Monthly Column
The Author of ‘Freedom to Freelance’, Rusty Fischer, Reveals His Favorite Freelance Writing Web Sites
Bookmark This!
When it comes to freelance writing for today’s modern world, your first step should be to sit down, plug in, and log on! Whether you are a newbie to the freelancing world or a battle-scarred veteran, the World Wide Web is literally exploding with writing opportunities for those willing to seek them out, reply to them promptly, and complete them on time!
To get you started (and these are not all the sites that are out there, trust me) here are the freelance writing Web sites that I have on my computer right now. (Honestly. I swear.) I used to have more, but you find out quickly which ones are worth their salt and which ones aren’t.
Also, since I can only complete so many freelance writing projects a month, you may want to bookmark more Web sites if you can complete more projects. (Lucky stiff!)
Still, here are my favorites (in no particular order):
FREELANCEWRITING.COM
I only ran across this one recently, but I’m glad I did. Although this link will take you directly to the most recently posted paying markets, there’s lots more to explore. Still, this is my favorite part of the site, as it is updated daily and even hourly, and you can check in whenever you want. A lot of the listings are junk, but mixed in are legitimate requests from such biggies as Suite101.com, ESPN.com, the folks at Chicken Soup for the Soul, etc. You never know what you’ll find here, so bookmark it first and come back often.
INKSPOT.COM
Pound for cyber pound, this site is the best freelance writing site on the Net. Subscribe to the weekly e-newsletter, read expert articles on everything from query letters to contracts, participate in polls and drawings, and generally just bask in all things writing on the Web.
While this link takes you straight to the “Jobs for Writers” section, don’t forget to check out the rest of the Classifieds section. Here you’ll find contests, paying markets, promotions, events, etc.
WRITERSWEEKLY.COM
This is another biggie. While it may be intimidating at first, take some time to explore it all, from top to bottom. You’ll find free e-books to download, a free markets newsletter to subscribe to, archives of old issues, and plenty of other opportunities to hone your craft. Have a book you’ve always wanted to publish? Why not check out the sister site, Booklocker.com, while you’re there.
WRITERSWRITE.COM
This link will take you directly to the “jobs” section, but when you’re done looking there, stick around and explore other great areas of the site, like the classifieds section. A warehouse for tons of information on writing, both freelance and otherwise, Writerswrite.com is well worth your time.
POETS & WRITERS MAGAZINE
If you bookmark this site (and you should) remember that it only gets updated once every two months, and mark it on your calendar. Even then, it’s often late, but well worth the wait. I guess I like it because it’s the only site I’ve been able to find that has a separate listing for anthologies (which I enjoy writing for) and there are always ten or twelve to choose from every two months. Other categories include books, chapbook competitions, paying markets, residencies, etc.
INSCRIPTIONS MAGAZINE
This link will take you straight to the “Job Opportunities” page, which not only lists paying markets, but contests and other opportunities as well. The web mistress is a real pro, and a freelancer herself. She always has interesting contests, responds promptly to e-mails, and takes her job as a freelance writing editor very seriously. Give this site a shot, and you’ll be hooked as long as you’re a freelance writer.
ABOUT.COM’S FREELANCE WRITING SITE
This is one of About.com’s writing Web sites that features market listings. Slanted for freelance writers, it boasts a long list of current markets, although it’s updated infrequently and you never know when it will happen next. Still, even if you haven’t caught up with it in awhile, the listings stay on for a long time and you can always catch up whenever you feel like it.
ABOUT.COM’S WRITER EXCHANGE
This is another of About.com’s writing sites which features mostly recent job listings for writers. While it’s not exactly clear why they have two Web sites, the markets listed on either are rarely duplicated and the listings on both are always pretty good.
While they aren’t updated on a regular basis (i.e. daily, weekly, etc.) they are updated fairly often, you just have to keep checking back to see when the last update was.
Rusty Fischer is the author of FREEDOM TO FREELANCE: The Editor of The Buzz On Series Reveals How To Find, Get and Keep Your Next Freelance Job, available for sale as an eBook from www.athinapublishing.com/fischer.htm