Starting Your Career As a Freelance Writer (Paperback)

by Moira Anderson Allen (Author) "Writing for publication is one of the most rewarding careers I can think of..." (more)
Key Phrases: first electronic rights, pet magazines, good bookkeeping, Writer's Market, United States, Allworth Press (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Whether you are looking to freelance while working in another field, or support yourself as a full-time writer, here is a tried-and-true blueprint to success! Covering everything from knowing when to take the plunge to negotiating publishing contracts, aspiring freelance writers will discover proven guidance and inside information for finding appropriate markets, developing outlines and first drafts, writing effective queries, creating properly formatted manuscripts, breaking into business writing, developing marketable ideas, and much more. The ultimate guide for anyone who wishes to make money from writing!

About the Author
Moira Allen hosts the popular Website for writers called writing-world.com. She is the author of several books, including writing.com and The Writer's Guide to Queries, Pitches, and Proposals. A longtime instructor of freelance and creative writing, she lives in Chesapeake, VA.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Allworth Press (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158115304X
• ISBN-13: 978-1581153040
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #55,411 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A TERRIFIC guide on freelance writing, December 25, 2003

By	Radhika Meganathan (Chennai, India) - See all my reviews

I am a fan of Moira Allen's incredibly resourceful website WRITING-WORLD (www.writing-world.com) and looked forward to reading her all-in-one guide on freelancing writing. As I expected, NO disappointments here - all you ever wanted to know about the basics of writing for magazines and going freelance is explained simply and expertly in this book.

I normally don't take more than 3 days to read a non-fiction book, but Moira Allen's took me over a week! You can have an idea just how comprehensive and thorough the contents must be. Fromtime management to setting goals, from finding ideas to handling accounts, Moira helps you to become a successful freelance writer, with her words of wisdom (born out of a 20+ year-old writing career) and conversational-yet-pithy 'tone'.

On the craft of writing, Moira teaches you how to face the first draft and write the perfect query to target the right market. There is a seperate division on rights and contacts and how to keep records and go full-time freelancing. You also have a special chapter by Peter Bowerman, the 'Guru' of Cold-Calling Strategy and the author of THE WELL-FED WRITER.

It doesn't matter if you're a clueless layman, a budding freelancer or a veteran freelancer. This book serves both as an excellent introduction on the freelance writing biz for new writers and as a refresher for experienced ones. Don't miss it!

50 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If You Want to Be A Free Lance Writer-This Is A Must Book, April 11, 2004

By	Norman Goldman "Editor of Bookpleasures.com" (Montreal) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I remember very vividly when I sold my first article to a major Canadian newspaper. It was in the mid 1960s, when I had just graduated from law school and I decided that the only way to fame, and perhaps jump- start my non-existent law practice, was to write articles on Quebec Civil Law. Fortunately for me, I was in the right place at the right time, and the newspaper was looking for someone to contribute articles pertaining to this subject matter. They purchased the first several of my articles, and boy was I excited!

However, unfortunately, my free-lance writing days came to an abrupt end when no one else was interested in the topic. That is when I decided to devote all of my time and energies into practicing the legal profession. Perhaps, if I had at my disposal Moira Anderson Allen's book entitled Starting Your Career As A Freelance Writer, things would have been different. Remember, it was the 1960s, and at the time there were few writing guides pointing you in the right direction to a free -lance writing career.
I did not have Allen to show me how to start my articles, find the right markets, queries and submissions, rights and contracts, and how to expand my horizons.

It is these topics and many more where Starting Your Career As A Freelance Writer excels. The book is a splendid, in-depth analysis where even the more experienced writer can reap some benefits.

Divided into six parts, there is no shortage of vital and interesting information as to what goes on in the minds of an editor to how to interview, and from exploring and evaluating markets to writing for special interest publications and markets. The reader is also exposed to such topics as queries and submissions, legal technicalities pertaining to rights and contracts, as well as setting fees and keeping records. After all, without these essential tools, we will never get to first base with our budding writing career, no matter how talented we may be.

What is noteworthy about Allen's writing is her ability to cut away the fat from the meat. Furthermore, she never presumes that the reader should know certain fundamental concepts, and consequently Allen leaves nothing unturned.

Allen's writing credentials are impeccable, as proven by the hundreds of articles she has contributed to several publications over her twenty- year writing career. In addition, she has also being called upon to speak at writers' conferences and workshops, and to act as an instructor at many of these events. Commencing a career, as a free-lance writer, is a difficult task, and one in which a great deal of perseverance and patience is required. It is Allen's vast experience and her ability to effectively convey her knowledge from these experiences that is very much in evidence throughout book, and will surely prove to be invaluable to aspiring free- lance writers.

Norm Goldman Editor of Bookpleasures and Travel Writer

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Book For Those Looking For It., January 23, 2007

By	Matthew Wilding "a jack of all things" (Jamaica Plain, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer will not teach you how to write. You need to do that yourself, with practice and feedback from people around you.

What this book will do is take you step by step through the trials of becoming a paid writer: everything from coming up with ideas to write about to structuring to the finished product, from querying editors for the first time to building a lasting relationship. The "rules" set down apply to multiple forms of writing, and not just for magazines, and references to other work are instructional and welcome.

There is also an excellent overview of how to manage your personal business as a freelancer, which for those of us "creative types," is certainly helpful.

The greatest part of this book, though, is its ability to lead the reader into types of writing for pay that many of us would never even consider. For instance, there is a chapter (written by a different author, suggesting the book's author knows her limits) on writing copy. Though I would never have thought to write copy, and almost skipped the chapter, following reading it and having been convinced that maybe this was a good way to suppliment income, I made some cold-calls as the book suggested, and a few days later, I already have a copy writing gig.

I would highly recommend this book to any competent writer that is looking to make a bit of money doing something that they love. If you can bring the work ethic, this book can bring the game plan.