I don’t like calling myself an expert. Writing for money online is a field that is constantly shifting and changing, so calling myself an expert would be saying I am done learning which I am not. However, I am confident that I know 97.645% more about writing for money than most people who are interested in the field. That is one of the main reasons I started this blog.

I also remember how lost I was a few years back when I decided I wanted to launch a career writing online. I had no clue where to start. I didn’t even know if it was possible and I know a lot of new writers are in the same situation as me. I read a lot of sites such as Yahoo Answers and forums just to get a sense on what people are thinking when it comes to writing for money online. And the impression I am getting is that many people are willing to give it a shot, but just don’t know where to start.

What makes me sad is that these are the type of people that low-life scammers target. They pop up promising these new writers the world, but never deliver. Talented writers who had the opportunity to completely change their lives around lose the opportunity because their faith in earning an extra income online is shattered. I hope that by you being here that you won’t end up in the statistics of those who tried and failed. In fact I know that because you are taking the time out of your busy schedule to read these posts shows that you have the foundation and audacity to succeed, and I’m glad that I can help you.

The workforce is moving towards a more “freelance” based system. Companies are finding that is cheaper to contract outside help to fill a need, then to hire a full time employee. Writing is the perfect field for freelance work and its rise in popular has been matched by the rise in demand. But how do you land a contract or a job? That’s where the beginners run into trouble. I’ve seen people make websites that advertising themselves as freelance writers. I’ve seen people pass out flyers. I’ve seen people email big name newspapers.

If you are new to writing for money or a have ambition to start a freelance career, then I hope that you will stay away from those methods. When launching your career as a freelance writer you want to make sure that you spend most of your time writing, building your portfolio and resume, and developing a client base; not looking for work. The quality of your writing is really what is going to make or break your career, that why 90% of your time should be focused on produced quality content. So how do you land a project with only 10% of your time spent looking for work? The answer is simple: Elance.

What is Elance? Elance is a website that serves as kind of a meeting place for freelancers and companies searching for freelance talent. Companies can post jobs, hire freelancers, and pay freelancers straight from the websites. Freelancers can make a profile, bid on jobs, and build a reputation and clients. Elance is in fact one of the first place online that I really started making serious money. Let me explain more in-depth how it works.

Now this is just a board example, but the fundamentals work for most projects. Bob, an entrepreneur and visionary, wants to develop a website that focuses on “project management.” As a website owner, he or she does not want to spend all of time writing articles for the site. Bob feels like his time will be better spent building his brand and promoting his site. Therefore Bob posts a job on Elance asking for a writer who can write one 500 word article a week for 4 weeks with the potential of it turning into a longer term arrangement if the quality is good. The minimum amount you can bid on Elance is $50. You feel that $50 is a good price for 4 articles so you submit a bid for that amount and explain why you are the perfect candidate for the job. Bob hires you and you deliver the project on time. Bob is so impressed that he hires you for six more months and leaves a really positive review on your profile.

Yes it really is that simple.

Elance really goes give you a place to build your reputation and brand as a ghost writer. It gives you a lot of tools to use and makes the process of landing a project so much easier. Probably the best thing about Elance is the payment system. When you land a project with a client, he or she has the option of placing the amount you agreed on in Escrow. That way, you know that once you complete the project you will get paid. Elance also allows you to set up your payments in milestones. So once you complete a certain amount of your project, you can request a payment.

If you are new to the freelance scene Elance is the best place for you to start for many reason. Elance will protect you from getting ripped off as many young freelancers are prone to. They will make sure that if you do your part writing, you will get paid for it. As I said before, building a solid profile on Elance will do wonders for your credibility. I would in fact point some over to my profile on Elance instead of showing my resume.

Elance is a great place for you to start a career as a freelance writer. If you want to expand your business, Elance is also perfect for that. You will never run out of projects to bid on, and as long as you keep a clean record and do quality work you will make good money. Some of the top earners on Elance make well into the six figures. Don’t expect to make that right off the bat. But as you begin to build a reputation and a client base, you will see that your revenue will grow at an incredible pace.