Quality writing samples are your most valuable currency as a writer — especially a new writer. Adequate skill can take you far — even if you don’t have a lot of experience — if you can get your writing in front of the right person.

With that said, it cannot be denied that professionally published writing samples hold more weight than something that you self-published. You see, editors have this funny thing about liking you more if another editor has already vouched for you.

And when I say vouched, I don’t mean sending a letter of recommendation — though that definitely can’t hurt — I mean publishing your words. It says to them that your writing is worth their peers risking the credibility of their organization to have your words included. It also says that your writing warranted a slice of the often limited funds they had to allocate.

Simply put, professional writing samples are invaluable.

However, they aren’t the end all be all.

Some of my early writing samples were from niche websites and/or my personal blog and still helped me land various writing gigs.

So whether you have a few bylines under your belt, or the only place you’ve written is a self-hosted WordPress blog, keep reading for the *unofficial hierarchy of writing samples.

Print Magazines

We all grew up idolizing those fictional writers like Carrie Bradshaw who earned $1 a word writing for Vogue. Thirty years after Sex & The City first aired, the prestige of print magazine writing prevails.

As the industry shrinks (and therefore becomes even more exclusive than it already was) prints samples are becoming an extra hot commodity. So even as the print magazine industry struggles to keep up with a digital-first world, the impact these samples hold is far-reaching. Eventually, there may be a time when print samples lose their value. For now, they’re still sitting pretty at the top of the food chain.

Newspapers

Newspapers are pretty much going the way of print magazines, but for now, they’re still associated with prestige writing. Because most news reporters and columnists had to obtain higher education — usually a Journalism or Communications degree — and had to cut their teeth with internships, editors hold more faith in their ability to deliver quality work. Besides, the process of getting newspaper bylines is more rigorous than some other writing avenues, and writers who’ve gone through the steps are well-versed in the amount of work needed to take an idea to a published article.

Digital Magazines

Most mainstream print magazines have a digital counterpart but many indie magazines are digital only. In a few years (or decades depending on how optimistic you are), when print is nearly obsolete digital magazines will still be here. And while many digital-only writers don’t make as much money as print-only writers, the clips will take you just as far. Okay, nearly as far.

Staff Writer Clips

If print isn’t your end goal, and you have no interest in writing for magazines, then there are still a million other ways for you to make money writing on the internet. Rather, a million websites. Think entertainment rags, gossip sites, factoid sites, comedy sites, dating sites, science sites, pet sites + nearly any other topic you can think of on the internet.

All of these websites require articles, listicles, reported pieces, and op-eds to stay afloat. This labor isn’t free. Of course, not all of them pay — and you should steer clear of those — but for those that do, the options are plentiful. Having a few consistent clips on websites like this is nearly invaluable.

Guest Posts/Freelance Pieces

If you’ve never had a staff writing job, you can still get a byline on a website either by writing a guest post (for lower-ranking websites) or having a freelance piece commissioned.

Every website that offers guest posts won’t be worth your time. And it should be noted that many of these don’t pay. There are some, however, that do. You’ll have to weed through to find opportunities that are worth it and decide whether or not the writing sample is worth it.

Freelancing, usually, comes with a one-off payment and the barrier of entry is usually harder. Therefore, freelance pieces usually hold more weight.

Personal Blog Posts

When all is said and done, the most important thing you can do as a new writer is to get your words in front of an editor.

If you haven’t been able to get published anywhere else, then creating your blog posts is the way to go. In this day and age, there are countless tools you can use to create them. WordPress, Wix, Squarespace — even Medium — are wonderful platforms to publish your work and get it in front of the masses. And while they’re great ways to create a stockpile of writing samples, you can also monetize your work in the meantime and create income for yourself. Win/win.

Quora Answers

Believe it or not — your Quora profile can serve as a handy hub for writing samples. Quora answers often require extensive research, proper outlining, and a basic understanding of how to structure the written word. If you look around, you’ll notice that the top-ranking Quora writers have learned to present complex ideas in simple-to-understand language. Do that, and you may be able to build up a credible reputation as a researcher.

Note: There are many different types of writing. These samples would best fit writers who want to work in journalism or an adjacent field.

The Unofficial Hierarchy Of Writing Samples was originally published in The Lucky Freelancer on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Earlier this week, I received an email from an English major I’ve been mentoring. In it, they stated that the freelance market was becoming too saturated due, in part, to the pandemic. They feared that there wouldn’t be enough work to go around in a few years (possibly sooner).

Since I started tutoring them, we’ve developed an easy rapport.

My inbox is always open, so when they have a question or concern, my replies usually come within an hour or two. But it took me several few hours before I thought of a response to this email.

Partly, because…their fears were warranted.

