Once you find good clients, the goal is to keep them. This seems obvious, but sometimes by raising your rates, you may lose even your best clients. But you can’t stay at the same rate forever if you want to maintain a freelance writing career. How do you raise your rates without scaring off your clients?

When just starting out, many freelance writers set their rates too low. I know I did. It could be fear or lack of confidence or just not knowing what to charge. After a while, you realize you are just not getting ahead and most of you spend most of your day writing with little in return for your time. No matter who you are, your time is valuable. Life is short. And quality writing takes time.

You may be more comfortable sticking with your current rates than telling your clients that your prices are going up. Again, fear and lack of self-confidence can rear its head again.  If they value your writing, a small increase should not scare your clients. But take these tips into consideration when you decide to break the news.

1. Be Honest!

It is amazing how the truth is the most impressive reason for raising your rates. Tell your client that since you began your career, you have developed as a writer. Mention that you are getting more clients and it is time to focus on the jobs that provide the most effective use of your time. Maybe you are more established in the market now, or have learned additional skills you can bring to the table. Your clients will appreciate your honesty. This is a business, not personal, and there really is no need to apologize for increasing your prices.

2. Give Current Clients Plenty Of Notice

When you plan to raise your rates, give your current clients a heads up so they are not caught by surprise. Send out an email and let them know you will be raising your rates in the near future.  Give them an opportunity to place an order before the increase using a “Buy Now” offer at your lower rate.

3. Have Confidence In Your Writing Skills

As I prepare for book, Calling All Freelance Writers, I have learned that the biggest thing that holds people back from charging more is the lack of confidence in their skills. The key is to find customers that understand the value of quality writing. This is even more true with Google chasing down all the content mills and poor quality websites. If you believe you are worth more than $15 an article, than don’t be afraid to ask.

4. Be Aware that you May Lose Clients and That it’s Okay. 

The good news is that many of your clients will understand and if you have proven yourself, they will stay with you even after you raise your rates. There will probably be a few who just can’t afford it. Don’t stress! Remember, even if you’re only raising your rates by a couple of cents per word, it still means earning the same amount of money for less work. You can afford to lose a few clients if you are charging more for your writing. In the end, you want the clients who can afford to pay.

As long as you communicate with your customers, are honest with them upfront, they can afford to pay for content, and they like your work, increasing your prices should not be an issue. If you are hesitating to send over that email to your clients: don’t! Remember, most will see the value in your work and continue to work with you.

Related articles

• Five Valid Reasons Freelance Writers Need a Website (inspiredtowrite.com)
• 3 Tips to Gain and Maintain Your Clients’ Confidence (inspiredtowrite.com)
• Give Yourself a Raise in 2012 (freelanceswitch.com)

As a freelance writer, you may feel compelled to write about any topic under the sun in order to get work or have enough material. You are not alone in this thought process.  I have to admit, I have been doing this for a long time, and only recently changed that strategy. But the truth is it just leads to having to spend more and more time researching each topic, wearing you thin. You also become a generalist.

As a generalist writer, you are competing with thousands of other writers. Places like eLance and oDesk are prime breeding grounds for clients looking for generalist writers. On the cheap. You may be a better writer than most of them, but you simply don’t stand out. One way to position yourself as a more competitive writer is to choose a niche.

Why Niche Writing Works

When you choose to write in a niche, you are presenting yourself as a specialist. What is so special about a specialist? Specialists are perceived as experts. Writers who focus on a niche tend to spend all their time, energy and attention researching and writing about their industry. To a potential prospect, this specialization matters.

It is a very simple concept when you compare it to anything you purchase as a consumer. When you want your dishwasher fixed, you call a plumber, not a general contractor.  If you are interested in buying commercial property, you would hire a real estate agent who specializes in commercial properties, not luxury homes.

There are hundreds of examples like these. The bottom line is for most large purchases, you would simply trust the specialists a bit more.  They know their stuff.

I understand this is not always the case. For certain items, you probably buy them at a super discount store. Think about why you do this. Besides saving time, you save money. Right? For shampoo and toilet paper, you are just looking for the best price. But these are not specialty items.

