Want to spice up your Web writing? Your opportunities as a Web writer are unlimited because of the stampede of businesses and publications to the Web. And, as your experience and skills develop, you’ll be flooded with offers of work.
However, be aware that if you keep accepting others’ projects, and don’t create your own projects, you’re limiting yourself. You’re putting a ceiling on your income, because you’re trading hours for dollars.
Be adventurous and create your own ventures. Not only is this fun and exciting, it can also be immensely rewarding.
What kinds of ventures are writers creating? Many Web writers are stepping out of their comfort zone, and are creating many different kinds of ventures, including:
• Private Label Rights (PLR) businesses on a subscription basis, where they supply a certain number of PLR products to their members each month;
• Editorial businesses. These writers are project managers. They hire writers, designers and marketers for projects;
• Web marketing services’ providers. These writers hire service providers from the Philippines and other countries to provide articles, backlinks, blog installation and management, and site management services as packages. Clients pay a retainer, or buy credits to have a certain number of services provided each month;
• Information product empires. These writers focus on writing and selling information products like ebooks, reports and membership sites;
• Website flippers. These writers create websites and blogs to sell.
Build your skills: take time each day to study and learn
Developing your own Web writing ventures isn’t for every writer. If you’re in the first couple of years of building your skills, focus on that first. You need to be comfortable working online: getting clients, and completing projects for those clients, as well as building your name and reputation.
I want you to be aware however, that there’s a huge writing world out there, and the more you build your skills, the more money you can make.
It’s not just about the money…
Let’s digress for a moment. I seem to spend all my time on this blog talking about money. That’s not a bad thing. Every writer needs an income. However, it’s not solely about the money, it’s about you too. Your writing talents are a gift you were born with. It’s up to you to make the most of what you have. When you polish your skills and constantly build on them, it’s good for you – you’ll be happy in what you’re doing, and everyone around you will be happy too. Happiness spreads, just like misery.
The past couple of years have been rough. I’m sure the global financial crisis has touched you in some way. It’s touched everyone. However, from chats with my writing colleagues, who’ve been building their writing skills and businesses, and are full-time writers, I know that their businesses have actually grown throughout the crisis. As companies strive to do more with less, they use freelancers more.
Therefore, building your skills, and developing your own writing ventures is the best thing you could do to insulate yourself and your family from future financial turmoil.
Let’s get back to talking about building your skills so that you can develop your own ventures.
Study and learn: and spread your wings
What are you learning at the moment? Do you set aside a little time each day to study? I hope you do. It’s essential. The more you know, the more you can earn, and the more opportunities will open for you.
I’m constantly learning. I schedule half an hour each day just to study (in practice, I spend much more than half an hour, but half an hour is what I schedule. Every day.) This makes good business sense for me, as it will for you. I love learning new things, and using what I learn to help others, and build my business.
Schedule your learning exactly as you do everything in your writing. Here’s the thing about learning: if you don’t make time for it, and just do what you’ve always done, and never step out of your comfort zone, you won’t just stay where you are — you’ll slide backward.
Take time to think about your business
In addition to studying, even day, make time each week to think about your writing career and business. What’s working well? What’s a disaster? What do you want to do more of?
Write a short report for yourself each weekend, describing what worked, and what didn’t in the past week, and also, what you have in mind for the upcoming week. Your own reports don’t need to be longer than half a page, but they fulfill a vital function — they help you to achieve your goals.
This coming week, think about your Web writing… what venture could you start? Happy writing. 
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I’m so glad that you see writers in the Philippines as contributors to some web enterprises, and not as competitors. Recently, I got a beating from someone in the U.S. for accepting $5 article assignments. She said I deserved to be scammed for accepting such cheap payments. She said her freelancing income has dropped to one-fourth of her previous earnings because of competition from Philippine writers accepting jobs from Craigslist. I pointed out to her the effects of globalization and the fact that there are high-paying writing jobs out there available only to Americans like her. Nevertheless, we also here are advising our fellow Pinoy writers (first-timers who are not familiar with the rates), including Indian writers, not to accept very cheap assignments because they’re pushing down the rates. But we don’t condemn them and wish something bad on them. On second thought, it’s the clients that should take the blame also. Try looking at the jobs advertised on Craigslist, and you’ll be aghast at the $1 rate for 500 words with a lot of must be’s, should be’s. Have a nice day, and thanks for your very helpful articles.
@naya – Some people in affluent countries don’t seem to realize that a dollar goes a lot farther in less wealthy economies than it does in their own. I found this link to be instructive http://trifter.com/asia-pacific/philippines/true-cost-of-living-in-the-philippines-for-2009/
I can appreciate the frustration of seeing $1 or even $5 offered for 500 words; I can’t work for those rates either. Instead I focus on improving and marketing my skills so that I can earn an income in line with my local economy.
Angela,
I can’t believe it. As I’ve read your blogs and other information, I seem to be developing my writing ability in leaps and bounds. I still either write for free or for scraps, but even my ability to see the writing world is improving. If I keep this up, I may even earn some real money one of these days! Keep writing and I’ll keep reading and dreaming!
Thanks for your work,
John