Fact is: the pandemic has placed more people at home for the first time in, well, ever. At least during our lifetimes. Never in history has society been so confined to the indoors — whether because of quarantining or unemployment.

Or an unfortunate mix of both.

This has, naturally, led people to seek out other means of employment from home. Some have started businesses, some have sought out virtual positions, some have decided to write. Actually, many have started to write.

Be it starting blogs, pitching articles, or offering editing services — there are more people than ever dipping their toes into the freelance writing pool, in hopes of making an income or supplementing their existing income.

What does that mean for writers, established and aspiring?

Are they going to be forced to give up their comfy couch position, or *gasp* put on clothes and leave the house?!

Well…not exactly.

Yes, more people seeking employment increases competition. It’s a classic case of supply and demand. There are only so many jobs to go around and more people means a lesser chance of you getting hired.

But I wouldn’t worry too much.

Here’s why:

👌The Increased Interest Is Likely Temporary

The increased interest in freelancing is unlikely to survive the end of the pandemic. That almost sounds weird to say — given that people have to be told not to take horse dewormer, and millions are refusing the free and easily accessible vaccine — but the pandemic won’t last forever. Just like the Spanish Flu and the plagues before it, Covid’s hold on society will wane.

Once it does, the majority of fly-by-night writers will return to their previous fields. In fact, they’ll likely run to them.

Why? Well, everyone’s not cut out to be a writer. Coming from me, that might sound contradictory. Everyone can write,” I’ve said countless times.

It wasn’t a lie, either.

Anyone can learn to write, but not everyone is meant to be a writer. Just as everyone isn’t meant to be an dancer or an accountant. Writing is a solitary career path that takes a strong, motivated person to handle.

It takes a special combination of skill, perseverance and determination to be successful in the field. You get nowhere in this industry without a mountain of rejection in your wake. For every yes, you’ll probably receive ten no’s. If your skin isn’t thick, you’re not going to last a month.

Much less sustain a career.

And when things return to normal, much of the new competition will drop out in favor of their familiar jobs.

Those that don’t? Well, they're not the problem. But your fear might be!

❌ If You Can’t Handle Competition, You Won’t Make It

If you’re worried about who else might be gunning for the job you want, you’ve already lost. Point blank. This goes for any industry, but especially in writing. Often, rejections aren’t due to lack of skill; they’re based based on the personal biases of the person doing the hiring.

There might not be anything wrong with your copy, they might just prefer someone’s style or tone better than yours. I’ve had an editor pass me over for a position, only to get hired once another editor took over the hiring process.

Same test article, same qualifications.

Yet, this time I was hired. The only thing I can deduce is that the two editors had different personal preferences.

Since then, I’ve excelled at this position — something I wouldn’t have been able to do, if I’d taken the first rejection to heart, wondering who out there was better suited for the job. Instead, I reassessed and tried again when the next round of applications started up.

Moral of the story? Focus on your strengths and talents, and everything else will fall into place — as long as you don’t give up!

So Everyone Wants To Be A Writer— What Now? was originally published in The Lucky Freelancer on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Do you want to write marketing blog posts that your customers actually read?

Of course you do!

Blogs are an invaluable asset for business owners.

You can use them to advertise new products, generate publicity, and also attract new clients to your business. Therefore, it’s essential that you’re producing content that your clients don’t skim or skip over.

Thankfully, there are a host of things that you can do to ensure that you’re not writing into the void. Keep reading for a few of our favorite tips and tricks for writing marketing blogs that will wow and enthuse your clients.

Research

Your first step should always be research! You’re not just competing for your client’s time, you’re also competing against every other blog within your industry. In order to win the views for yourself, you have to find out what needs the client has, then build your posts around them.

There are tons of programs out there that can give you insight into what your client is searching for. Buzzsumo, for example, allows you to input a keyword into its search box. It will then return the most popular posts surrounding your query. From there, it breaks down the engagement the posts have received across different social media websites. Use that information to gauge which topics are trending and how successful they’ve been.

Find An Angle

So you have an idea of the posts that will best serve your clients, but what now? You might be thinking that it’s time to draft your post, but you’ve skipped a crucial step: finding an interesting angle!

An angle will help you to narrow down a broad topic into something more focused and singular. Nine times out of ten, your competitors are using similar tools to generate topic ideas.

A good angle will set you apart from the pack!

Use Images

Humans are visual creatures, so posts that engage our visual senses will do better than posts without images. Pixaybay and Pexels are two great resources that you can use to obtain copyright-free images.

If the piece calls for exclusive images, you can also pay to license images from websites like Shuttershock or Getty Images.

If you’re including infographics or other visual aids, you can create your own images using apps like Photoshop or Canva!

Optimize It

Fun fact: most people don’t click past the first page of Google search results. If your blog appears on page seven, you’re going to have a hard time getting eyes on it.

