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Zachary Petit

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The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing: How to Write, Work, and Thrive on Your Own Terms Kindle Edition

by Zachary Petit (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.6 203 ratings

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Prime Your Freelance Writing Career for Success!

So you want to be a freelance writer. Great! But now you're faced with a laundry list of questions: Should I freelance full time or part time? Should I write for magazines, newspapers, or online markets? How do I dream up the perfect article idea, and how do I pitch it successfully? How do I negotiate contracts, foster relationships with editors, and start getting steady work while avoiding financial panic attacks and unpleasant ulcers?

The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing answers all of these questions--and much more. From breaking in to navigating the basics of the business, this book is your road map to a fruitful and rewarding freelance life. You'll learn how to:

   • Dig into various markets, including consumer magazines, trade journals, newspapers, and online venues.
   • Make your digital mark and build your writing platform.
   • Pitch like a pro and craft solid query letters that get responses.
   • Conduct professional interviews in person, by phone, or by e-mail.
   • Write and structure various types of articles, from front-of-the-book pieces to profiles and features.
   • Quit your lackluster day job, and live the life you've always wanted.
Filled with insider secrets, candid advice, and Zachary Petit's trademark humor and blunt honesty, The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing won't just show you how to survive your freelancing writing career--it will teach you how to truly thrive.

About the Author

Zachary Petit is an award-winning journalist, editor-in-chief of the National Magazine Award-winning publication PRINT, and co-author of A Year of Writing Prompts: 366 Story Ideas for Honing Your Craft and Eliminating Writer's Block. Previously, he was the managing editor of Writer's Digest magazine and HOW magazine, and executive editor of the newsstand titles Writer's Workbook, Writer's Yearbook and Writing Basics. Alongside the thousands of articles he has penned as a staff writer and editor, covering everything from the secret lives of mall Santas to literary legends, his words regularly appear in National Geographic Kids, and have also popped up in the pages of National Geographic, Melissa Rossi's What Every American Should Know book series, McSweeney's Internet Tendency and many other outlets. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

"Funny, useful, and yes, essential." --A.J. Jacobs, New York Times best-selling author, editor at large at Esquire magazine, NPR commentator, and columnist for Mental Floss magazine

"Zachary Petit is the best editor I ever worked for. His Essential Guide to Freelance Writing is as brilliant, incisive and thorough as I expected. Do everything he says for a more successful career!"
--Susan Shapiro, New School writing professor and New York Times bestselling author of What's Never Said and Only As Good as Your Word: Writing Lessons From My Favorite Literary Gurus

"As both freelance writer and magazine editor, Zachary Petit has put together the finest (and most amusing) book I've read on how to break into professional writing and what to do once you get in the door. Funny, inspiring, and brimming with crucial nuts-and-bolts information, The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing should be on every freelancer's bookshelf." --Melissa Rossi, former travel columnist and author of the What Every American Should Know series.

"Want to score more writing gigs and earn well while doing what you love? Here's your chance to learn the ins and outs of freelance writing from an actual editor and long-time writer who has seen it all--from difficult sources to snooze-worthy queries. Zachary's book offers new writers insider tips, counterintuitive advice (that works!), and a few naughty words (c'mon, you know they're funny)." --Linda Formichelli, co-author of Write Your Way Out of the Rat Race...and Step Into a Career You Love and co-owner of The Renegade Writer Blog and UsefulWritingCourses.com

"Getting started as a freelance writer can seem like a daunting game: so much information to sort through and so many rules and stumbling blocks that seem designed to keep you out. Zachary Petit knows all about it, and that's why he wrote this book. It's blessedly simple, yet packed with all the information you need to figure out your own unique path into this business. Zac's hard-won wisdom is both educational and entertaining. The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing can save you tons of time, help you earn more money, and keep you out of trouble while you're doing it. If you grab a copy and read it, you'll be well equipped to dive into the wonderful, lively, rewarding world of freelance writing." --Elizabeth Sims, prize-winning novelist, contributing editor for Writer's Digest, and author of You've Got a Book in You: A Stress-Free Guide to Writing the Book of Your Dreams.