However, even at this level, people are still willing to spend more money on quality, right? Let’s take shampoo as an example. When consumers are looking to splurge, they still buy from a specialist, a salon quality product – Nexus, Paul Mitchell, Rusk, Sebastian, Redken.

In the writing world, many of these ideas also apply. As a generalist, you will attract many of the low-paying “budget” shoppers. For those who have a professional business and truly understand the importance of quality writing, they are willing to pay more for a writer who “knows” their business.

Your clients want to know that you specialize in their needs. Choosing a niche helps you build your business. It helps establish trust and credibility. Additionally, it makes it easier to justify higher fees.

Choosing a Niche

As a writer you basically have two choices. You can specialize in the type of content OR you can specialize in a specific industry. Alternatively, you can specialize in both. Here are a few examples.

• Content Type: Newsletters, eBooks, Sales Copy, Email Marketing, Brochures, Blog Posts
• Industry: Travel, Home Improvement, Real Estate, Financial, Business, Technical Writing
• Combination of Both: Financial Newsletters, Travel Brochures, Real Estates eBooks

How do you choose a niche?

• Your passions and interests
• Your knowledge and expertise
• Your experiences

First, decide what you want to do.  If you are not interested in the topic, it will be much more difficult to maintain your writing motivation. Maybe you prefer writing shorter pieces like articles and blog posts. Maybe you enjoy the process of crafting a catchy sales letter. Do what you enjoy!

Evaluate Supply and Demand

Evaluate both supply and demand. Ask yourself if there is a demand for that niche. Take a look at your competition and the market for your niche. If you are going to specialize in something, it is important that people are looking for content in that niche. It is also critical to examine your competition.

Do your research. One of my favorite tools to find targeted keywords is Market Samurai. I use it every time I create online writing products. It provides you with quick stats on competition, traffic, monetary value, and much more about specific keywords.

Try to go for a niche not over saturated in the market. You can still compete in a high supply niche, you will just have to market yourself more and focus on your Unique Selling Point (USP).

Many writers avoid choosing a niche. You may have these thoughts. Maybe you don’t want to feel pigeonholed or restricted.  Or miss job opportunities, pick the wrong niche, or burn out writing about one topic. All of these are valid concerns. However, just because you choose a niche doesn’t mean you will never be able to write on other topics. Of course you can!

But you should stay within the realm of the niche for your blog posts.  If you have a blog on dog training, writing a post on refurbishing cars will probably not be appropriate, nor will your readers care. But, be yourself and ALWAYS remember your audience, and what they might be interested in!

Choosing a niche simply helps you market your writing business more effectively. It helps you position your services and profit. Choosing a writing niche doesn’t limit your business, it elevates it.

As the end of the year draws near, it is common to start rethinking about your goals – your personal life’s goals, your fitness and diet goals, and your career goals.

In the career sense, I am always thinking about my writing goals, but often times, they seem to fall to the wayside. Each year, I vow to start new, with a new strategy for my writing content.  It begins with a plan and formulates into a planner. I write down my daily plans — i.e. write blog post on Monday, article on Wednesday, and market for clients on Thursday.

When I look back at the goals in my planner, around the January time frame, they are always lofty and filled with great ideas. Somehow, throughout the year, they get altered or forgotten. Why does that happen?

Whether you are trying to finish that novel, write a fantastic query letter, look for more clients, or maintain your blog, ask yourself – do you have a content strategy? Or are you like thousands of other writers and blog owners who just wing it or put is off for yet another day? Sometimes keeping up with writing feels like “work.” I mean actual work. I hate when that happens.  I write because I love it, and when it feels like work, I don’t love it.

One way to help is to not only make a plan, but stick to it! Consider creating a content strategy.

What Is a Content Strategy?

Content strategy is pretty much what it sounds like. It is a plan, or strategy, you create to develop, organize, and market your content for maximum results. This plan can start with an overall yearly plan, broken down into months, weeks, and days. I tend to work best with small goals.  Daily goals that I write down (actually physical put it on paper!) seem to help the best.

But you may work better if you have a content strategy for the entire year.  Find out what works best for you, and stick to it. Let’s see if we can make it through 2012 sticking to the majority of our goals.  Sure, there will be times we just can’t make it stick.  But we have to at least try.