This is where search engine optimization (SEO) can help you.

SEO is the process of formatting your blog posts so they rank highly within the search engines. Each and every post on Google’s first page has been optimized in a way that’s favorable to its algorithm.

If you’re new to SEO (or just want to brush up on your skills) check out this HubSpot article, that further breaks down the practice.

I promise, it’s not as complicated as it sounds!

So you see, It’s not hard at all to create engaging posts your customers will love. You just have to take a little time to find out exactly what it is your customer is looking for, then follow my tips to lay your foundation.

So go forth, create, and prosper! You’re going to do amazing!

How To Write Marketing Blogs Your Customers Will Love was originally published in The Lucky Freelancer on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

I’m writing a novel, which I intend to self-publish. Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing platform is easily the most popular self-publishing option, but I’m not sure if it’s right for me. The marketing and promotional efforts would fall entirely on my shoulders and I’m terrible at marketing.

Plus, my income would be based on the number of books I sell.

Now, you might say, “Well, duh. That’s how it goes when you self-publish (or even publish traditionally).” And while that may be true, there are ways to self-publish your book and get paid a flat fee, without having to sell a single copy. At least, that’s what READICT is claiming.

The company, based out of San Jose, California, is currently seeking writers to contribute full-manuscripts for publishing consideration. Each accepted titled will warrant a payment of *up to $10,000. But before you start drooling — as I did — let’s dig into what Readict is and just exactly what they’re asking for.

What Is Readict?

Readict is a web fiction app (available for Android & Apple devices) that hosts novel length works, sourced from writers and literary agents. Free for readers to access, the app has a strong Wattpad-esque feel to it.

What Kind Of Stories Do They Publish?

According to Readict’s website, they boast 120,000 available stories and 1.2 million readers, who’ve spent 76 million minutes reading.

Their most popular genres are romance, fantasy, mystery, adventure, and werewolf. They seem to also publish more taboo topics like adultery, workplace affairs, and extramarital children.

How Does Readict Acquire Content?

Readict’s team commissions original stories from authors, independent or otherwise, publishers and content aggregators.

Submission Guidelines

Writers who want to be considered should submit complete manuscripts (between 30,000 & 100,000 thousand words), via their web form. Readict prioritizes complete works, but there is also an option to “create a new work” on the website. It is unclear if writers who publish works in installments are subject to the same compensation plan. After submission, the hiring team will privately distribute your story to a select group of readers and use various benchmarks to determine whether they accept it.

Who Owns Your Work?

Readict offers two different licensing options for writers.

• A non-exclusive license grants Readict the right to host your content, but allows you to also publish and profit from it elsewhere. (From a writers perspective, that’s a great option to have.)
• An exclusive license grants Readict exclusive rights to host your content for the duratioin of the contract. During that time, only Readict can host your work. Per the website, Readict pays more for exclusive licensees.

Compensation

All writers who sign with Readict get a $100 signing bonus and *up to $10,000. Successfully contracted writers can also receive *up to $500 for every writer they refer to the program.

The fee will be negotiated, pending acceptance into the program. Note that they do no pay royalties; this is a one-time fee.

Should You Sign Up?

Ultimately, that decision is your own.

On paper, Readict sounds like a promising opportunity for writers, but there are a few red flags I noticed.

A simple Google search brings up very little available information about the company. Readict does have an official Twitter account, which promotes current stories and sometimes even retweets authors in the program, but actual outside reviews appear to be scarce.

There’s also no press about them, and I feel that a company that can afford to pay writers up to $10,000 per story can afford a PR team.

There should outside content written about them. Book reviewers, literature magazines, book blogs — but I couldn’t find anything.

Lastly, they’re asking for a full manuscripts of published stories to license. That is a steep workload, especially for a company that isn’t guaranteed to pay or publish you. Unless you already have a story that length ready to submit, you might find yourself writing for nothing — at least where this platform is concerned.(Nothing is ever truly wasted.)

It’s always a safer bet to work with companies with a large online presence, outside of the product they’re presenting. Perhaps it’s just too new. If you decide to try them out, make sure you do your due diligence and don’t sign a contract until you read over it thoroughly.

With that said, I’m NOT saying that Readict is a scam or something you shouldn’t pursue. There are limited avenues for fiction writers to make money online, outside of traditional publishing, so it’s worth a shot. $10,000 could sure come in handy — especially during this pandemic.

This Company Will Pay Writers Up To $10,000 To License Your Romance Novel — Should You? was originally published in The Lucky Freelancer on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Hello! If you’re reading this, it’s because you’re following The Lucky Freelancer’s Medium feed ! Thanks for that, by the way. Because of supportive people like you, we’ve just surpassed 1.6 thousand followers! Not bad growth for a pandemic year!

