A lot of new writers come to us with stars in their eyes and hope in their hearts — they’re ready to make great money as writers… they know they’ll enjoy it… they want the freedom that comes with it…
But the one thing holding them back is the great big question of HOW?
How do I get started? What do I do first? Is this for real?
Our job is to show you that getting started in paid writing is relatively simple if you follow a few proven steps, and then we show you the best order we’ve found in which to take those steps.
How can Barefoot Writer help you as you progress through these steps?
This page will help you navigate all the different resources Barefoot Writer has to offer.
Table of Contents
We answer your questions about how to get started in the world of paid writing
We consistently hear many of the same questions from those who are just starting out on the path to well-paid writing.
So, we developed a set of resources to answer many of the pressing questions you may already have about how to make a living as a writer.
Check out any of these resources to find out more:
- How to Get Started as a Writer – Discover the best opportunities for writers today, and the first steps you can take to start your writing career.
- Can You Make Money as a Writer? – Make a plan for your writing income goals and how to achieve them.
- How to Get Paid as a Writer – Learn the easiest ways to get paid as a freelance writer, even if finances aren’t your “thing.”
- Chart Your Writing Career Path – Choose the writing career path that’s best suited for you, and plan your transition to a freelance writing career.
- Is It Hard to Become a Writer? – Find out the shortcuts to success that will shorten your learning curve and accelerate your success as you become a professional writer.
If you still have any outstanding questions, try browsing our blog or searching the overall Barefoot Writer site. There’s a good chance we’ve covered your question in one of our past blog posts or elsewhere on the site.
You can also click here to download our FREE report on 9 ways to make money as a writer.
And as a paid Barefoot Writer member, you’ll also receive many additional resources. Get the full list of resources here.
What we believe
Here at Barefoot Writer, we’re guided by a specific set of core values. These values have been tested over time by our members.
They’ve carried our group past challenges and toward more wins, more often.
And they’ve strengthened our mission as a group.
If you can get on board with what we believe, then you’re in a good position to join us and launch your paid writing career. Here’s the first core value we live by:
Core Value #1: “Talent is common.”
Our Barefoot Writer Club is filled with talented writers. Some are right up there at the genius level.
But talent doesn’t matter that much when you begin your writing career. It doesn’t matter much when you’re a working, high-earning writer either.
Talent is nice to have, and if you have an interest in writing, then chances are you have a knack for it.
But what really matters, at least here in the Barefoot Writer World, is what you do after you recognize that talent.
We’re not the only ones who think so. Donald Hall, the great American poet, writer, and literary critic, once said, “Mere literary talent is common; what is rare is endurance, the continuing desire to work hard at writing.”
He’s right. Anybody with a smidgen of talent can pursue a writing career. But it’s those who are willing to hone their skills, and to keep at it over time, who will achieve their goals of freedom and income through writing.
Core Value #2: “Your voice has value.”
One of the best things about Barefoot Writing — but sometimes the hardest thing to learn at first — is that your own voice is full of power and possibility.
Nobody else has had the experiences you’ve had. Nobody else has looked at life through the unique lens you enjoy.
And when you develop your own voice through writing, you’ll find that nobody else writes like you.
That’s a powerful skill, and it sets you apart from those who still blend into the confines set by high school English class.
When you learn to express yourself through your own narrative, and you take that ability to express and weave it through copy for paying projects, you’ll have a powerful skill forever at your disposal.
But it starts with accepting that your voice is powerful. Don’t limit your writing voice so you sound like someone else. Be you in the way that only you can.
Core Value #3: “You deserve to be paid and paid well for your writing.”
The skills Barefoot Writer Club members learn go beyond just words.
What you’re really doing as a persuasive writer, whether you write for your own money-making ventures or for paying clients, is creating ideas and feelings.
Those ideas and feelings prompt action — and that’s where the magic happens. That’s where businesses get launched. That’s where exchanges start to take place.
So whether the goal of what you’ve written is to get people to buy something or donate money or sign up somewhere or show up somewhere, what you’re really aiming for is action.
It’s that action that gets the wheels of commerce going, or brings people together, or joins ideas and creates communities.
And that is a skill worthy of compensation.
So, as we tell our members, don’t ever let someone talk you into writing for free, or for a lowball fee. Your work is valuable, and you deserve to make great money for it.
