How to Make a Living Writing

Put your pen and pad to use financially

Writing from home is more than just a supplemental job opportunity. Instead, it has become the method of choice for writers who once worked in industries such as publishing, journalism and editing. The Internet has lended itself as a medium in which you can make a living writing that provides a full-time income minus the rigorous 9-5 schedule that you were once accustomed to. Use this guide to help you understand the fundamentals of what goes into a successful home-based writing career.

Things You'll Need

• Previous client samples
• Writing samples
• Domain name
• Web hosting
• Business plan

Instructions

1. Develop a business plan. Making a living writing from home requires that you have goals set in place to ensure your success. Before you blindly make this career move, craft a business plan that will address important factors such as estimated business expenses, obtainable monthly business goals, income goals and future business outlook.

2. Choose a niche or specialty in which your writing excels. Being a "writer" is a very broad term. By narrowing down your area of expertise you are better able to focus your marketing to a specific field of clientele. For instance, if you worked previously as a writer for educational publications, be sure to highlight this expertise and consider branding yourself as a "curriculum development writer" or another title that closely reflects your previous skill set.

3. Determine the salary you would like to earn writing. Setting the salary you need to continue your way of living is crucial to becoming a well paid writer as opposed to an underpaid writer. Your ideal salary also helps you determine the rates you'll charge for your services. Your writing rates must be thought out before you can begin marketing for clients.

4. Set up a website that lists your services and credentials. A solid web presence is crucial to your success as a writer. If you plan to market your services to clients you'll need to provide them a space in which they can view how exactly your skills will benefit their company.

5. Aggressively market for clients. Finding lucrative jobs as a writer will make or break your success. By far, obtaining private clients is the most lucrative aspect of writing from home as it places you in a position to be paid what you're worth. A great way to market for private clients is to create a packet which showcases your expertise and how you can help improve upon a company's services, sales and image. This packet should include case studies on how you've helped your previous clients as well as writing samples of your work. Put this packet to use by emailing it to potential clients and listing it on your website for visitors to view.

6. Research jobs during your client interim. Not putting all of your eggs in one basket (e.g. relying on one client to support your income) is necessary to keep a steady cash flow as a writer. By researching and following up on job leads through classifieds, job boards and telecommuting job listings, you will ensure that you have a steady flow of writing clients during your private client dry spells.

References

• Freelance Writing
• Business Plans
• Define Your Writing Business

Resources

• Writing for Income