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Monday, July 23, 2007

Finding Freelance Writing Jobs on the Internet

Making money with your writing used to mean that you were a newspaper journalist or a novelist. Not anymore! Thanks to the Internet, it's easy to find people interested in purchasing your writing, allowing you to make money with your wit and from the comfort of your favorite armchair.

The word corporation use for it – outsourcing. Our word – freelancing. They outsource jobs that only come along intermittently that are not confidential in nature. Some freelance writing jobs include:

* Ad copy for direct mail campaigns
* Web copy and information
* Product descriptions
* White papers
* Blogs
* Infomercials
* Radio announcements

Freelancers may be hired for one project, a brief busy period in a company's work schedule, or for intermittent assignments as they come available. For example, a company may need to hire a freelancer to write all the copy for their website and then no longer need their services. This is a one time project with a finite deadline that usually pays a big chunk at once. It's often difficult to handle any other jobs while working on one big project, but it's also difficult to keep these coming in on a regular enough basis to depend on.

An example of intermittent assignments usually come when you sign on with small businesses. They may only need help during busy seasons or occasionally as they get overwhelmed. For example, if a company hires you to write all the product descriptions for their site, they may ask you back when they add more products to their line. As they grow, you may be asked to help them along.

Regular positions include writing blogs everyday to help your employer earn money off ad copy, writing white papers on companies for executives as they need them, radio announcements for funders, and infomercials for production companies.

Whether your position with a company is short term or long term, for tax purposes, you are considered an independent contractor and not an employee. You will have to fill out a W-9 form along with the usual confidentiality agreements and contracts defining deadlines, pay, and other expectations for both parties. At the end of the year, you will receive a tax form in the mail which you will add to your other income and tally up how much you owe Uncle Sam. Remember, as an independent contractor, you are not only responsible to pay for taxes as an employee but also as an employer.

Other jobs that are associated with freelance writing and often fit right into a freelance writer's scope of expertise include:

* Translating manuals, documents, and contracts into English
* Transcribing audio files, DVDs, and tapes
* Proofreading or editing manuscripts, web copy, and other documents

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