Anyone here write for a living?

I know someone who has, and it is as hard as hell.

First of all there are literally hundreds of people, many from top universities hoping to break into journalism this way ( you need a portfolio) As such they'll work for next to nothing.

Then there are the contacts of the staff, who get a bite before you, former journalists who like to write from home...

The list is endless

The person I knew was a really top class writer and she could only get bits of very poorly paid work

It really isn't a good way of trying to cut a living. You'd seriously make far more money for your time working in a supermarket.

I don't wish to put you off if it's your dream, but unless you have the contacts and are an extremely good writer who is prepared to spend most of their time trying to get someone to commision an article for maybe 200quid I seriously wouldn't bother

Oh, right, that's a bit depressing but thanks for the advice.  Hopefully somebody else might have a few more encouraging stories?

I'm sorry by all means give it a go.

It used to be quite a bit easier 10 years ago, but even then it wasn't easy

It is such a competitive world.

Have a look at journalist jobs and how many people apply. To get a sniff of an interview you have to have a portfolio of published work and usually a first from a top university. As such a lot of people submit ideas to all publications. On top of this, there are a host of other people to contend with who know someone.

It's easier to get a job in Investment Banking.

As recently ago as the first half of the naughties (2000-2005) I earned about 40k part time from writing three books and hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles. Pay is poor unless you can write quickly then, proportionally, it is good. Things have charged with the Internet taking the place of a lot of printed matter but secret is to offer ideas for well thought out articles on-spec. I had a big strike rate that way and also did my own photographs.

So not impossible but hard unless you can produce really worthwhile stuff that is relevant to the publication you are targeting. Think of the idea first and then look around for the most suitable publication.

Hope this helps.

It does, thanks very much Knight.

Did you specialise in any subject?

dellman types for a living, but doesn't make much - he types a load of bollocks every day on here

Ouch!

My sister does. She had a good degree in French and English and initially got a job for the FT in London. The money was crap, she hated the job and couldn't even pay off her student debt after London living costs, so took a punt and jacked her job in and moved to Budapest where she had a contact and went freelance.

The gamble paid off and after various jobs in journalism managed to land a job with Bloomberg and 20 odd years on with plenty of promotions she earns a very good living. She took a pay cut a few years ago to spend more time writing features rather than managing staff over Europe and editing.

She's talking about jacking in this job as she is now financially secure, to write a novel or seeing if work will give her a sabatical to do it.

As 718 says, it's extremely difficult to do unless you are extremely dedicated, well qualified, lucky and, of course, have the talent.

Excellent Pixie.

Perhaps you could start by writing a book on how to putt

Funnily enough, golf would be one of the subjects I'd like to write about.

Gawd help us.

twomatchpoints 07 Sep 12 16:07 
dellman types for a living, but doesn't make much - he types a load of bollocks every day on here


typical clique mentality, spouting off about a forumite, so others will hopefully be on his side.... Very very sad for someone over 65.

Torquemada

I specialised in 1/ Gambling articles 2/ Modern History 3/ Business

Another trick, which fortunately I was very good at, is to think about what you know and what you have experienced and turn that into articles. Having done a good few different things I was well equipped there.

Also, remember, a great deal of what you read is bu**** anyway (especially my poker book! See How to Play Internet Poker to Win, available on Amazon. (BTW, only joking about that particualr tomb being bu**** otherwise Foulsham will be on to me!!!)

write us a short story mada, us fine bunch of chit chaters will mark it and comment. your fate will soon be decided

We await with baited breath

T'internet ruined it all, everyone's an author. Time was you could get 50-100 writing a gambling article, now it's all done on affiliates and 1p a week or something.

God knows I've been doing some articles for years and got sweet f a so lobbed it in.

In the late eighties and early nineties I was employed as a features writer for several billiards magazines in England, Europe and America.  Instead of a fixed salary, in most cases I was able to negotiate full-page advertisements in their respective publications as payment.  As a cuemaker this arrangement proved to be extremely lucrative.

The best of luck to you, sir.

You need a lot of luck really to get a break.

I entered a competition on the football forum on here in 2009 'Winner Stays On' it was called and it was just a little football tipping thing. Anyway, I ended up winning it five weeks in a row (it was head to head), netting myself the £100 prize and being the first person to do so.

