Three years ago, I was a dispirited writer. I devoutly followed websites such as WritersWeekly.com, and paid so-called experts who promised me thousands of dollars in profit if I would spend hundreds on their advice. I marketed myself. I networked. I specialized. I paid $20 for a website and $150 for a designer. I created a blazing resume, answered all relevant ads, and scripted cover letters that followed AIWA’s latest hints on copywriting.

The problem, I soon noticed, was that everyone was going my way. In other words, I followed Monsters, Indeed, sometimes FlexJobs, ProBlogger, Freelancewriting.com, the Writers Market. I accessed Craigslist and found those jobs duplicated on other sites. I used Google Alerts and the same jobs popped up. Respondents would tell me that hundreds of others had approached them. Invariably, therefore, they rolled down to the lowest bidder or selected the unfathomably qualified. Invariably, too, jobs that I had approached had closed within hours.

I decided to reverse direction and dig up hidden jobs.

Three rarely known search engines helped me:

1. MetaSearch.com – best of the best. The engine is created for trawling the hidden web. The hidden, or invisible, web refers to those links that escape Google largely because their sites are too small or because they are password-protected. Examples include Twitter sites, Reddit, Pinterest, locked company websites, forums, or some tiny niche job boards. Many of these sites advertise largely unseen jobs. Metasearch brings up a lot of these ads – squeezed between scams and the usual eLance bid. More than once, I have been one of three people responding to an ad that sought a business or magazine writer. Also more than once, I have been one of the first to become aware of new magazine writing opportunities.
Note: Metasearch brings you to Topsy. Use Topsy tweets for best results ñ but, play around with its other tools, too.

2. IceRocket.com – (No Longer Active)

3. SocialMention.com – This site helps you search for jobs in microblogs. Use Bookmarks and Questions too – you never know what will pop up. Or, simply use ‘All’. You can sort by date or source, set RSS alerts, and see similar keywords. Best of all, employ the Advanced Search Option.  In short, play around with the site. It is a manna of surprises.

Want to ‘up’ your writing load? Use these obscure search engines. They can help you with research, job-getting, landing magazines assignment, editor and agent introductions, marketing, PR, and, and much more!

Anything is possible when you outwit the competition…

RELATED:

Paying Markets and Freelance Jobs for Writers
Use LinkedIn to Snag Writing Jobs
The Right Way to Find Freelance Jobs on Craigslist
5 Creative Ways To Get Freelance Writing Jobs (Beyond The Job Boards)
Five Unique Freelance Writing Jobs

Leah Zitter is a professional writer who is completing her PhD in research. She posts hidden writing jobs for freelancers at: https://freelancersmarket.com/this-weeks-jobs/

7.625 STRATEGIES IN EVERY BEST-SELLER - Revised and Expanded Edition

At this moment, thousands of would-be authors are slaving away on their keyboards, dreaming of literary success. But their efforts won’t count for much. Of all those manuscripts, trade book editors will sign up only a slim fraction.

And of those titles--ones that that editors paid thousands of dollars to contract, print and publicize--an unhealthy percentage never sell enough copies to earn back their advances. Two years later, most will be out of print!

Acquisition Editor Tam Mossman shares seven essentials every book needs to stay in print, and sell!

Read more here: