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Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer
For those who have what it takes to become writers, but are not sure where to start, this is the guide to launching a successful career. A 25-year veteran writer and editor covers every aspect of freelance writing, from clearing the where do I begin? confusion to negotiating publishing contracts.
349 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
January 30, 2018
NOTE: I reviewed the Third Edition, released Jan 2018.
There is not a more sound, comprehensive guide for freelancers on the market. I'm not exaggerating. Moira Allen, in her seasoned wisdom, lays out a solid, sensible roadmap for you to begin a freelance career. And if you aren't doing well at the job now, this book might just tell you where to go back and make it right. Highly recommended. My new go-to, how-to book when I make recommendations for my readers. ~C. Hope Clark, editor FundsforWriters, author The Carolina Slade Mysteries and The Edisto Island Mysteries.
There is not a more sound, comprehensive guide for freelancers on the market. I'm not exaggerating. Moira Allen, in her seasoned wisdom, lays out a solid, sensible roadmap for you to begin a freelance career. And if you aren't doing well at the job now, this book might just tell you where to go back and make it right. Highly recommended. My new go-to, how-to book when I make recommendations for my readers. ~C. Hope Clark, editor FundsforWriters, author The Carolina Slade Mysteries and The Edisto Island Mysteries.
January 11, 2024
Moira Allen's Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer is an excellent book that every writer should have in their repertoire. The top "things to do" to become a successful writer are overdone. This book pushes beyond that and provides a ton of practical advice on a variety of topics and situations. There are so many steps beyond writing that contribute to the success of a writer, such as having an informative website and being active on social media.
Take Allen's advice with a grain of salt, however, because the social media section is unfortunately dated. Twitter and Google Plus don't exist anymore, and Facebook isn't quite as active as it used to be. Regardless, the principles remain the same: stay engaged, and engage with the right people.
Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who is considering becoming a Freelance Writer.
Take Allen's advice with a grain of salt, however, because the social media section is unfortunately dated. Twitter and Google Plus don't exist anymore, and Facebook isn't quite as active as it used to be. Regardless, the principles remain the same: stay engaged, and engage with the right people.
Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who is considering becoming a Freelance Writer.
October 14, 2021
This book is incredibly thorough but feels a little dated. There's a lot of emphasis that doing things by mail is preferred, although they do cover plenty of email and online practices.
Nonetheless, the core info about how to find publications, generate ideas, write pitches, and submit articles seems good (although hopefully I won't find that it's dated too once I try its advice out). There's also useful basic info about how to do your taxes and what various contract terms mean. I plan to refer to it regularly as I explore the field.
Nonetheless, the core info about how to find publications, generate ideas, write pitches, and submit articles seems good (although hopefully I won't find that it's dated too once I try its advice out). There's also useful basic info about how to do your taxes and what various contract terms mean. I plan to refer to it regularly as I explore the field.
June 6, 2025
A Solid Foundation for Aspiring Freelance Writers
Moira Allen's "Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer" delivers exactly what its title promises - a comprehensive roadmap for newcomers to the freelancing world. What sets this book apart is its refreshingly honest approach to the realities of freelance writing, particularly around rejection and the business side of the craft.
The book's strength lies in its practical, actionable advice. Allen doesn't sugarcoat the challenges - she emphasizes that you'll face more rejections than acceptances and that rejection is simply impersonal feedback to learn from. Her suggestion to "hold a rejection celebration" is both psychologically healthy and memorable. The two core principles of honesty and perseverance thread throughout the book effectively.
The sections on working with editors and conducting interviews are particularly valuable, offering concrete techniques like using scripts for on-spec sales and the importance of immediate transcription. Allen's approach to story structure (start makes a promise, middle fulfills it, end completes it) is elegantly simple yet effective.
Where the book truly shines is in its business guidance - from understanding different types of rights to setting measurable goals and tracking deductible expenses. The advice on market research, from reading past publications to understanding editorial values, feels thorough and realistic.