But back to the main objective: freelance writing. That’s the reason that you’re here, right? How to get started as a freelancer. How to find writing gigs. How to fine tune your writing (or learn another style). And of course, how to make full- time income!

Our latest pieces cover all that plus more! Check them out (and know that more content is on the way!)

Our Latest Pieces:

The Anatomy Of A News Article — Serenity J.

5 Websites That Pay Women Writers Real Money — Serenity J.

Setting Up Your Home As A New Freelance Writer — Kahli Bree Adams

9 Publications That Are Paying $100 or More During The Pandemic — Serenity J.

This Is The Pitch That Landed Me My First Travel Commission — Beth Seager

Calls For Submissions

Dear writers!

I’d like to thank any and all of you who’ve ever submitted to The Lucky Freelancer. Without your submissions, our publication wouldn’t feel complete.

For September submissions, however, I thought I’d do things differently and focus on three distinct categories. This may or may not be the format, going forward. We’re just trying something new!

Here’s what I’m looking for this month:

Writing Gigs & Opportunities/Scams

• Our community has been extremely receptive to posts about various job opportunities. If you’ve found a great gig you want to share, do a write up on the company! Make sure you include who they are, their mission, and how much they pay!
• Likewise, there are a bunch of scams out there. Had a bad experience with a company that stole your work, refused to pay you? Let us know!

Money Diaries:

Writing might be the thing that keeps breath in your lungs, but at the end of the day, we’re all in this to make money. And when freelancers are transparent about their income — where it comes from, and how it influences their quality of life— it helps us all to secure higher, fairer rates.

Money diaries will explore on what the average writer makes, whether you’re an occasional, part time, or full time writer.

These posts should cover one (or more) of the following subtopics:

• How has the pandemic impacted your income streams? Are you doing better, worse, or about the same?
• How much you make from writing in a month? Are you full time or part time? Does your writing pay for expenses? Or is it for spending money?
• A detailed breakdowns of your income for the past month. How many clients do you have? How much does each pay?

My Idiot Clients:

We’ve all had clients that were less than ideal.

Some were overbearing, some were rude, but then there were those (hopefully) well-meaning individuals that just didn’t understand anything about the nature of your job or their project. The client that didn’t know what he wanted but told you to “make it good.” The client who didn’t understand that you’re a writer, not a graphic designer. The client who wanted a month’s worth of work in two days, on a $2 budget.

If you ever experienced a client has made you seriously reconsider your career path, please tell us all about it!

Note: While we want honest accounts of your frustrations, please refrain from using profanity or calling out clients by name.

If you have anything that fits under any of the three categories above, please submit as soon as you can. I’m excited to get these series started. To keep the submissions inbox sorted, please list the category in your title (I’ll remove it before publishing). Looking forward to seeing your work!

New Writer Shout-Outs

The Lucky Freelancer has added a slew of new writers over the last couple of months. Here are a few of the latest additions. Check out their profiles and stay tuned for their work, here, and across Medium!

Alexis Lyons — True crime writer, lover of history, keeper of cats and currently residing in the Midwest.

Liam Terrington — Writer about personal finance and self-development | Travel and reading enthusiast.

McKinley Harrop — (She/her) Canadian photographer, graphic designer and writer. Sitcom fanatic and avid Youtube watcher. Founder of canadianyouthequalityclubs.org.

Bex Spiller —entrepreneur & MBA scholar 🧪 Behavioural economics/sciences 😊 Economics of Wellbeing & happiness 🧠 Biz psychology, mental health & success.

Vee Goldman — Makes various jottings about life, the universe and what she thinks of it. Mother, Wife, Sheep Whisperer and Free Spirit.

Alicia Wilcox— NYC local. I write about life, writing, pop culture, entrepreneurship & more! Check out my website at aliciawilcox.com & Instagram @alicia.wilcox

Freelance fam! That’s all the updates we have for you this month! Stay tuned for more content, with an emphasis on finding jobs, budgeting, and airing out idiot clients, this month! Until next time!

— Serenity J.

September Newsletter: New Submission Guidelines, New Writer Intros + More! was originally published in The Lucky Freelancer on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Writing news articles is easier than you think.

One of my early freelance jobs was writing news articles for a hybrid of a news and pop culture website. The website compensated writers via a revenue sharing program, which I usually steer clear of.

However, this particular publication had a high readership, and I knew how to make Google search work in my favor, so the gig was incredibly lucrative. Often, our content was syndicated to larger networks like Yahoo, which increased views and take-home pay.

Because of the website’s visibility, its editorial standards were pretty strict. There were only two types of content it published: news articles and op-eds. Every blue moon, a writer could get a listicle disguised as an op-ed published. But overall, news ruled the day.

