The options are out there.
Take it from someone who figured out how to make a living writing after only a few months…you can do it the same way I did (which I’ll explain in this post).
Do you want to work from home?
Do you want to work for yourself?
Do you want to make a living doing something meaningful and fulfilling?
The answer is obvious and the only question is…
How?
Whether you want to be your own boss, spend your day doing something you love and are good at, or even if you’re just looking for a new career opportunity, learning how to make money writing and which writing jobs are even available to you is worth it.
How to Make Money Writing
So you’ve already determined you want to write. You love it, it’s fulfilling, and you don’t despise it nearly as much as you do that 9-5 you’ve got now (or are still avoiding like the plague).
Firstly, that’s fantastic (we love writing here at Self-Publishing School, if you haven’t noticed)!
Secondly, now the work begins because writing jobs won’t just start falling from the sky and landing in your lap.
And that’s why you’ll have to learn how to make money writing, since there are far more opportunities than you think exist out there…
In this post, we’re going to cover:
- The highest paying writing jobs
- How to find writing jobs online
- Online and remote writing jobs (& how to find them!)
- Jobs for creative writers
- Blog writing jobs
By the end of this blog post, you’ll know exactly how to make money writing like our very own Coach here at Self-Publishing School, Lise Cartwright.
She makes a full-time income of over $4,000 per month just from her self-published books—and you can do the same.
What are the highest paying writing jobs?
Not all writing jobs are created equal. After all, there are many different forms of writing, all coming with their own price tags.
These are the highest paying writing jobs and our advice for breaking into them.
#1 – Author $$$$$
One of the best jobs with one of the highest earning potential is becoming an author.
This could be nonfiction or fiction, it doesn’t matter.
I understand that this one may come as a surprise. After all, the reputation of “starving artist” and the stigma against authors has to have been created for a reason.
But in today’s age, with technology and the possibility of self-publishing, making a large income as an author is not only realistic…
…it’s easily attainable with the right system.
Check out this book profit calculator to help you get a feel for how much money you can really make by self-publishing your book.
Book Profit Calculator
Enter Your Information Below To Calculate
Your Potential Book Sales
Enter your details below to see your personalized book profit estimate!
CONGRATULATIONS
Here's What You'd Earn:
Your profit per book: $20
In 3 months, you'll make: $90,000
In 6 months, you'll make: $180,000
In 1 year, you'll make: $365,000
Being a self-published author is far more lucrative than traditional publishing nowadays solely because it’s directly up to you how much you make.
The more you work and market and push for more book sales, the better you’ll do. And therefore, this has the highest earning potential.
#2 – Screenwriter $$$$$
If you’re someone who would rather write movies or TV shows than books or novels, this could be the path for you.
Screenwriters—especially if you work hard and make it to the “big leagues”—have extremely high earning potential.
A screenwriter writes TV shows and movies. Contrary to what many believe, there are typically several writers who work on one show and movie, but it’s not necessarily easy to become a Hollywood screenwriter.
That means if you work hard, play your cards right, and focus on committing to this path, you can potentially make a lot of money writing.
[Tweet “If you work hard, play your cards right, and focus on committing, a job in writing is just around the corner.”]
#3 – Content writer $$$$
If you’re looking for a great career as a writer, content writing is where it’s at.
Now, I may be biased (since this one is actually my job), but it’s a lucrative field to get into—especially nowadays.
Every company has a website. And as Russ Henneberry from DigitalMarketer says, every business should have a blog.
And that means every business needs a writer for those blogs.
However, keep in mind that content writing is more than just writing. There’s a lot of information about SEO you need to learn if you want to be effective at your job.
That being said, it’s a growing field and you can even find remote jobs.
#4 – Technical writer $$$
Not many people realize there’s a lot of opportunity in this department.
What is a technical writer? This is a person who knows how to take complex topics and condense them into easy-to-understand jargon for the layman.
This includes writing in the fitness field, medical, psychological, law, and many more.
If you have a set of specialized knowledge (like customer support or building great resumes), learn how to feature it, and seek writing jobs for companies looking to break it down so anyone can understand it.
