Freelance Writing Jobs for Tuesday, May 6, 2008
May 6, 2008 by Jodee
Filed under Writing Gigs
Good morning FWJ Friends! There are some interesting opportunities today. If you can write about life in the ‘burbs with attitude, check out the listing for Burbia.com. If you have an original, scary work of fiction you want to submit for publication, you may want to consider sending it to Wrongworld.com. They take the time to tell writers exactly what they are looking for and how they rate submissions. I’ve also got some internships, a legal writing gig, and technical and copy writing jobs. As always, I hope you find your dream job here. 
Leads…
- Freelance Writer @ (Insurance) Agent’s Sales Journal- Telecommute ($0.25 per word)
- Self Development Blogger @ iDelivery Pty Ltd.
- Internet/New Media Blogger @ Bloc As
- Merchandising Intern @ American Express Publishing – New York
- Writers, Reporters @ Burbia.com
- Writers for Fashion and Beauty Magazine ($20-$500 per article)
- Automotive Industry Writers ($30-$40 for 400-600 words)
- Freelance Contributors @ VIEW Weekly – Hamilton, ON
- Freelance Copy Writer - Toronto, ON
- French Writer/Editor – 3-Month Contract – Ottawa, ON
- Scary Short Stories @ Wrongworld.com (7.5 cents per word for open call submissions)
- English/French and French/English Translators – Telecommute – ($0.08 per word)
- Wine Product Information Researcher/Data Entry – Toronto – Telecommute ($15 per hour)
- Tech Writer – Contract to Perm – Atlanta
- Fashion Intern for National Women’s Magazine – Atlanta – Unpaid
- Freelance Writer for Nonfiction Articles @ Shakespeare Squared - Telecommute
- LatinLeaders.com Needs Freelance Writers Pronto!
- Legal Writer for Advertising Company – Minneapolis – Local Candidates
- Copywriter for Children’s Program – New York
- German Translator – Package Rebranding Project – Telecommute
- Summer Internship @ Cookie Magazine – New York – Unpaid
- Boxoffice Magazine Summer Internship – Telecommute
- Summer Intern for Teen Fashion and Entertainment Web Site – Greenwich, CT
- Web Based Company Needs Writers for Scripts and Marketing - Phoenix – Telecommute/Must be Available for On-Site Meetings ($15-$20 per hour)
- Arizona Magazine Needs Freelance Writers
- Foodie/Cooking Guru - Telecommute
- Writer for Business Newsletter
Good Luck!
Jodee
I applied yesterday for the Automotive Writers one that pays $30 to $40 and they send you to this link to fill in the “application” http://www.warrantyprices.com/?paid=6103&subpaid=64519
Looks like a scam to get email addresses to me. I did not fill in the application. Proceed with caution on that one.
I got caught by this one too, except I was given a different site and was redirected to a site about fancying up your toolbar. I figure the guy gets paid per fit to these websites.
lots of good stuff today, i just wonder how many people actually get responses from magazines.
Any one out there have success freelancing for the bigger magazines?
Jodee and Deb, I got my first gig through your site. I feel like I’ve been initiated.
I don’t know if it will truly pay off or if it’s one of those fly-by-night things (it’s the blog at Today.com one), but I’m willing to give it a try thanks to the encouragement of your other visitors.
Thank you for making this tough process of freelance writing a little easier for those of us just starting out. I appreciate it. Oh, and thanks to the rest of the community for really being professional and supportive. It really makes this blog stand out even more.
@ Kim: Congrats on getting your first gig! I hope it works out well for you.
I am wondering if anyone has had experience writing for xomba.com. Thanks.
At first, the self development gig looked interesting. But what does writing about stock options have to do with self development?? I mean really??
Many people like myself who have been trained in mental health could write a lot about the self development aspect of the topics. But that’s why I dont’ know anything about stock options. Just not my type of thing. Doesn’t really seem like it’s either labeled very well, or the blog isn’t focused enough.
Good luck finding someone with sufficient expertise in such unconnected topics.
I’ve got a question about writing for the blog sites. From what I’ve seen, they retain all rights to your posts…does this end up being worthwhile to people then (presuming you write essay-like posts), or should you hold out for a print publication that lets you retain rights to your work? Thanks!
