Recently, Ibrahim Jimoh shared 9 bloggers you should follow if you’re starting a writing career. Here are 4 more blogs that offer great tips on how to start and grow your writing business.
1. Make a Living Writing
Carol Tice is an outspoken promoter of fair pay for writers, and she’s been talking about this since before it was a popular topic. A tough lady who says it as it is, following her is not for the faint of heart.
If you’re ready for some hard truths and real advice on how to start a writing career, Make a Living Writing is a blog worth following. This blog provides tips about everything freelance writing, from the very basic What is Freelance Writing? to the more advanced topics such as making six figures as a specific type of writer.
Besides all the practical advice Carol offers, she also puts her money where her mouth is, and pays for blog posts. But if you want to be featured on her blog (and get paid for it), make sure you read the submission guidelines closely (as you should anytime you want to get published anywhere).
In addition to the Make a Living Writing Website, Carol also owns and operates The Writers Den, a community of writers that’s full of resources, self-development courses, and more. At US$25 per month, membership in The Den is a steal, an you’re sure to get a great return on investment if you put what you learn inside to good use.
If you’re starting a writing career, Make a Living Writing is a great place to start. And if you’re growing your writing business, this is a great resource as well.
2. Be a Freelance Blogger
Beware, this girl writes like she speaks, and she speaks like a grown-up. If you’re offended by foul language, this is not the blog for you. Having said that, the Be a Freelance Blogger website provides a tonne of information for writers who want to do only freelance blogging (versus say, writing for magazines). If you’re starting a writing career that involves selling blog posts, this is a great blog to follow.
Sophie Lizard also puts her money where her mouth is with a “pitch fest” every three months. If you win the contest, you get published on a large blog and earn $100 for your words. But the most valuable part of this contest isn’t the prize—it’s the process itself. You’ll get feedback on your pitch, which is a great source of information for future pitches—to this blog or elsewhere.
Sophie also offers some really valuable courses worthy of the investment, including a “get started in 28 days guide” and one-on-one coaching.
3. The Creative Penn
Aside from having the best name ever for an author (I mean, come on—“Penn!”), Joanna Penn is a highly successful writer and an outspoken supporter of self-publishing. You should especially follow her if you’re interested in fiction writing, as that has become her main business. She also offers courses on self-publishing.
What I love about Joanna is that she didn’t start out writing about writing, like so many “authors” on the Internet today. She started out by successfully self-publishing, marketing, and selling her non-fiction books that were non-writing related, and then successfully self-publishing, marketing and selling her fiction series. Then she went on to teach people how to do the same. She’s been there, done that, and literally written the book on successful authorship. Her podcast, The Creative Penn Podcast, is also worthy of a listen.
If you’re starting a writing career, Joanna Penn’s resources are an excellent place to begin your research.
4. The Write Life
There’s so much valuable information on The Write Life that a short little mention on a blog post wouldn’t do it justice. Definitely go on over to the website and have a look around. If you sign up for the mailing list, you’ll get new posts directly in your inbox.
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At the end of the day, if you want to be a writer, you just need to start writing. While avoiding information overload and just taking action is probably your best bet, these five resources will give you a good idea on where to start.
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Waoh! Nice additions. I’ve had interactions with ‘The Write Life’ and Carol Tice’s blog ‘Make A Living Writing’, and they are superb. Lots of resources for writers on those blogs.
Thanks Mariana for sharing this.
Thanks Jimoh!
I have been part of the Writers Den as well, and it’s worth the low price point.