Category Archives: Writing

Make Money Writing Articles for Magazines

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The purpose of this article is to dispel the myth that magazine article writing jobs are only available for the highly trained or the connected. Almost anyone can make money writing articles for magazines. You will know when you are ready to do so once…

1. You have gotten to the place where you are confident with your blog writing skills and you can easily crank out a couple of posts every single day. You wait for Google to index your traffic so you can start making some real money from your advertising. It is a hit or miss scenario and, unfortunately you will not if your writing is good or not for at least another 90 days.

OR

2. You write articles for somebody else who is going to use them on the Internet. However, they pay you about $0.02 a word no matter how good the article actually is.

OR

3. You write a 500 page article on a topic that you know well and you get paid $250 from your favorite magazine.

Which option seems the best for you?

I am guessing that the third option is definitely the most palatable for almost every person.

Here are some steps to land some magazine article writing jobs and head in the direction of your dream career.

1. Put together a listing of magazines that will sell your articles – If you Google “Magazine Article Jobs”, you should find a couple of different listings within 30 seconds of your search. You want to start out by casting a wide net and coming up with a large list of places where you can post your article.

2. Narrow your targets down to a listing of about 10 different magazines in a specific niche – You can write about your life as a parent or you can write about your technical knowledge and skills. It does not make a difference but you want to focus on a niche that is big enough where you will have 10 or more options but no so big that you will not be able to crack the competition.

3. Go to the Submission Page for the Magazine – Most magazines will have a submissions page where you can submit your idea for your work or you can submit your actual work. The better publications will give you feedback within a certain period of time which is great. Your writing is critical but what is just as important, or potentially more important, is how you position yourself. For example if you are writing on Medical topic, then your credibility will be greater if you are in the Medical profession.

Here are some keys to remember –

a. Give them exactly what they are looking for – Most people will disqualify themselves right off of the bat because they will not provide the information that the magazine is requesting. Do not be one of those people.

b. Sell yourself well in your submission – Remember they are buying you just as much as they are buying what you write. Create a compelling story about yourself that communicates that you are interesting but you are also somebody who is credible and that they can trust. That will go a long way.

c. Find places to gain your credentials – If you have not yet been published in a magazine, you should submit your work to online Ezines or websites. Even a couple of references to places where you have been published is better than not having any references at all. Plus, the other advantage is that you can practice your writing skills in these posts.

d. There is power in numbers – Getting accepted to for magazine article writing jobs is difficult in the beginning. The key is to keep submitting and keep submitting until you have your first work accepted. It may take up to 50 tries to get submitted. However, once your article is accepted by the first publication, it will be much easier to get accepted in other publications in the future. The important thing is that you keep submitting and improving your work based on the feedback you get, both positive and negative from your submissions.

Other benefits of submitting to magazines, even if your work is not submitted –

If your work is submitted and when you are compensated, you most likely will not be able to reuse the work.

However, you can use your published work or non published work as a launching pad for future work or future money making ideas.

Below are a couple of ideas –

– Link to your published work on your own blog – Being published in a major publication is a definite credibility boost. Milk the PR that comes with being published and use that as a launching pad for another product or service. Depending on what you write about, you could also offer coaching services for people.

– If your article goes unpublished, then publish it yourself – There is no reason that the work has to go to waste. Publish it yourself and you may find that you make more money in the long run than if you never published it in the first place.

Just get going and start applying for magazine article writing jobs today and you will be in great shape.

Professional Writing – How to Be Expressive and Stay Professional

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Professional writing is a rapidly growing career area in an emerging field that combines a professional approach and rhetorical studies to writing.

The field of writing in a professional manner will suit you, if you are:

  • A communicator looking to enhance your creative and professional writing and editing,
  • An educator wanting to develop your ability to create professional writing courses.
  • A freelancer wanting to develop writing networks and expertise in non fiction or travel writing, creative fiction or editing for electronic publications

If you have a degree in writing, this can open the doors to a range of exciting careers in editing, new media, publishing, corporate communication, technical, medical, and scientific writing, marketing and journalism.

In order to be expressive and stay professional in this field prospective and current writers, need to have some unique life experiences, expansive general knowledge, inherent writing talent, superb individual approach to writing assignments and absolute dedication to the task at hand.

As a professional writer, you need to firstly understand that content is king, but also be aware of the contemporary demands that go with it. This includes a full understanding relating to the mixture of quality search engine optimised (SEO) content and readability.

In addition and in order to be even more expressive and versatile, you definitely need to have a diverse range of knowledge and experience in technical and professional communication, fiction, non-fiction, scholarly research and writing across age barriers. You require the ability to provide a service that can help your clients to meet their needs in an efficient manner, thus enabling them to achieve their business goals easily.

If your intention is to really become a top class writer, why not consider joining a Professional Writing Program at a neighbourhood college or even enrolling for any other international program through by correspondence? These types of courses are becoming immensely popular, because students are taught by working writers with years of experience writing on-the-job, and as freelance contractors.

You need to maintain your professionalism and start aligning yourself with organisations or publishing house where you have the freedom to bring your real talent to the fore. If you feel the need for specialisation, consider some of the hot and popular niches like technical documentation, white papers, optimized press releases, website content writing, brochure copy, and many other professional writing services.

Do not be afraid of increasing your productivity by making use of programs like book authoring software, which is actually a professional writing and thought organizer. This is of great assistance when it comes to meeting deadlines and completing your writing tasks on time.