5 Ways to Make Money with Your Blog

Making money online can be a frustrating process, especially if you’re just getting started.  Both new and seasoned internet marketers have found interesting, well-written blogs to be one of the most profitable tools in their quest for an online income.  As we all know, anything that makes money takes time and attention, but creating a lucrative, income-generating blog could be a lot easier than you think – and there are several different ways to turn your blog into a source of income.

Advertise

Pay-per-click (PPC) programs like Google Adsense have been around for several years and prove to be an effective way to make money for many websites.  This form of advertising requires very little effort and can easily be integrated into your blog.  The focus of your blog will play a big role in determining how much income you can make from PPC and there are some niches that will not benefit at all from these programs – if your blog is one of those, there’s still hope for advertising-based income.  A blog with steady traffic and good readership can sell ad space to related businesses, often bringing in more revenue than a PPC campaign could generate.  This option typically requires a bit more time and some leg work, but the results can be very satisfying.

Create a Product

Depending on the topic of your blog, a unique product could be your key to a successful online income.  From digital downloads to tangible merchandise, the possibilities for a companion product for your blog are unlimited.  Remember, establishing yourself and your blog as a reliable and trustworthy source for your niche is essential.  Create a cookbook for your food blog; sell homemade wares on your crafting website; compile a review guide for weight loss methods; make t-shirts or notecards featuring your most popular quips and quotes – get creative and build your own online marketplace for your readers.

Promote the Products of Others

Companies and individuals with their own unique products are always looking for new avenues to sell their merchandise.  This form of affiliate marketing isn’t always as profitable as selling your own unique product, but it generally requires much less time and effort.  Programs like LinkShare and ClickBank offer a multitude of opportunities to make sales-based commissions on everything from gift baskets to software downloads.  There are also websites, like Amazon, that allow webmasters and bloggers to pick and choose products for their own online store.  This technique can be a huge success for most websites if it is implemented correctly.

Develop a Membership Site

Everyone loves free information and resources but people are also willing to pay for exclusive, premium content that isn’t readily available.  Lesson plans, recipes, marketing tips, and many other topics make great foundations for subscription-based sites – and can create a healthy online income for you.  Like most money-making techniques, a membership portion of your blog will require steady traffic and loyal readership, as well as careful planning and regular updates.  Problogger has some excellent resources to help you develop a successful membership site.

Flip It

Blog flipping is becoming more and more popular, proving to be quite lucrative for all types of topics.  Some bloggers sell their websites because they no longer have the time to invest in maintaining it, while others establish their blogs for the sole purpose of turning it over to an interested investor.  A blog that is worthy of flipping requires established readership and traffic numbers, a proven potential to generate income, and should already have quality content in place to continue attracting readers.  Typically, a successful blog can return at least 2 years of revenue at the time of sale.

Images: hellori; iprole; meerlap

Do you need help making money with your blog?  Priceless Writers offers blog management, search engine optimized content packages, and original writing services to help you generate a profitable online income from your website.  Contact us for a personalized quote.

5 Things to Avoid in Your Novel Query Letter

Previously, we discussed how to write a query letter for your novel and now I’d like to talk just a bit about some of the things you should never do when writing a query letter.

While it’s really important to make your novel query letter stand out from the thousands an agent might get in a week – it’s also important to appear professional and educated.

1. Gimmicks – Avoid gimmicks when querying agents.  You might think it would be clever and funny to make your entire query rhyme or to address it to an agent’s dog – but it’s not.

Remember that most agents have seen it all, and it doesn’t get any cuter as they go along.  Just ask agent Jessica Faust what she does when someone addresses a query to her pup…

Make your query stand out with excellent, crisp and concise writing and you’ll need no gimmicks.

2. Mistakes - No one is perfect, and I think most agents realize that.  However, if you’ve done your job correctly, you’ve proofread that query more than once and probably more than twice.  If one mistake squeezes through (or even two), it might be okay.

However, if your query is full of mistakes such as typos, words used in the wrong context, grammatical errors and more – you’re probably going to receive a rejection.  Agent Janet Reid has a lot of great advice when it comes to the things that will get you an ‘instant rejection.’

