Where Have All The Writing Jobs Gone?

Updated on: by Jess Weaver

snailThe holidays are right around the corner and us work at home professionals need to earn some income. The sad part is that most writing work seems to be drying up. Places like Demand Studios, Merchant Circle and Textbroker are all drying up like a snail on hot cement.

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So the big question here is….where have all the writing jobs gone? The past few months have shown us nothing but less and less work. If you follow any of the work at home forums, then you know a lot of us are dealing with the same issues.

Where do you turn?

Understanding what to do next is a hard part of Freelancing. Luckily, a freelance writer has a ton of options. The biggest obstacle is figuring out which way you will turn when the content mills dry up completely. Even if these mills disappear the clients are still there.

The trick is to try and find the clients.

Don’t be afraid to try a new tactic for finding work. I am constantly trying to scope out new work. There are a few places I look everyday just to keep my feet wet. If I were to give my un-expert opinion in this matter, I would say that more of the freelance work is headed to bidding sites. Places like oDesk, Freelancer, and Guru are becoming increasingly popular. Of course, you can think outside of the box and look for your own interesting marketing techniques.

Should I give up on writing?

The easy answer would be, yes! But you and I both know that we won’t give up that easily. Textbroker is not the first content mill to go dry and it won’t be the last. Demand Studios may have been a great egg but there are others out there. What did people do before they heard about Textbroker and Demand Studios? Something big is coming soon for you, don’t worry.

In the meantime, let those content mills dry up. It’s time for you and I to take control of our writing careers or any career for that matter. Here are some things you can do while those content mills continue to frizz up like your hair on a rainy day.

  • Start marketing yourself
  • Build a website
  • Advertise your niche
  • Use email marketing
  • Be bold and branch out

Remember this quote as you remember why you got into this business to begin with.

If you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you’ll keep getting what you’ve been getting.

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Katie Jones

November 17, 2011 at 10:03 am

Great advice!

Anna

November 17, 2011 at 1:38 pm

Last time I logged in to Textbroker I noticed there was very very little work! And this is unusual for them.

Great advice, Jess! Thanks!

Lisa Mills

November 17, 2011 at 6:48 pm

That quote is so true. To make it as a freelancer, you have to be ready to seek out new opportunities and try new things. I’ve often found that when one door closes, an even better door opens up down the road.

Traci Bell

November 29, 2011 at 7:27 pm

Thank you for writing this. It has been depressing to log in to Textbroker to find next to nothing. One thing that has helped is to apply for teams, but the work is not steady on the teams either.