How to Become a Fulltime Freelance Writer: A Practical Guide to Setting Up a Successful Writing Business at Home

Think you're ready to take the plunge into a full-time freelance writing career? This hands-on resource provides scores of real-life success tips for becoming a professional full-time writer—all based on solid experience. This guide approaches writing as a career where hard work and management skills are just as important as talent. Readers will discover how they can plan their transition to a full-time writing career; tips for managing cash flow, accounting, taxes and other business issues; detailed plans for generating income as a writer in non-traditional ways; and much more. They'll also find many ready-to-use checklists as well as helpful lists of writers organizations, online writers networks, and other resources specifically targeted for the working writer.

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I found Banks's book easy to understand, thorough, and a delight to read from cover to cover. From his advice on marketing to writer's block to financial management and more, Banks speaks to the reader in enthusiastic yet well measured tones.

Frankly, most writing career books leave me quaking in my boots. They seem to sneer, "How dare you, a mere mortal, presume to write for a living without first draining the blood from your body and climbing Mount Everest sans sub-zero parka?" Instead, Banks's refreshing style left me objective rather than dejected about my options as a writer.

Thank you, Michael Banks, for a well researched, well written, and thoroughly enjoyable book!

18 of 21 found the following review helpful:

A straightforward and practical guideMay 16, 2003
How To Become A Fulltime Freelance Writer: A Practical Guide To Setting Up A Writing Business At Home by professional author Michael A. Banks is a straightforward and practical guide to earning a living by writing full-time. Individual chapters address the skills and character traits necessary to supporting oneself through writing, financial planning for writers, relationships with agents and editors, sources of extra income, and much, much more in this well-thought-out compendium that should be required reading for all aspiring writers who hope to establish themselves professionally.

59 of 59 found the following review helpful:

Another good addition to Freelance Writing How-To BooksMar 11, 2003
Mr. Banks has produced a fine how-to guide for anyone interested in the field of freelance writing. As with most books of this genre, he gives an honest, forthright evaluation of both the possibilities and the pitfalls of striking out on your own as a freelance writer.

The book deals with subjects such as finances for writers, dealing with the day-to-day routine of writing, and even has hints about what to do if your writing career doesn't go as far or as fast you'd like.

Although he does touch on other ways for a writer to pull in income, this book deals mainly with writing for publication. Writing for business is only mentioned as an additional way to make money but does not go into much detail as to how to get started in business/commercial writing.

Since commercial writing (writing for business and industry) is where the money is, and if you don't mind writing things that don't give you a byline, you may want to consider the "classics" on freelance writing by Bly or Bowerman in addition to or instead of this book.

However, this book is another fine introduction to the sometimes-difficult field of freeelance writing and you will benefit from it should you decide to buy it.