Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer - Softcover

Allen, Moira Anderson

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9781581157604: Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1581157606 ISBN 13: 9781581157604

Publisher: Allworth Press, 2011

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If you've always dreamed of making a living as a writer, this book will take you where you want to go. Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer, Second Edition, demystifies the process of becoming a writer and gives aspiring writers all the tools they need to become successful freelance writers, get their names in print, and start earning a healthy income from writing. Completely revised and updated, the second edition includes an entirely new section on the "online writer," discussing how to set up your own website, whether you need a blog, how to effectively participate in social networking sites, and information on electronic publishing, POD and more. New chapters provide guidance on writing for international markets and other writing opportunities such as ghostwriting, speech-writing, technical writing, copyediting, teaching, etc. This indispensable resource walks writers through the process of developing marketable ideas and then finding appropriate markets for those ideas. It includes effective tips on how to set writing goals; make time for writing; hone research and interview techniques; create outlines and first drafts, approach editors (online and offline), and prepare and submit material. Writers will also discover the vital business issues of freelancing such as rights and contracts, plus how to manage income, expenses, and taxes. Author Moira Allen has more than 30 years experience both as a freelance writer and as an editor; her tips come from a keen understanding of what works from both sides of the desk. Whether readers are looking to support themselves as full-time freelancers or supplement an existing career, no one wanting to make money as a writer can afford to be without this book.

Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.

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From the Author:

Moira Allen hosts the popular Website for writers called writing-world.com. She is the author of several books, including writing.com and The Writer’s Guide to Queries, Pitches, and Proposals. A longtime instructor of freelance and creative writing, she lives in Chesapeake, VA.

(From Chapter 5: Coping With Rejection)

It Sank. Get Over It.

Someone created a T-shirt with a picture of the Titanic on the front and, on the back, the words: “It sank. Get over it.” The same can be said of rejection.
     “Getting used to” rejection doesn’t mean that rejection loses its sting. It doesn’t. Nor is that a bad thing: I suspect that the day rejection ceases to hurt is the day one has lost one’s passion for writing. Pain isn’t a bad thing. Pain simply means we care.
     At the same time, there are things you can do to ease the sting. The next time your material comes back with one of those awful slips, try one of these:
[begin bulleted list]
�       Have a rejection party. “Celebrate” your rejection with a pizza, a dish of ice cream, a trip to the movies. You have a right to celebrate: You have to be a writer to be rejected.
�       Start a rejection slip file. Besides being useful for taxes (it proves to the IRS that you’re conducting a business), it can come in handy down the line, when you’re famous. Then you’ll be able to say, with a smug flourish, “Well, I was rejected 48 times before my story/novel/article was accepted by Megabucks Publishing...”
�       Send your material to the next publisher on your list.
�       Write something else. Better yet, start writing something else the minute your last piece is finished and out the door. Rejection stings less when your mind is occupied with a newer, and therefore more interesting, project.
[end bulleted list]
     Remember, there is something worse than rejection, and that’s never writing (or submitting) anything to be rejected in the first place.

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