3. Begging - Oh boy.  You want that agent to request a proposal package or the full manuscript!  You want it so badly you can taste it, but the last thing you want to do is beg, bribe, threaten or try to trick the agent into asking for a partial or full.

Simply submit the query in a professional and confident way, and if the strength is in your query, you’re going to get asked for more.  Begging will accomplish nothing except making you look pathetic to an agent – which you don’t want!

4. Providing Too Much Information – The agent reading your query wants to instantly find out what your manuscript is about and whether or not it’s good.  They don’t want to know where you grew up, unless it’s relevant somehow to your manuscript.

I’m not an agent, but I’m guessing they don’t care what kinds of sports you’re into or whether you took professional tennis lessons.  They couldn’t care less about who took you to prom and if you’re allergic to corn – keep it to yourself.  Your bio probably shouldn’t even be more than a sentence or two.  Restrict the information in the query to manuscript-related!

5. Time Limits – Giving an agent a time limit for when they should respond to you is a huge no-no.  Let’s face it – we’re nobodies in the publishing world…agents work with a lot of somebodies.  If they receive a time limit from you because you’re going to edit if you don’t hear from an agent within 3 weeks…or because you want to query another agent but would like to hear from this agent first – chances are the agent is going to giggle and move on to another writer.

By avoiding these mistakes in your novel query letter, you may have a better chance of having the agent ask to see more of your work!

Business Networking: Jump Into the Social Scene

Are you tired of hearing about Twitter and Facebook? I was a skeptic too, but soon learned that it’s hard to overlook or underestimate the power of online interaction on a social level. Millions of people are congregating on the Internet and you don’t have to leave the comforts of your computer chair to tap into this networking energy.

I encourage you to dip your hand in the honey pot and you’ll be surprised at some of the golden opportunities waiting just around the corner. While it isn’t a guarantee you’ll become a success story overnight or even in a couple of months, smart social marketing campaigns have resulted in increased sales, new customers or web visitors, and at the very least, cost-effective advertising.

On a personal note, I’ve been introduced to a wide-range of business professionals, as well as leisure indulgences. From recycled journals and cheap magazine subscriptions to gourmet taffy, I’ve purchased items advertised on Twitter that I would have never found browsing my typical online haunts.

Still wish to resist current trends? There’s more to business networking than just Facebook and Twitter. Other networking platforms to explore include:

LinkedIn: More than 40 million professionals have already established their online identity with LinkedIn without worrying about their next Tweet or updated vacation pics. You can connect with past colleagues and classmates, but your interaction is not on display for the rest of the world to see. Industry experts are available to lend a helping hand, but for the most part, I see this professional network more on the minimalist side of business networking.

StartUp Nation: Expect helpful advice and networking opportunities geared towards small businesses. From getting feedback on a new website design to asking burning business marketing questions, StartUp Nation is an explosion of effective community resources. Set off on a fact-finding mission or simply mingle with like-minded entrepreneurs. Forums are constantly filling with new ideas to spark your own creativity and send you off in the right business direction.

Biznik: Network with indie business owners in a community-wide general discussion forum or ask questions of fellow participants. Unlike LinkedIn, Biznik doesn’t focus on posting resumes and credentials, but instead – concentrates more on the sharing of ideas and building support systems for entrepreneurs.

Ecademy: Allow Ecademy to bridge the gap between you and the next entrepreneur. Gaining access to this online network opens many doors in the business world with the help of blog posts and message-board chats. For a more rewarding experience, the site offers an exclusive BlackStar membership program.

Focus: Sometimes you need a little help obtaining the goods and services to make your business ventures truly shine. With Focus, you gain the necessary assistance in an online community atmosphere to make important business decisions, conduct efficient research, and benefit from the expertise of others.

NetParty: If you live in cities like Boston, Dallas, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, and Orlando – then NetParty offers an opportunity for you to mingle both online and offline. Connect with qualified, thirsty-for-success professionals across the Net and then reconnect at happy-hour events about town. Dust off those business cards and get ready to pitch new job openings. Visit the website to find additional participating cities.

