Recently I blogged about awakening the writer inside and since being online I have learned that freelance writing is actually very popular amongst many bloggers. Since it provides us with instant income in return for our written words, we can earn a decent income once we manage to build our brand.
Despite this, many writers struggle to find enough work and often this is because they don’t know where to score some decent gigs. Since becoming a freelance writer myself I have scored the web high and low for the best sites to hunt down some jobs.
A couple of my readers asked me to provide them with additional writing resources and that is why I wrote this post. I want to share with you the very best of freelance writing job sites I have found since being online and when I’m looking for more work it is through one of those sites that I do.
Freelance Opportunities Job Sites:
Elance is a great market place for professionals of all walks of life. Whether you are a writer or a designer, you can get some decent work trough Elance. Membership accounts range from FREE to $39.95/month for large businesses.
Elance charges a service fee of between 6.75 % - 8.75 % for paid jobs.
Guru is designed to service freelancers of all kinds and has a very active bulletin board. I’m a free member of Guru and so far I haven’t managed to score a job with them. I believe that it is probably better paying for membership if you are serious at scoring a decent writing job.
Guru offers FREE as well as paid memberships and they range from $29.95 to $99.95 per quarter. Once you get paid for a job well done, Guru takes between 5 % - 10 % commission.
ScriptLance is probably the most known website for freelancers all around the world. It is also the most notorious since most freelancers find work there first. Many freelancers sell themselves really cheap there just to get some work and this is damaging the whole industry.
I personally have had some great finds there but the secret is to stand out from the crowd. Don’t sell yourself short!
ScriptLance is FREE for all and they take a 5 % commission on work paid to you.
oZLance is a freelance website focused to bring more connections to Australian and New Zealand professionals and connecting business owners with freelancers. The site is still very young but is also open to worldwide registration.
You can sign up for FREE and pay a small fee to get accredited if you want to for better exposure. There isn’t much traffic yet and you won’t find too many writing gigs, but having said this, there are the occasional bargains.
Freelance Writing is one of those sites to get lost in easily. They have a huge range of information and links leading to other related websites. Whenever I visit the site I find myself still browsing an hour later. So be warned!
Journalism Jobs is simply put a job website for many professionals around the world. Some are in house based and others allow you to work remote.
The best way to see whether there are suitable offers for your experience is to do a keyword search.
Get A Freelancer is similar to ScriptLance and again it is probably more so a good site for beginners in freelance writing since the money is mostly very bad. There is nothing wrong with writing for $5 an article when you first start out, but once you gain credibility and experience this is simply ridiculous.
Writer Lance (updated 21.January 2008 site is down and seemingly no longer available) is a new favorite of mine. There are plenty of job offers and they seem to pay a decent rate too. Registration is FREE and they charge you a 3 % fee of your income.
Suite 101 is an article/freelance site that invites freelance writers into their network. They claim to get 6 millions of views every month and will pay you a share of their income. What is great about Suite 101 is the fact that they have such a broad article gallery where you will find something to write about in your chosen field.
You Can sign up for FREE and start earning revenue straight away by writing great articles.
iFreelance is one of the best freelance websites because of the sheer amount of good paying jobs available. Membership levels vary between $ 3.91 - $ 6.58/month but that is all you pay. iFreelance doesn’t charge you a commission fee of your earnings. So fire away by applying for your dream jobs.
Helium is a freelance writers platform that lets you indulge into you craft. Possible income happens from being very active on the site and write a lot. Articles are voted by the active community and you can also compete for paid freelancing gigs.
Helium has a huge active reader and writer base and you can write about any topic you like.
CraigsList has been a secret money maker for many entrepreneurs on the Internet for month. It is a huge job and advertising network that spans across the globe and is free to use. You can source writing jobs and a lot more.
You can also advertise your services for free but you need to be careful not to scam the system. If you do, your ads will be gone in no time.
Pro Blogger Job Board is updating all kind of online jobs every week. You will find blogging jobs, writing, design and more. But you have to be quick in snapping up the good ones as his site is heavily trafficked.
So check back often!
Please remember that in order to land yourself some good paying freelance writing jobs you will need to be professional in your approach and possibly have an online resume. It also helps if you have client testimonials from past clients since it validates your claim to fame.
Make it a habit to stand out from the crowd in order to get noticed. I have personally managed to snap some jobs because I dared to be different so it has served me well.
