Writing Work Review: How to Make a Living Writing Articles for Newspaper, Magazines, and Online Sources by Wendy Vincent.

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As I was browsing the shelves of my local library that had recently been torn down and rebuilt I found myself in the reference section with a book in hand that promised to have 

"Everything you need to know to become a successful freelance writer in 30 days."

As I freelance writer I was amazed at this claim. Could it really only take 30 days to do what I had been building up for years?

I had to know what secrets this book held that I was unaware of so I tucked it safely under my arm along with three other reference books and headed to the checkout to find out what was in store for me.

What is this book about?

This book is the bare bones of the essentials you should have an idea of before you start your freelancing journey. Written in 2014 most (though not all) of the information given is still useful for the new freelancer looking to join the fray in 2022. With information such as what a freelance writer is, how to find the time to write, and the big one of whether or not freelance writing is for you. 

The author takes the reader through the steps of figuring out their budget, so they make the informed decision of becoming a freelance writer full time, part-time, or alongside their current job.

The author takes the reader through the finer points of freelance writing such as knowing the importance of grammar, spelling, and knowing which style is most appropriate for the desired media the reader wishes to pursue such as Associated Press Style for journalism and magazines as well as the Chicago Manual of Style for fiction publishing.

The author spends time helping the reader understand the differences between the markets of writing from consumer magazines to literary journals and trade journals to newspapers. Each market has its own standards and needs that a writer needs to meet before blindly submitting their stories with a general query and hoping it sticks.

This book can help the reader answer questions their high school English class did not cover such as how to send in queries to editors and agents and how not to offend them before they even give you a chance.

Each chapter is filled with an aspiring case study from someone who has been there and started their journey into freelancing, some full time and some part-time, it gives the reader a chance to connect to stories of others who were once in their shoes and are now where they are trying to be.

My thoughts on this book:

Besides the misleading tagline of this book promising you can become a successful freelance writer in as few as thirty days this book is surprising still full of useful information though slightly outdated in this digital age.

My only issue with this book for the new freelancing reader is that the information in some aspects is too broad to be helpful. Information is given such as, you should have a website or a blog, without the further direction of where to find a reputable platform can lead the beginner astray. Should they be using free resources or outsourcing? How about hosting their blogs? 

The information that would be most relevant today is not included though with the help of the internet can be easily found elsewhere in addition to what this book provides. 

Final thoughts:

This book is not the end-all-be-all guide to becoming a freelancer and falls nowhere in the vicinity of its promise of becoming successful within thirty days. 

Honestly, if this tagline wasn't included then I would have more respect for it as a guide to get the reader started in freelancing. 

Any information that is lacking or behind the times can be found with a few hours spent on your favorite search engine. 

With the promise of the thirty days, I kept expecting to have some sort of timeline mentioned or an exact list of steps to follow. While thirty days is without a doubt unrealistic for the money to start flowing and help send you on that long-awaited trip around the world, it is enough to set you on the path to getting started. Make a website, start a blog, and research your chosen market where your writing style will fit best. 

If you have never heard of querying or only have a broad understanding of what a freelancer is then this is the book for you. Links to purchase this book can be found below. 

All the best, 

B.K

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I was in no way asked to nor paid by anyone to review this book and all opinions are solely my own.

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