign up with all the freelance sites if you want!
RentaCoder
RentaCoder is similar to oDesk, but the interface is appalling.
I've only just signed up here, so I'll post more later about this site.
It appears like it's just for programmers but there are also jobs for
writers. It looks like the pay rates might be generally higher than
oDesk, and it has an escrow service, so your payment is secure before you
start the job.
It's free to join and bid for jobs.
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Website (c) 2010. Lin Edwards, Freelance Writer and Editor, ABN 45 526 604 139
Adelaide, Australia. P.O. Box 247, Seaford, South Australia. Phone +61 8 83863370.
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