Which Publishing Platforms Will You Use?

All freelance writers want to be published - including ghostwriters. We also want to be paid well for the work that we produce. We also want people to actually read what we have written. All three of these desires are determined by the publishing platforms that we choose to distribute our work in.

Not all publishing platforms work well with all writing specialties or with all writing styles. It is vital to your success as a freelance writer that you explore the publishing platform options to determine which platform will be easiest for your work to be published in, be profitable, and attract readers.

Here are the options:

• Print Books - This is ideal for extremely long pieces of work. You can take the appropriate steps to find a publisher for your work, or self-publish through a company such as Create Space. The good thing about this option is that it works for most specialties, as long as the book is properly marketed.

• Print Magazines, Professional Journals, and Trade Journals - Unless you are the publisher of such media, you will need to send query letters out to the editors of these types of publications. The pieces that you write for these publications must fit in well with the theme and format of the publications, and be of great interest to their subscribers and readers.

• Print Newspapers - Newspapers typically have writers on staff. They do, however, often accept Opinion pieces and articles from non-staff writers. Write the editor before you work on your piece to get an idea of what they accept - and pay for - from non-staff writers.

• Print Newsletters - Many organizations regularly send out newsletters to their members, clients, or employees. These are very targeted audiences, and you should write the editor for submission guidelines - providing that they accept submissions at all. You will also want to know if you will be paid if your submission is published.

• Websites - Websites need content. You can start your own website, or you can write content for other peoples websites. Website publishers often submit requests for bids through sites like Freelancer.com. The competition is tough, but if you are a good writer, you can quickly become a "go to" writer for multiple website publishers. 

• Blogs - Start your own blog, or provide content for other peoples blogs. You can use the same information above to break into this writing platform. Blogs need even more content than static websites.

• Digital Books or Ebooks - Get your name in lights on Amazon by using their Kindle Direct Publishing, also known as KDP, program. It is free to publish with KDP, and if you use Create Space for self-publishing your print book, you get an option to also offer your book in digital format through KDP as well.

• Digital Newsletters or Ezines - Digital Newsletter and Ezine publishers are very likely to purchase articles that you write for their publication. The work must be highly geared to their audience.

• Digital Newspapers - Some newspapers have both print and digital versions, some just have print versions, and others have only digital versions of their publication. Newspapers that only offer digital versions usually have staff writers, but they are more likely to accept content from non-staff writers than traditional newspapers.

• Article Sites or Content Mills - Sites like this include Helium, Hubpages, and Squidoo. I've used all three in the past, and I can assure you that unless you publish reams of content in hot niches, and you have time to market that content, you are not likely to make much money. On these sites, you earn money for page views and through shared revenue - such as when someone clicks on a Google Adsense ad. With that said, these platforms can be fun to be involved in, and it is a way to use content that has been rejected elsewhere. My philosophy is that every penny counts. Join up, add content that won't sell anywhere else, and enjoy the passive income...even if it is just a few cents. Just do not rely on this platform for a serious income.

• Article Sales Sites - These sites include Constant-Content and Ghost Bloggers. With these platforms you can write on spec or fulfill requests for content. When you submit your article, it will be edited by a human, and if it is accepted it will be listed for sale on the site at a price that you set. At the time of this writing, this is one of the four platforms that I currently use.

As you can see, there are numerous options, but you are not limited to one option at all. Depending on your writing specialty, your work may do well in a number of these platforms. If that is the case for your niche, before you start writing, determine which publishing platform you will be writing your piece for.