Habits Make it Easier

Once you have a content strategy in place and make it a habit to stick with the plans, the process of writing becomes much easier.  Think of your goals as a boss you have to meet a deadline for.  When you are self-employed, it can be much easier to procrastinate, especially if you have income coming in elsewhere.

Working Smarter, Not Harder

Once you get the hang of it and start earning more money from your writing, it may be time to delegate, or outsource some of your tasks. At that point, time may be much more valuable than money.

Think Strategically

Answer these seven questions when creating your content strategy.

1. What is the purpose for your content?

I think one of the first things you need to do is think about the purpose of this writing? To have extremely effective content you want to have a purpose in mind.

For example, are you looking for more traffic to your website? Are you interested in promoting an affiliate product? Maybe you want to share a great piece of advice with a reader. For offline writing, finishing a chapter in your novel or formulating a query letter to send to a magazine may be your goals. It helps to create purpose for all of your writing content.

2. Where will you publish your content?

This is another consideration. I have several blogs and websites, and I also write articles and guest posts. There is a variety of places you can put your content, including the your blog, article sites, newsletters, magazines, and more. Each of these venues have different styles and editorial requirements.

3. What types of content will you publish?

Some writers don’t want to have an overwhelming number of options on their agenda for this month or even year. Consider the type of writing you want to focus on.  Having a focus can really lighten your load and clear some of the projects off your plate.

Maybe you want to focus on copywriting or put all your energy into your blog. Other considerations include articles, reports, and email responders.  Consider your readers on your blogs. Include that in your plan.

4. When will you write your content?

This is a critical part of being a freelance writer. You need to figure out your sweet spot or the time your creative mind is most productive. This is when the scheduling comes into play.

Think about your week and what you have going on outside of writing projects.  Do you have to take your kids to school?  Are you signed up for a fitness class in the evening?  Work around those times.  Then, ADD IT TO YOUR PLANNER.  Think of  it like an appointment you can not miss. There is really no right or wrong way to do this, but you have to schedule it if you want the content strategy to work well.

5. When will you publish/upload?

Publishing is another consideration for your overall strategy. Some people say certain times are better than others.  Ultimately, it is what works best for you.  Publish when you are ready. The great thing about your own blog is you can post date your posts. If you have a bunch of blog posts that you have written, schedule them for future dates of publication. Always fit time in your schedule for posting articles or blog posts.

6. How will you market your content and your business?

Being a writer today means you have to be a marketer as well. Part of your strategy should include coming up with a marketing plan. You want your readers and prospective customers to see your content!  One simple way to do this is social media.

Some veteran writers refuse to get on Facebook or other social media site.  Times have changed and social media is a significant part of your writing promotions. Guest posts and article marketing are a couple other ways to market your website, articles, book, or blog. The more people who are aware of your writing, the more readers and traffic you will have.

7. How will you maximize your content?

Finally, think about you can repurpose your content and reuse it. One way to do this is tweaking the main focus and publishing in different types of magazines. Another way is to repurpose your blog posts and put them in a report you give away or sell to your readers. Plan ways to make the most of your writing. Your time and energy is important.

Writing can not always be scheduled as easy as a dentist appointment. I understand creativity does not follow the clock on the wall. But having something in place at least gives you goals to shoot for.  Once you are in the regular habit of writing, you will be surprised how much easier it gets to come up with ideas.

As a freelance writer, you do not always get to write about what you want – often times you take what you can get.  Sometimes this means writing about things you are not passionate about. When you start off and want to establish yourself, you will often write on a variety of topics in order to gain the trust of clients.  Usually, you can’t afford to be picky.  Eventually, you will hone in on your specialty or topic of interest.  But rarely do you start there.

Ghostwriter Extraordinaire

Breaking into the higher paying magazine jobs that include a byline is not something that just happens.  Many freelance writers start off as ghostwriters.  Many stay on that path.  For those of you who do not know what this is – basically you write for someone else and get none of the credit.  You are a ghost.  With so many websites getting developed, content is in high demand.

The print world is becoming less and less common and online articles are becoming more mainstream.  The problem is, at least now, online pays significantly less than print.  But, it is the way of the future. Many freelance writers that have been around for a long time are hesitant to jump into this world.  Some of them do fairly well with print only.  However, I am finding more and more are starting to walk across that bridge and enter the world of online writing.

