Expert: Amanda J Evans - 4/28/2010

Question
Greetings.  I am at a point in which freelancing in some field of writing is the best viable option for me.  I have a BA in English, but lack creativity for creative writing.  Also, the choices in the field of freelance writing (copywriting, blogging, article writing, etc) are numerous and overwhelming for me as I am not an internet or twitter type of gal (but perhaps need to be and am definitely willing to be!), nor am I a 'free-writer,' per se.  So, maybe some type of copyediting or proofreading might positions may be the best option at this point.  I have so many questions about all of this though:  Is it possible to earn a decent living freelancing full time?  I work rather slowly; what is the average turn around time for an assignment?  Is this specified by the employer, or is it assumed?  Any such questions I would ask a potential employer I am afraid will reveal my inexperience.  Also, when I peruse potential job sites, I come across numerous terms and vocabulary I know nothing about, such as "SEO" and "re-writes."  I know such knowledge will come over time, but I am wondering if there is a place or website that has such a list with explanation of these terms.  Would you recommend bidding on jobs?  For a person who works at a slower pace, would you recommend coming right out and admitting this to the employer and asking to be paid by the job instead of the hour?  So many things.  I am afraid I really feel quite intimidated about what I potentially do not know but need to know.  And there really is no way of knowing this until it is too late and my ignorance is revealed to a potential employer.  Anyway, could you perhaps be of some aid to my questions and advise me in the best way to get started with some confidence?  Thank you so much for your willingness to help.
--Abbey

Answer
Hi Abbey,

Many thanks for your questions.  First off there is a lot to learn when it comes to freelancing online and it can be quite overwhelming when starting off.  SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and this in itself is a learning curve.  This is all about using specific keywords in a specific way to make sure the article or piece that you write is received well by the search engines.  This is covered in my e-book Ghostwrting Uncovered http://www.ghostwritinguncovered.com/sl.htm

I also have a blog that might answer some of your questions on my Ghostwriting Uncovered website.  Other great blogs to checkout are Freelance Writing Jobs and All Freelance Writing these are two of the best.

In relation to jobs and especially bidding on jobs DO NOT work on an hourly rate.  The likes of Elance and Odesk have introduced software to their websites that actually spy on your computer if you are working at an hourly rate.  There has been a big discussion about this and if you check the All Freelance Writing blog you should find this.  it is always best to bid on the overall job with a rate per article or word.  I have used Elance since 2003 this is where I secured my first writing job and in 2006 I resigned from my dayjob so yes you can make a living out of freelancing.

The real way to get started is always by taking action and I am always happy to answer any questions that you might have.  You can contact me via my website or here.  You will probably have a lot more questions after taking a look at a couple of these blogs so if you want to write them all down I would be happy to answer them and point you in the right direction.

Kind regards,

Amanda