30+ Resources for Freelance Writers (with 7 Free Courses)

Considering going freelance? 

Or maybe you've already taken that step.

Here are some educational resources that can help you maximize success. 

Books

Cash Money Freelancing:  76 bright ideas to make more money from your freelance business
Tom Abrighton 

"When you go freelance, your fate is in your hands, and yours alone. No one is coming to the rescue. Very few clients will offer you more money than you ask for, no matter how deeply they value what you do. So if you want rewards, you have to hustle for them. That is an unchangeable truth of freelance life."

Secrets of a Freelance Writer: How to Make $100,000 a Year or More
Bob Bly 

"The first step to making a lot of money as a freelance writer is to avoid the 'poverty mentality' so many writers have."

The Well Fed Writer: Financial Self-Sufficiency as a Commercial Freelancer in Six Months or Less
Peter Bowerman 

"This business, while certainly not easy, is pretty simple, and entails a logical sequence of actions to be successful."

The Wealthy Freelancer
Steve Slaunwhite, Pete Savage, Ed Gandia

"As a freelancer, on those days when life is filled with roses and sunshine, it's easy to stay confident and upbeat. It's when the storms roll in -- and they will roll in -- that your mental toughness will be put to the test."

Survival Skills for Freelancers: Tried and Tested Tips to Help You Ace Self-Employment Without Burnout
Sarah Townsend

“What’s your response when someone asks you why you do what you do? Your initial thought may be 'To earn money', but money is a means to an end, not an end goal. Spend some time thinking about your purpose – the thing that drives you, and the reason you get out of bed in the mornings.”

The Flying Nun, A Light Bulb Moment and Me: 40 Years Making Money As a Freelance Writer (Hey, You Can Do It, Too!)
John Riddle

Don’t always accept what is being offered to you, whether it is for a magazine or an online assignment. If you feel it is worth more, don’t be afraid to ask!

The Freelancer's Business Brain: Work smart, win clients, make money (Freelance Writing Essentials) 
Tom Albrighton

While your work brain is serving customers out front, your business brain is in the back office, balancing books and drawing up plans. Together, your two brains make sure your freelance business is fiving you every thing you want.

"Seven great books, Scott, but which one should I start with?"

Use the Read sample feature on each book's Amazon.com listing. Along with the description, you should see enough to get an idea of which book best suits your style and your current needs. 

Free Courses

Get Paid to Write - https://elnacain.com/  You "pay" with your email address.

Freelance Writing Rockstar https://elnacain.com/course/rockstar/ You "pay" with your email address.

3 Steps to $1,000 Freelance Writing in 45 Days or Less - https://writingrevolt.lpages.co/3-steps-to-1k-reg  You "pay" with your email address.

Freelance Writing Path to Profits - https://writerslifeforyou.com/freelance-writing-path-to-profits/ You "pay" with your email address.

Break the Freelance Matrix - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7Dr13guodSNRjOFWyt13ltvpgSbPvJSu

Free Freelance Writing Course - https://carminemastropierro.com/free-freelance-writing-course/ You "pay" with your email address.

Learn How to Make Your First $1,000 Freelance Writing (in 30 Days or Less) -https://www.locationrebel.com/ You “pay” with your email address.

How to Land Your First Freelance Client - https://mindmycontent.mykajabi.com/land-your-first-client  You “pay” with your email address.

Free Guides

The Recession-Proof freelancer - https://freelancewriters.lpages.co/recession-proof-ebook-twl/ Learn how to find legitimate freelance writing jobs, earn a healthy income, and more. You'll "pay" with your email address.

The Ultimate Guide to Freelance Writing for Beginners - https://writerslifeforyou.com/freelance-writing-for-beginners/  Discover tools and resources to start freelancing and begin making money.

Paid Courses

38 Expert Tips for Writers on Medium - $49 Lessons and Exercises from the Top 100 Medium Writers & Stories  https://mediumwritingcourse.com/

Udemy: The Complete Freelance Writing Course $99.99, Start a Profitable Freelance Writing Business in 5 Weeks $99.99, The Complete Freelance Writing Online Course: Beginner to Pro $109.99 https://www.udemy.com/ 

Come Write With Us - $197 Crash course on launching a freelance writing career from scratch.   https://comewritewithus.teachable.com/

Earn More Writing - $199 Topics to help you start as a freelancer. https://earnmorewriting.com/

Creative Freelancing Freedom - $247 The essentials of becoming a freelancer. https://wanderful-world.teachable.com/p/creative-freelancing-freedom1 

Creative Class - $269 The business side of freelancing. https://creativeclass.co/

Freelance to 5K - $497 Skills you need to become a successful freelance writer.                                    https://inspire-your-success1.teachable.com/p/freelance-to-5k-2020  

The Writer’s Den - $40 per month with nearly two dozen courses (boot camps)  https://freelancewritersden.com/  

Freelance University - $59 per month with over 80 courses   https://www.freelanceu.com/university/

Free Articles

25 Things I Got Very Wrong, and Mostly Right, in 25 Years as a Freelancer - Matthew Fenton
https://winningsolo.com/25-things-i-got-wrong-and-right-in-25-years-as-freelancer/ 

Why Going Freelance Might Not Be the Best Fit for Every Marketing Writer - Scott Frothingham
https://contentandcopywriters.blogspot.com/2025/01/why-going-freelance-might-not-be-best.html

Go to https://www.awai.com/ and search freelance and get links to articles such as 7 Ways to Find and Attract Quality Freelance Writing Clients and How to Make Your First $1,000 as a Freelance Writer

20 Online Gold Mines for Finding Freelance Writing Jobs - Kelly Gurnett  https://thewritelife.com/find-freelance-writing-jobs/ 

17 Freelance Writing Niches That Still Pay Big Bucks in 2022 - Karen Mackenzie https://smartblogger.com/freelance-writing-niches/  

The 5 Hardest Things About Being a Freelancer - Neil Robertson  https://www.fourninemarketing.com/post/the-5-hardest-things-about-being-a-freelancer

40 Freelance Copywriter Survival Tips - Jonathan Wilcock
https://www.sowhatif.co.uk/freelance-copywriting-survival-tips/

Don’t put your daughter on the stage (or let her become a Freelance Copywriter) - Jonathan Wilcock https://www.sowhatif.co.uk/dont-put-your-daughter-on-the-stage-or-let-her-become-a-freelance-copywriter

Tips from New York's Busiest Freelancer - Laura Tannenbaum
https://adaged.blogspot.com/2023/05/tips-from-new-yorks-busiest-freelancer.html

Free Video

Asking 6-figure freelancers what “the secret” to $100,000 is - Deya  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7FZf4gSQFU 

BONUS

This doesn't fit as "training" but it does as a "resource." And free always comes in handy. Even if it's limited and positioned so the free version will ease you into an upgrade.

Free Portfolio Websites 

Journo Portfolio  https://www.journoportfolio.com/  free version allows up to 10 free articles

Clippings.me  https://www.clippings.me/  free version allows up to 10 free articles

There are many other portfolio sites suitable for freelance writers that offer a free trial (as opposed to a free version), including: Writer’s Residence, Writerfolio, Format, and Pressfolio.

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More Resources:

18 Free Copywriting Courses

17 Books Writers Must Read

24 Free SEO Courses

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What you get out of any training, free or paid for,
is based on the commitment (time, attention, practice, etc.) 
you put into that training.

Education without action is entertainment.

You can take all the courses and read all the books,
but if you don't put that information into practice,
you're not going to get where you want to go.

_________________________

 I am not affiliated with or compensated by any of these courses/books/guides/articles/exercises, their authors, websites, or corporate entities. They are not listed in any particular order.

In Praise of the List

 

A list can be an effective tool for copy and content writers. Lists …

… can force the reader’s eye to follow a specific path

… make it easy for the reader to read/skim

… make the complicated appear simple and practical

… give the impression of being definitive

… present a lot of information in a less daunting, digestible way

… give the reader an idea of what to expect

… offer information in a format people are familiar and comfortable with

… deliver information quickly to distracted readers

… can be easy to write with ready-made structure/organization

"I love the way a list makes a big hodgepodge of things
simmer down and behave."