Core Value #4: “Courage counts here.”
This core value stems from a quote by the great basketball coach John Wooden: “Success is never final; failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts.”
From where we sit, that sums up a lot of what goes into writing long term. At the beginning, you may have some failures. You’ll also have some successes. But failures don’t break you, they teach you. And successes don’t seal your fate; they also teach you.
What’s important when you’re launching a new career as a writer is that you stick with it over the long haul and don’t get waylaid by any ups or downs you encounter as you go.
As a Barefoot Writer, you’ll have plenty of support and help and fun along the way of building your new writing career.
But you may also face some ups and downs — we all do, you know.
When that happens, stick to your courage and keep putting one foot in front of the other. In the end, when you have the writing career and the security and the freedom that comes with it… you’ll agree it was all worth it.
Who is AWAI?
American Writers & Artists Institute (AWAI) is our parent company and publisher.
AWAI is also the world’s leading provider of copywriting training programs and services.
AWAI opened its doors in 1997 and has helped thousands of people launch successful careers in paid writing, and copywriting in particular. They do this through training programs, events, exclusive communities, and regular communications and outreach.
Just below is a video about AWAI that tells you more about what they do and what they’ve done for working writers. And here’s a page of frequently asked questions about AWAI.
Getting-Started Webinars
Webinars are a terrific way to get insight into the field of writing while hearing and learning about the facts around that topic.
AWAI, our parent company, runs a monthly FREE webinar series called Inside AWAI. These are designed to answer every question you may have about launching and living your life as a paid writer.
Each webinar is saved in the Inside AWAI library, complete with webinar playback, audio playback, and downloadable webinar slides.
Here are some of the topics they’ve already covered that you might enjoy:
- Creating a Personal Roadmap to Well-Paid Writing
- How to Make Your FIRST $1,000 as a Freelance Writer
- How to Create a Winning Writing Portfolio (Even If You’ve Never Had Any Clients!)
- Setting Up Your Freelance Writing Business
- 26 Ways to Find Freelance Writing Clients
Additional Benefits for Paid Members
Millions of marketers all over the world will want to hire you once you’ve learned the key Barefoot Writing secrets that make your writing skills a marketable asset.
As a Club Member, you’ll learn how to give yourself multiple advantages over others trying to simply “sell” their writing.
In the Barefoot Writer magazine, Club members learn things like:
- The fastest way to become a freelance writer
- Which careers for writers are the easiest to break into – and which ones pay the most
- What skills you need to get paid to write (no school required!)
- How to get well-paid writing gigs and start earning good money, fast
- How to find real writing jobs with clients who will value your skills
- How to nail your writing assignments so companies love you and call on you again and again
- And so much more!
Barefoot Writer magazine is packed with new information each month to help you achieve your dreams.
You’ll enjoy interviews with established writers who share their tips and insights, plus feature articles on becoming a better writer, thinking like a writer, and the best writing tools.
All of this gives you an edge so you can compete for and win the best freelance writing gigs.
Plus, you’ll get these member perks:
- Our full archive of past issues of Barefoot Writer magazine, so you can read every article and interview at your convenience.
- Access to our Members Only Facebook group, where you’ll get real-time answers to your questions, additional tips and information, and an opportunity to network with other writers.
- A chance to build your portfolio and earn writing fees by writing for Barefoot Writer magazine. Plus, you’ll enjoy three opportunities EVERY month to win $100 in our Barefoot Writer contests.
- Discounts on AWAI learning programs — sometimes as much as 50% off! — so you can build your writing skills and draw from our treasure-trove of expert tips.
- And much more!
Some membership clubs charge monthly, up to $97 a month, or even more. But you can enjoy all this and more, for one low annual fee that’s less than most people pay at the pump on any given day...
This is the best way to discover your path to well-paid writing, plus how to get started.
Become a Member of the Barefoot Writer Club today!
Other questions?
If there’s anything we didn’t cover here, please check out our FAQ page or contact us directly via phone or email through our contact page here.
We’ll get you an answer as soon as possible!
And once you’re a member of the Barefoot Writer Club, you’ll have 24/7 access to our members-only private Facebook page, where new and experienced writers hang out and ask and answer questions about every writing topic under the sun.