Photo Credit: nookiez

How to Write a Query Letter for a Novel Manuscript

Writing a novel is extremely difficult, but it’s also a very rewarding and emotional process.  Congratulations to you for finishing!  Now that you’re done, and the manuscript has been edited and polished, you’re probably considering approaching literary agents.  This is another extremely difficult process…and it typically starts with a query letter.

Most agencies do not accept unsolicited materials.  The query letter allows you to introduce yourself to the agent, pitch the idea of your novel and make that agent want to read more.  The hard part is fitting all of this into one page and making it interesting and informative.  There are a few different parts of a query letter that are important.

Introduction

Remember that literary agents receive tons of query letters each day.  It’s important to make your own stand out from the crowd.  You have to hook the agent with the first few sentences of the query letter the same way you have to hook the readers with the first few paragraphs of your novel.  Tell the agent why you’re writing, why you feel the novel is a good fit for their agency, and what the word count is.  It might look something like this…

Dear Ms. Agent, (Remember to include the agent’s actual name.  Don’t leave the introduction generic – show that you’ve researched and are willing to take the time to address each individual agent.)

My name is Vulnerable Writer and I’m writing today to tell you about my completed manuscript, ‘Great American Novel.’  It’s a fiction/drama and weighs in at 90,000 words.

Now, you’ve managed to introduce yourself and your novel in just a few sentences, which is great.  Use the least amount of words possible to get an idea across, because agents are busy and you want them to continue reading rather than tossing the query letter into the trash!

Summary of the Novel

Next, you want to include a short summary of the novel that will pique the agent’s interest and get him or her excited about reading the full manuscript.  This is very important if the agent’s going to ask for sample chapters or the whole manuscript.  Think about the summary for a while, write and rewrite it until it’s perfect, and then have a few friends read it.  It should be no more than a paragraph or two, and include the most important elements of the story.  It might look something like this…

Megan is an ordinary girl who wakes up one day to find that her whole life has been one big lie…literally.  She discovered it when she found the papers in her mother’s drawer.  Her identity is false.  To make matter’s worse, the guy she’s been in love with for the past two years lets her know in no uncertain terms – and in public – that he doesn’t share her affection. Megan’s brother, who is not really her brother, is the only one she can count on.  Together, they embark on a journey to discover who Megan really is…and the truth shocks her to the very core.

Once you have the summary polished, you’re ready to move on to the next section.

Short Bio

In this part of the query letter, you’ll want to include some details about yourself.  You don’t want to make this part boring, so include only information that the agent should know.  For instance, if you’ve been published in the past or if you’re a new writer, the information should be in the query.  Any relevant education, credentials or groups that you’re a member of might also be great information to include.

Example:

This is my first fiction novel and I’m excited to share it with you.  I’ve researched your agency and feel that you’re the agent who can find my book a home.  I am a member of the Fiction Writer’s Group and possess a degree in journalism from University.

With this part out of the way, you can include any research, statistics, facts or information that you’ve gathered about your novel’s genre.  You might include what books are currently on the market that are similar to your book, but also how your book is different and stands out. Your agent is going to want to know where the book belongs in the store, and what the chances of success with the book are, so include what you know.

Example:

I feel that my book is similar to the wildly popular ‘Amazing Book,’ in regards to potential fan base and the human struggles within the book.  However, ‘Great American Novel’ is also different in that the characters are more defined and individualized.  In a survey where I asked 200 readers of similar genres to look at a summary of the book online and tell me whether they would be willing to purchase the book, 95% said they would be willing to pay the price to read the book.

Closing

The hard part of the query letter is over and now it’s important to close it properly.  Simply thank the agent for taking the time to read the query and let them know that you hope to hear from them soon.  It’s that easy.

Example:

I want to thank you for taking the time to read this query and I would love to send you some sample chapters or the full manuscript if you’re interested.  I hope to hear from you soon and am excited at the possibilities of working with you to bring ‘Great American Novel’ to other readers.

Sincerely,

Vulnerable Writer

Don’t forget to include all of your contact details so that the agent can get in touch with you if he or she wants to request sample chapters or the full manuscript.  If you’re sending the query through e-mail, you need to paste the query into the body of the e-mail.  Most agents will not open attachments unless they specifically request them.

Other Tips for Writing a Query Letter

• You shouldn’t be afraid to let your personality shine through in the query letter.  If your book is a comedy and you’re naturally a humorous person, a little light humor couldn’t hurt.  However, it’s important to remember that the query letter should be professional and you shouldn’t speak in the letter as if you’re familiar with the agent.

• Once you’ve sent the query letter, there is nothing to do but wait…or craft query letters for other agents.  Do not call or e-mail the agent asking about the query letter.  You can be sure that real literary agents will review all query letters and if they’re interested, they will get back to you.

• Proofread the query letter before sending it.  The last thing you want is for an agent to notice misspelled words or grammatical errors in the query letter…they will be dreading the book and the mistakes that must be present in it.  If needed, have a friend read it or hire professionals to proofread it for you.

Getting Rejected

It’s inevitable.  Most wildly famous and successful writers have received at least one rejection.  So, what do you do when you get rejected?  Politely thank the agent for their time and send out two more query letters.  Eventually, if you’re persistent and your work is good enough, you’ll make it!  Good luck.

Photo Courtesy of RichardDooling.com.

5 Things to Avoid While Taking Advantage of Social Networking

If you’re on the computer very often, you’ve almost certainly heard the terms ‘Web 2.0,’ ‘Social Marketing,’ and ‘Social Networking.’ In fact, they are a very important part of doing business online in today’s world. However, it seems that many business people and website owners aren’t quite sure what they should be doing in the Web 2.0 world.

Here are 5 things to avoid while taking advantage of social networking.

#5 – Do Not Neglect Your Social Networking ‘Friends’

These are the people you’ve added to your MySpace, Facebook, Digg or other social networking site. A lot of times, business or website owners will just add a ton of people in order to get their friend count up – and then ignore them. These are the people that will be voting for your site or blog. If they send a shout or recommend a page, take a serious look at it and let them know your thoughts.

This way, you can be sure that they will do the same when you send a page or a shout. Rather than adding a gazillion friends right off, look through the profiles and add friends who have similar interests as you. This will cut down on the chances of you getting pages or recommendations of things that you are not interested in at all.

#4 – Do Not Leave Generic Comments

When leaving comments on pages or blogs, read through the information and leave a comment that really adds to the conversation. If there’s one thing that irritates most social networkers, its comments like ‘nice post’ or ‘good job.’ What’s even worse is when you just get a little smiley face. Then you don’t know if they really even read the information.

Leave meaningful comments or comments that actually add some thought to the post. If you don’t have time, don’t leave a comment at all. Just return to the post later when you have a few minutes to actually comment in the correct way.

#3 – Don’t Get Too Personal

If you’re taking advantage of social networking sites in order to drive traffic to your business, you should maintain a professional image. Getting too personal is really not a good idea. I’ve read arguments, insults and some very colorful information while browsing through profiles and it’s not attractive. I kept thinking that I wouldn’t hire these businesses for anything – especially since they don’t know how to maintain professionalism in their own business.

If someone has written something that you don’t agree with, simply don’t comment. Or, comment in a professional way. Rather than telling the person how wrong and stupid they are, find something in their comments that you agree with. Then you can use a professional approach by telling them that you agree to an extent.

#2 – Never Post Something that Doesn’t Belong to You

People do it all the time – find an article that is well-written, remove the current links and add their own links back to their site. Never use someone else’s work at all without getting the proper permission. Not only does it make you look terrible in the online business world, but it is very illegal. Write your own content or hire a professional writer to do it for you.

#1 – No More Spam!

Do not spam your social networking friends with business information over and over again or leave spammy comments all over the place. This is one way to become quite unpopular in the social networking world. If you do it enough, you can even get your profile locked. There are ‘report this user’ buttons with each social marketing platform and since spam is the most annoying thing in the world, people will most likely report you. Only send valuable links or pages to people and never the same one more than once.

By avoiding these things in your social networking ventures, you can have a better chance of succeeding and really becoming a valuable and respected social networker.

Word to the Wise: Check Your Spam Box

If you think your email spam filter is the perfect way to screen unwanted solicitations, overseas million-dollar bank transactions, and ploys for ridiculous products, think again.

As a freelance writer, I’ve sent requests for interviews and other notices through the email hundreds of times. I’ve always expected responses to safely arrive in my Inbox, but after anxiously waiting for a confirmation code, I soon learned the hard way that spam filters are not 100% accurate.

Usually, I ignore my spam box, as it can accumulate up to 1,000 pieces of cyber-garbage in one week, including mail with a send date of 2038. Upon further investigation, I discovered registration information, Facebook alerts, and replies to important business emails drowning in a spam wasteland.

I started to panic and recalled all the times I didn’t receive a response to something significant. My heart also sank to think of all the people who thought I was ignoring their emails.

I feel completely relying on a spam filter is foolish. Just with every technological wonder and advancement, there is always room for error and the potential glitches. I have now gotten into the habit of checking my spam box on a daily basis…and like clockwork…I have found relevant emails every single day. I can only imagine the information, potential job opportunities, and business-related details that I have already missed over the years.

If anyone has had an experience with a reliable and effective spam filter, please share in the comments section.

4 Ways to Increase Your Blog Readership

We live in a world where the Internet alerts us to the latest news, the weather in Japan, fashion trends, and celebrity gossip. Online, we find most of the answers to all of the questions we ask. From comparing products to researching a new travel destination, the World Wide Web has become a far-reaching tool in today’s society. The Internet is an explosion of everything and right in the thick of things are blogs – pockets of valuable information, images, videos, music, and commentary – greeting you at every turn.

When it comes to a blog, you want to be heard. This means that you have to attract repeat readers who are interested in what you have to say. While regular posting to your blog and offering a clean layout is an effective way to start, you must provide useful information and keep visitors coming.

Ways to increase your blog readership and keep readers interested include the following suggestions:

1. Evolve

Take hold of today’s technology and enhance your blog with streaming video, audio clips, MP3 files, and other interactive features. Go beyond the typical text and image layout of a blog. For example, You Tube videos are pretty popular with bloggers, from music reviewers to do-it-yourself enthusiasts – keep the attention of your readers with amusing content.

2. Educate

Support your business by offering concrete evidence and valuable information from reliable sources, such as a journal article, seminar transcript, speech, or excerpts from a research paper. Let’s say your niche is within the medical field. People want the latest facts. Give them statistics. Show the results of a clinical study. Educate your audience on the topics most important to them.

3. Entertain

Hit your audience with interesting trivia. Offer a downloadable game. Post a humorous cartoon. There’s nothing wrong with providing a little humor and wacky information to entertain your blog readers.

4. Enlighten

If you’re writing a business blog, it is in your best interest to inform and enlighten the public.  Three popular approaches include:

How-to Articles: Provide detailed step-by-step instructions. Example: How to Play Backgammon

Top ‘X’ Lists: Offer a numbered list of suggestions. Example: Top 10 Ways to Save Money

Tips: Deliver small paragraphs of information that makes life easier. Example: Tips on Filing Your 2009 Taxes

Bloated Ego: The Danger of Letting Business Success Go To Your Head

As a business owner, you’re hoping for huge success!  Most entrepreneurs can identify with that desire.  If you believe in your products or services, your goal will be to proudly introduce the masses to those products or services. 

When you start to taste that sweet, exciting flavor of success, the feeling is indescribable.  However, as you grow your business and become more successful – beware the bloated ego.  Here are some of the dangers of letting your success go to your head!

Getting Too Comfortable In Your Success –

While success is the thing every entrepreneur, business owner or company hopes for – gaining it also increases vulnerability.  It’s very easy to become comfortable in your success and when this happens, you’re not far from forgetting that you can fail.  One success after another and before long, a business individual can feel invincible.

When you become comfortable and feel invincible, this opens up a weak spot for the competition to feed on.  At the beginning of a business or a new deal, most individuals work tirelessly to achieve success and are excited about what the future can bring.  At this point, it’s easy to see how success can be drawn to those individuals.  When you let that fire go and become too comfy cozy, a host of problems can threaten to overtake you.

Becoming Closed-Minded –

If you ask my grandmother why she mixes her bread from scratch and lets it rise for hours before baking it, she will say, “Because that’s the way I’ve always done it and it works.” 

It does work (and is delicious, by the way) but for just a few dollars she could purchase the frozen bread that rises in an hour and tastes just as good.  She would shave several hours off of her preparation and would be a lot more efficient with her time.  Becoming closed-minded about the way you do things is another danger of letting your success go to your head.

If you refuse to see the advantage of trying new ways to complete a project or sell your products, your business will never stay on the forefront of your industry.  There are other businesses that are doing things more efficiently and you must stay competitive if you want to stay successful.  By staying a step ahead of the competition and keeping your processes and methods innovative, you can hang on to that success!

Forgetting about the ‘Little Guys’ –

I’m one of those people who will brag and brag about a company I love and if I’ve had a bad experience, I will tell everyone!  For instance, recently my family went out to a nice restaurant for dinner.  After our drinks came, we waited more than an hour for our waitress to come and take our dinner order.  There were two other parties there besides ours – and we waited an hour!  Assuming there was a crisis in the kitchen that demanded all available hands, we went ahead and ordered dinner. 

After a mediocre meal with no drink refills, we left the restaurant.  A few days later, I discovered that my credit card had been charged not once, not twice but THREE times for the same meal.  When I called the owner, I received an attitude and a half-hearted offer for a free meal.  It was a terrible experience and we never went back.  My entire family and all of my friends had to live through this story of the restaurant from hell and not a single one of them visited.  Knowing my family and friends – I’m sure the story was passed around.

Your customers should never be forgotten. As you’re experiencing your success, don’t forget about the people who have helped you get there.  Without your customers – you are nothing, so take it to heart when they purchase from you or remain loyal to you. If you truly appreciate their business, let them know with great customer service and rewards!  Losing one customer may not hurt your business, but word of mouth continues to be the most powerful form of advertising – so make sure that advertising is good and not bad!

In closing, success is wonderful but it’s a double-edged sword.  Stay on your toes with your business and refuse to allow success to force you into complacency.  Keep in mind, there is always another company with services similar to yours waiting to fill your shoes and do the things you neglect to do!  

Microsoft Spell Checker is Not Your Best Friend…

The inspiration behind this post comes from the red-squiggly line that greets me every time I type ‘positivity’ into a sentence. Let’s face it – Microsoft Spell Checker is not our best friend, especially when we’ve become too dependent on using its services. Oftentimes, this popular feature provides a false sense of security, from stressed-out college students to the best of writers. Spell Checker makes it much easier to skimp on proofreading or glance over similarly spelled words.

Spell Checker also makes us lazy and less adept in our writing. We start to form habits impossible to kick – like ingrained spelling errors that we’ll use whether we’re typing a blog comment or drafting a handwritten thank-you letter. I’m guilty of it – when I email friends or engage in a bit of Instant Messaging, my spelling is sometimes comical. I find that I’m usually misspelling some of the same words over and over again, but instead of grabbing the dictionary and committing these common flaws to memory – I brush it off because I know Spell Checker will serve as my attentive companion.

However, we are often placed in everyday writing situations where the computer does not come to the rescue, like:

• Completing college exam essays
• Typing directly into online forms
• Sending a postcard to loved ones
• Writing a simple school sick-note for your kids

Where is Spell Checker then? Nowhere to be found and in the end, your spelling accuracy and grammar suffers. Then, there are the people who rely on Spell Checker to not only catch their spelling mistakes, but to also correct their grammar bloopers. What happens when they encounter a Web editor that doesn’t offer this feature?

Don’t Weaken Your Image

For the freelance writer, typos are not only embarrassing, but they often suggest unprofessional work when you’re guilty of the blunder more than once. Clients are not paying for mistakes and errors. While we are all imperfect humans and occasional slips of the proofreading process are to be expected, many clients in the business world are unforgiving. And please, please, please – whatever you do – don’t overlook a typo on your resume.

Recommendation: Always manually proofread your pages and when dealing with a large amount, print out your work and edit away from the computer. Sometimes, the strain of looking at a bright screen when going over your writing can contribute to overlooked misspelling and grammatical errors.

We’re All Victims…

Just the other day, I sent an article in for a second round of proofreading and was alerted to a rather embarrassing slip of the eye. Apparently, I had substituted “pubic” for “public.” I reread the article several times, yet did not pick up on the mistake. Sometimes, you just have to step away from a piece for a few moments to give your eyes a chance to refocus. There is a fine line between knowing what you want to say and actually accomplishing it without error. At times, we are truly blinded when it comes to proofreading our own work, especially if it’s regarding a piece we’ve spent a great deal of time on.

