Starting Your Career As a Freelance Writer

Rating:
Summary: A TERRIFIC guide on freelance writing
Review: I am a fan of Moira Allen's incredibly resourceful website WRITING-WORLD (www.writing-world.com) and looked forward to reading her all-in-one guide on freelancing writing. As I expected, NO disappointments here - all you ever wanted to know about the basics of writing for magazines and going freelance is explained simply and expertly in this book.

I normally don't take more than 3 days to read a non-fiction book, but Moira Allen's took me over a week! You can have an idea just how comprehensive and thorough the contents must be. Fromtime management to setting goals, from finding ideas to handling accounts, Moira helps you to become a successful freelance writer, with her words of wisdom (born out of a 20+ year-old writing career) and conversational-yet-pithy 'tone'.

On the craft of writing, Moira teaches you how to face the first draft and write the perfect query to target the right market. There is a seperate division on rights and contacts and how to keep records and go full-time freelancing. You also have a special chapter by Peter Bowerman, the 'Guru' of Cold-Calling Strategy and the author of THE WELL-FED WRITER.

It doesn't matter if you're a clueless layman, a budding freelancer or a veteran freelancer. This book serves both as an excellent introduction on the freelance writing biz for new writers and as a refresher for experienced ones. Don't miss it!

Rating:
Summary: If You Want to Be A Free Lance Writer-This Is A Must Book
Review: I remember very vividly when I sold my first article to a major Canadian newspaper. It was in the mid 1960s, when I had just graduated from law school and I decided that the only way to fame, and perhaps jump- start my non-existent law practice, was to write articles on Quebec Civil Law. Fortunately for me, I was in the right place at the right time, and the newspaper was looking for someone to contribute articles pertaining to this subject matter. They purchased the first several of my articles, and boy was I excited!

However, unfortunately, my free-lance writing days came to an abrupt end when no one else was interested in the topic. That is when I decided to devote all of my time and energies into practicing the legal profession. Perhaps, if I had at my disposal Moira Anderson Allen's book entitled Starting Your Career As A Freelance Writer, things would have been different. Remember, it was the 1960s, and at the time there were few writing guides pointing you in the right direction to a free -lance writing career.
I did not have Allen to show me how to start my articles, find the right markets, queries and submissions, rights and contracts, and how to expand my horizons.

It is these topics and many more where Starting Your Career As A Freelance Writer excels. The book is a splendid, in-depth analysis where even the more experienced writer can reap some benefits.

Divided into six parts, there is no shortage of vital and interesting information as to what goes on in the minds of an editor to how to interview, and from exploring and evaluating markets to writing for special interest publications and markets. The reader is also exposed to such topics as queries and submissions, legal technicalities pertaining to rights and contracts, as well as setting fees and keeping records. After all, without these essential tools, we will never get to first base with our budding writing career, no matter how talented we may be.

What is noteworthy about Allen's writing is her ability to cut away the fat from the meat. Furthermore, she never presumes that the reader should know certain fundamental concepts, and consequently Allen leaves nothing unturned.

Allen's writing credentials are impeccable, as proven by the hundreds of articles she has contributed to several publications over her twenty- year writing career. In addition, she has also being called upon to speak at writers' conferences and workshops, and to act as an instructor at many of these events. Commencing a career, as a free-lance writer, is a difficult task, and one in which a great deal of perseverance and patience is required. It is Allen's vast experience and her ability to effectively convey her knowledge from these experiences that is very much in evidence throughout book, and will surely prove to be invaluable to aspiring free- lance writers.

Norm Goldman Editor of Bookpleasures and Travel Writer

Rating:
Summary: An extremely practical and detailed career guide
Review: Starting Your Career As A Freelance Writer by professional author Moira Anderson Allen is an extremely practical and detailed career guide for the aspiring writer seeking to become a paid professional. Starting Your Career As A Freelance Writer comprehensively and accessibly covers how to make time for writing; honing research and interview techniques; find markets for written work of all kinds; writing and marketing nonfiction books and articles, and a great deal more. A no-nonsense advice guide packed with tips, tricks, and techniques, Starting Your Career As A Freelance Writer is an absolute "must-read" for anyone seriously interested in developing a successful career as a professional freelance writing.

Rating:
Summary: This comprehensive guide has everything you need
Review: While some of the advice is useful even to intermediate (and even successful) writers, the majority portion of this book is dedicated to writers who're just starting and are looking for "insider" tips and tricks of the trade.

And the book lives up to its promise. Questions to almost every aspect of writing are covered here-from figuring out how much you'll be able to earn, sending out queries and submissions, writing and researching the article and finding markets to maintaining your records, tax tips and writing and selling non-fiction books. You'll learn where to find ideas and sell them, how to make time for writing (specially if you're a part-time writer), techniques for creating outlines and also a questionnaire that will help you figure out whether it's time to go full-time as a freelancer or not.

The author has been writing professionally for over twenty years and you can see the years of experience shining through her brilliant advice. She writes in a crisp, clear tone that will be appreciated by any writer looking for ways to move forward. And while she assures that freelancing can be a lucrative business, she doesn't beat around the bush and make promises of riches. She says it like it is-hard work and lots of patience.

If you're just starting out, this book will save you years of trial-and-error. It's a must-have reference for any beginning writer's bookshelf, and an interesting reinforcement for those familiar with the business.

-- Mridu Khullar, editor of www.WritersCrossing.com