I have read several people blogging about how hard it is to "break in" to the freelance writing business. I am just curious about your thoughts on this. How did you first find work, what did you do to become established, and how long did it take? Personally I didn't find it that hard to start writing. I wrote a few dozen articles as overflow help for a friend before leaving my job and writing became my primary source of income. Once I started writing by myself it only took me about two weeks to build up to the income level I wanted.
I've been freelance writing in general for quite a few years now (since doing freelance research and writing work for professors and non-profits during college). Now I write pretty much only for the Web. When I began Web writing (outside of a site I launched myself), it took me about 3-4 months to go from writing for a low-paying content network to charging around $.35 / word. It's not hard. You just have to have the confidence and the marketing ability, and you have to spend some time networking in your niche with other writers and potential clients.
That depends quite a bit on what type of writer they are (for example, a freelance medical writer will need to market themselves quite differently than a general SEO writer). In a general sense, these are the tips I usually offer new writers marketing-wise: 1. Never let a day go by where you don't do something to market yourself (whether it's sending an email, posting to a forum, launching an advertising campaign, etc.). 2. Thoroughly research your market. Is there really a need for your services? Is the market saturated? Where do your prices fall among competitors? Can you off something they can't? What's your selling point? If you don't have one, you're not ready to take on a serious freelance writing career. 3. Never stop networking. Competitors have a place in your network as your colleagues, because they can refer work to you if they trust you and respect you when their schedule is overloaded. Other types of freelance writers have a place in your network, because they can refer work to you if they get requests out of their area. Potential clients have a place for the obvious reason that if they trust and respect you, they may hire you. Let's use my case as an example: I specialize in PR writing because that's my primary area of expertise. I keep in touch with freelance PRs and major players in large firms that I network with. I have a lot of freelance writers in my network in fields ranging from SEO writing to pharmaceutical writing to published authors. They refer work my way, I refer work to them at times, and I have a few trusted writers who I consult with regularly on business planning and management issues. I don't simply specialize in PR writing... I specialize in online PR (through my PR firm) for independent and creative professionals (that's my actual niche in my business). So rather than networking with people all over the business spectrum, I stick to webmasters and online business owners, as well as authors and musicians interested in online PR. Nearly all of my work now comes from networking (referrals from members of my network and past clients, and repeat work). I can't think of anything more important than that for a writer, especially on the marketing front - there's no substitute for building the credibility that comes from word-of-mouth referrals. For any more specific marketing tips for writers, feel free to check out the publicity / marketing section of my freelance writing blog.
I find that a lot of would-be beginners get bogged down in the "I need samples to get work, but I need work to get samples" sandpit. If you're just starting out, I recommend doing "fictional" work. For instance, let's say you want to write radio ads. Pick your favorite company, product, whatever and do an ad for it. Finish it and you now have a sample of what you can do. The most important marketing aspect is targeting. So many writers fail, because they lack the simplest of marketing concepts. The whole world is not your target, so don't market yourself in that way. People who market themselves as "I do work" services rarely achieve "professional" success. Figure out what your target audience is and go after it. Marketing has many forms. Some feel as though they have to "become somebody" to achieve their desired business flow. They'll write white papers, set up blogs, do podcasts and so forth. And this can be a good way to go. However, it's not necessary at all. In fact, you could be creating far more work (as in non-paying labor) than you need to. It's important to create a vision of where you want to go. But don't put the cart before the horse. Think about what you wish to achieve, what you will offer and properly define your target audience first. Then you can go forward with strategy.
I was hired by someone to write $2 per 500 words articles. Found a better boss and now I'm slowly getting to my target level
IcedFalcon - I talk about this a lot on my blog. As mentioned already, it is all about confidence and your ability to market your services. Sure, it can take time to move up the ladder, but this is the case with every career path.
I've been a freelance writer for several years and was surprised at how easy it was to break into the business. This may not be typical for everyone, however. An English degree helped me to wedge my foot in the door. However, I have colleagues who earn six figures and never went to college. With proper training and perseverance, the sky is the limit. There is no shortage of jobs out there and 90% of your competition is either lazy or can't write. That sounds harsh, but it's true. I know you've all come across some seriously bad writing, especially online! Keep plugging away, every day. Visit writing forums, Problogger, Craigslist, etc. I spent two hours a day shooting out resumes and applying for jobs when I first started. Before I knew it, that supplemental income became full-time income and my husband was quitting his day job to join me! Do you know what really motivated me in the beginning? I read Peter Bowerman's The Well Fed Writer. It's not a perfect book and it won't hold your hand through the process, but it will definitely help to boost your confidence. At least, it helped me. Good luck!
I think you need to be really comfortable in your writing abilities and have the confidence that you can provide website owners the content that they need. I started off writing for some low paying sites and as I gained experience I was able to market myself to other higher paying sites. It's all about your confidence level when you market yourself. If you don't think you can do something then it will show through. Just keep writing and applying to different job that you find that relate to your niche but also other that don't. You never know when a client will refer you to someone else that will need material in your niche. Good luck!