So how did I, a girl who’d mostly written blog posts and listicles up to this point, land a two-year contract with them? Easy! I taught myself the structure of news writing — without taking a single class!

And you can do the same thing!

Don’t be fooled by elitists: you don’t have to be a journalist to get paid to write news articles. Like I’ve said, several times, with writing, skill often supersedes academic background. So, if news writing — specifically for the internet — is a skill that you’d like to learn, keep reading!

What Makes A News Article?

News writing is the most common form of journalistic writing. News articles make up the bulk of newspapers and online news organizations.

But what actually makes a news article a news article?

1. Facts Rule Over All

News articles focus only on the facts — that’s it. If a man kills an old lady, that’s obviously a heinous crime that’s deserving of a harsh punishment. But a news writer isn’t allowed to say, or imply, that.

Their jobs is to focus only on the facts of the case.

Better known as the who, what, when, where and, why. Here are two examples of the opening sentence, or lede, about the fictional situation above.

The first sentence, which only mentions the facts of the case, is the kind that you would generally see in a news article. While it may look bare bones, it’s the readers job to determine what they think about the crime.

While most people would agree that killing an old lady is, indeed, a heinous crime, it’s not the journalist’s job to insert that into the fold. That’s why the second sentence would be better suited for a blog post or an op-ed.

2. News Articles Have An Angle

Every news story has an angle, or more simply put, a topic. A story might contain multiple roads that a writer could explore, but the writer has to choose which is the most interesting or relevant, and focus on that. You’ll never find a news story that’s a cluster of multiple angles.

For example, if someone is writing a story about the arson of a bread factory, one possible angle might be the devastation caused. How much will it cost to fix? How many lives and job lost?

A second angle could explore the motivations and background of the arsonist. Did he/she have mental issues? Was it a disgruntled ex- employee?

A third might look to the multitudes of people are volunteering to help victims. How did the community come together to help?

Instead of overcrowding the article, the writer will pick one topic — or angle — for an article, and save the other two, perhaps, for later articles.

3. Structure, Structure, Structure!

According to an excerpt from the Oxford University Press, there was a time when news was presented in the traditional story format. That is, each news piece had a concrete beginning, middle, and end. But that was before the invention of the telegraph, when news’ ability to spread was sped up.

This created a demand for a more, consistent news cycle which created competition among reporters. With more content than ever to consume, readers didn’t have time to read to the bottom of every story, so a new format, which allowed them to decide which stories were worth continuing, was wneeded. Thus, the inverted pyramid was born.

The pyramid breaks up an article in to three sections.

• First is the lead, or lede, which prioritizes front-loading the article with the most interesting, relevant information. This is where the five W’s should be answered.
• The next tier is known as the body. This is where the second most relevant information is placed.
• At the end of the pyramid are the least important facts — also known as the tail — which could be cut during the editing process, if the space was needed.

4. You Don’t Have To Break A Story To Write About It

Depending on the publication you’re writing for, it’s possible that you’ll be doing original reporting.Being the person to break a story, whether on the local or global level, is always great for a writer at any level. However, many times you won’t be breaking the story. Especially if you write for an entertainment news outlet — and that’s entirely okay!

For example: let’s say a high profile celebrity got arrested for cooking meth. . A journalist that has an “in” with the police departments that celebrities frequent will probably be the one to break that story, with an angle that focuses on details of the arrest. But the reporter that posts a story that includes a direct statement from the celebrity, or manager, is the real winner. Most celebrities give their exclusives to big established publications and journalists they trust. You want to be that person!

With that said, you don’t have to be first for your story to be valuable. Especially financially. Think of any celebrity event that’s happened over the last couple of days, and Google it.You’ll probably see 100 versions of the same story posted by various outlets.

The (below) screenshot of a Hello Giggles article, written by Morgan Noll, is an excellent example of a journalist that reported on an event, but didn’t break the story. The article is about the CBS show, “All Rise,” which recently lost five of its seven writers of color due to what they allege is racial insensitivity.

While the article is beautifully written, Morgan did not break this story. The New York Times did. Yet, Morgan was still able to publish an informative, insightful piece — which made her money and probably drew a lot of clicks for Hello Giggles. How, you ask? She cited the original source!

Instead of linking to the dozens of other pubs that probably covered this topic, she rightfully linked to The Times. Easy, peasy!

So, you see, news writing isn’t hard at all. It does require an understanding of its unique set of rules, but after you learn them, it’s easy to build a quality story and, once you practice a bit, get paid!

The Anatomy Of A News Article — With Examples was originally published in The Lucky Freelancer on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

No words will ever truly sum up the joy, pain, wonder, and frustration that comes with being a woman. But that doesn’t mean that we haven’t come close! From poetry, to biographies, to memoirs, women have been articulating our unique experiences for centuries.

