Straightforward and practical, the HANDBOOK FOR FREELANCE WRITING tells you everything you need to know to build a thriving business as a freelance writer. From sales brochures to short stories, you'll learn how to get assignments, get published, and get paid promptly. Throughout the book, you'll benefit from proven strategies and real-world advice on every aspect of a freelance writing career.
"Wherever you see words," writes Michael Perry in his Handbook for Freelance Writing, "someone wrote them." That means that there's an awful lot of freelance writing work to go around. While many prospective freelancers disdain commercial writing, Perry is more realistic. "Hack writing," he says, "is the writer's equivalent of playing weddings." In other words, commercial writing is a great way to support your magazine writing, at least until the New Yorker comes calling. Perry has managed to cobble together a very successful freelance career from some small town in the middle of nowhere, and, he makes you believe, so can you. Here he shares much of what he has learned in the process, from ferreting out markets, writing query letters, and conducting interviews to placating sources and wooing and wowing editors. Perry doesn't offer much in the way of business advice, but hey--that's what accountants are for. --Jane Steinberg
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
I got a lot out of this book...:
I finished up Handbook For Freelance Writing by Michael Perry over the last couple of days. If you're looking to start writing as a freelancer (magazine articles, stories, etc.), this is a good book to read. He writes in a very practical and amusing style, and you'll get quite a few tips on how to start structuring your efforts in this field. You'll learn the different types of freelance writing, what to expect during the process of seeking out assignments, how to make yourself easily acceptable to editors,... more info
Magazine writing and a way to approach it.:
This book actually contains a fair amount of useful information. It is primarily aimed at individuals who are setting out to write magazine articles. So, if you have no interest in writing magazine articles, this is probably not the book for you.
In short, it essentially posits that one ought to approach magazine queries in the same manner that one would work a cross-word puzzle. i.e. Looking to multiple sources to max income on things.
The author's approach follows his interests, which are diverse... more info
Could have been better:
I really would not recommend this book to others. It does not give enought information on how to make it as a freelance writer or how to make good money. I would recommend Robert Bly's book Secrets of a Freelance Writer : How to Make $85,000 a Year or How to Start a Home-Based Writing Business by Lucy Parker. I believe that these books give more actual information on how to get started, where to look for business and how to price your services. Bly's book is primarily about commercial writing but is worth... more info
A great guide -- IF this is what you want to do:
This book is terrific if you're interested in making a living as a free-lance writer and would like practical guidance about how to do it -- and it's funny too. The author focuses on the part most writers have trouble with -- finding a unique "take" on a subject -- and his advice about that is very good. I also heartily endorse his comments about how to present your work most effectively to editors. He doesn't downplay the drawbacks of working as a free-lancer, but he's also upbeat enough to make you... more info
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