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Sandi

Once you have your writing samples, it’s time to get a website. Potential clients will want to see your rates and learn a little bit about what you offer. Setting up a website is the best way to show off your services quickly and easily.

The easiest way to do this is through a blog, unless you have some web design skills. Blogger and Wordpress both offer free platforms that you can use to get started. Once you’re more established, you can move your site onto its own domain, or pay a designer to build you a site. But for now, free is the way to go.

Set up a site with a brief writing sample, a page of your rates, and some information about the services you’ll be offering. If you don’t know where to start, check out the forums at wwww.wahm.com or www.warriorforum.com - a search for “writers” or “writer rates” should turn up some good information. You could also use your favorite search engine to check out what your competitors are charging.

At this point, it is also a good idea to set up an email account devoted to your budding writing business. It looks far more professional to have an email dedicated to business, and it eliminates the possibility of a business email getting lost amongst your personal messages. I’ve used gmail with great success - it’s web based, and allows you to work from anywhere.

If you’re interested in writing for web-based clients, the first step is to build a file of writing samples to refer them to. Potential clients will want to see your work, to ensure that they are getting a quality writer with a good grasp of the English language in exchange for their money.

If you don’t have a website set up (most new writer’s don’t), you can set up samples one of two ways. The first is to write one or several articles and manually email them to potential clients. I did this for awhile with good results. It’s tedious, but it works well to get the job done. If you choose to do this, be sure to save the file in a format everyone can open, such as word, a .txt file, or open office (a free download - if you don’t have this program yet, check it out, it’s great.)

The second method, which I switched to and prefer, is to set up an Associated Content page and refer clients to it. This way, you make money from your samples, while allowing clients to see a portfolio of your work. It’s a win-win situation.

As you build your business, it’s wise to consider working up additional samples, such as a sample short report and a sample ebook, if these are services you plan to offer. Clients always want to see samples of exactly what they’ll be paying for - be prepared to show off your skills to woo them whenever necessary.

I spend a lot of time lurking on WAHM and parenting forums, and I often see people asking the same question - where do I begin to get paid for my writing?

For me, it was a lot easier than I expected it to be. I’ll explain the process to you, and maybe you can get started working at home, as well.

First, you’ll need to work up some writing samples. A sample article, at the very least. A good way to do this, and earn some money at the same time, is to sign up with Associated Content, and then refer potential clients to your Content Producer Page.

Next, decide what your rates will be. Set up a free blog with blogger or wordpress, explaining the business you’re started, your rates, and showing samples of your work.

Then, post on forums such as www.warriorforum.com, explaining that you’re a writer wanting to get started. If necessary, offer your work for free or very cheaply. This will allow people to try you out. Ask them for testimonials, which you can then add t o your site. Overdeliver to these clients, and they’ll continue to come back to you for their writing needs.

Wash, Rinse, Repeat!

Can you string an interesting sentence together?

Is being able to write for money your dream job?

Can you use correct English grammar?

If so, writing web content might be for you.

There are many marketers on the web looking for people to write for them. These marketers are often willing to outsource work that they don’t have time to do, for a fee.

Here are some examples of this type of site. All are free to join.

www.guru.com

www.constant-content.com

www.elance.com

There are also sites such as www.associatedcontent.com , that pay you for your original articles. Associated Content accepts articles on a variety of topics: how to’s , restaurant reviews, opinion, book and movie reviews. They pay from $3 - $21, through your paypal account. I generally make from $8.00 to $11.00 for an article, and depending on the topic can write one to two an hour. Most importantly, AC is free to join.