As a new freelance writer, it is actually less intimidating to start online.  But, sometimes it has a price – lower pay.  As a ghostwriter, the pay increases, but the topics may not be what your dream writing job consists of.

Over time, if you have enough work to be able to turn down assignments, you can start to narrow down your range of topics… and get the good jobs.  The word “good” in this article means two things – more money and topics you love.  You may only get half of that as an assignment, but it is a start.

Jack of All Trades, Master of None

Since I am in the middle of writing a book about freelance writing, I have been doing a lot of research.  What I have learned is that to survive in today’s world of freelance writing, you need to diversify.  Simply churning out articles for print magazines won’t be enough to cover all of the bills.  Many writers are combining online with print.  Others have added consulting into their basket of job skills.  The list goes on…blog writing, press releases, ghostwriting, promotional tours, print books, ebooks, commercial writing, article marketing, etc.

On top of all the writing, you have to market yourself. This is how the cream rises to the top.  With so much competition, a writer has to find a way to stand out.  This is quite a challenge in today’s world, but it also gives a writer more control over his or her business.

Eventually, you will be the “go-to” person for the topics you enjoy and land those good writing assignments.  For some, this can happen quickly – but for most it will take time and hard work.  The good news is – it is up to you!

Related articles

• 5 Steps To A Freelance Writing Career (theworkathomewife.com)
• Target Markets for Business Ghostwriters (freelanceswitch.com)

Ahhh… life as a freelance writer.  It can often be equated to a roller coaster ride, especially the ones that you never quite know what is around the next corner.  But, you just hang on tight and enjoy the ride.  As a creative that has not been clinically diagnosed with ADD, my mind never seems to rest.  At least not for very long.

As a writer, I have learned to focus on a few things this last year.   While trying to find my way, I stumbled down dozens of roads that cost me money and time.  Worse – they led to dead ends.  I still meander a few steps down some luring paths, but usually not for very long.  Unless, I feel it actually is the path I SHOULD be following.

Not all roads lead to nowhere.

One of the unexpected pathways of my writing career has turned into the creation of a book.  A freelance writing book in the works.   Another one led to higher paying gigs.  My passion for travel has opened up more opportunities and I added a travel blog to ITW.  Lastly, the cumulation of fruitless detours has taught me a whole heck of a lot about online marketing – and I created a web consulting business.

Whew!  Sounds like a lot.  It is.  I’ve been busy!  But, ultimately, the hard work, the wasted time, the late nights, and all the frustrations all taught me one thing – it ain’t easy being a writer!  (I know “ain’t” is not the best word choice for a professional writer – but you get my point!)

So, what is the right path for a freelance writer? 

El. Oh. El.

There isn’t one!  This whole time I have been trying to carve myself in this little niche and I have learned, I am blazing my own path, a path that no one else has been on.  That is the beauty of being in a creative field.  No one tells you how to do things, no one gives you a blueprint, and no one guides you down a straight, direct path.  Nope.

Yet somehow, we often feel lost.

Where is everybody?  Did I miss a turn? Maybe I’m late!  Am I early?

Writing may have always been my destiny, but the journey to get there certainly was not laid out for me.  There have been times in the last few years I wanted to abandon the idea and live a simple life.  Give it all up an get a real full-time J.O.B.

Nah!

I knew from a young age I could never work in an mundane job like a factory or punch-a-clock-9-to-5 type job.  Probably why I joined the Air Force.  It is just not in my blood to be ordinary. My mom certainly doesn’t live a routine life either or have a boring job.  Runs in the genes.  Sometimes it can be chaotic and unpredictable.  I often follow rabbit trails to satisfy my curiosity.

As I move forward with all these writing projects, one thing I hope is always in focus, my love for writing.  My love for expressing myself and sharing with thoughts. And hoping someone on the other end is listening.  That’s what you are here for. 

Motivation

For all you experienced freelance writers out there, you may have noticed times are tough for finding the high paying jobs you may have once held. While I have come across a few freelance writers who are still doing well, a larger percentage seem to be struggling to find decent paying writing jobs.

