Freelance Writing Tips: Leads

Over the years, the question I've heard the most is: where do you find your work? I set a goal for myself in 2003 to keep ten queries in the pool at all times and, in order to do that, I really had to do my homework as to where to find the best leads. This list doesn't include the forums I frequent, nor does it include the blogs or newsletters I subscribe to every week. This list is strictly the sites I've hit on the most and found the most work. (I've also found A LOT of work through the various city listings at craigslist.org)

1: Freelancewriting.com
I discovered this site when I was surfing around the Absolute Write Watercooler in 2002 and I've been addicted ever since. There was a period of time when this site when offline and, let me me just say it really stirred up a lot in the writing community. Thank goodness its back! This site provides a database, tons of resources and newsletters. I hit this site first when I start my "10 queries per day" job search.

2: JournalismJobs.com
I found an excellent job through this site in 2004 as the editor of a small construction trade newspaper. Ever since finding that diamond in the rough, I've been sending people over to this site time and time again. I love how you can narrow your searches and keep everything organized. There's also an option to apply directly from the site so employers know where you're coming from and can easily view all of your information.

3: MediaBistro.com
This is another link I found when surfing around the Absolute Write Watercooler. Again, you can organize and narrow your searches based on your expertise and skills. I'm signed up for the "Job Alerts" and have found that to be an absolute time saver when searching for work and trying to keep the queries flowing. I'd say about two or three come through per day, and to me that's a pretty good quotient.

4: SunOasis.com
There tends to be a lot of "duplicates" on this site from other job boards, but I still keep it on my list because I've seen many leads unique to this site. I've seen this site go through a lot of changes over the years, but the content is still worth the visit.

5: PoeWar.com
Again, this is another where there might be a lot of duplicates from other job boards. The content (articles) and resources, though, keeps this site on my list of daily visits. Learning "about the work" and keeping up on the industry, to me, is just as important as finding the work. The content you'll find here is timeless,so don't let the fact that some of these articles date back a few years worry you.

These sites have been the backbone of my query sending for years. In addition to contacting these leads, I also formulate queries specific to topics of interest for particular publications. I try to keep all of my options open and remember that I have to work just as hard at getting the work as I do "working on" the work. These site help me along with that considerably.