Writers Worth: Your Start-to-Earn-Now Freelance Writing Career Guide

It’s here! Welcome one and all to the 9th annual Writers Worth Month celebration! Stick around — there’s a ton of great content heading your way thanks to some of the best freelancers in the business.

What you’ll see here all month:

You’ll see guest posts from successful freelancers, from beginning freelancers, and from freelancers in between. Everyone has something to teach, an experience to share, a moment that left an impression. It’s all here, all month.

You’ll also see, for the first time, freelance writer profiles. People like Jake Poinier, Princess Jones, Jenn Mattern and more are sharing their stories — albeit in short form.

Plus, you’ll get a front-row, free-admission seat to some of the best advice you’ll read all year. Not to mention the comments from writers at all career levels.

So come back daily (yes, I said daily) for each new post. Read, lurk, comment, and above all, take away some excellent strategies for improving your business and understanding your value!

Today’s offering comes from yours truly. One of the first questions new writers ask (and established writers hear from new writers) is the age-old “How do I get started?” While I can’t give you all the answers — you do have to do some of the research yourself — I can give you a path to explore.

So here it is, from start to finish. Your Start-to-Earn-Now Freelance Writing Career Guide. The information is from this blog and others, and each link helps you build or grow your freelance writing business.

Building a Business
It is a business you’re building, you know. Start with understanding each element of that business — write out your business plan. It’s not hard. It takes just a little time, but the impact on how you move forward is huge.

Business Planning Sessions:

1. Part One: Pricing and goal-setting
2. Part Two: Dealing with expenses
3. Part Three: Creating a client list
4. Part Four: Planning your marketing
5. Part Five: Continuing education 

Setting Rates
It’s not rocket science. In fact, there’s really no science to it at all if you don’t want there to be. But here are a few ways you can set your rate.

A Dirty Little Secret About Pricing: Walt Kania’s guest post from a few years ago still rings oh, so true.
Raising Your Professional Rates: Here’s how.

Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator: Jenn Mattern was the first, and is still the best, at helping freelance writers set their rates.

Finding Clients
Now that you know what you’re charging and what your goals are, let’s get some clients.

Quick-Start Guide to Finding Clients: Here are some great ways to get up and running quickly.

7 Ways to Attract Your Ideal Client: How to increase your appeal and land more of the kind of client you want.

16 Places to Find Clients Today: Exhausted your options with your typical ways to find clients? Try one or more of these.

Queries and Contacting Clients

The Letter of Introduction: Paula Hendrickson changed my career with this insight. She’ll change yours, too.

Query Letter Series:

1. The Query Letter, Part One
2. The Query Letter, Part Two
3. The Query Letter, Following Up

Marketing Series:

1. Marketing 101: Finding the Clients
2. Marketing 101: The Approach
3. Marketing 101: Ongoing Marketing
4. Marketing 101: Miscellaneous Stuff About Marketing
5. Plan the Work, Work the Plan

Landing Great Clients on the Phone: John Soares shows us how.

105 Ways to Make a Living Writing: Jenn Mattern gives us a comprehensive list. Is your next gig on it?

Conversations, Contracts, and More
You’ve had some interest from all that work. Yes! Now what? Now you learn what to say to them and how to negotiate.

The Writing Client Interview: The prep work you need to do before picking up the phone.

Changing the Client Conversation: How changing your perspective can create partnership faster.

Writing Contract Primer: A good place to start when learning the contract language. Pay attention to the comments, as well.

7 Necessary Freelance Boundaries: Commit these to memory.

Media Kits for Writers: Jenn Mattern walks us through what goes into a great media kit.

Ongoing Freelance Writing Business Advice

How the 80/20 Rule Affects Freelance Writers: Another great one from John Soares.

Fatal Flaws That Hurt Your Business: Via Sharon Hurley Hall, this Slideshare show you how to stay on track.

Free Business Resources: Seriously, if you’re not following Jenn Mattern’s All Indie Writers site, this is just one of the great things you’re missing.

Answering the Introductory Pricing Request: Peter Bowerman has great advice for one copywriter who had this request. A great reminder that asserting your price needn’t mean you take a combative stance.

How to Increase Your Writing Income: Easy things you can do right now that will improve your earnings potential. Seriously.