Thanks to the internet, it’s easier than ever to read first person essays by women writers just like you and me (as well as those so different than us we can’t help but learn from them), expertly sourced reported pieces, book reviews, and social commentary.

While it may seem harder to find work right now during the Covid-19 Pandemic, know that there are still publications that will pay to publish our experiences and opinions! I’ve compiled a few of my faves. Here are 6 websites that are paying women writers — today!

Bolde

Bolde (formerly known as The Bolde) publishes relationship content for millennial women. They’re known mostly for their short, snappy listicles that touch on things like ghosting, breakups, online dating, long distance relationships and much more!

Their pieces read confident, snarky, and at times, humorous. Their writers turn their dating fails into advice that the readers can learn from.

How To Apply:

Bolde periodically puts out ads for new writers, but they also recruit writers on an ongoing basis via their submission page. After you read over the guidelines, make sure that you email them at submissions@thebolde.com with your ideas.

Rate: A few years ago, Bolde paid $35 dollars per article. I’m not sure of the going rate today.

Pop Sugar

Pop Sugar is a popular entertainment based website that publishes pop culture news, political commentary, beauty, health and lifestyle content, too. Geared towards women, it’s especially popular with the 18–34 crowd.

How To Apply: While Pop Sugar employs full and part time staff writers, it also allows writers to submit content, via it’s Voices program. Anyone can sign up, fill out their profile and submit articles for Pop Sugar’s editors consideration.

Submission of an article doesn’t guarantee that it will be published. But if the editor likes it, they will contact you for edits and guide you through the publishing and payment process. They also, periodically, put out calls for certain topics, which writers can submit articles and essays on.

Note: I usually avoid platforms that ask for full drafts beforehand, but because Pop Sugar is a high-authority website, with millions of monthly readers, a byline there would be highly beneficial!

Rate: $50 per post

The Tempest

The Tempest is a online magazine that caters primarily to women of color. There, you’ll find original reported pieces, personal essays, and pop culture/lifestyle write ups that put diverse voices and experiences at the forefront. Founded in 2016, they’ve already grown their network to over 1,500 contributors in just four years — many of whom got their start on the website!

How To Apply: Come up with an idea that you think will fit their content, then email them at submit@thetempest.co with your pitch, short background and previous published work (it’s okay if you have none)! If the editors like your idea, they’ll get back to you within two weeks.

Rate: Four years ago, $10/800 word article. Today? Unknown

All Women’s Stalk

All Women’s Talk is a website that publishes women-centered listicles about romance, home design, celeb news, book reviews and more. Most of the articles contain at least 10 items, and anyone can join and create lists. But if writers want to get paid, they need to join the “Write & Earn” Program.

How To Apply: Email write.earn@allwomenstalk.com, express your interest to join the program and wait for a response.

Payment: $3 per 1000 views.

Ravishly

Ravishly calls themselves the “endgame of intersectional feminism with an ebullient twist.” And while that description was too good to leave out, I was going to call them a medium for candid expressions of the triumphs and plights of women. Motherhood, sex, mental health — they specialize in personal essays on everything that affects us! Plus more!

How To Apply: If you want to add your experience to the heap, you should email them, through the contact link on their website, with your name, email address, article idea, links to three published clips, and a resume!

Rate: $50–$100 dollars

Check Out Our Latest Posts:

• The Anatomy Of A News Article — With Examples
• 9 Publications That Are Paying $100 Or More During The Pandemic

5 Websites That Pay Women Writers Real Money was originally published in The Lucky Freelancer on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Plus, what you can do to protect yourself

College Humor, a popular comedy website that posted articles, listicles, info-graphics and other media, laid off most of it’s in-house staff a few months ago. The official reason is that its parent company decided not to continue financing it, due, in part, to Facebook inflating its video metrics, which the site relied on for ad revenue.

Unfortunately, I’m not surprised (Facebook is the devil.) But I am disappointed. College Humor was one of my favorite time-wasting websites in High School and college. And once I started freelancing, it became a possible avenue for income (though I never got around to writing for them).

In fact, I almost included College Humor in my article about places that would publish you with little-to-no experience. Anyone could pitch them an idea and get paid for it, as long as it was funny and well-written.

But I’m glad I didn’t waste anyone’s time. When I type in Collegehumor.com, it directs me to the College Humor YouTube Channel.

As of now, College Humor will primarily produce video content. And the sad reality is that many of the talented people who made the website popular are now left without jobs. I have no idea what that means for people who might want to freelance with them.

What I do know is that there were likely signs in place that forewarned College Humor’s downfall. Unfortunately, there always are. When companies are on the cusp of a shut-down, the higher-ups usually follow similar scripts. If you’re interested in writing for digital media, learn these signs now (and save yourself some heartache later).

