I'm new to freelancing. What should I do first?
1- Buy a copy of latest edition of Writer's Market. Going to the library to skim it won't do. You'll need to STUDY it; which means taking it with you to the bathroom, beside your plate while eating dinner and propped on your belly at bedtime. (You'll eventually want to subscribe to their online version too.)
2- Polish your piece of writing. Don't assume God made editors to fix typos and grammatical errors. The quickest way to announce to a prospective buyer "I am NOT worthy" is to send in sloppy work.
3- When your work shines, re-visit WM and narrow down the best possible markets for it. You can try shooting for the moon from the get-go ie: sending it to the New Yorker, Reader's Digest or the Atlantic Monthly, but I don't recommed it. When you're brand, spanking new, you want clips (which you'll learn about in WM), your name in print and a bit of money. So I advise starting small; local papers, regional magazines etc. Your chances are much better of a first sale with them. When you want to get to the roof, you don't start on the last rung of the ladder.
4- Get used to rejection. Many famous writers collected hundreds of rejection slips before making a sale. If you do your homework, you won't set a new record. Learn from the "personalized" rejections; those kindly editors who took a moment to scribble a note. If it's "nice work, but not for us," take heart and look for a more appropriate place to send to next.
5- Don't send out 1 piece and spend the next 6 weeks staring out the window for the mailman, or checking your email every 3 minutes for a reply. Get something else out. Then something else. Having a dozen or more pieces circulating increases your chances of making a sale substantially.
6- Use this board. Review other threads. Go to school on other's experiences. There is a tremendous amount of information here.
7- Subscribe to writing-related newsletters. I usually botch posting urls, but I'll try to list a few I've found helpful. Information for subscribing is usually found somewhere on the home page.
www.absolutewrite.com
www.writersweekly.com
www.freelancewriting.com/
www.WritingForDollars.com
www.writelink.dabsol.co.uk/
8- Use the net. Many publications have a net presence now; making reviewing their content, style and contacts MUCH less expensive than the "old" days, when you had to buy a copy or 3. Many also have writer's guidelines posted, sometimes as such, sometimes under the heading "contact us." Learn to use search engines, such as Google. Using italics helps narrow search parameters. Typing "writer's guidelines" will keep you busy. Typing "knitting" "writer's guidelines" will narrow your results. Experiment though. (It's fun.)
The above mostly relates to those who want to write and sell articles, essays, columns etc. If your interests lie in commercial writing, there are many experts on this board in that field. I suspect one of them will amble along eventually and post some dos and don'ts.
Welcome aboard. Hang on to your hat. It's a wild and crazy ride.