Writing-World - the site for freelance writers

Ask Writing World: Is it possible to make money at home by proofreading?

 

Is it possible to make money working from home as a proofreader?

This is one of the questions I get asked most often, and the short answer is: yes.  It is.

I happen to think most things are possible if you work hard enough, though, so perhaps a better question here would be: is it EASY to make a living working from home as a proofreader?

Actually, I suspect this is what most people who ask the first question really wanted to know anyway, and the short answer to that one is: no. It most definitely isn't.

Ask Writing World: What are the best and worst things about blogging for a living?

(image: stock.chng)

Remember Skribit? It's that little widget that lives in the top right sidebar and allows you to ask me questions to answer here on the blog. And here's the first of them! You asked:

What are the best and worst things about blogging for a living?

I'm going to give you the bad news first. When I think about the downside of blogging for a living, the first thing that springs to mind is the sheer relentlessness of it. I work much harder and longer hours as a pro-blogger than I ever did in a "regular" job - as an example, I'm writing this at 9:30pm, and sometimes I feel like I never stop. As soon as one day's posts are written, I'm busy thinking up posts for the next day, queuing up articles to cover holidays, answering emails, trying to keep up with RSS feeds, analysing stats, you name it. Holidays are almost impossible, because I'm still currently a one-woman band. Weekends are a thing of the past. Every day I have to force myself to be creative, even if creative is the last thing I feel like, and I also have to be all things to all people: writer, editor, marketer, advertising executive, saleswoman, search engine optimisation expert, cleaner... The list goes on.

Then there are the blog trolls.

Ask Writing World!

Well, I've been back from vacation for almost a week now, and I'm only just getting around to updating Writing World, so I thought I'd try something new to get things started again.

Those of you who read my personal blog (Hi, both of you!) may have noticed the little Skribit widget sitting in the sidebar. It's basically an anonymous way for readers to ask me any burning questions they've been harbouring and so far it's been interesting to say the least. I've been asked to write about the life cycle of the green jelly baby (no, I have no idea why, either), what it's like living in Scotland, and, er, how much I'd sell my dog for. (Note: the Rubinman is not for sale! Unless he starts peeing on the washing machine again, in which case, take him...)

Anyway, I expect the questions from Writing World readers will be a little more focused: you're welcome to ask about green jelly babies if you wish, but I reserve the right not to answer, because this time the widget is here for you to leave me your questions about freelance writing and blogging. Now, I should state here for the record that I don't claim to be an expert on these fields, but as someone who's worked as a writer/blogger for many years now, I'll do my best to answer if I can.

Once you've left your suggestion/question, other readers are able to vote on it, so I can attempt to answer the most popular questions first - if I can! So, ask away!

Ask Writing World: How much money can you make from blogging?

Fran asks:

I'm thinking of setting-up my own blogs (on topics unrelated to your own), and I was wondering if you would be able to give me a rough idea of how much money I could expect to make from Adsense each month? I hope you don't think me rude for asking, but I've struggled to find realistic figures on the web; they all seem overinflated

Hi Fran,

To be completely honest with you, the answer to your question is that there is no answer. I could tell you what I make every month from Adsense, but it wouldn't give you any idea what you could hope to make from it because there are just so many variables to take into account. Your earning capacity from a pay-per-click program like Google Adsense, for instance, will depend on factors such as:

1. The niche you choose for your blog

Put simply, some subjects are always going to be more profitable than others. What you earn per click depends on how much the advertiser is willing to pay for that click, and that, in turn, depends on factors such as how competitive the niche is, how many other advertisers are also paying for adsense adverts, what time of year it is, how well the economy is performing and too many other factors to list here.

Our blogs are spread over a few different topic areas, but even within each niche, the cost per click, and what we earn per day/month/year can vary wildly. Traffic is also a big factor when it comes to earning from Adsense, and it's clear that some topics will generate more interest and therefore more traffic than others. If you choose a very specialist subject to blog about, for instance, you may find that your Adsense earnings will be smaller, or will at least plateau more quickly than a more popular topic, which gives you the opportunity to reach a much larger audience.

Ask Writing World: Do I need permission to use song titles in my story?

I'm writing (or trying to write) my first novel, and want to mention the name of a particular song, which is important to the two main characters. Am I allowed to do this, or will I get into trouble with the songwriter?  ~ Caroline, Massachusetts

Caroline,

If it's only a song title, and not song lyrics you're going to be quoting you should be fine, as titles aren't covered by the stringent copyright laws that cover other types of writing. Lyrics, on the other hand, are a whole different matter, and it can be quite expensive to obtain permission to use them in a written work. A song title shouldn't be a problem, but any queries like this will be cleared up by your publishers (assuming you're going to go the traditional publishing route) long before your book is even printed, so don't worry too much at this stage, and concentrate on the writing. Good luck!