While comprehensive, the book occasionally feels like a checklist of best practices rather than a deeply engaging read. However, for a practical guide, this systematic approach is actually beneficial. New freelancers will appreciate having everything from query letter formatting to expansion opportunities (photos, columns, books, copywriting) covered in one place.
This is an honest, no-nonsense guide that treats freelance writing as both a craft and a business. Recommended for anyone serious about building a sustainable freelance writing career
Moira Allen's "Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer" delivers exactly what its title promises - a comprehensive roadmap for newcomers to the freelancing world. What sets this book apart is its refreshingly honest approach to the realities of freelance writing, particularly around rejection and the business side of the craft.
The book's strength lies in its practical, actionable advice. Allen doesn't sugarcoat the challenges - she emphasizes that you'll face more rejections than acceptances and that rejection is simply impersonal feedback to learn from. Her suggestion to "hold a rejection celebration" is both psychologically healthy and memorable. The two core principles of honesty and perseverance thread throughout the book effectively.
The sections on working with editors and conducting interviews are particularly valuable, offering concrete techniques like using scripts for on-spec sales and the importance of immediate transcription. Allen's approach to story structure (start makes a promise, middle fulfills it, end completes it) is elegantly simple yet effective.
Where the book truly shines is in its business guidance - from understanding different types of rights to setting measurable goals and tracking deductible expenses. The advice on market research, from reading past publications to understanding editorial values, feels thorough and realistic.
While comprehensive, the book occasionally feels like a checklist of best practices rather than a deeply engaging read. However, for a practical guide, this systematic approach is actually beneficial. New freelancers will appreciate having everything from query letter formatting to expansion opportunities (photos, columns, books, copywriting) covered in one place.
This is an honest, no-nonsense guide that treats freelance writing as both a craft and a business. Recommended for anyone serious about building a sustainable freelance writing career
January 15, 2025
Some parts of this book are great, with advice that's still useful, and I got some usable guidance on ways I might branch out from fiction into freelance writing along with things to keep in mind about running a business.
Some parts are woefully out of date. The book was published in 2018, and social media has changed a wee bit since then, not to mention that blogging platforms such as Medium and Substack (among others) are available now and AI is shaking up the game. I wouldn't be surprised if a new edition was in the works.
Some parts are woefully out of date. The book was published in 2018, and social media has changed a wee bit since then, not to mention that blogging platforms such as Medium and Substack (among others) are available now and AI is shaking up the game. I wouldn't be surprised if a new edition was in the works.
May 23, 2018
I read the Second Edition which is now perhaps slightly out of date regarding social media / internet topics, although I presume it is still relevant on many other topics. This book is a great overview of the writing world for the beginner, including helpful advice for selling articles to publications. A well written book I would be happy to reference again in the future.
December 14, 2020
A very practical, step by step guide. Although the version I read was outdated with regards to technology, the ideas were still good. I very much appreciated the last section about prospecting for freelance work. Being in the sales profession currently, this resonated with me.
June 2, 2022
Very helpful. I'm not sure if it needs an update in a new edition yet. I still have a copy sitting on my shelf that I browse through from time to time. I marked it as "Read" because I didn't read this cover-to-cover. I picked through it based on what I needed to learn.
November 1, 2015
You don’t pick up a book with a title like, “Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer,” without a clear purpose. And as a guide for new writers trying to find a way to market themselves, it serves that purpose.
One drawback to the book is the very limited focus with which Allen advises freelancers. The majority of her advice focuses on pitching articles to magazines and newspapers. Something that doesn’t help is the fact that the book was published in 2011, making it somewhat dated in regard to rising markets like social media and blogging. There is nothing inherently wrong with this approach, since it is still relevant today. It merely excludes a major market that new freelancers can tap into, which can add confusion to the process of hunting for work.
