8 Income Sources for Writers

General advice for writers often sucks because writers aren’t a monolithic bloc of people. We don’t all write the same things in the same style in the same genre. I can’t promise this advice won’t suck as well, but it’s geared toward writers nearer the beginning of their careers and is meant to highlight some of the options writers have for practicing their craft and earning a living.

Try doing more than one of these options. Unless you have a highly specialized niche and/or have a large following, it’s not a good idea to put all of your eggs in one basket. Multiple revenue streams make it more likely you can earn a living.

Articles

Magazines are an obvious source of paying markets for writers, but if you automatically think of large and well-known publications you might get both rejected and discouraged. There are hundreds of smaller publications, in print and online, that need articles. Businesses need articles for their newsletters. Smaller newspapers will sometimes use freelance articles to save money. Look around your community and the surrounding area for opportunities.

Books

Going through a traditional publisher is a tough, lengthy process that is hard to break into but ultimately rewarding if your book is accepted. That said, just about anyone can self-publish on the Kindle platform for very little or no money. Publishing eBooks has been profitable for some people, but the keys are to publish often, research your competition and try to identify a niche you can create or own, and learn to market well. Lack of marketing is usually where writers fall apart and fail to earn much. This is true for both non-fiction and fiction.

Freelance Copywriting

You can use online platforms to sell yourself as a copywriter to potential clients, like Fiverr or Upwork, but you might have even more luck doing it on your own. Offer your services to local businesses. Can you write a weekly email newsletter for veterinarians? Edit the websites of restaurants or florists? Create marketing copy for service stations and tax preparers? Every business that needs to sell its products or services needs to do it with words, and maybe you can help. You’ll send out a lot of “cold call” emails that will be ignored, but you only need a few good clients to start.

Online Content

Yes, the online content mills offer pretty measly pay, but they can provide clips and some income when you’re starting out. And sometimes, bashing out a quick article in 30 minutes for $10 in pay is worth it, particularly as some of the mills offer payment on a regular, consistent basis and that extra $10 next Tuesday might be welcome.

Courses

Do you have a hobby that you can write a how-to primer for? Specialized skills you can share? People take courses for all sorts of things, from flower arranging to how to get a start in investing. You could write an email course with new lessons every week, or offer it all at once in a PDF document.

If you can’t create a course from your own knowledge, look around at people you know to see if a collaboration is possible. Is your aunt an expert knitter? Can you translate her skills into a course?

Patrons & Tips

You can use sites like Patreon to build a monetized following. In fact, you can combine a patronage site with online courses, mentioned above. Offer a new lesson every week.

This is also an excellent option for fiction writers, who often don’t have many great options other than writing books and revenue sharing sites. You can offer excerpts to subscribers and create a higher paying level that gives subscribers a new PDF chapter of your book every week. Poets can offer a new poem every week.

You can’t rely on tips to earn a living, but every dollar helps. Set up a tip jar on your blog. Ask for tips on any platform you write for that allows it.

Blogging

You don’t need a ton of followers and readers, but you need dedicated ones. Find your niche. Write about what you know and love best. Write regularly and consistently. Connect and engage with your readers. Monetize your blog in whatever ways your platform offers. Use affiliate links and let your readers know you’re doing so.

Pay Per Read & Revenue Sharing

Vocal, Medium, HubPages, and News Break. Those are your best options, although there are some others out there. Your mileage will vary. A lot.

Vocal is the best platform to experiment with your writing and get feedback from the support groups on Facebook. Medium also works for that and has more opportunity to make a name for yourself and create an actual following. If you’re prolific and like writing “newsy” articles, head to News Break. If you want to be a serious writer, can do SEO writing, and can follow strict guidelines, HubPages may work for you.

Finally, here are some more resources for aspiring and working writers: