Where can a new writer break in and get paid?

realtraveller · #1 06-01-2001, 11:56 PM

I've been searching the web, the Writer's Marketplace and some newsletters for paying writing venues: magazines or websites.

I'd like to make some real money freelancing but the better paying places want clips (articles that you have already had published). At the other end of the scale are the magazines that pay you either zero or in copies of their magazines. That's not worth the trouble.

Any ideas? Anyone know of any new forums needing writers that will consider newbies and actually pay?

Grouch · #2 06-02-2001, 02:21 AM

Here are just a few of the decent freelance market sites I've got bookmarked:

Freelance Writing Opportunities

About.com's Freelance page

Writers Network

Most all of these are updated regularly (usually every week).
Good luck! And don't let rejection slips get you down. They build character (speaking as one who recently rewallpapered his office with some very nice "Sorry, not for us" patterns from The New Yorker, Glimmer Train Stories, the Atlantic Monthly, and others)

realtraveller · #3 06-02-2001, 06:41 PM

I knew about the About.com site but the others were new to me.

Redlass · #4 06-04-2001, 08:20 AM

Another way to get clips might be to look for a regional or local magazine. They have a smaller pool of writers to draw from (they usually need people familiar with their area) and you have the opportunity to develop a relationship with them. Developing relationships with one or two magazines seems to be the best way to get launched. You'll get a lot of clips over a short period (one to two years) and you're more likely to get juicier assignments (ones that will include photos, maybe even a "cover" story).

You might also be able to contact your local newspaper and offer to write theater, restaurant, or book reviews. The large metropolitan papers usually have someone on staff to do those, but the smaller papers usually scramble for stringers.

The disadvantages are that local and regional magazines usually pay only about ten to thirty cents a word and newspapers pay even less (typically $30-$40 per column).

Good luck!

stargull · #5 06-07-2001, 05:08 PM

Also, it's not necessarily taboo to include online clips with your submissions these days. I've sent several electronic queries to editors via e-mail; if they've requested clips, I've sent URLs to places where my work can be found online. You could probably do the same with your Epinions--send the direct URL and let them serve as clips. If you're dealing with a print editor, simply print out the article in question and (legibly) write the URL in the top right corner of the page. It's worked for me!

Hope that helps,
Joe

theeye · #6 06-07-2001, 05:24 PM

Hey, welcome to EA, Joe! I just read a few of your movie reviews and they're terrific. Hope we'll see a lot of you around here and around the mother site.

stargull · #7 06-07-2001, 05:32 PM

Thanks very much! Although I lurk here from time to time, today marks my first public post on EpinionsAddicts. I see a lot of names I recognize from "the Mother site," and now that I've been drawn out into the open, I look forward to getting to know you good folks a little better.

Best,
Joe