Turn Your Passion into Profit: 6 Ways to Make Money Writing Stories
Based on writing, I have been earning a living for almost ten years now and though not the most consistently stable career, it’s one I have never looked back at. Yes I do get paid for this – I write stories here on this blog you are reading this on, I write for other clients as a freelance writer and yes in real books, actual published ones – I currently have 3 books of short stories (Shy Feet London Eyes Nine Women).
I had a long time actually understanding that it’s perfectly okay to make money writing stories and that it can in fact have no ceiling; it is in fact a very versatile profession if there ever is such a thing and one which can translate nicely across most forms of media as this guest post will discuss. Yes, this is yet again a guest post that I have prepared for you, with the help of another content writer, who earns money on writing fairy tales.
Thus, I would like to pass a word to Laura May from Just Another Magazine whom I invited to tell about the ways where one can earn money on writing stories, creative writing, and on writing both fiction and non-fiction.
How to Earn Money By Writing Stories
Writing, writing stories, and creative writing may seem as something that is rather nice to have at some point since it is somewhat close to content creation which is all the rage now, and yet, it may be viewed as a sort of amateur or pariah niche. There are also the many stereotypical portrayals of struggling writers who don’t even get enough to eat or buy the paper for their stories, but this should not dissuade writers from seeking a way to make a living by exercising their talent in storytelling since there are so many ways of making money out of telling stories. Regardless of all those who may think that the creative writing and storytelling are not serious pursuits, these are not only desirable but profitable professions for those who do not seek to starve.
Yet, this article alone will not make you rich or help you know how to become wealthy instantly. Like with any industry or occupation, including and especially those that are related to people’s creativity, creative writing is something that nobody gets right on the dot, and the learning does not come from a writing angle alone. As you progress it can also take time to determine where you should be directing the most of your energy insofar as how to properly monetize your writing. That is why, in this article, you will read about some of the issues encountered when choosing a career as a creative writing and some of the beginning steps to generate earnings for your skills.
How Easy is it to Earn Money by Writing Stories or Creative Writing?
Everybody knows that writing can be quite lucrative if done right, but it is not exactly a piece of cake to achieve such a profession and these are some things that one should think over before pursuing it.
A Very Important Point About Writing Is That It Takes Time For Most People To Make Money At It
Making writing a full-time business often requires significant time and lots and lots of effort to make it financially rewarding. It is high risk because you should expect that you are going to work hard and it will take time to upscale your income — you will not be making lots of profits within a few days.
Like artists in any other field, in addition to acquiring experience and practical know-how of writing, writers also need to know and learn about the management of their own work, and therefore become virtually proficient in the marketing, branding, networking, and time management. Well, yes, it does go back and on this note, let me admit that all of these things take time.
It’s not just about writing but it’s about expressing, sharing the consequences of being an active observer for 17 years, defining relationships and dancing like no one is watching for a chance to be seen – at least in the eyes of one good man.
As highlighted above, in addition to the creative writing skills one needs to market oneself, be articulate, knowledgeable in finance and the business/regulatory aspects if one is to fully monetize the self-employed or be self-employed.
There are numerous online classes that will provide you with an introduction to business and basic knowledge that can be obtained through sites like Small Business Bonfire that contain information pertaining to self-employment and own business. I have also gathered other lessons learned from freelance writing for three years that Frankie could benefit from learning.
You Have to Motivate Yourself
From writing stories or freelance writing to make a proper living, one must ensure that you do not lose focus and motivation frequently. Mindset is everything! It will be great to have lots of work and for things to feel good for a while, then it would not be great to have no work to do and have everything feel off.
Also, every writer will go through some sort of block or a period of when they feel that they have nothing to write or they are full of ideas —you have to resolve these. Here’s Frankie’s post on what is writer’s block, and some tips that might help you avoid or overcome it.
You might want to draw some elements of ideas from this mindset podcast with Steve Sims. This segment includes Steve Sims’ advice on how to shift paradigm, concentrate and achieve. This is also a good idea to provide time management strategies to avoid any form of interferences to ensure that you fulfill the set requirements on time.
This is an important factor to consider because there are going to be times when you will need to write to pay bills and other expenses. That’s why self-care and self-love are so crucial for writers, and don’t overlook the benefits of having positive affirmations – in this video, Frankie kalef tells why every writer needs affirmation and you can buy WriteNOW Cards, positive affirmation cards for writers here and follow them on Instagram.
