What's Your Writing Niche?

Do you have to establish a niche as a freelance writer? No, but you should.

I write about a lot of different subjects. My google page alone hasn't even been updated in months and has a very long list of subjects I've been paid to write about. I joke that I've become a Cliff Claven with many useless and little known facts. I surprise people sometimes when I begin spewing knowledge about an obscure subject. I think it's been great for my brain power in the last few years.

Despite my ability to write and research just about any topic, my defined niches are health writing, writing about writing, self-improvement, working at home and internet marketing writing and blogging. I've chosen these niches for several reasons. First, they interest me. Second, I enjoy researching them and third, they help me with my own success.

Reasons Behind Choosing A Writing Niche

By learning about health, I can be healthier. By writing about writing, I hone my skills and continue to learn how to be a better writer. With self-improvement...duh? (LOL)and being an internet marketing writer lets me learn skills that will help me improve my income levels and my goal of internet domination.

(I do aspire to build a monopoly and be known as an online tycoon. Don't think I can do it? Just watch me!
)

The point of today's post is to tell beginner writers that while it's great to have a wide breadth of subjects you can write about so you can get enough experience and enough earnings in the bank, it's a very good idea to build your niche as soon as possible.

Your niche will help you earn more and help you write quickly because you become a fountain of knowledge. Whether you're earning more because you're writing quickly, earning more because you've attained expert status and can command higher rates or a bit of both, it becomes very rewarding.

I once wrote twenty six articles about synthetic rubber in 3 days. It wasn't fun. It served a purpose because it got me a gig with a new company that brought me experience and money. I do still occasionally write about subjects I'm less than passionate about but after over 2 years of doing this, I'm doing that less because I'm making more money writing about subjects that excite me enough to get up and write before the coffee pot is finished brewing.

Every writing mentor and expert I come across tells people to carve out a niche for themselves. What are your niche(s) and why?

Freelancing Tips - Don't Do It All Yourself

Today's tip is through inspiration by Suzanne James, one of my mentors. Suz talks about doing everything yourself. This advice is very worthwhile. Even if you're a jack of all trades, that doesn't mean you're a master of all of those trades. Sometimes you need to make an investment in a particular area and get someone to do it for you.

As a writer running your own professional business, you should definitely learn a bit about every aspect of running a business but that doesn't mean you shouldn't delegate or outsource some things you're not awesome at. Take the time to hone your skills on specialties but don't be afraid to ask for help with various aspects of running your business such as SEO, bookeeping or accounting, graphic design or web design.

I firmly believe in learning as much as I can about every aspect of my business but I'd much rather pay $99 for a kick butt logo or pay to get my book cover designed by a pro than toil for days to make it myself and get a result that is just so-so.

Suz's post:
http://writer-writer.com/2008/05/19/the-diy-trap/