Then there are those freelancers who, for a variety of different reasons, have actually chosen to write (and publish) in sex genre. Societal notions of perversity aside, these writers are of same ilk as those who write about horses or gardening or education, it's just that their subject matter is often more controversial. Still, act of writing as a profession is same no matter what genre, although sex writing does require more of an open mind and is not, as a rule, for more prudish among us.

But basics - a bit of skill, a professional attitude, plenty of perseverance and a whole lot of research - are same as for any genre.

Sex markets offer great opportunities for writers at all different levels of experience. For fledgling writer there are many digest magazines that buy a lot of fairly well-written (but rather formulaic) stories. The pay for these pieces is, of course, lower than for other, higher-quality, markets but they do give beginner a chance to earn money while honing his or her craft.

On higher end of scale are markets that demand excellence in plot structure and characterization. These magazines usually pay fairly well and are for writers who are experienced at more advanced techniques like dialogue, subtle humor and deftly nuanced characterization.

In addition, sub-classifications of genre - letters, articles, stories and personal accounts - offer plenty of wiggle room when it comes to a writer's ability and/or experience. Letters and essays are more of a train-of-thought process, and thus much easier for beginner to write (and sell) than full-length stories or non-fiction.

Here's how to multiply your writing sales by convincing clients to invest in long-term campaigns, instead of short-term individual assignments.

• Know short-term and long-term view results. A client approaches you to write a brochure. He may or may not know that his product can also benefit from other types of promotional pieces, such as ads, direct mail, news releases, websites, and so on, to sell his product or service. Your job is to educate client. The brochure may be first promotional piece in a consortium of promotional pieces. Here, you must know short-term and long-term view results of brochure.

The short-term view results are results brochure will achieve for client; and long-term results are results brochure will achieve/contribute for entire campaign. It answers questions, "How do results of this brochure fit into entire campaign?" and "How can these results be strengthened with other forms of promotional materials?"

Show client how a campaign that's comprised of a succession of assignments can achieve — and exceed — his expectations and outsell and outdo performance of a single assignment.

• Use "tie-in" services. Whenever a client approaches you with a single assignment, ask yourself what tie-in services can supplement single assignment. A news release achieves better results when it's accompanied with a photo. And a press kit — complete with press releases, photos, brochures, and company information — can achieve better results than a single press release. All of these extra tie-in services can turn writing a single press release into multiple writing sales.