Most Overlooked Freelance Writing Gig?

freelance newspaper jobs

by Joe Wallace

While researching another topic, I ran across an old post at Writing-World.com by Sue F. Lick about freelance jobs for local newspapers. A lot about the newspaper industry has changed since Sue Lick’s article appeared back in 2002, but the newspaper shouldn’t be overlooked just yet when it comes to supplementing your freelance income.

I know at least two writers who contribute regularly to their hometown newspapers, usually netting about $75-$150 per article at around 1200 words per or less. In bigger cities you may have trouble breaking in, but for freelancers living in rural areas this publication credit has two things going for it–one, you get street cred with the other publications in your local area.

Two, if you try to market your services to local businesses, you’ve got that lovely clip to refer to establishing yourself as a “serious writer”. Never underestimate the power of your local press to give you a foot in the door with local business.

The humble newspaper may be an endangered species, and elsewhere on this site I’ve all but dug their graves for them. But some savvy publishers are actually beginning to figure out how to use web 2.o practices and traditional print methods…and in at least one case recently doing better than breaking even. The papers are down, but not out. Not yet. Cash in, freelancers!

5 thoughts on “Most Overlooked Freelance Writing Gig?”

  1. That’s how I broke into the business way back when, and you’re right about building clips and cred. But I wonder how many papers even have $75 sitting around right now.

    I mention that because I had a bad experience a year or so ago with a small rural paper that used a photo and part of an article without permission and without crediting me. I’d sent it to them as a pitch and never heard back from them.

    I didn’t have the urge to fight it, and, it’s a small enough town that I really didn’t want to have my name dragged through the mud.

    So, just a word of caution…

  2. My sister is currently earning $90 a pop working freelance for local her paper doing features…I think these locals are trying to keep local content alive without paying a staff, so they’re outsourcing like crazy…

  3. My local paper pays $50 for stories and is still using freelancers, but I’m sure that it depends on where you live and the individual paper’s budget. Things are tight all over…

    Sorry about the bad experience Jake–that really stinks!

  4. Aw, heck, I’m not looking for sympathy 🙂

    Just wanted to put myself out there as a warning to those who are new to FLing or, like me, occasionally become complacent. Having been at the freelance game for more than a decade now, that it never fails to amaze me what liberties people are willing to take with someone else’s intellectual property in the absence of an explicit agreement.

    If you’ve got a standing agreement, you’re probably covered.

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