Freelance Writer

Explore employment trends, required job duties and skills for this career. ASU offers a variety of degrees that can help you prepare for and meet your career goals. Visit ASU's Career and Professional Development Services to learn how to develop your career plan.

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Potential job titles in this career

Author, Book Author, Children's Book Author, Creative Writer, Fiction Author, Freelance Writer, Lyricist, Novelist, Poet, Songwriter

* Additional schooling, certification, or degrees maybe be required for some of the potential careers that are listed.

What will I do?

Write fiction or nonfiction prose, such as short stories, novels, biographies, articles, descriptive or critical analyses, and essays.

Develop factors such as themes, plots, characterizations, psychological analyses, historical environments, action, and dialogue to create material.

Prepare works in appropriate format for publication, and send them to publishers or producers.

Revise written material to meet personal standards and to satisfy needs of clients, publishers, directors, or producers.

Confer with clients, editors, publishers, or producers to discuss changes or revisions to written material.

Choose subject matter and suitable form to express personal feelings and experiences or ideas, or to narrate stories or events.

Conduct research to obtain factual information and authentic detail, using sources such as newspaper accounts, diaries, and interviews.

Plan project arrangements or outlines, and organize material accordingly.

Follow appropriate procedures to get copyrights for completed work.

Attend book launches and publicity events, or conduct public readings.

In this career, it is important to know

English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

History and Archeology - Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

It's useful to be good at

Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).

Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.

Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

Employment trends

Location	Pay period	2022
Location	Pay period	10%	25%	Median%	75%	90%
United States	Hourly	$19.04	$24.51	$35.17	$50.48	$77.53
United States	Yearly	$39,610	$50,980	$73,150	$105,000	$161,260
Arizona	Hourly	$15.90	$22.06	$27.96	$35.53	$41.05
Arizona	Yearly	$33,080	$45,880	$58,150	$73,900	$85,390

2022 Median%
United States	$35.17 Hourly	$73,150 Yearly
Arizona	$27.96 Hourly	$58,150 Yearly

Employment (2022)

151,200 employees

Projected growth (2022 - 2032)

Slower than average (2% to 3%)

Projected job openings (2022 - 2032)

15,500

* Data obtained from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) under sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA).

What are accelerated programs?

Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.

3 year programs

These programs allow students to fast-track their studies after admission and earn a bachelor's degree in three years or fewer while participating in the same high-quality educational experience of a 4-year option. Students should talk to their academic advisor to get started.

Accelerated master's

These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).

Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Acceptance to the graduate program requires a separate application. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master’s during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.

What are concurrent programs?

Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.

What are joint programs?

Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.

What constitutes a new program?

ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the “New Programs” option.

What are online programs?

ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.

What is the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)?

The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is a program in which residents of western states (other than Arizona) may be eligible for reduced nonresident tuition. See more information and eligibility requirements on the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program.