If you want to find the best online sites for freelance writing and translation jobs the first thing you need to do is decide what medium you want to write for. If you want to write for the web you have two choices. If you want to see your own name in print there are a number of great websites that will allow you to do just this and you can earn cash at the same time.
The first website that you should visit and sign up for is Associated Content. With this website you get paid for any articles that you submit, that is of course once they are approved. Pay is usually between $3 and $10 per article and this is a great way to get your name out there and build your reputation. I should point out, that Associated Content only pays members who live in the US.
Next up is Helium. Unlike other writing websites that allow you to earn money, Helium looks for quality over content and the better your writing the more you get paid.
You also have to rate articles in order to receive payment. Helium also introduced a Marketplace which provides writers with the opportunity to write for a number of different publishers with excellent pay rates.
What I love about Helium is that you get to see your name in print, build up your reputation, and earn money too.
Constant Content is another freelance writing website that allows you to see your articles at a price you choose. When you submit an article to Constant Content you pick the license type and the price you want to charge. The best way to use this site in my opinion is to choose the usage licence.
This allows publishers to buy your article at your chosen price and your name remains as author. Usage licences are unlimited so you could sell the same article over and over again making you plenty of cash and putting your name out there too. With Constant Content you can also receive email alerts when publishers are looking for specific content and these can pay very well up to $50 plus per article.
Now that we have covered the websites that allow you to write, get paid, and build your reputation as a writer, I would like to move on to the next category. If earning money for your writing is more important than seeing your name in print this next set of websites could be for you.
Correctly known as ghostwriting, writing content for people who then put their name to it can be a very lucrative career. There are a number of websites where you can find this work but be warned, these websites work by bidding on jobs so you are not guaranteed the work.
Elance is the first of these websites that I personally recommend using. Along with Guru.com, Elance has been around for many years and is the most trustworthy.
You have to pay to become a member of Elance and your membership entitles you to a specific number of bids per month. Writing projects start at a minimum of $50 and can be as high as $10,000 or more.
This website also features an Escrow service which helps to protect the writer from non-paying customers.
Writing jobs on Elance can range from SEO articles, to e-books, and sales pages. You can also find excellent transcription jobs to bid on too. There are hundreds of new jobs posted to this website on a daily basis and they have an excellent rating system. When you complete an assignment for a client they are required to give feedback on your performance. This helps others to see just how well you work. With Elance you can create your own portfolio and upload a number of samples for clients to view.
During the past year Elance introduced a number of new measures to help ensure quality on their website. New members are now required to take an assessment test to ensure that they meet with the websites standards. This is an excellent way to ensure that the writers on Elance remain top quality.
There are a large number of free freelance writing jobs websites.
The most popular of these is probably Get A Freelancer which uses the same bidding system but I find that most of the jobs posted are for very low rates. I have seen jobs posted where buyers are looking for writers to complete 500 word articles for $1 each. You can also find translation jobs on this website.
Craigslist is another place to search for freelance writing and translation jobs but be forewarned you could spend hours on this site just looking through the jobs so make sure you use their search function.
Proz.com is an excellent website if you are just looking for translation work.
If you decide to use bidding websites always make sure that you sell yourself as best as you can in your bid. If you have a degree in a certain subject make sure to state it, if English is your native language state this also as it can make a big difference.
If you have experience writing for a particular market tell your potential clients about it. These may seem like trivial things but in reality they can be the deciding factor for many buyers.
Last but not least, if you want to see your name in print in a magazine or book then these websites are the place to start.
Writers Digest is the first website I want to mention.
This website gives you all the information you will ever need on how to get your work published. You will also find some great articles on freelance writing, and new markets that are looking for your writing. There are some excellent competitions and you can also subscribe to their published magazine.
Freelance Writing is a great website www.freelancewriting.com where you can find all the information you need. They also have a great forum where you can chat with other writers and ask any questions that you might have.
Worldwide Freelance is another great resource of information. Make sure that you sign up for their weekly newsletter though as this contains all the new writing markets. This website has two excellent databases, worldwide freelance jobs, and European freelance jobs. If you want to see your writing featured in a magazine of book then this is definitely one website you have to visit.
There are literally hundreds of different freelance writing websites that focus on getting your own writing published and a quick google search will reveal them all. Find one you like and visit it often and you will see your name in print in no time.
Now that we have covered the best online sites for freelance writing and translation jobs all you have to do is decide which writing medium is right for you.