Freelance Writer

I want to get into graphic design freelance as a way of living on the move.

Assuming you already have some type of design education (at least an associate degree), your first step is to obtain a business license. (You can either create a business name or just register your name as an LLC.)

If you travel extensively, it’s in your best interest to focus your efforts online. Start by getting a simple website, or at least an online portfolio. (Make sure it looks professional and displays only the best of your best work. You’ve got a lot of competition out there.) Register with the top freelance sites, such as www.elance.com and www.getafreelancer.com. There are plenty out there. Do everything you can to promote yourself in a low-to-no cost way, such as starting a blog you can link to your website, and creating an online professional profile on places like LinkedIn. Make sure you’re in the online yellow pages of every major metropolitan area.

Good luck! If you have further questions, please feel free to email me.

actually i work as a freelancer i can recommend you
these websites for freelancing
http://www.getafreelancer.com/affiliates/edmasterplue/
http://www.eufreelance.com/affiliates/edmasterplue/
http://www.scriptlance.com/?ref=edmasterplue
http://www.getacoder.com/affiliates/ref.php?u=edmasterplue

I have read some great books, and I would like to contact the authors to let them know that I enjoy their work. I have tried using search engines to search for them, and I have also e-mailed the company they have written for in the past with no luck in contacting them. Any ideas?

Thank you

If the author doesn’t have a website, the next best thing is to write a letter to them in care of the publisher. This does two things: (1) you get to show the author some appreciation and (2) the publisher knows that people care enough about the writer to write.

By the way, never ask a published author to read your work or ask for the name of their agent. Very amateur. Just a tip for you.

What is the bestway to find someone to work on a WEB 2.0/Ajax community project?
what about for free?

www.rentacoder.com

I have been offered an editing job by an acquaintance for editing a book written by him. This is my first freelancing job.
Thanks Sam, Marti and Brian.
Sam, I am in India.
Marti, the work involves more of proofreading than editng/rewriting.
Brian, I am a trained editor and have been working as one for many years. It is just that I haven’t done freelance editing; so I don’t know what to charge.

If you’re going to seriously edit it, it usually runs 3-5 dollars a page, though some people go by word count.

A while ago I saw an ad for freelance jobs at Heritage Web Solutions. However, I’ve heard bad things about them. Can someone give me info?

It’s not always obvious how to go about looking for a job, I was in a bit of a hole recently when I was job searching, until I unearthed the resource in the box below that has sensible guidance. I soon got myself going down the proper way, and in a few weeks after a few interviews I landed a really good job.

I want to do all kind of templet design, character design,cartoon drawings etc.

no no no you need to visit some freelance websites such as

http://www.getafreelancer.com/

http://www.elance.com/

These site allow people to post jobs (mostly art related).
You evaluate the job and submit a bid for the job. They normally will say they only have a budget of $500 or $1500.
You take it from there. Youmust have a portfolio ready to view. As you take more jobs from the site you get rated and develop a profile rating. The more jobs you get the better reason for you to charge more for your work. make sure you get paid at least 50% up front.

Good Luck

I’m a university student in the third year of my Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in English. I’m looking to build up a writing portfolio and get some articles/stories etc. published. I really am not sure how to go about doing this. I’m considering doing some freelance writing while I’m finishing the degree. Any help or even small tips would be appreciated Thx

Go on-line or to your public library and research small-town newspapers and niche’ magazines. Study what kind of articles are published in them and then select a dozen or so to "query" about writing an article for them, pro bono (for free). Write and polish a "sample" article before sending it to them. As you gain experience and a portfolio writing for small newspapers and magazines for no pay, you can approach larger papers and mags about writing articles for pay.

There is also something called "self-syndication" where you write a "column" on a general interest subject that you could license at a modest price to many small-town periodicals and end up making a pretty good income from one article written once a week, or bi-weekly, or monthly. You can also ask area small businesses to "sponsor" your article if the papers or mags say they can’t afford to pay you. At the end of your recurring column it could say something to the affect of "This column is sponsored by, ABC Car Repair Center located at 123 Main Street." Obviously a disclaimer should be included stating words to the affect, "…the opinions, beliefs, and ideas expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinions,ideas or beliefs of our sponsors or the publisher and its agents.

Forget about journalism school. They do not teach you the "business" of being a writer. One other thing, either you can write well enough to make a living at it or you can’t. Creative writing talent is a gift from God like any other innate talent. So if you CAN then DO!

Best of luck and success,

Karl Lasky, Publisher, Ravenhawk Books

I’m very interested in becoming a freelance writer, but I’m not exactly sure how break into the field. From what I here, it’s pretty hard. Can anyone give me some insight or ideas on how to start my career?

Make an resume and post it on a several freelancing sites.

it feels like I will never get through their barricades?! – if you email their general addresses you won’t get a reply

That’s because there will be a lot of journalists who are trying to get into the larger papers the "easy way", you have to stand out from the other thousands(?) of journos trying to break through.

Get a reputation outside the local media, be ruthless in bettering your career, the further up the media ladder you go the harder it gets and you will meet people whose ethics seem cruel but the media business is cruel.