As you know, the internet is a vast place, full of funny, entertaining and nonsensical content. Luckily journalists have a knack for discerning fact from fiction.
Still, even when digging for freelance advice, it’s easy to get lost in the myriad of blog posts, think pieces and articles. I often found sites advertising freelance jobs with very low pay or articles that were more so for content marketers than journalists. (That's part of why I started The Freelance Beat. It's a way to help up-and-coming freelancers navigate a sea of information.)
When I was getting started, I found a lot of misleading information along the way. In an effort to help you avoid bad advice, here are other sites (aside from this one) that have legit freelance resources on everything from negotiating rates and landing gigs to journalism courses and day-to-day industry news.
The Freelancer’s Union: The Freelancer’s Union, an organization which assists independent workers with workshops, benefits, and other resources, has a helpful blog with enlightening posts from fellow freelancers. Keep in mind the site helps freelancers across different industries, not just writers. That said, I do find their posts to be inspirational and informative. (And no, I’m not a member of the organization. I found them somehow through Twitter, and I’ve come to enjoy the site.)
Who Pays Writers: This site is a valuable resource for writers who want to know which publications pay, what they shell out per word and how long it took them to pay the writer. The crowd-sourced site collects anonymous submissions from writers and has a pretty substantial directory of outlets. It’s not a comprehensive database, but it gives you a sense of where you should start your rate negotiations.
Professional journalism organization sites: The Columbia Journalism Review and Poynter are among my favorites. They will keep you abreast of developments within our industry as a whole and offer courses and articles that can help you with your craft, getting gigs and the do’s and don'ts of freelancing. Here’s a list of articles I’d recommend from these sites:
Poynter: How freelance journalists can (mostly) avoid working for free
Poynter: Thinking about making the jump to freelance? Here’s what you need to know
Columbia Journalism Review: Survival strategies of an online freelancer
Columbia Journalism Review: A new website wants to disrupt how freelancers do business
Yes, this list is short. I’ve kept it short because these are sites that I visit often for news and information on freelancing or journalism. There are a lot of iffy sites out there for freelancers, but I figured I’d save you some time and point toward the ones that navigating the freelance business a little easier.
If you have more suggested sites for freelance journalists, leave me a note in the comments section or email contact@thefreelancebeat.com.