How to Earn Money from Telling Stories or Writing
In fact, not many people are likely to ‘get rich quick’ by telling fables as a professional book writer ; you will be surprised at how many of the ‘top ten’ novelists continue working in other professions, or have other types of work, and how many of them earn even a reasonable salary for writing their novels, let alone making great fortunes out of it. But let me tell stories are required not only in novels or books, but in every single industry in the world. It is a great asset if a person can write emotionally, narrate and form a relationship with a reader because this skill may and should be utilized to create valued and worthwhile content for businesses, people, and brands.
Yes, there are many other methods that can bring you cold cash for your writing and I am going reveal some of them below. Among them, some will be a source of income to sustain you for the day to day as you wait for the right writing job opportunity and some of the ideas may turn out to be a lifetime career.
Writing Short Stories
There are lots of fiction websites and literary magazines that will buy and publish short stories written by people like you. If it is your dream to become an author and be able to write your own novel in the future, this could be a nice and good way to practice while earning money at the same time. Moreover, it is also relatively easier to write short stories since it does not take a longer duration to complete one so you can be assured that you have a consistent flow of cash if you are determined to write short stories.
Start a Blog
It is possible that many people start a blog to make a living out of it, but there is a certain period of time that one will take to establish the blog, attract readership, and be in a position to sell enough advert space and e-books to support one. However it allows you the liberty to write on what you have in mind and it is something that you could embark on part-time. It is also possible to make the process less time consuming and more efficient too, though You should definitely know your topic in and out – it’s better to cover a small and well-developed subject rather than try to discuss many different topics Search engine optimization will also help you to improve your blog’s visibility on Google. There are loads of places to hear about this online like Digital Nomad Wannabe or Make Traffic Happen both of which have helped Frankie start earning real money from her blog, she’s also been lost and learned a lot from Blog Millionaire Podcast, even though it might be a little puerile for some people!
So, once you have chosen a particular topic for your blog or a specific subject area that you’re going to specialize in, and having chosen the blogground (WordPress is quite a good place to start with this), you need to come up with fresh posts for your blog at least once a week. Share them on other sections of your site such as social media pages so you can feed your audience with updated contents. One simple method is to use the automation available through scheduling tools for social media promotion. This way, based on the information presented in this review, it is very user-friendly for first-timers, and there’s the free package that is suitable for scheduling a few social posts monthly as you begin on your trial.
You will be in a position to make your blogging profit through placing advertisements on the site, through affiliate markets that involves promotion of products or services where by you get a cut from your promoter, or business and brands will pay you to work with them on certain content as well.
Freelance Writing
According to Frankie, oned way through which you can earn money out of creative writing is through freelance writing for companies or individuals. Oh yes, of course creative writing and telling stories because some of the clients actually do need this. Whether you are writing a non fiction, or helping an individual write their autobiography or memoir, or even writing copy for an ‘About Us’ page for a website, tale-telling is more often than not, the essence of it. Do not be mistaken that freelance writing work is majorly stunt by content farm jobs or by writing haphazard copywriting briefs.
Among freelance jobs, Frankie has written preface for a book about living as a nomad, though she was an employment with travel companies, she has also written guide books and many other articles, including the history, culture, and maps and routes she has seen. Oh yes! There are many creative areas of work which freelancers can engage in for writings. Some good freelance writing platforms are /Freelancer/ , /Upwork/ , /Fiverr/, /PeoplePerHour/, if you are good at editing and/or publishing you should also try /Reedsy/ and /FreeUp/.
In general, if you in possession of a lot of experience and knowledge in creative writing, then you could pass these on to other individuals. As for the strategies, there are many options to consider when teaching creative writing – one could design a personalized tutoring and coaching to individual learners, one could conduct a few groups or several classes, or one could establish an own course, which people would be willing to enroll in. This is preferable if you have a blog, a platform, or followers on social media, where you want to share your work.
Creating an online course, if you do not want to invest a lot of your time it is one of the best options if you wish to expand your business. All you need to do is look for a right platform on which to organise your course. A few of the platforms include Teachable and Skillshare.
After coming up with the course take a few people to use it and ask for their opinion and then, market the course. Well, if you compile a good course or product, if you marketed it well then, you are likely to have fairly reliable amount of income from it.
Write for Other Blogs and Online Publications
There are many websites that offer to pay for content writers to write and submit stories; articles or post for the website’s online magazine or publication. This is a perfect chance to practice writing on practically any topic and refresh the knowledge of Writing for Online / Web Industry.
