Admittedly, the headline of this entry echoes the sort of e-mails I encounter in the Spam folder of my Gmail account. But, yes, you can actually make money by writing from the comforts of your home (or apartment or hobbit hole, whatever the case may be). Even though the death knell of print journalism has been sounded by many media-watchers (like Michael Gerson from The Washington Post), the rise of “new media” has arguably given writers more options to sell their wordy wares, albeit for far less pay than what more “traditional” writers typically earn. (Thus, this new model of “content creation” has emerged not without a fair bit of controversy).
In any case, if you’ve ever read an article hosted by About.com or Ehow.com, you’re already familiar with this emerging form of media (known loosely as “content media“). Basically, freelance writers get paid to write, usually on a by-the-word or by-the-article basis, by “content media” firms. Demand Media, the Yahoo! Contributor Network (formerly known as Associated Content), and About.com are some of the biggest players in this new industry. Each of these sites require you to register before you start writing (and getting paid), and some (like About.com) require training and evaluation before you can proceed. If you’ve ever gotten paid to “create content,” please share your experience by posting a comment.
While not exactly freelance work, Chicago-based Groupon is hiring writers and editors housed at their River North office. You may recall Groupon has made headlines recently for refusing a $6 billion takeover bid by Google. So if you have a knack for writing and a desire to get a cut on their inevitable initial stock offering, I suggest you apply to work there a.s.a.p.!