A Writer and the Internet: The Art of the Freelancer and Fiction Writer

There are several advantages in writing for internet publications, foremost being that the entire process of getting an article published can be done online. Even though newspapers are maintaining popularity, many are hiring webmasters and new writers to fill the internet with unique articles on local and global topics. I have had my articles published both in print and online, and have learned that writing internet articles can also be a work from home job that is successful.

While I do not make the big bucks top freelancers make, my goal is to reach the plateaus they are upon. Writing for the internet is going to be a career around for a while. The internet is the first place many people look for on basic information or specific questions, whether they be on life or home improvement techniques. A writer will a good sense of news copy-easiest acquired by working with newspaper editors-can lead a successful career.

By writing solely for the internet, the writer is leaving out many markets. But it can lead to a career in magazines with the experience it provides. As chance would have it, many editors do read the internet looking for ideas; I know I do. This can lead to correspondence with writers who have expertise in certain subjects.

A writer should take advantage of the internet, even if they do not intend to write solely for it. Consider a plan of mine: I have a life story I want to write for the magazine Guideposts, and, beyond the fact that they pay will, the entire submission process is online. Many high-paying markets like Guideposts or even The Wall Street Journal accept electronic submissions. This saves the headaches involved in mailing out articles on a weekly basis, not to mention a small check which can be better spent on other things.

There are many other paying markets that accept electronic submissions. There are even publishers who accept novels submitted electronically-like Baen, a science fiction publisher-and this actually helps the environment, not just the writer.

Glimmer Train is one of the better, and higher paying, short fiction markets around-the entire submission process is online.

Many publications do not accept electronic queries, but more often than not they will accept email queries-another time and money saver.

The writer and the internet may not forever be intertwined financially, but there are many promising opportunities for writers who work from home on the net. It should not be undervalued, as a writer is always short on time and, early on, money to support writing in the first place.