Blue Balliett

"Lists simplify, clarify, edify."

Tom Peters

"Lists are a form of power."

A.S. Byatt

Overcoming an Image Problem

In mid-1970's America, the common opinion was that light beer tasted weak. That it was a beer for women.

The Miller Brewing Company’s (now MillerCoors) wanted to increase light beer sales. To do that, they they needed to change the way their product was viewed by the majority of beer drinkers: men.

 

Taking the debate head-on, Miller and their ad agency McCann-Erickson Worldwide focused on the message: masculine men are comfortable drinking light beer, so you should be too.

The campaign featured macho role-models, such as popular pro football players, drinking their light beer in over the top masculine ways and declaring it great tasting. Or less filling.

In the prime of the campaign, television commercials typically portrayed a friendly machismo competition between the two features/benefits, with one side of of their celebrity Lite Beer drinkers extolling its great taste followed by others who debated it was less filling.

Hilarity ensued.

The commercials then closed with: “Lite Beer from Miller: Everything you’ve always wanted in a beer. And less.”

Their “Tastes Great, Less Filling” campaign is ranked by Advertising Age as the eighth best advertising campaign in history.

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Interested in beer advertising? Check out:

The Most Interesting Man in the World

The Halloween Lagniappe

I bought more Halloween candy than we'll have trick or treaters. A lot more.

Not for snacking on November 1, but for the Halloween lagniappe.

 

A lagniappe is what my friends in New Orleans call a small surprise gift that a merchant adds to a customer's purchase. Think "baker's dozen" = 13.

In that spirit, when a pint-sized superhero, princess, or Hogwart's student rings our bell and greets me with "trick or treat" when I open the door, I'll give them a piece of candy.

That's when I'll start having fun. With the lagniappe. As I do every Halloween.

"That's a great costume," I say. "I think you deserve another piece of candy."

And plop, another piece of candy goes into their goodie bag and is greeted with a big smile ... often behind a mask ... but I can see it in their eyes. "Uh. Wow. Thanks, mister." often follows.

"Have a few more," I say as I put three or four more pieces in their bag.

That usually gets a wide-eyed look of surprise and joy as they realize they've hit the motherload of the annual knock-on-doors-and-get-candy scam.

Sometimes when they scamper across the front yard to a waiting and waving parent, I yell, "Wait a minute." And when they stop and turn around, I challenge them: "Can you catch this in your bag?" and toss them an other piece of candy. 

They're happy even if they don't catch it and have to pick it up. Ecstatic when they position the bag properly for a catch.

When I was a kid, the big hit was the house that was giving out full-size chocolate bars.

I think a bunch of small chocolate bars is better. Seems like a bigger haul.

I hope trick or treaters in this millennium feel the same. 

Either way, I'll know they'll be having fun.

Maybe as much as I'll be having.

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But this is a blog for marketing writers. 

And I do have something more on point.

Just sometimes I need to recharge by writing something just for the joy of writing. Such as writing about giving candy to diminutive Captain Americas, Moanas, and Harry Potters.

So, back to marketing writing:

Please, please, please as we approach Halloween, exercise your creative muscle and avoid overused words, phrases, and puns like:

Spook-tacular

Monster Deals

Frightfully Good (and its cousins Horrifyingly Good and Spooky Good)

Spook-tober

Treat Yourself

Eerie-sistable 

Boo-tiful 

You will not stand out (and thus not get attention or generate curiosity) using them ... especially in tired old headlines and email subject lines such as:

Trick & Treat Your Way to a Bargain This Halloween

Get These Spooky Deals Before They Ghost

Ghouls Just Want to Have Fun 

Treat Yourself This Halloween with Our Spooktacular Offers

Witch-ing  You a Happy Halloween

No Tricks, Just Treats 

NOTE: I give you permission to use "Trick or Cheese." Once. In an applicable spot. But don't let anyone know I had anything to do with it.