24 Must Read Blogs for Freelancers, Designers, Bloggers etc.

A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is somebody who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long term. Fields where freelancing is common include; cosmetics, fragrances, journalism, book publishing, journal publishing and other forms of writing,editing, event planning, event management, copy editing, proofreading, indexing, copywriting, computer programming, web design and graphic design, consulting, tour guiding, and translating.

Freelance practice varies greatly. Some require clients to sign written contracts, while others may perform work based on verbal agreements, perhaps enforceable through the very nature of the work. Some freelancers may provide written estimates of work and request deposits from clients.

Freelance writing certainly has many advantages and can be rewarding too. It goes without saying that in order to become a freelance writer, you got to love writing. But you should also consistently work on sharpening your skills. And how do you do that? Reading well-written articles and blogs is a very good start! This can help you write innovative and appealing content. As I am new to freelance writing myself, in order for me to improve my skills as a writer/blogger I read blogs with good writing. My current favorites run the gamut from straight news to very personal, from blogs that provide tips for improving your writing to sites that tell writers how to change their freelance business to keep up with the times. In today’s post I have decided to list blogs that which should be on every freelance blogger’s RSS feed reading list. This is not a definitive list as there are many more good blogs. But still it’s a useful list which I hope you will enjoy.

Advertisement

1. Mashable

You can’t be an independent writer without using social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, and Mashable is one of the best sources for keeping up with what’s new.

2. Problogger

Problogger is written by Darren Rowse and teaches the art of blogging and making money through it. In spite of being one of the most famous blogs on the planet, Darren still maintains the same old way of writing articles which are useful, impressive and easily understandable.

3. Copyblogger

Brian Clark is an authority when it comes to blog writing and you cannot afford to miss any of his articles if you want to become a good writer. Seriously.

4. Penelope Trunk’s Brazen Careerist

As Penelope Trunk’s said herself, you won’t see an ad on her blog yet it’s made her bundles of money, because she’s used it to create a business, launch a speaking career, write books, etc. Want to make money as a blogger? Follow Trunk.

5. Freelance Switch

Written by the best freelance writers and edited by Skellie, this blog presents insightful articles which include tips and tricks for freelancers and web workers. Thanks to it’s great content, the blog has achieved huge growth in the past one year and should be on your reading list too.

6. Reflections of a Newsosaur

Alan Mutter brings his unique experience as an ex-newspaper guy turned venture capitalist to this erudite blog that examines the evolution of the news business from ink and paper to bits and bytes. Never one to pull punches, Mutter explains in plain English what newspapers continue to do wrong while offering intelligent advice for what media companies old and new should be doing today and in the future.

7. Seth Godin

Seth’s unique and candid style of writing makes his blog a must read for all writers and bloggers.

8. Regret The Error

Craig Silverman’s compilation of newspaper and magazine corrections operates under the assumption that someone needs to hold news media accountable and by pulling corrections together it’s serving a larger purpose . It’s also a great example of how a lone writer can carve out a niche for themselves, and make a difference.

9. Write To Done

Write To Done is written by Leo Babauta, an experienced writer and a prolific blogger. Not only does he write great content he has an amazing writing style which is simple yet captivating.

10. There Are No Rules

Writer’s Digest Publisher Jane Friedman uses her blog to talk about changes happening in all forms of media, including magazines and book publishing, and what writers need to do to keep up. She also shares about upcoming Writer’s Digest classes and events, making it a good way to keep tabs on the magazine if you don’t get to the website very often. On Fridays, Friedman lists the best links, quotes and inspirations for writers she found on Twitter that week.

11. 43 Folders

Although Merlin doesn’t write much these days, his blog still remains one of the most useful productivity blogs with some very nicely written articles.

12. Men With Pens

This blog is written by James and Harry, both of them being professional and without a doubt, amazing writers. A must read blog if you aim to improve your writing skills and write impressive content.

13. Personified

For those who don’t know, Chris is probably the best and the most sought after freelance WordPress designer (am not sure if he is doing freelance work any more). He doesn’t write much but when he does, the articles are too good to miss. He also created an immensely popular WordPress called Cutline.

14. BusinessJournalism.org

The recently reorganized website of the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism at Arizona State University includes several blogs worth tuning in. One is freelance business writer  Melissa Preddy’s Story Ideas blog, where she shares suggestions for business stories five days a week, including tips for localizing national news and trends.

15. Freelance Folder

16. The Writers Manifesto

Freelance Writing is about sharing the knowledge of making money on the Internet. It is about blogging,freelancing, affiliate marketing and Internet marketing and helping you to establish yourself as the unique person you deserve to be.

17. Skelliewag

Skellie’s proficiency as a writer and blogger is well known and she has been producing great web content for years. Skelliewag is her flagship blog which boasts of some brilliant articles which are quite useful for bloggers.

18. A List Apart

A List Apart Magazine explores the design, development, and meaning of web content, with a special focus on web standards and best practices.

19. Smashing Magazine

Founded in September 2006, Smashing Magazine delivers useful and innovative information to Web designers and developers. Their aim is to inform readers about the latest trends and techniques in Web development. They try to convince you not with the quantity but with the quality of the information they present.

20. 1stWebDesigner

1stwebdesigner is a design blog dedicated to bloggers, freelancers, web-developers and designers. They are writing here tutorials, inspiration, discusion/opinion type articles, roundups, case studies, interviews and occasionally even design news.

21. Life Hack

this blog focuses on personal development and productivity and employs guest writers who consistently produce excellent content.

22. Steve Pavlina

Steve’s 4000 word essays are quite well known and apart from including impressive content, they also feature an impeccable writing style.

23. The Simple Dollar

One of the best finance blogs around, Trent writes top quality articles which have made his site a huge success.

24. Tripwire Magazine

It’s not that I am biased towards this blog because I write for it but I believe it’s certainly a must-read blog for all the freelance bloggers out there and I have been enjoying the well written articles on this blog by profound and influential writers, long before I started writing for it. . Bloggers, Designers, Freelancers etc. can all benefit from writing guest articles on sites like tripwire magazine. First of all they will reach a new audience of targeted readers and this will drive new traffic to their own blog or portfolio and hopefully also provide new followers and subscribers. Working with experienced blog and magazine editors is also a good opportunity to learn new tricks and improve writing skills and to broaden your horizon.

Tagged as: Blogging, blogs, designers, freelancers, Inspiration