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Advice for a Freelancer?

BuickMackaneBuickMackane
edited June 2015 in Writing
Afternoon all; as I mentioned in my previous discussion, I'm trying to break into the freelance writing market and am not entirely sure what I'm getting into. This issue I can live with; I know it's all very competitive and formidable and whatnot, but nevertheless any advice that you have on the issue would be greatly appreciated. I've no areas of expertise as such, but have a particular compulsion to write pieces that tackle the political & social climate of today. In the past I've made half-decent stabs at writing articles on sport (through an internship at a newspaper), poetry volumes, philosophy, politics, film...all published but not a farthing paid for them. At this point I very much want to make money from it, as writing is the only thing I can see myself doing long-term.

All this to say: any words of wisdom will be gratefully received.

Comments

  • Baggy BooksBaggy Books
    Choose a magazine you enjoy reading and pitch an idea to the editor - that's often a good way of breaking in, literally.
  • BuickMackaneBuickMackane
    Thanks Baggy - I actually did that a few weeks ago but didn't hear anything back
  • Baggy BooksBaggy Books
    You might not hear back for a lot longer, you need to be patient.

    An idea might not be right for a magazine today but in a month's time - if not longer - it might become relevant and then they will bite your hands off (not literally, obviously).
  • ClaudiaClaudia
    My experience is almost exclusively in freelance travel writing (always paid!). Baggy's advice is sound - if you don’t have a particular expertise then you need to examine magazines you currently read and think about what you can come up with for them. Your article must suit the style of the magazine - check if they have guidelines for their house style.
    Writing articles for magazines requires great patience – you may not hear from an editor for months. Also bear in mind that you need to have your article more or less written because when that editor does get back to you, he or she will probably want to see the copy straight away. (Speaking from experience here – I’ve occasionally had to produce an article with an extremely tight deadline which is scary and exhilarating!)
    You will also need patience after you submit an article... it can take months before an editor will let you know if it's been accepted or not. Wait at least six months before you chase an editor.
    Good luck.
  • doradora
    If you want to make money from it, my advice is once you've submitted one piece of work, start on your next piece of something completely different to another market.

    Don't sit around waiting for an answer, just get on with it. The more you have out there the less upsetting it will be if you receive a rejection. if you maintain a habit of keeping busy, when, sorry I meant if, a piece comes back rejected you'll be in the right frame of mind to just turn it around and send it back out somewhere else.

    Good luck with it and remember us lot at TB when you make your first million.
  • LizLiz
    Agree. Don't sit and wait around for replies, get on with the next article/piece of writing. And I bet you have expertise in something, or at least have had an experience of some sort you can impart.

    There is someone on here who has a VAST collection of magazine titles - BodtoaWriter. I think he has them on a website. You could look at the titles and see if anything sparks an idea.
  • Baggy BooksBaggy Books
    Never tell an editor you've already written an article. You will have had to have completed the research to get the pitch perfected, but editors will have their own ideas about how an article should be focused. And they will provide you with the word count - which will affect your writing.

    If you do reveal it's already written, they might lower their price to you - they know you need to sell the finished product.
  • ClaudiaClaudia
    Never tell an editor you've already written an article.
    Yes, I should have made that plain when I said 'you need to have your article more or less written'. :)
  • BuickMackaneBuickMackane
    This all seems to be pretty sound advice, people, thank you. Better start reading some magazines, he he.

    How about online representation? Blogs etc? Is it useful to set up some sort of presence?
  • Baggy BooksBaggy Books
    edited June 2015
    Depends what you're writing about. I don't have a 'presence' connected to my writing - the synopsis sells the article.
  • ClaudiaClaudia
    I've never found the need for an online presence in order to sell articles - but I've been very lucky in that I sold my first travel articles to an editor after I met him, so he didn't ask for my 'credentials' - he just wanted to see what I could do.
    Thereafter, I had plenty of articles under my belt for subsequent editors to know that I was legit.
    But, the most important thing is your pitch in order to get an editor interested.
  • BuickMackaneBuickMackane
    I've composed and sent my first pitch, guys. To a magazine named 'The Chap'. Wish me fortune.
  • heatherheather
    I say, old chap, I surely do.
  • LizLiz
    What ho, old thing, here's to you.
  • BuickMackaneBuickMackane
    edited June 2015
    I'd like to say at this point that if anyone hears of anything freelance-y, please just let me know. I can write up a storm on most subjects and have the time to do so. I'm willing to try my hand at just about any topic...:)
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