Freelance journalism allows those in the media to choose their own stories and topics and provide the reporting and investigations for sell to the highest bidders. Depending on the media, some publications require degrees while others don't. This new trend of not necessarily needing a journalism degree before entering the journalism field is partly due to the explosive number of blogs and other electronic sites courtesy of the internet. Within the past ten years, the number of freelance writers has tripled. Still, even those looking for jobs without a degree can sometimes find themselves under close scrutiny until they've built a solid clip file or other experience with magazine, newspaper or online writing.
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The newly defined freelance journalist must know how to prepare query letters, subject outlines, proposals and the correct formats different publishers might require. They must remain within guidelines and they must also be able to make deadlines. It's important to realize who freelancers are competing with. There are increasing numbers of overseas freelancers who are willing to outsource their writing, whether it's grammatically correct or not, for pennies on the dollar of what American writers expect and demand. On the flipside, those freelancers looking for job opportunities on any number of online job boards must remain cautious as well. Just in the past eighteen months, there have been countless reports of advertisements that promised fair pay and then either didn't deliver or changed the terms during contract negotiations. As with any career field, a healthy dose of caution and realism are necessary. It's the freelancer's responsibility to choose legitimate jobs.
Aside from the new availabilities via the latest technological advances, print publications are as vital to our society today as they were two decades ago. The traditional setting of a newsroom with breaking news tickers, courtesy of the Associated Press, still exists and as such, the need for these reporters and journalists remains steady.
Salaries vary, as one might expect. Those with traditional journalism degrees can earn significantly higher fees than those who choose to gain experience over education. Freelancing gives a writer the opportunity to determine his or her own salaries, depending on how hard they're willing to work. One who chooses to provide several articles or writings a week will earn far less than his competitor who chooses to provide several articles per day. Many freelancers always have a Pulitzer winning book in the making. For most journalists, becoming a published author of a novel is the ultimate goal. These would-be authors support themselves with writing jobs until a publisher takes notice of a query letter and requests the first hundred pages of their work.
Freelancing has many benefits; however, health insurance, vacations and retirement plans are left up to the writer since they work as independent contractors. They're responsible for ensuring all federal and state taxes are paid as well as any health insurance. Needless to say, it's a legitimate concern for freelancers. With that said, many insist it's worth the trade-off. The ability to work in the middle of the night if one chooses or to work only the early morning hours so that their afternoons are free to spend with family members far outweighs any downside to freelance writing. Those who've made a solid niche for themselves agree there's no better way to earn a living.
The continued trends aren't expected to change in the near future. Those with solid writing skills will always find available writing jobs to provide for themselves and their families.
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