If you have a flair for writing and want to make it your profession — on your own terms — I say, Go For It! I did. And I haven’t regretted a moment of it. (Nope, not even those lean periods.)
It can take a while to get established as a professional independent writer, but like any goal, it all starts with taking the first step. Although it may take time to get established, it isn’t all that difficult.
The basics you need to get started:
- a passion for writing
- the discipline to work alone
- a laptop or PC to get the work done
- and, of course, you need reliable access to the Internet
If you want to start your own writing business, did you answer ‘yes’ to all of the above? Being able to stay motivated with no one pushing can be a challenge.
Passion can get you started, but you also need the ability to write. That doesn’t mean you have to get a college degree, but you should have an affinity for writing and know how to put sentences together. Taking a course or two to help you assess your skill level can only benefit you. Professional writers know that spellchecker is a resource, not the end-all be-all for spelling and grammar checking. 🙂
The Internet has opened up a lot of opportunities for self-employed writers, especially those who understand and grasp the difference between writing for print and writing online content.
Once you have the above points covered, it’s time to delve into some details.
A key component to becoming a freelancer is deciding what type of writing you are going to focus on. Here are some questions to help you get started:
- What type(s) of writing do I enjoy the most?
- What type(s) of writing am I best at?
- Did something in high school set me on a path?
- Did a college course pique my interest?
- Am I writing anything in my current job that can be expanded?
- Have I received any compliments for my reports or research?
- What do I enjoy reading the most?
- What do I want to write?
- What types of businesses/clients do I want to work with?
- Do I want to meet face-to-face with clients and only work locally?
- Why do I want to be a solopreneur and have my own business?
The last question is the most important. Without knowing why you want to be in business for yourself, it’ll be hard to be successful at it.
I’ll continue to write about starting and owning your own writing business in the coming weeks. Next week I’ll talk about why I’m doing it.
Lisa J. Jackson, MBA, is a small business owner specializing in writing solution briefs, case studies, white papers, e-books, and more. She works with businesses of all sizes across many industries on topics ranging from marketing to small business management to manufacturing. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.
Live to Write - Write to Live 
Yes, I want to 🙂
Okay! 🙂
Though not sure of business, but definitely want to complete few books I have started..it’s not that easy as I thought 🙂
Once you get your books written, you’ll need to treat yourself as a business in order to build a platform, market, sell, and so on. I think if it was easy, it wouldn’t be as much fun!
Yes, agree. And I am working to get the books complete first.
A nice intro post Lisa – I’ll be looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Awesome, thanks! I’ll keep it writing about it.
I would love to monetize my blog and find freelance writing gigs through elance or odesk, have you done this yourself? If so, what do you recommend to get started?
Hi Elizabeth.
I haven’t monetized my blog, but if you Google that phrase you can probably find a lot of resources. I did sign up with oDesk at one point, but not elance. Most of the gigs, that I saw, were quite similar to what shows up on craigs list — big requests for great content with little pay. I have seen posts on different loops over the years that people are quite happy on elance or oDesk.
My best advice is to give them a shot if you want — I fully believe in learning from experience, and so when you find something of interest, try it. I personally wouldn’t join any sites for a fee. You need to make money, not spend it. And some sites may seem like they promise jobs, but actually are only promising to show you jobs (that you may or not be qualified for, that may or not be current).
If you aren’t putting out money to join a site, you’ll at least gain experience and be able to see the types of requests submitted.
Look through Writing jobs on Craigs List and get a feel for what people are looking for and are willing to pay. If someone doesn’t list a real e-mail or if they request 3 samples and “will get back to you”, I’d run far and fast. But, start looking around and see what catches your eye. Keep notes and I bet you’ll see a trend soon enough and can move forward from there.
I managed someone else’s business for almost twenty years, had my own business for more than a decade, then closed shop and decided to become “a writer” – only after months of discussion and careful consideration. I knew the risks but I also knew what I wanted. This is the hardest thing I have ever done. It takes up most of my time and I make little money but it gives me the greatest satisfaction. I work hard, and to tell you the truth, my initial research and planning didn’t prepare me for the complexities and challenges of this profession. A few of the questions you posed I missed asking myself in the beginning. But they’ll come up sooner or later. I can’t imagine anyone managing a writing business without answering these questions. Excellent post!
Thanks Laura, and it’s great that you have so much experience running a business already. I think opportunities are always changing for writers thanks to technology. I mean, who know managing a business’s Twitter feed could be prosperous a few years ago, right? (there are some businesses who only manage Twitter posts and replies, same with FB, and so on).
