Although writing is a lucrative profession, many writers struggle to make a sustainable income. But this shouldn’t be the case. The flexibility writing offers makes it an amazing career, whether as a full-time job or a side hustle.
Although the industry is now saturated and the competition stiffer, there are still many ways to make money as a writer if you have the right information.
This article shows you the different ways to make money as a writer that you may not have considered.
Different Ways to Make Money as a Writer
1. Freelance Writing
Many people and businesses need writers to help with newsletters, essays, articles, etc. This offers great flexibility, and you are not limited to particular niches, although you could choose to be.
With this option, you can set your rates, choose the writing job, and even choose your employer. These gigs can be one-off or recurrent for weeks or months.
You can find clients organically through referrals and a growing online presence or by searching freelancing platforms.
Whatever you choose to go with, you need to have a decent portfolio to show prospective clients. So, if you don’t have clients yet, set up mock writing projects. You can use Medium or any free content management platform like WordPress.com to have a library of articles you can show as samples.
You can also contact small businesses and write for them for free or a small token to build a portfolio.
I must warn you that the competition on many freelancing platforms is fierce, but with consistency, you can get through.
Also Read: How to Stay Productive as a Freelance Writer
2. Traditional Publishing
This might be a bit harder to get into, but if you are confident in your ability to write a book, you can try it. You will, however, need to pitch to publishing companies and hopefully find one willing to take a chance on your book.
As an author, you can receive advances for your book deals and royalties from their sales. Similarly, you can get licenses for films or merchandise rights.
However, this doesn’t happen overnight, so if you choose this route, you need a lot of patience.
3. Self-Publishing
Aside from traditional publishing, you can earn money in the digital book sphere. Several sites allow you to publish your work for free. Self-publishing can provide high royalties and give you creative control.
Apart from that, you can also sell your ebooks or physical books on e-commerce platforms like Amazon.
However, you’ll need to promote these works yourself. You can do so by submitting your work to book promotion sites, asking well-known authors for endorsements, or seeking reviews from book bloggers and influencers.
Also Read: Best Social Networking Sites for Writers
4. Content Creation
The demand for content is high, and you can take advantage of it. Luckily, there are different kinds of content, so you are spoilt for choice.
For instance, you can write blog articles, social media content, newsletters, business proposals, and website content. You can also write scripts for TV shows, movies, YouTube videos, and commercials. This is a great option if you are a storyteller.
If you have marketing skills, consider copywriting. Businesses and advertising agencies will need your services, and you can use your skills to help them reach their audience.
Also Read: Copywriting vs Content Writing: Major Differences
5. Teaching and Workshops
As a writer, you have many skills that others don’t have. As a result, you can teach writing workshops, courses, or classes about different aspects of writing.
That way, you will generate income and share your knowledge and expertise with others.
With the rise of technology, online courses have gained popularity. You can tap into this by preparing a course in areas that are in demand and that you’re very good at. The good thing about online courses is that you can sell them yourself or on several educational platforms.
6. Editing and Proofreading
Every skilled writer knows that writing is incomplete without proper editing and proofreading. This is because good writing should be free of grammar and spelling errors and flow naturally.
You can render this service to others if you’re detail-oriented and have a sharp eye for errors. You will need to know a lot about content and communication structure. Every piece of content has a different target audience and should differ in tone, which you should also be able to catch.
If you can build a strong client base, you can establish your reputation as a skilled editor.
7. Blogging
This list of different ways to make money as a writer will not be complete without blogging. Again, this space is also getting saturated, but there’s still a lot of money to be made.
All you need to get started is a niche that interests you and would interest others as well. Get a website and start writing.
After you have built reasonable traffic, you can monetise and make money from ads, affiliate marketing and sponsored posts.
Increase your Earnings
Writing is an amazing skill, and the good news is that you can make money from it. Regardless of your genre or niche, you can use these different ways to make money as a writer to grow your income.
Plus, you don’t have to limit yourself to one; you can simultaneously be a freelance writer and an author.
But as with every career, you must be dedicated to your craft to be an exceptional writer. This will help you hone your skills and explore more income opportunities.