Why Have Rates Changed?

Due to the economy, cheap outsourcing, and the additional people trying to make it as freelance writers, decent wages are diminishing.  There’s a great post on LinkedIn with over 650 comments about the struggle to find high-paying freelance jobs. The consensus is that times have changed, but there are still high-paying jobs out there. It is just more of a challenge to find them.

1. Google Panda. For those who focus their writing on content sites to earn a passive income, there has been a huge drop in earnings and traffic on many of those sites since the Google Panda update several months ago. I don’t even consider earnings from those sites of much significance in my overall writing income. Develop you OWN site and freelance business if you want to make a real full-time living.  Or you can continue to churn out hundreds of articles just to earn a $100 a month.

2. Low Earners to Compete With. Others may be competing with low-paid writers who are willing to write for $0.02/word or LESS.  This is a big complaint from many of the long-term freelance writers.  Many new writers sell themselves short and accept jobs for a little more than minimum wage (for U.S. standards).  A quality 500 word article with the required research typically takes about 45 minutes to an hour (unless you know the topic flat).  If you are getting paid $10 for that article – you are comfortable with pay that is only slightly more than someone who sells fast food burgers.

3. The Economy and Decrease in Print Publications. Magazines have significantly lowered their rates for writers.  When at one point several years ago, $1.00/word was common, now those jobs are more difficult to seek out.  This is probably due to cutbacks on magazines, the decrease in print publications, and the overall economy.

4. The Internet Changes Everything. In today’s world, everyone has a website, or a blog they want to fill with content.  So, there is a large demand for writers. At the same time, there are many people trying to jump into freelance writer as a way to make money online.  So, there is a supply. A supply of people willing to work for low rates.

Yep – a simple marketing term: supply and demand.  With the Internet, it makes all of this work so much, much easier.  It allows global access.  Meaning, anyone at anytime in any part of the world can supply writing content to meet the demand of website owners.  This is probably the biggest contributor to low-paying jobs – easy access to multiple content writers.  It has become more about quantity and less about quality.  Mass production.

How do you Stay Motivated?

With all these low paying jobs out there, how do you stay motivated as a freelance writer in today’s world?  I have found answers on both sides of this dilemma.  I recently write a post titled, Do You Write as Job or a Hobby? The answer to this question may determine your level of frustration or struggle with motivation.

If you write as a hobby only, then you are immune to the challenges in finding decent paying jobs.  You may even feel lucky to get paid at ALL for something you love – even the $10 articles get you excited!  Many of my readers here are hobbyists, based on a writing poll I took several months ago. However, for those of you who are on the opposite end of that spectrum, your level of frustration is probably much higher.

However, I know there are others who take thier job seriously and are very frustrated with the low-paying jobs. What people forget is that freelance writers still have to pay taxes on those wages.  We have to supply our own computer, printer, Internet service, office, etc.  There is no sick or personal pay for freelance writers. No insurance, benefits, perks, etc. Even some minimum wage jobs give you some of the above tools required for the job.

There are a few others who claim their freelance writing business has not been affected at all.  They are still reporting that they are getting the $1.00/word plus jobs on a consistent basis. They consider writing a job, and they will only work for wages appropriate for their skill level.  Just like a high-level manager or CEO would not take an entry-level position, many of these writers feel the same way.  And it works. For them. What about everyone else?

Maybe that is not a bad mindset.  If you don’t care about the money and are a hobbyist, this does not apply to you.  For the rest of us, if you start compromising, you will start to lose your motivation.  Once you realize you are working all day long to produce enough income to maybe make a car payment that month, it will become demeaning and exhausting. You may as well flip burgers.

Should we compromise just to get work or stick to our guns are work for pay we deserve to get?  I say the latter.

Related articles

• Patience, Perseverance, and Passion are Main Adjectives to Describe a Writer (inspiredtowrite.com)
• The 5 Worst Freelance Writing Pitfalls – and How to Avoid Them! (inspiredtowrite.com)
• 3 Ways to Boost Your Income as a Freelance Writer (freelancewritingprofessional.com)

There are many people that call themselves “writers,” but where is the line from hobbyist to professional?  Most people would say once you start getting paid, the professional writer line has been crossed.  But, is it really that clear cut?

