Expert: Susan Rand - 4/5/2006

Question
I was wondering how freelance writing really works. I have so many questions about it. How do I get started? Can my work end up in well known magazines and newspapers? What else would my writing be useful for? I wrote this article inspired by my own experience and I think that the readers of Seventeen magazine would benefit greatly from reading it, do you think there's a chance I could get my article in this magazine?  

Answer
Hello Courtney:

There are plenty of opportunities both online and in the print magazine field for freelance writers. It is easier for a beginner to get published online; I suggest that is where you start. Go to associatedcontent.com and study the site. Read some of the articles there - that will show you how it's done. AC does not pay much but it's a good place for a beginner to get started. After you have published some articles online, you may want to check out writing for the "slicks." They pay a lot more, but there are restrictions here, too.

Before you submit your article to Seventeen, I suggest that you join some writing groups and put it up there for comment. You can find them at groups.yahoo.com, geocities and MSN. Pay attention to the comments made about your work. Keep refining your article until it is as good as you can get it. Then check Seventeen out by reading the magazine, and exploring it online.

You should know that for articles published online the pay is very low: an article of 1000-1500 words may bring only $15-25. I would also suggest that you visit the Absolute Write Water Cooler forum (http://absolutewrite.com/forums), join up and start learning. They are a great group of people, always willing to help.

I hope this helps. If it does, a nice rating would be greatly appreciated. I am proud of my high score over 600 questions.

And good luck with your writing!