This is an awesome guest post by Kenneth Waldman. Read more about him at the end of the post.
“You’re a writer? How do you make money?” “Don’t you need a real job?” “How do you pay your bills?”
Writers have heard it all before. Everybody wants to read the newspaper, online articles, blogs, and books. But when you tell someone you want to write those things, they look at you like you’re crazy. It’s easy to understand why.
Writing seems like a romantic notion, but so many people seem to fail. Perhaps it’s because those people don’t know how to get started. There are so many places online just waiting for you to sign up as a writer. You can write blog posts, articles, or stories. You can become a freelance copywriter or ghostwriter. You can edit or proofread. And that’s just to tip of the iceberg.
If you’re new to writing and can’t quite find an audience, or if you dream of quitting your job to become a writer, then fear not! You can absolutely make it happen. This list will give you a place to start.
Top Tenz is pretty much exactly what you’d expect from a Top Ten site. You can write articles for the page based on pop culture, history, animals, strange facts, etc. There are some pretty significant formatting guidelines to follow. But it you’re willing to put in the time to get your submission just right, it’s not hard to get published. If your article is selected, you will be paid $50 via Pay Pal.
Update (25 Aug 17): TopTenz isn’t currently accepting writers. Another option would be LadyQs.com.
The Daily Heckle is a UK humor site featuring sarcastic, often offensive Top Ten lists. It’s pretty easy to get started. You just fill out their basic application, including a writing sample, and wait to hear if you’ve been accepted. Then, you can join the message board to watch for topics that the owners will pay for. For instance, they might post a list for “Top Ten Actors Who Ruined The Movies They Starred In.” Pay is about $10-$12/article.
If you’re a woman who wants to write fiction, you can make money on Wow! Women on Writing! The site holds quarterly fiction contests. The prizes are around $350 for the winner, with lesser prizes ranging from $50-$250. The drawback is that you won’t make money every time you submit. However, the networking is wonderful. And since you maintain the copyright to your story, you can still use it elsewhere if your story isn’t a winner. You’re going to write anyway. At least this way, you might win some money and recognition for doing it.
Upwork is a website for freelancers and clients to find each other. There are tremendous opportunities for writers. You could get contracted to write blogs, web copy, or ghostwrite novels. If you also enjoy editing, you can work with authors to improve their manuscripts. Freelancers bid on the jobs, which can sometimes drive down the pay. But if you learn how to use the site, you can make a good living from freelancing alone.
If you’re a fan of academic or more technical writing, you can join Essay Mama’s team of writers to earn money writing school essays, business documents, blogs, or web copy. The company also offers editing and proofreading services.
List Verse is a collection of lists. The pay is good – $100 per article. But it’s not easy to have an article featured on List Verse. They only select articles with highly original ideas. It it’s a top ten list you can easily find elsewhere online, you probably won’t get paid to write it on List Verse. Some samples from their website include, “10 Deadly Cases of Hypnosis,” and “ 10 Supposed Secret Wars Waged By Nefarious Forces.” Submissions must be a minimum of 1500 words to be considered.
Fiverr is a website where freelancers can offer their skills, starting at just $5. For instance, you can offer to write 500 words for $5, or you could write resumes for $5 each. Granted, this is not going to make you a lot of money in the beginning. However, once you have enough reviews, you can start lowering the amount of work you do for $5, so you average cost per project will increase. You can also offer premium features for a higher price. Some people offer a 24-hour turnaround for an extra $30. Or you might offer to write the first 500 words for $5, after which the price per 500 words is $15.
This list is in no way exhaustive. These are just some convenient places online where you can earn money as a writer. But there are so many more! Writing can certainly be a difficult career to start, mostly because so many people don’t know how many fantastic resources there are out there. But if you do the research, you will be happy to learn that writers can make a very lucrative salary just by working from home. So, don’t be discouraged. The world needs writers!
For even more places to get paid to write and hundreds of resources, check out How to Become a Better Writer and Get Paid.
About the Author:
Author: Kenneth Waldman is a freelance writer and content creator. He draws his inspiration out of the traveling. Get in touch with him on LinkedIn.