"Zachary Petit's The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing is exactly that: essential. Covering every topic a freelancer might need to understand, from query letters to tax deductions, Petit has created a veritable freelancer's bible of insight and wisdom, replete with concrete examples. Suited for both the emerging writer hoping to break into the market and the trained veteran looking for a useful reference, The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing is a must-have for independent writers. One wonders how we have survived for so long without such a volume." --Jacob M. Appel, author of Einstein's Beach House

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Print length

242 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Writer's Digest Books
Publication date

October 19, 2015
File size

5239 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Not Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
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Kerrie Flanagan
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Susan Shapiro
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01699PO38
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Writer's Digest Books (October 19, 2015)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 19, 2015
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 5239 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 242 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 159963905X

Best Sellers Rank: #910,543 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #157 in Composition
- #882 in Authorship
- #916 in Career Guides

Customer Reviews:
4.6 203 ratings

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Zachary Petit

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Zachary Petit is the editor of the National Magazine Award–winning publication PRINT, the content director of HOW and PRINT, a freelance journalist and a lifelong literary and design nerd. Formerly, he was the longtime managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine, and executive editor of several related newsstand titles. Alongside the thousands of articles he has penned as a staff writer and editor, covering everything from the secret lives of mall Santas to literary legends, his words regularly appear in National Geographic Kids, and have also popped up in the pages of National Geographic, Melissa Rossi’s What Every American Should Know book series, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency and many other outlets. He has never eaten an olive, and is forever slightly uncomfortable writing about himself in third person.

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4.6 out of 5

203 global ratings

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William

A Page Turner Writing Book - Really

Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2020

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Wanting to break into freelance writing, I read Petit's book with great interest. His writing style is clear and easy to understand. I really liked his light use of humor. This made his book especially fun to read. Having read dozens of writing books, I can attest it's hard to make a book on writing a page turner but he did it. He takes each aspect of freelancing slow so he doesn't bury his readers under tons of jargon and smart sounding stuff that is really nothing more than mental cotton candy. This said, as a former Writer's Digest Editor his inside perspective of freelancing based on having received hundreds if not thousands of queries as well as having worked as a freelancer is invaluable.

Other books on freelancing I found of equal value and most highly recommend are The Byline Bible by Susan Shapiro. (I used her approaches to land my first bylines. They work!) And Writer for Hire by Kelly James-Enger, also a wonderful book with lots of easy to use tips and tricks to make a living as a freelance writer.

After reading these three books I feel like I attended a week long freelance writers conference. Well worth it! A steal saving me a couple of thousand dollars if not more. Sadly, no after-hours events though. :)

28 people found this helpful

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Cassandra Journigan

Great book for those aiming for a nonfiction writing career, particularly journalism

Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2019

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It seems to me that the majority of writing advice today is written for those pursuing a career in copywriting and other formats for the business world. The more I've read on the subject, the greater has grown my reluctance to become involved in seeking the marketing world. Write down to a middle-school level? Keep your paragraphs short but make your projects as lengthy as possible because that's what search engines want? I believe in brevity and challenge. The world of writing for SEO maximization and solving people's problems is just not for me.

This book is exactly what I was looking for. It is written by a Writer's Digest editor for people choosing to pursue a freelance career in nonfiction, specifically newspaper and magazine writing for print and online. He covers the topics similar to other freelance writing but with a journalist's focus.

He includes a chapter on query letters, markets, business basics, and conducting interviews. His advice is sound and his book is well-written.

I've freelanced on and off for several years so I was already aware of some of what Zachary Petit covers. But I'm learning a lot too, so much so that I've been taking lots of notes.

This book is definitely worth your time and money if nonfiction article writing is your aim. I thoroughly recommend it.

13 people found this helpful

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Will

Worth the price of admission

Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2016

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Disclaimer: I am not a writer, aside from these occasional book reviews which don’t really count, so this review is largely irrelevant. Perhaps you belong to that group of people that love a thing (e.g. music) and your interest spills into a desire to understand how that thing is created and works (corresponding e.g. music composition) in which case, you might be called something like a critic, academic, or enthusiast. And so you pick up instructional books like Zachary Petit’s The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing. Or maybe you too are a vanilla variety masochist (further disclaimer: not in the sexual regard, but in the sense of someone that punishes themselves unnecessarily but with relish) and enjoy a secondary purpose of the instructional genre: having no ability for a skill but are happy to add it to an ever lengthening list of things you will never do with your life and further fine tune your preferred balance between average and inadequate. Yes, UC-whatever, you’re in the wrong review. Would you please vacate the room for a better review so we incompetents don’t overdo it on our daily allotment of self-punishment. We’ll call you back when we need you. Thanks.

