Writing Articles Can Be A Profitable Business

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 27th, 2010

In the world of today, job satisfaction scores over most other factors. They are less inclined to become cogs in the wheel if they can help it. Moreover, one can do so much more today. The growth in the field of communications has opened up many opportunities. More and more people have begun to give up their day jobs in favor of more flexible work-from-home routines. The unprecedented rise of the Internet has been one of the major factors that have made this possible.

Among the groups who are benefiting from this expansion in communication are writers. The world of magazines and ezines are a vast area is open to all. In fact, anyone who can string a decent sentence together can now think of seriously think of writing professionally. These days, anyone can become a writer with a little investment and a certain degree of writing skill. Of course, it is not be all that easy when you are starting out. But once one does, the money will just keep coming in.

Marketing one's skills becomes very important if one is looking to rake in the profits by writing articles. If one is planning to send articles to a bunch of magazines, it would be prudent to study the magazines and understand their specific styles. Having done that, one can commence writing articles that would appeal to those styles. Look at the case of someone who has to write about a spot of historic importance. His approach will certainly differ based on whether the article is intended for a business magazine, a travel blog, or a tourism website.

Writers must have the objective of selling the articles. One must write articles that will encourage more and more readers to go through them. Being able to place good content within the framework of a well-written article is a skill that writers need to develop.

Writers, in general, must bear in mind the fact that they have to write regularly if they want to improve. Practice makes perfect, and the more one writes, the better the writing becomes. It is advisable to read books and editorials that will broaden one's horizons. It is necessary to be familiar with a large number of concepts so that if you required to write on some unusual topic, the idea will not be too difficult.

At the same time, one must learn to edit one's own work. Typing errors are a fact of life. A single mis-type can change the meaning of a sentence. A spelling mistake might make the reader get the impression that the writer is incompetent. Thus, before attaching and mailing an article, it becomes essential to read through it thoroughly. Even a cursory proof-read could help one cull out a number of errors. Remember, when selling an article to a client, one must make sure that it is completely free of errors. To ensure that, one can also invest in some of the editing software that may be found quite readily.

Now, online writing may not result in a windfall. A client who needs a number of online articles is not likely to pay more than a small fraction of what an offline magazine might pay for an article with a similar word count. However, there is far more certainty if you are writing for the online world. The delays that are part and parcel of the offline magazine world are few and far between in the world of the Internet. One may not get a huge sum of money for a single article. However, one might manage to get paid a decent sum for a large number of articles. Also, most online articles are relatively short in length and tend to not require intensive research. Thus, a writer who is fairly quick can make quite a bit through this mode.

Another issue is being credited for the articles that one writes. Getting a byline may not be an option for amateurs. In fact, one might have to start out by ghostwriting for someone else. Even so, the point is that one is being able to hone his/her writing skills and receive payment for it. With time, one should be able to establish one's credibility as a writer. Then, getting a byline might just be a cakewalk.

A large number of such writers start off by subscribing to some of the many freelance writing sites. This may prove useful in the case of someone who is unfamiliar with the working. Additionally, it is a good idea to acquire a website of one's own from which one can carry out one's article writing business. It is likely that the start will be slow, but writers have to keep trying. Once the offers start trickling in, and one starts producing good articles, there is no looking back. You could even hit the big time pretty soon.