But always be true to yourself and don’t lie about your experience - it will only bite you in the bum. If you have to start low, then do it. Work it and before you know you will be able to earn a satisfactory income as a freelance writer.
I wish you success and happiness and should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Also, to see part two of my Freelance Writing Job Websites please follow the link.
Monika
Technorati Tags: freelance writingfreelancing,writing,writers,freelancers
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Do you have any specific site(s) that you think is the best at grabbing quality clients and has less chance/turnover for fraud? I’ve been getting into the blogging scene more lately since I’ve been designing more blogs and wouldn’t mind trying my hand at some freelance writing.
Any tips or direction would be great
Thanks,
Mike
We do not require any up front fees and have many many freelance writers making livable money from the our marketplace. We do require fairly high quality writing, so there is a editorial process, but we are in the process of revamping the site, and have attracted all sorts of new buyers. Come check it out.
Mike: that’s great to hear, you will find freelance writing most likely very satisfying, especially once you earn money.
As for personal favorites, I’d have to say iFreelance, WriterLance, Elance and oZLance.
I’ve gotten quite a few jobs on ScriptLance when I first stared out, but am not happy with the low rates most writers offer there. So these days I tend to stay away from them.
[...] 13 Best Freelance Writing Job Websites - The Writers Manifesto Blog [...]
13 Best Freelance Writing Job Websites at TheWritersManifestoBlog…
Monika Mundell over at The Writers Manifesto Blog says that freelance writing is pretty popular among bloggers because it provides almost instant income in return for doing what they do best - writing. It’s been my experience that she’s correct, alt…
This is a really good list that I think a lot of bloggers (in particular) will find very useful. I know I haven’t even heard of all of these sites so I’ve already learned something. Thanks.
Hi Monika,
What a helpful list! I knew about some of these but not all. I’m going to bookmark it.
BTW, I stumbled and zoomed this page.
I know it’s quite a new platform, but you may want to add http://www.bizreef.com/Writing to your list.
It’s a general platform for freelnacers (such as GAF and Elance) with a section dedictaed to freelance writers.
Hi Monika,
One website to add to your list: oDesk. oDesk makes it easy to find freelance writing and blogging jobs. Plus, unlike other marketplace sites, oDesk allows you to get paid by the hour, which is great for long-term writing gigs and copy editing jobs.
Take a look!
Michelle
oDesk
What a great site. I especially appreciate your observations/summations about the different sites.
Another site that pays monthly residuals is Triond. Writing keyword articles and bookmarking them pays off. Triond is similar to Helium; however you don’t have to wait until your earnings reach a ceiling amount. You are paid each month.
Hi Monika,
I’ve included a link to your great site at my writing blog.
Jason: yes, I hope it will help bloggers and freelancers alike to find some more work. Thank you for submitting my piece to Blogging Zoom too.:-) it is much appreciated.
Carla: thank you so much. Watch out for part 2 of this resource.
Bizreef: thank you for letting me know, your site will go into part 2
Michelle: I just signed up with you lot and posted my profile, took the first test and scored 98%. Now I’m waiting for suitable job offers. I’ll also include your site into part 2.
Athlyn: thanks for your nice comment and giving me constructive feedback. I knew about triond but didn’t deem them worthy enough for the list. I realize now that was presumptuous on my behalf and will also include them in part 2.
I also just realized that you are the next commenter too.
Duh…thanks for blogging about me. I tried to leave a comment but the window came up to skewered and small. Not sure whether this is due to me or not.
Also we seem to have in common our love for birds. Your little Miss Muggles looks so cute.
Hi Monika,
Yes, I mentioned Triond because I have found that this is has been a reliable monthly income stream for me. Triond offers a larger list of bookmarking sites, which, of course, leads to more views.
A properly written keyword article will perform well, over the long-term. Submitting to Triond can definitely add to your income stream, in conjunction with other writing endeavors.
Monika, thanks for posting these! Several of these I’ve never heard of. I do write for Suite101 and am really enjoying it. With Suite101, your articles are completely exclusive for the first year, found nowhere else online.
While I have written for ezinearticles and associated content, oftentimes people have simply posted the exact same post from their blog, without changing any text or anything.
Suite101 helps me build and stretch my writing skills, and it feels so good to get the email notice saying the post was good and published to the net.