It is hard to say, but I think the line can by quite blurry.

When does writing become a job then?

As I mentioned, many would say you are a professional if you are getting paid for your work.  What about the great poets and authors of times past who died miserable, alone and broke who continued to write until they were on their deathbed?  By this example alone you could deduce that writing may still be a hobby even if you are great author as long as the passion and the love for writing is there.

What if you love to write, but also make a few dollars on the side, but not a significant living?  Do you think of yourself as a professional? Maybe.

There are also those who work hard and start to lose the passion altogether. Many great writers have been burned out at least one time in their lives because of the pressure to beat the deadline, the anxiety of having to please the readers, and the dreadful idea of not living up to the expectations that surrounds a best-selling writer. Is it then that it becomes strictly a job?

Searching for the Reasons Why One Writes

So then how do you keep the passion to write poetry, the fervor to churn out short stories and essays, or to still beat the deadline without having to feel that writing is a heavy burden?  How do you make writing a lucrative endeavor and still call writing a hobby?

There are many ways to respond to the posed questions above, but the simplest and most efficient way is to ask that writer within you what reasons you have that you continue writing?

What is your main purpose?

See!  This is not so easy to answer.

With the arts as a profession, those lines are a lot more fuzzy than say a job as a roof contractor.  I would venture a guess that most people would not install roofs because they loved it and would continue to do it even without pay.

I don’t think most professional or freelance writers even start off getting paid.  I imagine most writers (just like artists and musicians) write because they love it.  There is nothing wrong with getting paid for something you love.  But, if a painter sells a couple of his paintings at a garage sale or to family members, can he be considered a professional painter?  Most would say no – he is a hobbyist.

As a freelance writer, when does it become more about the money and less about the love of the art?

Searching your inner soul could produce many definite answers for you.  Maybe you view writing as a way to blow steam off on bad days, or maybe you chose to write your dreams because you want to preserve a memory of yourself, afraid that when you get older, you would somehow become this senseless, disconnected person.  Or maybe writing for you is a form of release or expression.

If you start writing for income, you have to ask yourself, has the drive for money washed away that passion to write?  Conversely, do you think of writing as a hobby, so that you accept low-paying jobs and call yourself a freelance writer?

I think it is important to continue writing because of internal reasons, whether you are a full-time freelance writer, a successful novelist, or someone who maintains a blog.

So then, do you write as a job or a hobby?

The truth is for some the answer lies in between.  But, if the lines become so blurry, it may be a question to ponder.

Once you ponder, I invite you to comment below!

Related articles

• Patience, Perseverance, and Passion are Main Adjectives to Describe a Writer (inspiredtowrite.com)
• Why Do You Write? (Poll)

After doing some soul searching this last couple months about which direction I wanted to go with my online business, I decided to take a more professional stance on my writing.  I discussed freelance writing with some other online freelance writers and realized that I had to reevaluate what I am worth as a freelance writer.  I had to decide if I wanted to look at myself as a “professional” writer.  I decided – yes, I am.

So, what does a professional writer get paid?  Well, it is more than I had been getting paid.

Writers: Why do We Settle for Less?

It seems with all the low-paying writing gigs out there, many new freelance writers have assumed that is the standard pay.  I have seen writers take a job for $5.00 / article or $0.01 / word!  Are you saying that you are only worth ONE PENNY a word?  I know I am not, but I had no other guidance since those jobs are out there all over the place.

It is true, the high-paying writing jobs are not as easy to find and you will have to be more proactive.  Look at your skills, can you offer value and quality that deserve more than peanuts?  If so, reconsider.

I think we settle as writers because for many, it is a skill we have acquired and perfected because we love it – it is who we are.  When you have a passion for something, it is not difficult to get really good at it!  So, does this mean we can not get paid for our passions or we just accept what we can get because we love it anyhow?  I don’t think so.

Clients: Hire a Professional Freelance Writer

If you are tired of low-quality junk, maybe it is time to take YOUR business to the next level and hire a professional writer. My website, Freelance Writing Professional, will give you insight into my skills and talents.   My talents are available to you if we are a good match.

