by David Dewitt

Created on: May 18, 2009

Freelance writing is growing enterprise in the United States with more and more people taking the leap into freelancing. Freelance writing can be a challenging and rewarding career pursuit.

There are a number of myths that seem to be perpetuated about writing and writers. The first myth is that freelance writers cannot make a good income. There are a lot of opportunities waiting for writers with a serious work ethic and willingness to seek out the work. The second myth is that there is not enough work to last for freelancers. The truth is that there is often more work than the freelancer can handle. The key is seeking the work and making the effort to market writing talents and services to the widest range of clients possible. The third major freelance myth is that writers should only write for magazines or write their own books. In today's market, writing for such limited avenues would cause a writer to struggle financially. There are far more opportunities than just books or magazines.

Here are just a few of the markets that are open to freelancing:

Copywriting

Grant writing

Ghost Writing

Technical Writing

Speech Writing

Report Writing

Public Relations Writing

Magazines and Newspapers

Online Writing

This list is far from being exhaustive but with a quick glance there are plenty of opportunities that abound for freelance writers beyond the magazine, newspaper or book writing.

How can a freelance writer increase their possible income?

Get the Right Perspective

Take an honest look at the benefits of writing commercially. Making a living as a freelance writer becomes much easier when writing opportunities are effectively explored. With a look at the list of markets there are many possible ways to make sales and create income.

Many writers have the faulty assumption that the majority of their income will come from books or magazines. While these avenues do tend to pay well they do have limited possibilities. There are almost always clients searching for the services of a copywriter or a writer to assist with public relations. When writers ignore these possibilities they are severely limiting their income.

Be sure to set the goals for income high. The average hourly rate for a freelance writer is between $35 to $75 per hour. Working an average 40 hour week would bring between $1400 to $3000 per week. Assuming that a writer could get 48 full weeks per year the annual income would range from $67K and $144K. The income rate depends on the area and

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