One of the most intimidating things a freelance writer has to face is the difficulty of finding work. As opposed to the standard “permanent” job, where an employee is fairly certain that there is always another project waiting, a freelancer has to depend on his or her own resources to find the next project. This means constantly responding to ads and querying publications.

Finding Job Ads

Some, though not all, publications and other employers post ads when they are in need of freelance writers. Online job boards and websites dedicated to freelancers are the best sources for these ads.

Online job boards: Well-known career sites such as Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, and CraigsList.org also list freelance and contract jobs. In addition, JournalismJobs.com specializes in jobs for writers and journalists. To find freelance jobs, search for the keyword “freelance.” Don’t choose a location, since many freelance jobs are also telecommuting jobs. (The exception is CraigsList.org, which has different sites for different cities.)

Freelancing websites: Lesser known are the sites dedicated to freelance writers. Check FreelanceWriting.com and Writer’s Weekly E-zine for current job postings.

Querying

Not all publications and employers advertise when they need freelancers, usually because they are so inundated with queries and manuscripts that they don’t need to advertise for them. If you want to break into these markets, you’ll need to do the footwork to find them. Buy a copy of the Writer’s Market and browse the listings offered there. It’ll be your job to come up with a marketable idea, but once you have one, you need only to send out queries to all the publications you think might be interested.

For more information, see the posting “Resources for Writers” on my personal blog.