Markets for Freelance Writers

As a part time freelance writer, I am always on the lookout for new markets for my work. Several weeks ago, I discovered Constant Content - a great site that allows site developers to purchase content from writers and to place requests for the content they specifically need in a request list. If you as a writer need fast cash, this is a great way to get it! They do require that you upload Word documents, they will take PDF files but they don't like it. They also do a review first, to see if they accept the content before allowing it to be displayed for sale. Make sure you read the Writer's guidelines before submitting, they are picky! They also allow you to submit photos, videos, and illustrations for sale too. The buyer does have the option to purchase or reject your content, so make sure you read the descriptions of what they want very carefully. You can also select best offer to allow buyers to make an offer on your content that is less than your specified price. This is a good way to make sure things sell!

Another site that used to pay very minimally is Helium.com. They have just added the Helium Marketplace - which is similar to Constant Content in that requesters post what they want and what they are willing to pay for it. You then write and submit the article. The basic Helium premise is still alive - you can earn cash by both writing articles and rating others' articles on similar topics. But if you want more cash, the Marketplace is the way to go. Many popular magazines are represented by Helium Marketplace now, and this does provide you with a lot of exposure for your work.

If you are a blogger, another way to earn quick cash is through Smorty.com. Smorty pays roughly $6 per paid blog post, which isn't bad if you get several per day. They start you out slow, depending on your blog rank, but do move you up. When an opportunity comes up for a post, you do have to grab it fast as there are lots of hungry bloggers out there! If you blog for them for some time, they up your rate to $10.80 per post - which is a nice raise.

The team at Demand Media is looking for eHow writers - and they tend to start you at $10 per eHow. These are fun to write and go by quickly. You just have to do a very careful search to make sure your topic hasn't already been written, and given the popularity of eHow, this is sometimes not easy. But if you pick a different angle on a topic or make it more specific, this adds to the content pool and is acceptable. The Demand Media editors post on Craigslist and on ProBlogger when they are looking for talent.

Of course there is still old reliable Associated Content - they pay quickly and have a great bonus program for those who publicize their work well. Be sure and watch the requests - they tend to pay more for content they need.