Okay, so, Zachary Petit’s The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing does a good job of making you believe, if only momentarily, you could be a freelance writer if you really tried. The book mainly operates as an overview but with enough information for most anyone to start figuring out a freelance path and with good suggestions for further reading. Petit provides some great insights regarding the whole process of brainstorming, querying, interviewing, writing, and submitting with plenty of helpful hints and down-to-earth advice. Little suggestions, like treating your editors respectfully, might seem like no-brainers but is professional practice probably too often foregone and is just good life advice in general. Within the first thirty or so pages you’ll already have a number of springboards from which to start writing if you’re ever inclined.

As for qualms, I felt as though the book could have been structured a bit differently, or maybe had it some visuals for that kind of learner I would have received it all a little more easily. The tasks covered in each chapter sometimes seem like huge mental shifts with little overlap. There’s a chapter on developing ideas, and next comes one on querying but is also about developing a business sense, and then he shifts into interview skills which is a whole mess of things the writer needs to keep stock of before, during and after the interview. All of that information is really good but it requires developing a number of different skills that I wish had either been contextualized or integrated differently so it felt more like developing one large skill rather than doing different jobs. Keeping paper and pencil on hand helps for diagraming the process, noting the better advice, and keeping track of ideas as they arise, however vapid. Yeah, I see you back there Berkeley and no, no one wants your unofficial spark notes guide to the book, nor hot insider tips on how you got published at the age of 13. The door, now.

Now I know we’re all hyperventilating about the thought that we’re unworthy of sharing our own thoughts and feelings and probably have no right to even have them in the first place but allow me to express my own doubts. To me journalism feels like a field that requires a certain amount of training and guiding principles which it does have in some regards. My doubt stems from Petit’s inclusivity. I mean, good on him for not calling us out, and he has faith in the home-grown, library educated, self-studied, born outside university writers. But he knows that editors will cull from the clamor of self-aggrandizing, desperate to be heard millennial voices squabbling over fruit, low-hanging or otherwise, and that will probably be a small percentage of the people reading his book.

Yes, Petit makes freelancing seem very achievable and doesn’t shy from the fact that although it may be an answer to the soul crushing confines of office “life” and “culture” it’s going to be difficult, requiring hard work and many cups of coffee. It’s an imperfect yet solid guide, and will, at the very least, provide you some footing to start writing, assuming you find the nerve at all. And if you do, try not to mind those people waiting for us out in the hall with their twenty-four pages of references and margin to margin left right top to bottom résumés and honor society proof of memberships. Petit’s book doesn’t ensure success, but it gives a fighting chance and really now, was there ever another option?

12 people found this helpful

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SKWINS

Everything Freelancers Need to Know

Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2021

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It sounds cliche but if I could give this book 10 stars I would. I'll try to keep it short: (1) As another reviewer mentioned, this book is ENTERTAINING and HUMOROUS. I've never read a book about writing that's literally a page-turner. This one is. (2) The book is organized in a way that makes sense, and includes full chapters on everything you need to know about "the query", how to write specific pieces, how to write contracts, etc. (3) It's incredibly informative on all topics every freelancer should be versed in.

I honestly don't feel I need another guide in order to make it as a freelancer. Except for Zac's editing skills. He's a phenomenal writer. Thank you.

One person found this helpful

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K. Hadjiconstantino

Great Resource on Freelance Writing!!!

Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2021

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After getting seventy five percent on a freelance writing certification skills test, I picked up Zachary Petit's book on freelance writing to get better knowledge on freelance writing because I want to make a higher score on my freelance writing certification skills test. This book helped me and it will help you too. If you want to start out as a freelance writer and develop your craft in freelance writing, Petit will show you how to do it. By reading this book, you will become a better freelance writer.

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Top reviews from other countries

Richard Hill

Interesting and informative.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 31, 2023

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A good guide to getting non-fiction articles published in magazines.

Kathy Lum

Look forward to reading the next one!

Reviewed in Canada on August 3, 2016

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Fantastic! It was a perfectly laid out, strongly informational book full of inspiration.. I was disappointed when i reached the last page as I wanted more!

One person found this helpful

Heather

Very helpful. I needed some up to date reference ...

Reviewed in Canada on July 27, 2017

Verified Purchase

Very helpful. I needed some up to date reference books as technology has changed the writing field so much.

Saf92

Fab book!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 31, 2016

Verified Purchase

Fab book! Found it useful. Only downside is that it's American so a few things don't apply to people in the UK like me. It's full of humour aswell so you don't get bored!

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