1. The Pay Is Cut

The first sign of trouble is usually a pay cut. Sure, it could just be proof that a greedy owner is trying to pocket more of the bottom line, but most times, a decrease in payouts is necessary to keep the company afloat. The first people who feel the sting are usually the writers.

2. There’s Less Work To Go Around

Sometimes, companies won’t cut the pay, but they will start to assign less work. So, you might still get paid good money per assignment, but suddenly you’re not invoicing enough work to pay your rent anymore.

It’s a pay cut, and a sneaky one one at that. Content is always in the demand, so if a company cuts back, it’s because they don’t have the budget to pay at the scale they were before.

3. Office Luxuries Are Canned

All of those lush office amenities like catered lunches, on-site gyms, spa days, that attracted you to the company don’t come cheap. But a company that’s doing well invests in its employee’s happiness because it will help the company in the long run. At some point, when the company is failing, it’s not not possible to keep funding such luxuries, and they disappear out of nowhere. This is never a good sign.

4. Hire Ups Are Looking For New Jobs

Long before the lower-level employees feel the effects of the impending lay-offs, the people up top are already scrambling. They’re privy to information that those near the bottom of the totem can only speculate about. So, if notice that many of the higher-ups are jumping ship, assume it’s about to sink.

*How To Protect Yourself

No matter how nice or understanding your boss is, or how much your like your co-workers, your interactions exist within the business realm. You’re there because you benefit the company in some way, not because you’re friend So, when it’s time to cut dead weight — or rather, weight the dying company no longer can support — your friendship will not save you.

Companies will always protect their own interests. As a writer, it’s your job to protect your own. Here’s how.

Unless you’re a famous journalist with premium health benefits, making hundreds of thousands or millions a year, you should have more than one source of income. For most writers and creators, job security is a myth, so it’d be smart to keep a side hustle (or three).

If you’re allowed to take on outside work — some contracts forbid it — you should take a few (or as many as you have time for) freelance assignments a month to supplement your income. That way, you’ll always have some money coming in even if you get fired from one job.

You should also keep your LinkedIn page or author website updated so that interested employers can contact you, should your work impress them.

These days, companies consolidate multiple positions so that they can hire less people. So, a company looking for a writer might favor a candidate with graphic design or marketing skills over a writer who only writes.

While that’s not exactly fair, you don’t have a choice but to keep up with the market demand. So schedule some time to learn a new skill or two. Especially if you can intertwine it with your current skill set.

Take a new class, sign up for a webinar, or to read a new book. Anything to get and keep your creative juices flowing.

There are some pretty sweet jobs in media, but you should never get too emotionally attached. Early on, I made the mistake of attaching my writing identity to the trendy sites that attracted me to freelancing in the first place.

Instead of continuing to look for new opportunities and network, I got comfortable. And once they went belly up — as many websites do — I lost not only a part of my income but really good writing samples.

Now, I treat every freelance or ghostwriting job strictly as a means to make money. And I’m always looking out for new, exciting jobs that fit my skill set (even sometimes ones that don’t).

Long story short, don’t get too attached to any of your work — even if it’s your “dream job.” There will always be more, better out there.

Don’t miss out!

4 Lessons Writers Can Learn From College Humor’s Layoffs was originally published in The Lucky Freelancer on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Hello Dear Followers:

I’m sure you’ve noticed that The Lucky Freelancer has not been updated in a couple of months. Given the strong start we got off to in January, this wasn’t my intention for our growing community.

Unfortunately, the ongoing pandemic threw a wrench in the plans I had for the publication. The thought of possibly contracting Covid-19 caused my anxiety to spike. For weeks, I was too anxious to write, look over submissions, or do anything beyond my outside work.

Last month, I was hospitalized for a non-Covid-19 issue that became exasperated because I didn’t want to leave my home. Thankfully, my condition was caught in time and I’m finishing my recovery at home. The two-week mark has passed and I haven’t developed any Covid-19 symptoms.

Now that my anxiety has leveled off, I now realize how blessed I was to have survived a hospital stay without contracting the virus, plus still be able to make money to support myself with my writing.

My ordeal has given me a new outlook on life. I refuse to allow the current state of the world to continue to paralyze me or my writing. So, please know that more content is coming! All with you in mind to help you navigate this crazy, wonderful, confusing world!

And writers, if you’ve submitted any pieces over the last few weeks that I never got to, feel free to re-submit (if you didn’t find another home for them). Likewise, I’m accepting new submissions about anything related to making it as a freelance writer.

I look forward to hearing from you all.

Happy writing!

-Serenity J.