It’s good to keep moving forward and do your best to stay up with social media so you at least know what’s out there.
And you’re right, the questions will come up sooner or later, and many others that I didn’t list. Everyone has a different focus, different level of experience, and different markets and goals…so lots of different questions!
I can’t wait for you’re upcoming posts! Kat
thanks, Kat! I’ll keep ’em coming. 🙂
Reblogged this on Ambitious Endeavors.
Good questions to ask one self if they want to get into the business of writing since their are so many avenues.
and those are just sample questions – there are so many that can be asked!
I look forward to reading more on this. The idea of having my own writing business is daunting! But I want it. Let’s do this!
Okay, Kaela, I’ll keep doing it, and hope you will too!
This will be an interesting series for me to follow. I am a freelance writer/editor and I teach creative writing to children. But right now, it’s more of a sideline rather than an actual business. I’d love to learn more about how I can motivate myself more to Just. Do. It.
Great post.
Sounds like you’re already on your way. If you have any specific questions, just let me know. I’ll make sure to talk about motivation at some point, too. “Just. Do. It.” is a great place to start!
thanks for reading and commenting 🙂
Lisa,you kept me on my toes when I was reading through this write up.Writing for a living is my dream! Some thing I wish and long to achieve.I am simply tired of working as an employee for other people.I would like to start my own Business but only an activity which gives me freedom to stay with the members of my family,go with them at vacation and work without the dos and the do’nts as it is in most of the government and private companies and organizations.The only sanctuary is in a Writing business,go on LISA and teach me.I will always love you for doing that.
Glad to have you as a reader, njaleruma. I can only share my experiences and hope something inspires you and that you can find what works best to get you where you want to be. Your goals and dreams should keep you inspired!
Reblogged this on D – Flame Within.
Inspirational post. I’ve just started writing about my passion, which is my hula hooping troup, The Hooping Harlots, so it was good to get some broader context about writing from your article. Thank you.
That’s so great. I, for one, would love to hear about your hula hooping troop. I bet you have great stories to share.
Thanks Rebecca, that’s brill to hear! Have a look at http://thehoopingharlots.wordpress.com when you get a minute for some of our antics, and I look forward to reading more of your insights 🙂
you’re welcome – thanks for being a reader here!
Great questions to ask when starting a writing business. I guess I could say I have a writing business, since I write for a living. I also design online courses and teach for various universities, so that is part of my career as well. The work is rewarding, but isolating, so it is important to network. Knowing what we like to write about and enjoy is also a very good idea, or else it becomes much harder work.
yes to everything you’ve just said, Rebecca. 🙂 Networking is definitely very important, as is finding like-minded people to share your ideas and projects with. It’s difficult to make decisions in a vacuum, so having support from other writers is a must, I believe.
Ah the romance of being a freelance writer. If you are willing to work for little or no pay, get a resume of published articles and persevere, you can be a freelancer. It doesn’t happen over night.
It definitely doesn’t happen overnight, but you can make a living at it if you keep striving toward the goals you’ve set. thanks for the comment!
Lisa: I wrote freelance features for a number of regional publications over the years. It is fun to meet new people and tell their stories; I made a little money doing so. I write memos and policy now for a health care corporation and it’s just not the same. I do get paid much, much better.
I am often asked for advice on starting freelance work, I tell everyone the same- it won’t make you rich, it wont make you famous, but it can make you happy.
Hi Rusty – thanks for the comment. Bottom line for me is happiness – I made the money and had ‘things’ and I wasn’t fulfilled – so I had to make the move and see if happiness gave me what I needed – and it did! I truly enjoy writing features and meeting people – endless amount of stories to be told, that’s for sure.
Health care is a great field to be in, and you could certainly freelance in that area if you wanted to. 🙂 I don’t have any expertise in that field, yet, but I’ll get there!
I make a living at writing. Not in the way I did as a freelancer. The continued searching for a story gets in your blood. I still look for stroies in my corp. life, but they are not as fun.
I know what you mean. Everyone has a story, though, and I’ve always been amazed at people’s personal interests and varied backgrounds and what brings them together to the same company or same group. Everyone has different paths that bring them to a similar destination. It can be intriguing. 🙂
Looking forward to the rest. Thanks for the article.
Happy to have you as a reader, Mike. And if there’s anything in particular that you’d like to read about, just let me know!
Great article. Very informative. Thanks for writing this. Freelance writing seems so tempting.
you’re welcome. thanks for the comment. 🙂
Pingback: Before jumping ship, make sure you can survive | Live to Write - Write to Live
Nice intro.
Yes I want to do