My blog is about to be on Wordpress (almost done with the set up), and I’m very excited to be able to have a much more professional looking blog with all the cool plugins and post dating posts.
Yeah!
Lin: hey, I’m glad you found some gems. I also would love to get some stuff on AC but since I don’t reside in the US I am excluded.
I wonder how Suite101 performs since I’m looking at joining their force. I’ve just come back from your new shiny blog and it is damn nice! Well done and great to hear about your helping hand too.
[...] 13 Best Freelance Writing Job Websites - Monika Mundell [...]
Great list! I’m not a very good writer so for now, I write only in my blog. But when I’ll become a good writer, I’ll check again your list. Until then, I’ve added it in my Great Top 13 lists.
Is it easy to apply for a job as a fresh writer without experience?
Problogger & freelancewriting are two sites I check often. Thanks for the post.
Pockey: as a fresh writer you have the advantage of going in cheaper. You might have to get your feet wet and bid lower than the established writers force and the best place for you to do this would be on ScriptLance.com.
Once you get established move onto the better paying jobs. You need to start building your writing skills though since you’ll be writing a lot if that is your chosen path and the sooner you start, the better it will be for your new career.
Good luck and if you ever need any advice, don’t be shy to contact me.
Rose: you are welcome, those are both great places to find some cool jobs. Trouble is, you have t be super lightning fast to snatch them.
[...] 13 Best Freelance Writing Job Sites [...]
[...] 13 Best Freelance Writing Job Websites [...]
There’s a great new freelance site that is focusing on quality rather than quantity: http://www.consultingfair.com
[...] writer, we won’t find work unless we go out there and get it. And what easier way to visit a freelance writing job website to get work is [...]
[...] Check out this list to find a freelancing job. [...]
[...] 13 Best Freelance Writing Job Sites [...]
[...] Writer’s Manifesto Blog has a post listing places to freelance. I’ve used Elance in the past, with some limited success. If you’re planning on using [...]
Try http://www.freelancewar.com - Get freelance work, or get freelance work done. No commission fees or monthly service fees.
[...] 13 BestFreelance Writing Job Websites [...]
[...] 13 BestFreelance Writing Job Websites [...]
Wow - great list Monika, nice to see that you actually took the time to review the sites properly and take screenshots!
One more for your list - http://www.peopleperhour.com
[...] 13 BestFreelance Writing Job Websites [...]
[...] 13 BestFreelance Writing Job Websites [...]
[...] 13 BestFreelance Writing Job Websites [...]
[...] 13 BestFreelance Writing Job Websites [...]
[...] 13 BestFreelance Writing Job Websites [...]
[...] 13 BestFreelance Writing Job Websites [...]
[...] 13 BestFreelance Writing Job Websites [...]
[...] 13 BestFreelance Writing Job Websites [...]
[...] 13 BestFreelance Writing Job Websites [...]
Great list! I do have one more to add:
http://www.remotegurus.com
Great list, I would also consider adding Constant-Content, which is a little different but has done well for me, and Associated Content isn’t great, but it has some perks - similar to Helium in that way.
I have visited some of these sites, but I appreciate your comments on the quality of each of the sites. Thank you.
Kelli
Just as an update, I looked at WriterLance today and it is back online. I haven’t used the site personally, but I liked the list of links you posted here. I’ve mostly been using Elance and ifreelance, but I’ll take a look at some of the others you’ve posted.
Keep the great posts coming.
Nice site. I will add you to my ‘blogroll’.Caty-Slendertone flex
[...] Perhaps you’re hoping to get started as a freelance writer, Monika Mundell shares the 13 Best Freelance Writing Job Websites. [...]
What a great article and those are terrific sites. Thanks so much for the helpful descriptions and resources!
This is a great list. I knew some of the sites already, but there were a few I didn’t know. Your comments were helpful too. Dorothy Massey http://www.kidsbooksuk.blogspot.com
Oh, this is a very helpful list, just what I was looking for. Thanks!
@ Beelissa: You are certainly welcome. Don;’t forget to check out the other post with 9 more freelance writing job sites http://www.thewritersmanifesto.com/blog/2007/12/12/freelance-writing-job-websites/
Thanks
yup, GAF is good at first but when you’ve got enough credibility and experience it’s downright stupid to work for peanuts.
I have created enough credibility to move to a full time job as writer and I do thank GAF for what it has offered. but i don’t see myself going back to check for projects over there…ever!
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