Freelance writing becomes increasingly prevalent

According to a report in the Miami Herald, a growing number of Americans are turning to the world of content writing and other freelance work, in order to secure a regular income during a time of increasing unemployment and deep recession. As the number of full-time permanent positions decrease, people with writing talent are turning to short-term contracts or online content writing work instead. Sara Horowitz leads the US-based Freelancers’ Union and as head of this organization, she has noted a marked increase in the popularity of freelancing work. The organization estimates that freelancers now comprise fully 30% of all jobs in America. Not all of these freelancers are content writers, as some are illustrators, paid video bloggers, grant writers or even consultants.

New freelancers or content writers can often take inspiration from the veterans of this booming sector. For example, Michelle Goodman has been a freelancer for many years and even published a book, entitled Freelance Life—How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire. Goodman noted that the number one biggest advantage of working as a freelancer is the flexibility this line of work offers. No other employment would allow people to work from the comfort of their home, early in the morning, late into the night, or at any other convenient time of day.

The rise of the Internet and especially the advent of blogs, have helped fuel the freelance industry. Companies around the world have come to realize that by creating blogs or publishing original written content on their sites, they can expand their customer base and keep loyal clients in such a way that traditional advertising would never make possible.

Thank you to the Miami Herald for the initial report.