Make Money by Becoming a Writer

Almost everyone wants to become a writer. Believe me, this is true. Once you begin to regularly get published like I did a few years back, suddenly all your family, friends, co-workers, etc. share with you how they've always wanted to write as well. When they find out you can make money doing it, then the REALLY want to become a writer. But most of them don't want to put in the hard work -- writing good stuff, pitching stories, marketing themselves, etc. They simply want to write what they like and get paid (well) for it. It doesn't work that way.

Then again, you can turn a hobby like this into an income. I did. I used to write a lot for national magazines (after several years of writing for smaller ones) and earned a good amount of income for doing so (about $60,000 total -- not bad for a side gig.) But I haven't done a lot of paid-for writing lately -- it's too much work and isn't worth the time you have to devote to it. I prefer blogging where I can simply write down my feelings and "go with the flow." Fortunately, blogging can also provide a nice side income.

For those of you who would like to write for fun and profit, here are two pieces that can help you: How To Make a Living Writing and How To Make a Living Writing, Part Two. Based on my several years of experience, I can say his advice is generally correct. What I'd add:

1. You need to learn to market/sell yourself and your work. If you can't do this, you better be the next Grisham as far as your writing goes. And even if you are, you still might not be able to make it.

2. Most magazines don't take written pieces directly, instead they prefer a query letter. Don't know what that is? Find out.

3. The best resource for finding writing opportunities is Writer's Market 2008 (Writer's Market). If you're really serious about becoming a writer, buy a copy and use it.

FYI, I just found part 3 and part 4 from the original series.

Comments

[Blaine Moore]

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a writer. Then in high school I got into computers, realized I could make a good living that way, and that's what I went to school for. Now I'm getting back into the writing. It's funny how things work that way...

One of the things I regret about college was that I only had one piece published while I was in school; in high school, I used to get stories and articles published on a fairly regular basis. No time like the present to make up for lost ground, though...

[Matt]

IMO, there's no such thing as "wanting to be a writer". Either you are a writer, or you're not. If you are, the next step is to find someone willing to pay you for it. If not, then don't waste your time.

A writer is not a person who writes. A writer, rather, is a person who can't _not_ write.

You think the striking TV and movie writers have stopped writing, since they can't currently get paid for it? Hell no...they're just not writing screenplays anymore. What they're writing instead may or may not ever get sold to anybody or even shown to anybody outside their immediate circle, but they're still writing. Count on it. It's not even a matter of making a commitment to your career...it's literally a defining feature of _who you are_.

Writing isn't so much a job, as an addiction you can sometimes get paid for. :)