With that said, the book is otherwise a good, comprehensive reference on many aspects of freelance writing that I hadn’t even considered, like organization and taxes. Allen includes essential information of this sort and includes useful examples of documents like query letters, tracking sheets, and more (that I gladly refer when writing documents for my own search efforts). She breaks everything down in a way that makes it easy to understand and digest. But it’s a lot of information, so it’s easy to forget exactly how to file taxes for freelance income before you’ve earned your first dollar. Because of this, I will probably buy a copy of this book so I can refer to its advice at all stages of the process.
One drawback to the book is the very limited focus with which Allen advises freelancers. The majority of her advice focuses on pitching articles to magazines and newspapers. Something that doesn’t help is the fact that the book was published in 2011, making it somewhat dated in regard to rising markets like social media and blogging. There is nothing inherently wrong with this approach, since it is still relevant today. It merely excludes a major market that new freelancers can tap into, which can add confusion to the process of hunting for work.
With that said, the book is otherwise a good, comprehensive reference on many aspects of freelance writing that I hadn’t even considered, like organization and taxes. Allen includes essential information of this sort and includes useful examples of documents like query letters, tracking sheets, and more (that I gladly refer when writing documents for my own search efforts). She breaks everything down in a way that makes it easy to understand and digest. But it’s a lot of information, so it’s easy to forget exactly how to file taxes for freelance income before you’ve earned your first dollar. Because of this, I will probably buy a copy of this book so I can refer to its advice at all stages of the process.
April 2, 2011
Published at: Over A Cuppa Tea
Review date 8th Feb 2011
Review link: http://cleffairy.com/?p=4713
I'm a freelance writer myself, and therefore, when I saw this ARC of 'Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer' by Moira Allen available for review in Netgalley, I knew I had to have it, by hook or by crook. After all, knowledge and tips on how to start/ expand your career as a freelance writer is not exactly easily available publicly.
Some of the tips in this book is one of those best kept secrets in the writing industry. Not many will want to share such knowledge with others, so personally, I think this book is a real gem.
If you're looking for tips on how you can fully utilize your talent in writing and start freelancing, this book is a must have.This is a very useful, no-nonsense book. Very good, thumbs up for the in depth coverage in many areas.
Review date 8th Feb 2011
Review link: http://cleffairy.com/?p=4713
I'm a freelance writer myself, and therefore, when I saw this ARC of 'Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer' by Moira Allen available for review in Netgalley, I knew I had to have it, by hook or by crook. After all, knowledge and tips on how to start/ expand your career as a freelance writer is not exactly easily available publicly.
Some of the tips in this book is one of those best kept secrets in the writing industry. Not many will want to share such knowledge with others, so personally, I think this book is a real gem.
If you're looking for tips on how you can fully utilize your talent in writing and start freelancing, this book is a must have.This is a very useful, no-nonsense book. Very good, thumbs up for the in depth coverage in many areas.
January 2, 2011
If you've ever said you wanted to be a freelance writer, you know that you soon come up with more questions than you can easily find answers to.
For anyone in a nonfiction writing business, Moira Allen answers all those troubling questions: how to get started, setting goals, finding ideas, researching markets, writing successful query letters, and then the mundane but necessary details like record keeping and rights and contracts.
I'd had a successful and prolific freelance writing career many years ago — about 400 articles in two years — and found it hard when I tried to get back into it. Things I should have known, I'd forgotten. Allen gave me all the refresher I needed in the basics while showing me how things had changed since I last wrote.
After reading this book, the only questions left in your head will be the ones for the next source you're interviewing.
For anyone in a nonfiction writing business, Moira Allen answers all those troubling questions: how to get started, setting goals, finding ideas, researching markets, writing successful query letters, and then the mundane but necessary details like record keeping and rights and contracts.
I'd had a successful and prolific freelance writing career many years ago — about 400 articles in two years — and found it hard when I tried to get back into it. Things I should have known, I'd forgotten. Allen gave me all the refresher I needed in the basics while showing me how things had changed since I last wrote.