While I love this blog here, I needed to market myself fully as a writer and utilize my writing skills. I created FWP to seek out real freelance writing jobs.  I created a way to discover and help others who are looking for quality writing and are willing to pay for that quality.

If you have a business and are looking to hire someone with real writing skills, you way want to check out my site. Otherwise, ultimately – you get what you pay for.

Freelance Writing Jobs? (via Wikipedia)

I have been reading a couple freelance writing blogs and am hearing a lot of grumblings about not getting paid enough as a writer.  The minimum “acceptable” pay rate writers are expecting for an article is much higher than I have seen. I have seen a few high paying writing jobs, but it seems to be the exception more than the rule.

So, why the high standards on pay?

Last Fall, I wrote an article about finding high paying writing gigs, and that article gets a lot of traffic.  Why?  Because that is what people want to know!  Where are the high paying writing jobs?

With the economy going down the dumps in the last few years, more and more people are looking to make a living online.  One way to do this is to be a freelance writer.  What people probably don’t realize is that it is not EASY to make a real living as a writer.  Many freelance writing gigs pay very little.  This is a hard cold fact of where we live now.

Things Have Changed

This is what writers are complaining about – “I am worth MORE than a measly $15 / per blog post – who do they think they are?”  What I am guessing is many of these writers have been in the business for more than a decade when writing was valued and worth more than $.02 a word.

Times have changed.  Freelance writers are a dime a dozen – LITERALLY.  (Yes, some pay ghostwriters $.01 / word).  Sad, but true.

How much am I worth?

You may ask yourself this question.  How much am I worth?  Well, how much is my writing worth?  I would say – probably more than a penny a word.

But, how can you compete?  You have to stand out!  Quality is starting to become valued again.  With Google’s recent changes in the algorithm – many people are losing search engine ratings.  Some say Google is “punishing content farms.”  If you write for sites like Demand Studios or article directories, things may change.

This makes it even more competitive for those high paying writing jobs (which I still don’t see a lot of).

I encourage you to start demanding more for your writing – let’s bring the bar back up!  Let’s make writing a real profession again.

My question to you – as a freelance writer – do you wave your hand at “low” paying writing jobs or are you happy to get paid at all for doing something you love.  Or, like me, somewhere in between!

Leave your comments below.

P.S. Please let me know that answer to the question – where ARE the high paying writing jobs?

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I can not believe a while year has passed and now it is time to look at my goals for 2011.  First, I decided to look at my goals for 2010 and see how close I got.   The truth is I knew that I would be a little disappointed because of how many of my goals did not get met.  I guess I had a whole different perspective in early 2010 than I do now.

As 2010 went by, my goals changed.  In the early fall, I decided to go into Internet marketing – which is a whole complex world that article writing is a small part of.  This changed many of my goals and perspectives on where I wanted my online business to turn go.  I had been making a little amount of money from freelance writing, but I wanted to step it up a notch.

In the meantime, many of my blogging posts on this site diminished.  That was NOT my intention, nor is it my plan to let this blog go!  This is my flagship and were I made a lot of connections.  This blog has inspired me to launch into different arenas of making money online.

But, one thing that has not changed.  My steadfast desire to be ethical, honest, helpful, and open to new possibilities.  I will still be me.  I don’t even want to succumb to black-hat methods of making money or sneaky tricks that deceive my readers.  Since I crossed over into Internet marketing, I am appalled by how much dishonesty is out there.

I guess when I was writing, I wrote articles and that was it.  I didn’t try to “sell” anyone anything.  Marketing online is a while other ball game.  You can read about that journey, on my other blog, Internet Marketing Inspiration.

What About my Writing Goals?

I still have writing goals.  They will be intertwined with my IM goals.

These goals are a little more refined now.  I now have more than one blog to update now.  I also have created some niche websites that I have to keep up to date on.

• My goals for content writing have been writing mainly for one site – HubPages. I will continue to make that site my “hub” for article content.  I will maintain my account at Suite 101, but a lot less time will out into articles there.

• My other writing energy will go into this blog, my other blogs, and crafting a few eBooks.

I have bigger goals for 2011 and I truly hope I can meet them!!

What are your goals for 2011?  Please comment and share below!!