by John Riddle
Founder, I Love To Write Day
If you have never written for the newsletter market, you don’t know what you have been missing. I wrote for my first newsletter as a freelance writer nearly 20 years ago, and since that time I have been a fan of newsletters as a real money-making opportunity for writers….no matter what their experience level.
Up until a few years ago, the most common type of newsletters were the traditional “print” ones, but these days the newsletter market has exploded with opportunities for freelance writers, thanks to the thousands and thousands of electronic newsletters that are published.
If you are interested in writing for the newsletter markets, you need to surround yourself with as many resources as possible before you begin. Here are a few:
· The Directory of Business Information Resources 2002: Associations, Newsletters, Magazines & Journals, Trade Shows, Directories & Databases, Web Site. Grey House Publishers. Price: $312. But don’t go out and purchase one; any large library will have a copy.
· Oxbridge Directory of Newsletters 2001, published by Oxbridge Communications for only $795. Also available at large libraries.
· A website that includes links to hundreds of newsletters can be found at http://www.newsletteraccess.com/. There are hundreds of other Websites that feature newsletters. Search and find your favorite.
Writing for newsletters is no different than writing for magazines, trade journals, Websites, etc. The first step is to determine where your interest levels are. In other words, if you are a gardening expert, and want to write for any number of the hundreds of gardening newsletters that are available, you should concentrate your efforts in that area. Or if you are interested in sports, music, parenting, etc., no matter where your passion lies, that should be where you target your newsletter marketing.
The best advice I can give is to follow the directions. Look for their writer’s guidelines. If they ask for articles that are no longer than 400 words, don’t write a 429 word article. Newsletters don’t always have the luxury of having extra space. Read and study back issues of any newsletter you want to write for. Use those other articles as your samples, and you will succeed in writing for newsletters!
Pay rates for newsletters will vary. I have been paid $25 for writing a few hundred word article for a small newsletter, while the larger ones have paid $500 and higher. The secret to writing for newsletters is easy: find subjects that you are passionate about, and find newsletters in those topic areas.
Some writers may even decide to launch their own newsletters. A few years ago I published a series of newsletters for the nonprofit industry. I even sold ads to fundraising companies, so you never know what lies ahead.
For more information about Freelance Writing, visit www.ilovetowriteday.org
If you are not selling articles to Websites, you don't know what you are missing. For the past 4 years I have been selling content to Websites all across the country. Many of those sites are paying $1.00 per word, and higher. Complete instructions can be found in the e-book, "How I Made $66,270 in 9 Months Writing for Websites." It costs only $14.95, and when you purchase it, you receive a second e-book, absolutely free: "Getting a Book Contract in 30 Days or Less." Learn how to find publishers that have ideas for books, and who are looking for new authors. I wrote 34 books in three years, and you can too. Visit www.ilovetowriteday.org for more info.