However, that’s why at Priceless Writers, clients not only have one sweep of the proofreading wand, but at least two once-overs by fellow partners. We keep each other on our toes, pointing out the glaring and not-so-obvious mistakes that appear hidden in text.

And, we don’t rely on our not so best friend, Mr. or Mrs. Spell Checker.

“I’ve Been Rejected” – It’s All Part of Freelance Writing!

As a freelance writer, you will most likely submit your work to many different calls for content and exciting opportunities to snag a by-line. With a never-ending pool of talented writers pursuing the same objective as you, rejection is a common part of freelance writing. Even the best of writers have suffered rejection. However, it’s what you do after the dust settles that truly matters.

Why Did I Get Rejected?

Inappropriate Writing Style

Not everyone is going to fall in love with your writing style. While some clients enjoy punchy statements and original thought, others encourage writers to present a conservative tone that oozes professionalism or speaks to academic circles. Certain clients view highly descriptive pieces and imagery as ‘fluff’ or ‘flowery text,’ while others demand detailed pieces that allow readers to indulge in all five of their senses. Sometimes, you’ve simply been rejected because your writing style was not the perfect fit. Don’t take it personal.

Misunderstood the Market or Target Audience

Clients are looking for writers that can speak to their target market, audience or a specific gender; sell products and services; improve brand recognition; and express the thoughts and ideas that they are unable to convey. For example…

• When a job calls for web content geared towards teenagers and the video game market – your writing tone and knowledge of the subject is vital.
• It is not uncommon for a retired chemical engineer to encounter a bit of trouble connecting with 4-year-olds looking for a bedtime story.
• And… if you don’t have any experience writing persuasive, sales copy – getting rejected for a sales letter gig on your first try shouldn’t come as a surprise.

One of the most important aspects of writing is to understand your market. Who is the reader and what kind of information are they looking for? What will keep the reader interested? Let’s say you’re interested in writing for a magazine. The first thing you should do is scan an assortment of publications to get a feel for their audience, tone of voice, content, and style of writing. Make sure to become familiar with the ins and outs of a magazine, including the kind of ads they publish. This will help you better meet the needs of a potential client when sending sample submissions.

Didn’t Follow Directions or Writer Guidelines

Go over the original directions or writer guidelines with a fine-tooth comb – did you deliver what was asked of you? Perhaps you injected opinion when you needed to remain objective in your writing. Maybe you were instructed to send an original sample of your work, but submitted a previously published E-Zine article.

Sometimes, adhering to a specified word count is a deal breaker. When a 500-word sample article is asked of you, sending a 2,000-word piece (no matter how brilliant it is) probably wasn’t the best idea. Keep in mind that many clients are looking for writers who know how to write under various restrictions…and follow directions.

Time of Submission

There are tons of freelance writing opportunities decorating the Web, including Craigslist ads, blogrolls, newsletter services, Elance, Guru, and Scriptlance. The competition is fierce, as you are sometimes vying for projects that have caught the eye of thousands upon thousands of other writers. The key is to strike fast in order to increase your chances of being ‘heard.’ Although you may have written the ‘next best thing,’ chances are – if you’re #788 out of 900 responses – your piece may never come in contact with the client. For example, some clients choose to sift through only the first 100 replies they receive for an ad. Many writers are rejected simply because they never had a chance to shine.

…and the dreaded Didn’t Write Well Enough

Sometimes, the answer to your rejection is staring you right in the face as you glance over your work – incomplete sentences, spelling errors, improper tenses, and overall poor grammar. Have someone look over your writing piece, making sure they are familiar with the project details. Did you fulfill what was asked of you? How many grammar mistakes were found? Did you carelessly misspell a common word? Poor grammar and spelling blunders quickly overshadows any good writing and thoughts.

Overall, writing is a never-ending journey of learning and growth – a process that matures as you mature. In the end, you will find that practicing your craft is one of the best ways to sharpen your skills and improve client and reader responses.