However, for the execution of freelancing there needs to be a clear understanding of how much the writer will be paid and if there any limitations on this. For instance, there are some sites that will require you to write an article and submit it for publication but they may end up rejecting it even when they didn’t have the right to do so and would not pay you a dime. Some other sites usually offer you payment based on the number of clicks your article receives. Of course, the existence of paid to write blogs and articles remind me that one must simply be careful on the site where the article is written for.
Self-Publish a Book
In case you are planning to write your own book then you are privileged than those in the past since it is easy to attempt self-publishing. There’s no necessity to search for a publisher with whom you’d like to share your work; you can always invest in a printing of your book and print a smaller amount or take it even further and use types of the online platform like Kindle to publish your work.
It’s not the fastest way to start making money from your creative writing however — you still have to write something that other people actually want to read, then you have to make sure it gets a professional editor to ensure its quality, design a nice cover for the book and go through a multitude of steps to effectively market the book. Indeed, it can be said that writing a book is just between half and the half when one is self-publishing because the process of promoting the book and searching for the right audience requires almost the same or even more time than the process of the book writing. There are various authors who will discover that they will continue to write and publish books themselves many of them before the income will generate enough to support them financially ; this is also why at times writing books in series will do well.
Yes it is practically possible to make money out of writing stories, writing fiction or even writing non fiction books then publishing them on your own but most of the above require sometime and you have to work hard so that after sometime you can be able to make good money to cater for your needs.
All the Above!
Although these ideas can be pursued individually, you might share Frankie’s inclination to attempt them all or choose to explore each one in order to boost your earnings and cultivate a multi-dimensional career. While there are numerous benefits of experimenting with various writing avenues for financial gain, diversifying too much could impede specialization and niche-building – putting your income at risk.
The key factors in determining the optimal strategy for earning a living through writing are your prior experience, skill set and personality profile. By dedicating some time to considering how you can monetize storytelling while balancing competing demands on your resources, such as work obligations and energy levels, you will identify an approach that works best for you. Importantly, recognizing the many diverse pathways available for making money as a writer is empowering news indeed!
FAQ: 6 Ways to Make Money Writing Stories
1. How can I monetize my stories through self-publishing?
Q: What is self-publishing, and how can I make money from it?
A: Self-publishing involves publishing your stories independently, typically through platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Smashwords, or Barnes & Noble Press. You can earn money by selling your e-books or print-on-demand books directly to readers. This approach allows you to retain control over your work and earn royalties from each sale.
2. Can I make money by writing short stories for magazines or online publications?
Q: How do I get my short stories published in magazines or online, and what kind of payment can I expect?
A: Yes, many magazines and online publications pay for short stories. Research publications that fit your genre, review their submission guidelines, and submit your work. Payment varies widely; some magazines offer a flat fee, while others pay per word. Well-known publications like “The New Yorker” or “Clarkesworld” can pay significantly higher rates.
3. What are writing contests, and how can they help me earn money?
Q: How do writing contests work, and what opportunities do they offer for earning money?
A: Writing contests are competitions where authors submit their stories for a chance to win prizes, which can include cash awards, publication, and recognition. Look for reputable contests that align with your genre and follow their submission rules carefully. Winning or placing in a contest can not only provide financial rewards but also boost your writing credentials and visibility.
4. How can I earn money by ghostwriting stories?
Q: What is ghostwriting, and how can I get started in this field to make money?
A: Ghostwriting involves writing stories, articles, or books that are credited to someone else. Many people seek ghostwriters for various projects, including autobiographies, fiction, and blog content. To get started, build a portfolio of writing samples, create a profile on freelance platforms like Upwork or Fiverr, and network with potential clients. Ghostwriting can be lucrative, with payments often based on the length and complexity of the project.
5. Can I make money by blogging my stories?
Q: How can I use a blog to earn money from my storytelling?
A: Yes, blogging can be a profitable way to share your stories. Start by creating a blog on platforms like WordPress or Medium, and consistently publish your stories. Monetize your blog through methods such as:
- Advertising: Use ad networks like Google AdSense to display ads on your blog.
- Affiliate Marketing: Promote products related to your content and earn commissions on sales.
- Crowdfunding: Set up a Patreon or Ko-fi page where fans can support your work with donations.
- E-book Sales: Compile your blog posts into e-books and sell them on your blog or through online marketplaces.
By growing your blog’s readership and engaging with your audience, you can create multiple income streams from your storytelling.
