You’ve decided to be a writer, or decided to add freelancing to your writing skills. After all, selling those books is hard work and a long-term wait in terms of return on investment. Sprinkling freelancing amidst your creative short stories, novels, and poetry can help fund your passion. Yes, it’s work, but it’s also quicker income.

Let’s start with putting on our common sense hat. Where can you find this freelance work?

1) Talk to everyone you know – your peers.
2) Speak to local businesses you know.
3) Join the local chamber of commerce to get to know those businesses you don’t.
4) Join job boards. (I especially recommend the paid versions of LinkedIn and Write Jobs PLUS.)
5) Publications themselves. (Print, online, and blogs – many potential clients are on all three.)
6) Social media. (Facebook groups like Female Freelance Writers or Freelance Content Writers, Content Editor, Proofreader, & Digital Marketers)
7) Belong to a writing agency. (Reedsy.com is an example.)
8) Ask for referrals from those who know you as a writer.
9) Through your own professional website (with careful SEO optimization infused in it).
10) Professional organizations (indexers, copywriters, editors, etc. have organizations).

Don’t have clips? Create samples on your own commercial website and guest blog elsewhere with links back to your site. You can also pitch a great idea that wows them to the point they don’t seek a sample (been there!). Pitch using your expertise elsewhere (your degree, previous job, professional title, award-winning hobby, etc.). Start writing on Medium.com.

I’ve been researching this arena intensely for going on three months now while on assignment, and trust me, the work is out there, people. Makes me almost wish I didn’t like writing novels so much.