Quote: (08-09-2013 07:32 AM)Beyond Borders Wrote:
Then again, you might be better off skipping the freelance site grind right off the bat and going straight to the higher markets, where you can make a lot more money anyways. This is actually what I recommend.
When I started off on Elance, I was getting in about 200 bids per week using Elance, Guru.com, Craigslist, The Warrior Forum, and some other shitty freelance sites. I also hired on a full-time VA to do my bidding for me after the first month. At one point, I had a team of writers working for me, but I eventually flaked on it all because I was I was having too much fun in SouthEast Asia. I still make all my money from writing though. I hardly market myself at all and just serve a small handful of clients. Some pay over a hundred dollars an article for just 350 - 500 words.
You have to treat this like a business.
Expect it to be damn hard. I went many nights without sleep to make a deadline by morning. I overbooked on purpose to get the ball rolling so fast I couldn't keep up with it.
If you're prepared to do the same, you can be successful.
How do you get into those higher markets? That's crazy getting $100 for 350-500 words! The thing is, you only have so many bids, even if you pay for the top memberships.
Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. - H L Mencken