Finding a Job as a Writer

When people unsubscribe from one of my newsletters, I ask in a block for their reason for leaving. Some state they didn't find anything that they needed. Yes, the economy is rough, but jobs still exist for writers. The employers don't necessarily call them writers anymore.

I've worked over a decade analyzing the work market for writers. Boy, have things changed. I won't bore you with those shifts because some of you weren't writing twelve years ago and don't care. But in a nutshell, a writer isn't the same anymore.

First of all, they aren't called writers. They are communication specialists, public affairs specialists, editors, copywriters, media specialists, information developers, social media experts, reporters, researchers, bloggers, speechwriters and more. No one wants you to just write articles. They want you to add copy to websites, blog, Tweet, create press releases, compose speeches, review text, write captions, compose profiles, and more. Sometimes you're required to speak. Gasp, imagine that.

The term writer has morphed into communicator. You are a specialist of words, in any delivery method. If you stop and think about it, the change makes perfect sense. We no longer read just newspapers, print books or magazines. If that's your specialty, and you haven't grown, you are losing ground and opportunity. People expect their material, fiction or nonfiction, historical or contemporary, adult or children's, via all the methods available. Suddenly a Jack-of-all-trades IS the master.

Writing jobs are everywhere. But to find them, read between the lines and quit Googling for just "writer."

A few job sites to get you started:
http://writejobs.com/
http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/
http://www.writingcrossing.com/
http://www.freelancewriting.com/freelance-writing-jobs.php
http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/
http://www.statelocalgov.net/50states-jobs.cfm
http://write-jobs.blogspot.com/
http://journalism.berkeley.edu/jobs/list/jobs/
http://www.idealist.org/