Freelance writers, how did you break into it?

1. 92

   prairieprincessposted 12 years ago

   Freelance writers, how did you break into it?
   
   For anyone that does freelance writing for clients, how did you break into it? How did you get your first client, your first gig? Was it difficult?

   replyreport
2. 87

   dungeonraiderposted 12 years ago

   I lucked into mine.  I was trying out 'a website that matches up writers with clients' (I'd better leave it nameless, sorry).  When my assignment was done I made $10.  I moved onto other things and a month later received an email directly from the client for an assignment suited to my talents.  It paid much better than $10
   (Note:  It is against the rules of some similar sites to do this, check rules before doing so

   replyreport
3. 0

   msivakumarposted 12 years ago

   There are websites who connects the freelance writers and clients who have projects in hand. You need to register in their sites - match your skills with the project requirements, bid for the job(s) and get the order. The sites take a cut from you or take a fixed amount as fees.
   
   Often the bidding is cut-throat and goes to some unbelievable rates, you wonder how can I do that. But if you are patient and sift through the countless projects that comes you might land up with few good projects.
   
   Some of the sites are vworker.com, ifreelance.com, elance.com, guru.com etc.

   replyreport
4. 85

   wychicposted 12 years ago

   Hehehehe...I am inspired to write a hub about this, but since I'm creating a video clip on the very same subject next week for my training program launch, I'll leave it at the short answer for now. When I started, I first searched through all of the major freelance marketplaces until I found one with a fee structure I liked (cheap enough for me, but expensive enough to make people think before bidding). I then wrote all of the free proposals I could (three at the time), and waited. I was awarded one, a $75 project. Then I decided that I would take that $75, get a paid subscription, and work my butt off -- and if I hit the end of the $75 and hadn't made any more money, I would quit. I would continue in my dead-end job stocking dog food at Wal-Mart and not complain. Thankfully, that $75 turned into $1,000 the same month, and I was off. Though I spent 80-hour weeks for the first couple of months, I slowly gained momentum. It's almost seven years later (five of them full-time), I'm still at it and still loving it. Now I keep two of my best recurring clients, I haven't written a proposal on a freelance marketplace in a year and a half, and I'm in the midst of launching my own product. The detailed process on how I got there would take a LOT more time to explain, but it started on the freelance marketplaces.

   replyreport