How Many Of You Would Be Happy As a Well-Paid Freelance Writer?

Definitely a good idea to have a few different income streams and not to get too reliant on just one or two.

Freelance writing can be good but you'll probably only make decent money once people trust the quality of your work and know what they can expect.

Well, I went to college because I aspired to be a sports writer. About 9 years ago I got a feature article published in Sporting News magazine and thought it would be my big break. Quickly learned that sports writing, albeit my true passion, is more about luck than anything. Off the top of my head, I could probably pick 50 crappy sports writers that make a killing in the business that are a.) morons, b.) have less than 1% of my sports knowledge and c.) not even talented writers - only arrogant a-holes that make non-factual based statements. I'm not just saying that either. It's the truth. The difference between me and them - other than me being more knowledgeable - is luck. In that business, it's 99% luck and 1% writing/knowledge.

Now, I could build a blog (and have, though never monetized them) and promote myself. However, there's an insane amount of competition and it's just not that profitable.

So if anyone needs a freelance sports writer, I'm your man!

Good point. Although I market products, there's nothing better than the security of providing services/skills as a freelancer... well, for me anyway.

Yep, I hear you. A mix is probably the ultimate option. Finding that balance is the key though, isn't it?

Burning the candle at both ends, and all that.

I'd rather be a well-paid freelance editor. It's fun making other people look good.

Yeah, that's another thing I noticed - a lot of people come into this game from a writing career.

I think that's a huge advantage actually... because being able to communicate with written words is a huge part of what this business is about.

Even writing emails to outsourcing teams requires writing skills! There's no avoiding it!

Define "Well-Paid" because if your idea of well-paid is $5/article, as is too often considered a fair price for an article in these parts, I would not be happy at all as a "well-paid" freelance writer.

That's it - safe income. I've learned many times before that you can't rely on one gig or one website, or one product alone.

It's just too risky.

Good to hear! Full time?

Although I enjoy being a freelance writer, I would like to have my eggs in more than one basket. If I were to become sick or unable to work, those passive forms of income would still be rolling in. I agree with what others have said about passive income and multiple streams of income. Diversity is a good thing when it comes to paying the bills.

Even if freelance writing isn't your cup of tea, there is one aspect of being a freelance writer that I don't believe has already been mentioned. EDUCATION. By writing for successful marketers you are getting an inside look at their campaigns, the keywords they use and how they want things laid out. This is extremely eye opening and really helpful when building your own sites and income funnels. I've learned so much by writing for other people that I have created a list of things I'm going to change on my own sites. I've also had some new clients that are just starting out that have asked for outrageous keyword density and I've been able to steer them in the right direction. I guess the aspect of freelance writing that I enjoy the most is interacting with people.

So after all of that if you're asking if I could be strictly a freelance writer, then my answer would be yes, but at the same time I still enjoy the marketing side of making money online.

Notrichyet summed up how i look at it too. I like writing, and so far ive been able to cover all my needs by doing it. But the real gain is in the knowledge you can take away from each project.

Esspecially if you start building a solid relationship with your clients (like you should be) there's alot to be learned to build your own passive income just from learning by what others are doing, and by talking with them.

If someone offered $50 an hour to write for 8 hours a day, I'll gladly jump at the opportunity. But on the Internet with people offering their services for as little as $1 for 100 words, these chances are probably more harder to come by then in the offline Market.

I have a published writer who writes some content for my sites and I am paying her $1 for 100 words. The quality of her work is out of the world and in some ways it is a little sad supply and demand is at a level where one can pay someone 'envelope stuffing' wages.

And of course, potential partners

Which goes to show that you actually do need a brain to get ahead with this stuff, despite what the boobroos tell you.

Not necessarily. Content is content. The difference is only in your target audience.

For example, you'll never sell a burger from your stall in the street, in the middle of a posh suburban area of town, next door to a 2 michelin star Gordon Ramsey restaurant.

These people want quality - and can afford it - and know why they want it - and can tell the difference.

However, take your burger stall to the car park of a football match on a Sunday afternoon, and you'll sell out before the final whistle.

It's horses for courses, and I know which race I'd rather be running in.