Elance is a good option. As of today, there are 705 jobs listed under Writing and Translation. Here are a few breakdowns for you, keeping in mind that some jobs fall under multiple categories.

• 372 eBooks
• 441 Creative Writing
• 963 Web Content
• 298 Academic Writing

To get started on elance, you’ll need to register and complete your profile. This can be a bit time-consuming, but buyers will use this to decide whether to hire you. One of the toughest things for me was putting together a portfolio, or having any samples to offer when bidding.

I’m not sure if this is the best solution, but it has worked out for me. I use blog posts as samples for potential buyers. I also have copies of articles I’ve sold elsewhere online that I can attach for samples. The whole idea is to give the buyer something of yours to look at that’s similar to what they’re purchasing.

Don’t be tempted to under price yourself. You’ll be tempted to bid low, particularly when you’re just getting started. Charge a fair amount for your work. Underbidding can backfire by making buyers think that you’re not worth any more than you’re asking for.

When bidding, write a custom bid for each job.  Address each question or requirement that the buyer has, and provide samples of work that demonstrate your ability to deliver what’s needed. It’s helpful to explain how you arrived at your fees so buyers can compare what you’re offering and charging to others’ bids.

When you have the job, deliver what you promise, well done, and early if possible. Communicate frequently and clearly with your client. Don’t outsource the work to someone else unless the client approved it before you bidded. Often a client is looking for a long-term relationship, so doing a good job on the first project will mean you get the first offer for subsequent projects.

Job Boards are another viable option, but one that I don’t use, so I can’t speak to them specifically. Here are some options for you to explore.

• Problogger job boards
• Freelance Switch job boards

The same rules apply as with Elance. Provide a custom quote for your services and relevant samples of your work to land the project. After you’re hired, communicate with your client and provide what’s asked for professionally and on time.

Other

If you’re looking to make money from your blogging or writing, then check out some sites that pay you to do so. You’ll write articles and sell them through their sites. You won’t get rich, but you will learn what sells well and what doesn’t. You’ll get feedback on your work (sometimes), and you’ll have some articles to add to your portfolio of published works.

• Constant Content
• EHow

I’ve had some success with Constant Content. It’s a nice way to sell some articles that you don’t have a place for. However, if you’re writing something that’s close to your blog topic, I think you’re better off posting it on your own site and gaining the traffic. Just my opinion…

Anyone care to share other sites for writing jobs, freelancing jobs, etc.?

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I’ve been feeling guilty lately for neglecting my fiction in favor of my non-fiction work. Unfortunately, the non-fiction is what’s paying right now, so it tends to stand up and demand attention. I’ve got a freelance contract now I’m working on, which I plan to have finished in about a week.

I try to divide my time between my fiction and non-fiction, but that’s often hard to do. Any money that the fiction might bring in is sometime in the future. Since one of my goals is to freelance full-time, I’m in no position to neglect the paid writing gigs.

Luckily, what I’m working on now is a knitting-related project, so it’s something I enjoy writing about. Yes, I’m actually getting paid to knit and write about it. Amazing.

What is elance?

Elance is a site where freelancers and those needing work can find each other. Elance provides message boards, escrow services, rating systems, etc. and take a percentage of the project’s fees in payment. As a freelancer, you’ll bid for projects and buyers will choose who they want. If the two of you can come to an agreement on payment and terms, you’ll be awarded the contract.

Tips to succeed

1. You’ll need to put together your portfolio, but don’t spend weeks perfecting it. It’s all too easy to get bogged down in that process and never get on to bidding for projects.
2. Low bid doesn’t always win! Some projects have private bidding and others are public. You’ll soon find that some projects will attract dozens of extremely low bids. What you’d ask $500 to do, many will do for $50. Don’t get discouraged, and don’t relent and underbid what you’d need to make the project profitable.
3. I’ll say that again, because I know that most people will be tempted to bid next to nothing for jobs in order to get a contract. Don’t. It doesn’t work that way.In my experience, I usually get projects when I’m not the low bidder.
4. Emphasize the fact that you don’t subcontract the work. Many of the low-bidders you see are actually outsourcing the work for even less money and skimming a bit off the top as profit. That may sound great, but the reality is that the quality of the work is poor.
5. If you don’t have an elance portfolio, don’t worry. Use your sites outside elance as examples of your work. Your blog can be excellent for this if it’s well written and appropriate to what you’re bidding on.
6. Be selective in your bids. Bidding on dozens of projects that are only remotely related to your abilities is a waste of time. Instead, focus on putting together great bids for projects that you’re perfect for.
7. Use a custom bid. I’ve seen providers copy/paste the same text into dozens of projects. If you can’t give the time to write a custom bid, then why would the buyer think you’ll take time to do a good job once you have the bid?
8. Be generic in your bid; clarify in private discussion afterward. For example, someone may ask for five articles, and you bid $200 for the project. If the provider contacts you, then you can specify how much research you’ll do, word count, etc.
9. Be honest! Don’t try to sneak in extra charges or change the terms of the contract after the fact. You’ll just earn a bad reputation.