15 WAYS TO MAKE MONEY OUT OF WRITING.

If you like making money writing, and you believe payment is acknowledgement for writing well, then this is for you. Be it a newcomer or pro you will find some useful tips, ideas, new markets and inspiration in this article.

1.

Bring home the bacon writing for home businesses. Someone starts a new home business every
11 seconds. Home business owners need letters, press releases, marketing brochures, website verbiage, ad copy and more. While you are making money doing that...

2.

Write practical articles about owning and operating home-based businesses (of  which freelance writing is one).

3

Hawk fiction and poetry at arts and crafts festivals. Embellish your words with calligraphy, marbleized paper, pressed flowers, stenciling, and handmade paper. Sign up for craft guild mailing lists to receive show schedules.

 

4

Write book reviews. Nonfiction book reviews state the book's objective,summarize the main concepts, include the author's credentials, cite a sample sentence or passage, and suggest what readers can expect. Reviews of novels,somewhat similar, delve into character development and other fiction techniques. Send two or three samples to an editor who's likely to request, More, please!"

5.

Earn dough rolling out booklets of unique recipes: vegetarian, Turkish, Kosher,low-salt. Adhere to copyright laws. List ingredients in order, use std. abbrev.,test recipes.

6.

 Concoct food and cookery articles. After a few have been published, scour bookstores to see what's missing cookbook-wise and whisk up a proposal for a cookbook to fill the niche.

7. 

Draft company style manuals to, as James Rada, Jr. of Maryland says, "...Make sure everybody is writing things the same way." Style manuals include preferred salutations, abbreviations, company personnel titles, industry-specific terms and product names. Have samples so you can make slick presentations to CEOs.

8.

Tighten up tech drivel. Technical writer Joan Viener says that an English/Journalism/Writing type degree commands money from technical weenies and enginerds. Experience with MS office, Adobe Framemaker/Adobe Pagemaster, or RoboHelp and the like for supporting writing-phobes who don't 

know nothin' 'bout writin' is an advantage. Apply at contract employment agencies or set up your own tech writing service.

 

9

Work on plays incorporating local history and personalities, or whatever marketable topic excites you. Unlike stories to be read to oneself, scripts shouldn't describe what audiences see on stage. Write within the constraints of  budgets and stage sets. Join the theater group to learn the ins and outs of stage plays. Check if the market accepts scripts or prefers a résumé, query, synopsis and sample. Submit to community and little 

theaters, regional theaters, theater workshops, contests, and alternative theaters.Playwright Max Pearson says, "Manuscripts should be bound and accompanied by SASE. Include brief, well-written cover letters addressed to the artistic director. Tell a little about yourself and why you think the play suits a particular 

theater."

10.

Catalog "What I Like About Librarians" for a library journal. Substitute different professions and details for different trade magazines. Ask friends for copies of trade mags they subscribe to. Scope out doctor, insurance agent,naturopath and other offices for periodicals not displayed at newsstands.Professionals of every stripe read trade magazines to learn ways to work faster and smarter while delighting customers and containing costs.

11.

Ghostwrite articles and books for people with something to say, but who lack writerly skills or time. Candidates to ghost for include psychologists for self-help books, entrepreneurs for business books, and disaster survivors for human-interest stories. Negotiate for "as told to Your Name" or "Jane Doe with Your

Name" in preference to receiving no credit. "Ghost" has creepy connotations, so offer "professional editing assistance."

12

Sling ink freelancing for newspapers. Sniff out educational, governmental and business news. Extract facts from cagey sources and your byline will land on page one. Journalists use the "inverted pyramid" structure, strong leads, accurate quotations and facts, keep themselves out of the story and provide high-impact

photos. Build a reputation for accuracy, honesty and integrity and the editor might offer a regular slot. Or...

13

Propose to a newspaper a children's, natural health, home décor, antiques and collectibles, or travel section — whatever's missing that's your specialty and 

would attract eyeballs.

14.

Dash off travel articles about your town for regional and foreign publications.Think like an out-of-towner: Miles or kilometers? Dollars or pesos? Do you tip waiters? When's the jazz fest? Is falafel food or drink? Build a portfolio of travel tearsheets, and hotels and resorts might sponsor a free junket!

15

Keep up with the Joneses and the Jablonskis. Start a neighborhood gazette.Solicit advertising fees from local businesses. Karen Redding's neighborhood newsletter New Views grew into a glossy magazine for which a publisher offered to purchase the rights. Karen sold.