Earn More by Writing for Markets that Pay 20 to 30 Cents per Word

Those of you who are regular visitors to this blog may have noticed that I recently put a new e-book up for sale: 50 Markets that Pay Freelance Writers 20 to 30 Cents per Word.

Like the first book in my Markets for Writers series, 50 Markets that Pay Freelance Writers 20 to 30 Cents per Word packs lots of useful information into a single volume, this time providing you with direct access to author guidelines and contact information for 50 different magazines and websites that (as the title indicates) pay freelance writers 20 to 30 cents per word.

All of the information in the new guide is fully updated for 2013 and is presented in a concise, easy-to-read manner.

I have been looking at some other popular market listings lately and find they all seem to suffer from certain issues:

1. Disorganization. I don’t know about you, but I get overwhelmed when I am presented with a mish-mash of markets in different genres and pay-ranges. As I see it, there are a couple of different ways to organize such listings, but I have not seen many that attempt to organize them by how much they pay, even though you often see statements from writers like, “The least I will write for is 25 cents per word,” or, “I only write for magazines that pay a minimum of 50 cents per word.” Can you imagine, then, how frustrating it can be to wade through hundreds of markets you find irrelevant to your personal income goals?

2. Information Overload. If you are an experienced magazine writer who always strives to make an average of 25 cents per word for the articles you write, you probably do not need all the fluff that often accompanies certain market listings. In my opinion, there is really no need for a book to cram magazine listings into the same volume with agent listings, book publisher listings, contest listings, etc. As a writer, I may be interested in all of the above, but not usually all at once. A more compact volume that only provides the information I need at a particular moment is far more useful to me when it comes to actually nailing down an assignment for pay.

3. Outdated Listings. Numerous websites list markets for writers, but many are seriously outdated and contain loads of broken links. Even if the links are working, it is not uncommon to find that the magazine or market in question ceased publication years ago. When compiling my e-books for writers, I have been especially careful not to include any market that is not currently active.

4. Lack of On-Line Guidelines. One popular guide for writers tells you the address of a magazine’s website but does not link to author guidelines, even when they are available on-line. This leaves you with a bunch of extra detective-work as you navigate a website to find where the guidelines might be buried.

In 50 Markets that Pay Freelance Writers 20 to 30 Cents per Word, I have done everything possible to provide market listings that get right to the point and lead you to the information you need with just a click of the mouse.

Here is a sample listing from the book:

Arizona Bride
Website: www.arizonabridemag.com
Type of Market: Magazine
Based in: Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA)
Publishes: Relevant articles about local (Arizona) wedding resources, covering topics such as gowns, catering, photography, etc.
Accepts: Queries
Buys: Exclusive one-time rights for a period of 60 days from publication and right to reprint editorial material for promotional use
Pays: Average of 25¢ per word, on or about 60 days after publication
Guidelines for Writers
Contact Info.

As you can see, the listing is brief and tells you everything you need to know. I do not attempt to copy the guidelines word-for-word in the book. If the market is of interest to you, you simply need to click on the Guidelines for Writers and read further. To get full benefit from the listings, I recommend downloading the Kindle for PC app. It is free and allows you to view Kindle e-books on your computer, even if you do not own a Kindle device. This is especially useful when you are clicking on links like the ones that appear in the listing above.