An enjoyable added income

Writing is recommended by the medical profession as being highly therapeutic and a stress reducer.
Freelance writing, besides being fun and financially rewarding, does have its advantages.
• It is flexible.
• Work wherever you wish.
• As a self-starter, and reasonably creative, you can earn a welcome flow of extra cash.

Payment varies widely from magazine to magazine. For an 800 word article magazines pay R1,000 – R1,200. Specialist magazines will pay more. Newspapers pay around R600 for an 800 word feature. A well written 2,000 word short story can earn you around R2,000. Fillers and anecdotes can earn you R25, or a complimentary household, food hamper or skin care product.

Do you enjoy cooking, craftwork, pottery, horse riding, mountain biking? Magazines are always looking for original well written articles. Travel magazines are on the lookout for up to date information on walks, birding and places to stay. Your subject and style of writing might be just what the editor is looking for.

Business plans, operations manuals and organisation booklets. Your professional career might have given you the expertise to offer just what a company might need. But, a word of warning! Make sure of your facts. Publications have to be careful. If you submit a badly researched article - besides embarrassing yourself, you could lose a potential customer forever.

There are thousands of publications on the market. When next in a book shop look at the magazines on the shelves. Pick up any magazine and look at the vast array of subjects. A good magazine could include up to thirty or more articles of varying length. And all those editors are looking for content that the reading market will enjoy.

To gain confidence, try the ‘Reader’s Letters’ pages of newspapers and magazines. Many magazines look for small fillers, ‘How to do’ pieces, jokes and funny or unusual photographs. By getting these shorter items published you will gain experience, confidence and build your resume.

Once you feel more confident in your writing, overseas markets should be your next step.

The short story market is highly profitable. Life experiences or a holiday romance – true or imagined - are great money spinners. Overseas publications, with the exchange rates are more lucrative than the local market. A short story published in the U.K. can earn you upwards of R3,000. But read a few back issues of the publication you are targeting so as to get an idea of what they are looking for - length, style and the reader target market.
Another big money spinner is greeting cards. Publishers are always looking for originality.

One of the tricks in being accepted is to submit the right article, at the right time to the right publication.
In my experience, you can write about whatever you wish. And I was taught the best way to achieve that was to ‘sit you’re bum in a chair and write’. Only then will the rewards come.

Published - Mountain Echo April 2011