Can you make a living as a freelance writer?

In today's economy, with more and more people being downsized from their 9 to 5 jobs or having to take cuts in pay, working as a freelance writer is a viable option - for those that have the skills to do it.

In fact, it's easier than ever before to be a freelance writer, thanks to the internet, and such sites as Elance.com, Textbroker.com and ConstantContent.com, which offer writers safe, reliable and steady work and payment - either to their bank accounts (Elance) or to Paypal (Textbroker.com).

Like any profession, though, when you just start out you don't make a lot of money. However, you need to look at it that you're supplementing your income, you are building up your portfolio, and you're getting practice and experience.

After a few years, if you do a good job - and of course you will - you will have built up a stable of clients who come to you for repeat business.

That is when you start to make the money.

The internet has made it easier to be a freelance writer, but it has also depressed income to some extent. Now people all over the world can offer their writing services, and folks in India, Pakistan and so on will work for $1 per 500 words! 

However, you mustn't despair about that. Most clients need the quality that a native English speaker brings, and so if you lose some jobs to others who are willing to work for pennies an hour, don't worry about it. (And I"m not criticizing the folks in India, etc. They've got to do what they've got to do to make a living - the sad thing is that working for pennies an hour is good money for many folks over there.)

So, to summarize, yes, you can make a living as a freelance writer, and as you build your skills and expertise you can make a very good living at it.

In this blog, I will explain how you can do that - and of course you should subscribe to the new magazine, Freelance Writer Magazine (first issue available on Kindle, Nook and other e-readers in December), which will help you to do that, also.