Six months later the betting.betfair site needed a new football tipster and because I'd won the aforementioned comp, I was given a shot at it. I started out doing five articles a fortnight, but now it's progressed to me writing nine pieces a week, ranging from 400-800 words usually, plus the odd article for affiliates.

If I hadn't have won that competition, I wouldn't have got the gig. So lucky.

I would say, determination, a sprinkle of luck and the ability to grow thick skin could be useful. Match your specific interests and strengths with a specific genre. If you have a wild imagination, focus on fiction. If sport is your thing, factual articles might be the way to go. Like they say...write what you know!

Tomb?

I’ve been writing for a living for about 15 years and it’s up and down. I think anyone starting out really has to specialise in a certain field. It doesn’t matter if this gambling, sport, fashion, road haulage or international intellectual property law, there are publications and websites that serve every subject and they always need content from people who know what they’re on about and are able to write well, to deadlines. Your earnings will reflect the financial health of your subject: so if you were specialising in the retail sector you would be struggling right now, but if you were a commodities specialist you would have a made a good living and been on a few all expenses paid beanos. Fat arsed food journos doing well at present I would guess.

Books are another thing altogether, although if you are successful with the above you may get offered book deals. If its fiction you really have to write it first and send it out to publishers and agents. With non fiction you might be able to negotiate an advance, but nothing like you could have a few years ago.

You might start by trying to get a job in contract publishing; doing commercial stuff, or copywriting or PR. If you can write a decent press release you can do journalism, many publications appear to just cut and paste press releases these days.

Good luck

Very good advice, CT.  In which subject, if any, do you specialize, sir?

the betting.betfair site pay for articles?  Seriously?

Um well the thread is about writing for a living and I write them and get paid.

I never said I was a literary genius.

Everyone has to start somewhere.

A friend of mine JKR wrote a few books, first couple in a cafe, and made a right few quid. She got lucky. 99% of writers struggle to earn a crust. I used to earn 100 quid an article but was lucky to get half a dozen commissions a month. Hardest thing is getting your foot in the door. Some people spend their lifes submitting books and other articles they have wrote and never get a break. Good luck.

One of my friends has bounced around a few jobs at nationals and international news agencies. Landed his first big job by giving an unsolicited feature length article to one of the Sunday broadsheets for free. He'd been abroad, and some weird stuff had happened, but not staggeringly weird - just made for good stories, and he told them well. He's still not paid much, mind you - his missus brings home the bacon.

consider starting up a website/blog. It costs next to nothing and can get you the audience you need. fwiw the woman that wrote fifty shades of grey done this, 'testing the waters' with her ideas for a book , then went on to write it after encouragement.

if you can get an active audience onto your site you can make a few quid of it too, which is a good way to 'buy' some time allowing you to work more on it.

Sep 10, 2012 -- 5:11PM, SirFresh wrote:

You need a lot of luck really to get a break.I entered a competition on the football forum on here in 2009 'Winner Stays On' it was called and it was just a little football tipping thing. Anyway, I ended up winning it five weeks in a row (it was head to head), netting myself the £100 prize and being the first person to do so.Six months later the betting.betfair site needed a new football tipster and because I'd won the aforementioned comp, I was given a shot at it. I started out doing five articles a fortnight, but now it's progressed to me writing nine pieces a week, ranging from 400-800 words usually, plus the odd article for affiliates.If I hadn't have won that competition, I wouldn't have got the gig. So lucky.

Never knew fatty Fresh did this?

I've written, mostly about sport, for the last fifteen years on and off. Have done some news, some features - again mostly about sport.

I always write under noms de plume. God knows why. I found that the character I invented to write about politics last year had a completely different worldview to my own, which was a little unsettling. After that little string of pieces was done, I had to kill him off.

ebu can rant on a bit

lol if ebulgery was a product of my mind Capt, I'd kill myself rather than him.

I fill in the forms? does that count?

.

I'm a Ghost Writer

Have a read of http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/

For an insight into a writers life and a good laugh have a listen to Ed Reardon's week on R4ex next time it comes around.

there are a few who get paid every week for writing their name

Been writing in various forms since leaving university in the 90s. Now mostly writing for foreign companies. The biggest thing for me is the freedom to work when you want, live where you want and the missus is the only person who can tell you what to do.

EMPTY THE DISHWASHER !