An Update On The Lucky Freelancer was originally published in The Lucky Freelancer on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Growing up, my classmates and I used to sit on the playground at school and discuss what we’d do if we had a million dollars, a sum of money that felt as unattainable as the stars. Our answers were what you’d expect for elementary school kids: buy a helicopter, rent out Toys R Us, and for the future high rollers among us, buy a mansion.

Now, everyone my age wants to be a billionaire. Somehow, being a millionaire isn’t good enough anymore, even though most of us will never see a million dollars in our lifetime. I suppose I get it. A billion dollars could grant a person the ability to buy almost any earthly possession money can buy, a reality that sounds almost too good to be true.

For some of my peers, they might actually be their reality one day. Especially those who work in tech and pharmaceuticals. But as a freelance writer, I wondered if any of us could ever become a billionaire.

Given society’s judgment of art-related professions, the question almost seems ludicrous. Let some people tell it, no one makes any real money writing.

But I’m more optimistic than most in thinking that yes, writing can be lucrative if you have the perfect mix of talent, drive and luck on your side.

But success doesn’t necessarily translate to a billion dollars.

A billion has a lot of zeros. Surely, anyone’s finger would fall off before they typed their way towards 10 figures.

Turns out, I was wrong — but not by much.

There is exactly one writer whose work has netted them at least one billion dollars (not to be confused with writers whose work has grossed over a billion dollars — for other people — or billionaires who have also written). This person is none other than JK Rowling, the creative force that brought the Harry Potter franchise to the masses.

A writer so famous, that even if you didn’t grow up on her work —like me— you’re still familiar with her influence within the world of literature. Kudos to Ms. Rowling, but in the grand scheme of things, what does on paltry spot say about about the state of the writing industry?

Well…

Your Parents Were (Kinda) Right

You’ve probably heard that writing is a terrible way to make money. Mostly from your parents, but thanks to social media, from kind strangers too. And while that’s not true — writing is a great way to make money if you don’t give up— the numbers don’t lie: writing is a terrible way to make a billion dollars.

Of the 2,604 billionaires in the world right now, only one of them is a writer! That’s not even 1/10 of 1 %! If the billionaire club operates the way that our elections do, then writers are vastly underrepresented.

You Will Probably Never Make A Billion Dollars From Your Writing

JK Rowling’s rags to riches story from a single mother on public assistance to the richest writer in the world is beyond inspiring, but this isn’t a “she did it, so can I,” type of situation.

Your writing might make you riches, but it probably ever make you a billionaire. The Harry Potter Franchise is a unicorn among YA books and films; the next one probably won’t come along in this lifetime.

But If You Do, Books + Film Rights Is The Way To Go

J.K Rowling is the only billionaire writer in the world, and she made her money through the fictional world that she created. According to Business Insider’s projections, the standard 15% royalties from her $7.7 billion book sales would have put a whopping $1.5 billion in her pockets. A 10% take home from selling the film rights of the The Harry Potter franchise was an additional $770 million.

Rowling has also made hundreds of millions of dollars from licensing Harry Potter for Harry Potter World, a theme-park based on the novels. Judging by the strategy of the one billionaire writer in the world, it’s safe to say that a popular book series and movie franchise is the key to success.

You Don’t Need A Billion Dollars To Be Happy

Good news? No one needs a billion dollars. Not even for their children and their children’s children and so on and so forth. Billionaires are essentially wealth hoarders, which I can’t imagine is good for the conscious.

And while my opinion on people who made their money without the exploitation of other people’s labor — versus creating their own intellectual property — is slightly less damning, having a billion dollars in assets is still excessive.

Especially when you consider that billionaires could do so much good, without giving up much of their net worth, but most of them just decide to sit on their money. Take, for example, the Corona Virus Pandemic we’re all dealing with right now. If all of the 2,604 billionaires gave a million dollars each, that would be about 2.6 trillion dollars towards life saving medical supplies like masks, ventilators, and other relief efforts. And if they donated a substantial amount of their income, they could single handily fund wipe out the need for government assistance.

Now, I’m not saying that they should have to subsidize the government, but when you live in a world where structures are failing your fellow man and you could alleviate their suffering without so much as a sweat, you should. There’s simply no way around that truth.

So, the next time that you ponder about the lifestyle that your writing might one day afford you, know that being a billionaire isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. You’ll likely never live long enough to spend your fortune and a good deal of the public will resent your very existence.

But that doesn’t mean that your writing can’t produce enough income to live off of, or even elevate you to millionaire status.

Final thoughts:

If you still want to become a billionaire, know that writing is a terrible way to do it. On the bright side, there are plenty of millionaire writers and almost-a-billionaire writers — James Patterson says hi.

If you can settle for that trivial existence, you might just be fine.

Can You Write Your Way Towards A Billion Dollars? was originally published in The Lucky Freelancer on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.