After reading this book, the only questions left in your head will be the ones for the next source you're interviewing.
September 17, 2012
I have to admit, I didn't get all the way through this one. It provides a good foundation for extreme beginners, but for me it was far too detailed in the basics to hold my attention. Allen points out that you needn't have much experience to get started, and I think this book is best suited for those who do not yet label themselves Writer and are not very savvy with computers. Unfortunately (or fortunately in any other context) I already have a home office set up nicely, I'm very tech-savvy, and I feel like I've been a writer my whole life. For folks in a similar boat, a lot of the content here will feel like a poor use of time. For someone who needs a foundation in the very basics, including setting up your workspace (including computer) and getting your writing in shape, this book will probably do nicely.
May 24, 2012
one of the better "how to write" books i've read and i will definitely be purchasing it in the near future (i borrowed from the library for my 1st read through).
there were a great deal of useful tips, examples and suggestions packed into these pages and they're paying off already. since starting this book, i've fired off 2 query letters and had one article picked up on spec (awaiting to see if it will be published now) and have found a renewed drive to search through my life for article ideas and inspiration while being more active in trying to find work as a freelance writer.
as i said, tons of good examples and advice - i would definitely recommend it for any new or upcoming writer (or established writers looking to hone their business acumen.
there were a great deal of useful tips, examples and suggestions packed into these pages and they're paying off already. since starting this book, i've fired off 2 query letters and had one article picked up on spec (awaiting to see if it will be published now) and have found a renewed drive to search through my life for article ideas and inspiration while being more active in trying to find work as a freelance writer.
as i said, tons of good examples and advice - i would definitely recommend it for any new or upcoming writer (or established writers looking to hone their business acumen.
March 28, 2013
This is one of the most comprehensive books I have ever read on the subject of freelance writing. It covers many topics that other books do not such as the different types of freelance work now available, the types of copyrights/rights that a writer may be asked to give over, how to handle taxes, how to find interviewees, the different types of interviews and how to handle each one, and much more. This is definitely a must-read for anyone who is considering entering the freelance writing world, or anyone who is a freelancer who feels that they could be getting more out of their career.
November 22, 2015
The majority of the book focused on getting published in print mags and newspapers. The online aspect was added at the end of the book and was a bit limited. Still, it was well worth a read for great tips on structuring articles, explaining how contracts work, giving examples on how to keep tracks of accounts, and defining lots of terminology.
July 23, 2011
Unlike Bly's book which was all about how awesome he is, Allen's book gives actual advice on how to get started. And instead of the usual cop-out of "I'm not a lawyer or accountant," there's a section on tax implications.
July 31, 2012
This book covers a broad range of topics and gives plenty of advice for getting started in the freelance world. I think this book would be a great starting point for anyone thinking about pursuing a freelance writing gig.
January 10, 2013
This book is a MUST for someone that wants to sell their writing! I love the way she goes step by step though the process of breaking in to the freelance world.Her writing is easy to understand and her advice is very precise.
Read
September 21, 2007my-books
Want to Read
March 20, 2012I think this needs to go back on the shelf for another day. Until I at least get a book proposal together, pursuing freelance writing is just a distraction.
June 4, 2013
Jam packed with info... I think I'll be referring to this resource many times over the next year or two....
June 6, 2018
Clear, concise, actionable steps. I would recommend this book to anyone thinking about starting a freelance writing business.
March 15, 2014
Good basic information but doesn't go far enough.
March 17, 2015
This is one of the most helpful "how to" books I have ever read.
Read
July 8, 2018I'm going to leave this as no rating because even though the information in this wasnt new to me, it could be pretty valuable to someone else. I have been working on my freelance career for a while, but at the moment I am more interested in writing some of the stories in my head. I think I will come back to this later on, but for now I will be leaving it here.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews