Don't be afraid to contact publishers for work

To succeed as a freelance writer, you have to market yourself like crazy. It's unfortunate, then, that many writers tend to be shy folks.

They don't like bugging people. And that can be a problem when you're trying to dig up freelance-writing jobs.

The key to nabbing new jobs is to be aggressive. Sometimes you have to chase down editors and publishers to get new assignments. This is especially true in the world of content writing. The publishers who work in this field often work with dozens of writers. It's easy for them to forget about you, even if you turned in good work and met your deadlines.

So make sure they don't forget you. Don't wait for these publishers to contact you with assignments. Reach out to them: Send them an e-mail today asking if they have any work for you.

They might actually have a few assignments for you to tackle. Maybe they don't have work now, but they will next week or next month. If that's the case, you've just increased your chances of getting that extra work.

So put aside your natural tendencies and be a bother. It just might help you pay the bills this month.