Have you ever thought about being paid to write? Chances are, you have — or at least considered it. After all, you have a decent vocabulary, an encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture, and an affinity for numbers. But is all that enough to get you paid? While it certainly wouldn’t hurt, it probably isn’t. Luckily, there’s another way. You can become a freelance writer, and with a little bit of luck, you can get paid to write biblical blogs! Let’s take a look at how to do that.
Decide What You Want To Write About
Before you start looking for freelance writing gigs, you need to decide what you want to write about. Think about your interests, hobbies, and passions — the things that you find interesting, exciting, and/or entertaining. These are the things that your potential clients will come back to time and time again. It’s a good idea to come up with a pitch. This is a short, snappy pitch that will entice your readers to pick up your manuscript. As a writer, you’ll be developing pitches for different platforms and publishing outlets. This is just one of them. It’s ideally suited for a Christian blog or website. If you’re looking for a complete list of pitch topics, check out the Publication Manual at the end of this article. Keep in mind that your pitch should be engaging and contain solid content. Let’s take a look at what a pitch for Christian blogging might look like.
Find Your Voice
The second you have your pitch, you need to find your voice. Does it sound like “the voice of a Christian” or “the voice of an evangelical”? It’s important to establish yourself as an authoritative voice in your industry. Even better, establish yourself as the go-to person in your industry. If you have a specific audience in mind, like pastors or priests, you can develop a tagline that will make them want to listen to your stories. Once you have your pitch and voice in place, it’s time to move onto the next step.
Put Yourself Out There
Now, you’re going to need to put yourself out there. Just like there are specialized pitches for different industries, there are specialized places you can pitch your manuscript. If you’re writing for a Christian publication, you can pitch your story to Christian blogs and forums. Or if you’re writing for an entertainment site, you can pitch to movie and television critics, game reviewers, and journalists. It depends on what your interests are. But, you need to put yourself out there — especially if you’re looking for freelance work. You can start by simply entering your email address in the appropriate places. That’s all it takes. You’ll start to see notifications pop up in your inbox. If you end up with more than a few notifications, it’s a good sign that you’ve found a publisher who is interested in your work.
Follow The Book
Once you’ve found a few interested publishers who want to talk to you about your topic, it’s time to line up the contracts. Before you can begin to write, you’ll need an agent who will navigate the Byzantine world of literary contracts for you. Even then, you might need an editor to go over your work before it’s published. So, it’s important to work with people who know what they’re doing. Fortunately, there are reputable agents who specialize in representing authors in the Christian market. And for each of these agents, there’s a different way you need to go about putting in the work. For example, some agents will require a partial or full manuscript — depending on the project — and a substantial amount of material prior to starting to negotiate the contract. Others will want you to submit a fully completed manuscript and be paid once the contract is signed. It’s a good idea to speak with more than one agent before making a decision.
Get The Money
After you’ve successfully signed a contract with a literary agent, the real work begins. Even then, it might not be easy to get paid. Depending on the terms of the contract, you might not see any money for a while. But, as a writer, this is what you’ve been working for. So, take heart! You’re going to start seeing some money soon. Just remember, this is a business — and like any business, it doesn’t always go smoothly. But with a little bit of patience, you’ll be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
The moral of the story is, there are multiple ways you can get paid to write. But, to be clear, not all of these ways are good. You need to be picky about the projects you take on. Make sure the terms of the contract are favorable and that you get everything in writing. Even then, you might need an attorney’s help. If you want to be paid to write, consider all the different ways you can make that happen. And when you do get paid, make sure you celebrate!