_Sue
Maryam,
Can you be more specific about your magazine question? I write for several, but in specialized industries (as opposed to Good Housekeeping).
Also look at Linda Formichelli’s book advertised here in the upper right corner. She interviewed me for an article once (forget the topic) and has written for a couple of the same pubs I have, as well as many different ones.
OFF TOPIC…
What happened to Katherine Swan? I’m about to pass her on the commenters’ list.
Will never catch Mariella, though.
Phil, Katharine’s a bit busy with things (work + new blogs + taking care of her horse), I believe. I think in a couple of months you’ll pass even me in the commenter’s list. I’m also quite busy with stuff and haven’t had time to take part in discussions too…
Phil, Katharine’s a bit busy with things (work + new blogs + taking care of her horse), I believe. I think in a couple of months you’ll pass even me in the commenters’ list. I’m also quite busy with stuff and haven’t had time to take part in discussions too.
I’ve written for two magazines and one runner-up in a Writer’s Digest monthly competition (no pay but got a byline which was good).
One of the magazines, “New Directions In Nursing” botched my article. The last two sentences of a paragraph were cut off making the article look incomplete so that was upsetting.
The other was “Earnshaw’s,” a speciality magazine for children’s clothing retailers. That was a fantastic experience. I had a load of fun doing the assignment, so did my daughter, and surprisingly I got the check way before the magazine came out.
Please get rid of the “content quality assurance” link. They sound legit, huh? Actually, they want $49 from you so you can get rich at home. Gross.
@ Naomi: One day, truth in advertising standards will apply to the internet as they do to television and radio. Until then, we’ll just have to be wary.
@ Naomi: Your wish is my command…it’s been removed.
Ann G.,
Unfortunately, leaving lines off the end happens at print pubs, particularly if they’ve cut back on copy editors/proofers as most have. What was even worse was in the old days of “pasting up” copy when a line or two or headline would drop into the article below.
@ Ann G: It’s unfortunate that you had an article cut off. Anyone have any advice for someone new to freelancing who finds themselves in that situation?
After all, an article that gets cut off 1 sentence before the end makes for a crappy clip to market yourself with. And it makes you look unprofessional, even though it wasn’t your fault.
Adam,
About the only thing you can do is hope they put it on the Web, too, and use that.
Phil : I have no idea if you follow up with this, but I am pretty flexible at writing for anything but my specific niche subjects are travel, latino and hispanic markets, literature, technology , graphic design and media ( television, radio..)
where did you start? How?
I want to start building a profile but most of my work is online and a couple of magazines here and there
Sue,
Not all blogs retain the rights to your posts. Many only ask for a 30 day exclusive and then you can do what you want with your work.
In my experience, a print magazine is more likely to ask for exclusive rights. Or at least rights for a longer amount of time.
Of course, depending on what you’re writing, reselling isn’t really an option. I write mostly entertainment articles so reselling a story a year later would be unlikely.
Maryann–
I wrote exclusively for magazines for years but I don’t bother any more. The whole query, wait,get published three months later just doesn’t suit me. I sell to online sites exclusively these days. Fast and easy.
I’ve had relatively positive experiences with magazines paying immediately, while I’ve had a few online sites not pay for weeks later. So I see a mix of both.
One thing I did want to mention is book writing. I recently had a chat with an author who asked me not to reveal his name, but he’s a relatively well received mystery author. He shared what he earns so that freelancers can put it into perspective. He started out writing one book per year and also working as a lawyer to supplement his book writing. His latest book (sixth in a series) earned him a $15,000 advance. Now some may feel that’s a decent amount, but it’s really not.
This $15,000 advance is given in one lump sum for the book he wrote (620 pages). He will not see another penny unless his book sells enough copies enabling him to start earning royalties. If his book fails to sell that many copies, he could be out a contract with the publisher and he won’t receive another penny for that book. He’s boosted his writing so that he’s releasing two books a year now to increase his income, but it also means he spends less time working as a lawyer – so it becomes a catch-22.
He told me he spent six months, working every day including weekends, to write and edit his book – spending about 5 hours a day (6pm to 11pm). When you break it down, that’s really a small sum compared to what many of us make writing for Web sites.
@ Ann – I hear you. While the print writers may get the fame and glory of being “real” writers, web writers get the money