Forget writing for the thrill of seeing your name in print, or worse yet, for the “exposure.” Freelancers should be paid—and paid well—for their work. If you dream of making a good full-time living or a second income as a freelancer, you need more than writing ability. You need a businesslike mindset, the ability to locate and pitch lucrative markets, efficient work habits, and relationships with people in your industry.

During the author’s first year of fulltime freelancing, she only made $17,000. But by her sixth year, she cracked the six-figure mark. After interviewing dozens of other six-figure freelancers, the author first published Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer’s Guide to Making More Money in 2005. Now the book’s been revised and updated for its second edition.

Six-Figure Freelancing will show you how to:

•Take a business-like approach to your freelance career;
•Negotiate more writer-friendly contracts with editors and clients;
•Identify lucrative freelance markets;
•Pursue book projects;
•Create your own writing templates;
•Work more efficiently;
•Create and maintain relationships with clients and colleagues;
•Set short- and long-term goals for your writing career;
•Branch into lucrative new freelance areas; and
•Sustain a successful long-term career.

Now, in 2013, even while the economy has tanked and the publishing world has undergone dramatic change, there are plenty of promising opportunities for freelancers. This updated, expanded version of Six-Figure Freelancing includes an entirely new section on markets; advice about using social media and blogging to build your career: more sample queries and templates, and the latest advice from successful six-figure freelancers you can use to sustain a long-term freelance career.

Author Kelly James-Enger has been a fulltime freelancer for more than 16 years; her work has appeared in more than 60 national magazines including Redbook, Self, Runner’s World, Fitness, and Parents. A freelancing expert, she’s the author of books including Dollars and Deadlines: Make Money Writing Articles for Print and Online Markets and Writer For Hire: 101 Secrets to Freelance Success.