How to Find Writing Jobs

There are an enormous number of writing jobs available – but where do you find them? Allison Boyer is the owner of ABContent, and here she explains ways to find writing jobs and more.

What kind of writing do you do?

I’m the owner and project manager of ABContent, an online freelance writing company. We handle everything from blog posts to sales letters to resumes. Of course, the bulk of our work is ghostwriting.

At one time, I had about twelve writers and two editors working under me, but I found that I really missed the writing part of the job. So, today, I do most of the work myself. I have two writers that remained on my team to help with overflow work, and I run everything through my editor.

How do you find work?

I’m really fortunate to have a number of great clients who send me work on a regular basis. I also belong to a freelance writing group, where you can pick up work from their job board, and I sell articles on Constant Content. On top of that, if I’m really low on work, I bid on jobs through Elance.

Word of mouth and reliability are keys to success in the world of freelance writing. I’ve found that if you keep in touch with your clients and provide quality work, they are willing to pay more and give you more work every month.

What is the hardest thing about freelance writing?

You have to have a lot of discipline. When you work at home, television, the phone, laundry, kids…everything is a distraction. On top of that, most of your friends and family don’t understand that you’re working. They thin that because you work from home, you can just take time off to do whatever you want. It doesn’t work like that. You have to be organized and great at sticking to your schedule, or you’ll fall behind on work really easily.

Why do you write from home instead of getting a typical office job?

I never got a “real” job after college – I began freelancing part-time in college, and continued after I graduated. I couldn’t imagine leaving this job to work in a 9-to-5 job. I make my own schedule, so I can sleep in every day or stay up late if I want. I can also take my laptop and work in my living room, at an Internet cafe, or even in the park. I’m my own boss, and I wouldn’t give that up for anything, even if this job is stressful at times.