How to Make a Living Writing Articles for Newspapers, Magazines, and Online Sources

Book excerpt: This step-by-step guide will take you from your first paycheck to your ultimate goal: a career as a professional, full-time freelance writer with a byline that people will recognize. You can easily make thousands of dollars every month, simply by doing what you already love. Even if you have never been professionally published or don’t have a degree, you can learn how to hone your interviewing, editing, and writing skills to meet the needs of numerous print and online publications that boast millions of readers. In How to Make a Living Writing Articles for Newspapers, Magazines, and Online Sources, learn how to pitch your first story idea to any publication and get it printed — and paid. Learn how to submit queries and write a variety of professional-level articles that news, entertainment, and niche publications will eagerly pay you for. You will find out how to utilize blogs, social networks, and search engines to find the best publishing opportunities, as well as how to market yourself online to attract editors with your personal website and online portfolio. Throughout this step-by-step guide, you will find trusted advice from industry insiders and writers who know exactly how to pitch, pen, and publish a story. Dealing with feedback, knowing the ethics and legalities of confidential sources, and writing compelling headlines — it’s all covered in this book.