How to Find Writing Jobs Online
To find writing jobs, click that link or hit up the search engines.
You’re bound to have better luck searching online than any other way. And with so many different job sites and apps out there, it’s worth diving into a few to see what jobs are available.
Here are a few of the best websites to find high paying writing jobs:
- BloggingPro’s Job Board
- JournalismJobs.com
- ProBlogger’s Job Board
- FreelanceWriting.com Jobs
- LinkedIn’s Job Board
These are also reliable places to find freelance writing work, however, you will often be paid less for these jobs and they’re typically short jobs:
When it comes to searching for writing jobs online, you have to keep in mind that some people will be more reliable than others.
Our first list covers places you can find writing jobs that are typically much better pay and longevity than the websites in our second list.
However, don’t dismiss Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer completely. I personally got my start on them!
Online and Remote Writing Jobs
What sounds better than working from the comfort of your own home, and even from bed, with nothing more than a laptop in front of you?
Almost nothing.
As someone who works remotely and as a writer, it’s extremely convenient and enjoyable to do what I love.
If you’re wondering where to get started, here’s a list of remote writing jobs you could potentially have:
- Content Manager
- Content Editor
- Content Writer
- Copywriter
- Technical Writer
- Speech/Script Writer
- Transcriptionist
- Academic Writer
- Columnist
- Grant Writer
- Proposal Writer
- Translator
- Social Media Manager
- Film Critic
- Food Critic
- Proofreader
- Editor
- Travel Writer
- Ghost Writer
This list could go on, but this is great starting point for you to pinpoint what interests you. From there, you can learn how to find these types of jobs.
[Tweet “The first step to landing a job in writing is to figure out your niche—what you want to write about.”]
How to Find Online and Remote Writing Jobs:
If you’ve decided what you want to write about, it’s your job to do research so you can find the best job that fits what you’re looking to do.
There are two methods for finding writing jobs online:
- Outreach – you personally find websites and platforms you want to work for and reach out via email cold pitching your writing services.
- Respond to job postings – this is the more traditional method in which you visit job boards (like the ones listed above) and respond to job postings with your resume.
Outreach for Writing Jobs:
This method often takes the most finesse in order to get right. After my stint with Upwork and Fiverr ended, personally used outreach to land some of my most consistent and highest paying clients.
Here’s how you can do outreach to land writing jobs:
- Determine your niche and the type of content you want to write. This can be beauty, fashion, education, parenting, movies, television, fitness, lifestyle, and any category you’re interested in. We recommend choosing one you both enjoy and know a lot about (less research means you can do more and therefore get paid more).
- Visit websites you know have content in this niche. For example: if you want to write about food and travel, Thrillist.com might be your best bet. Choosing a niche like wellness might land you on sites like TheGreatist.com. If you’re not sure which sites cover your niche, just do a quick google search for, “[your niche] websites”.
- Scroll down to the very bottom of the site’s homepage and look for “write for us” link. Not all websites will have this but many that are primarily content usually have a means for you to write for them, as seen in the example below from IntrovertDear.com.
- Click on the “write for us” or equivalent page. Read over their guidelines to see if this is a good fit for you. If you want to know about compensation and they don’t list any, simply location a contact email or fill out a contact form and ask!
- Cold pitch your idea. Technically, since they are accepting writers, it’s not considered a “cold” pitch, but you do still have to sell them on your ideas. Focus on what they can gain from working with you and less on you. This becomes easier with experience and proven results.
Responding to Job Postings for Writing Jobs:
This one is just like any other job you apply for online.
After searching for writing jobs via the job boards listed above, simply send in your resume and CV if applicable.
A few tips to optimize your resume for writing jobs:
- Be unique and creative with its appearance
- Focus on the results your writing has obtained
- List technical writing skills in addition to just “writing”
- Make sure to mention your knowledge and experience with SEO (which you’ll need for almost any online writing job)
- Be humorous and let your style come out
Here’s an example of my personal resume that landed me this writing job.
As you can see, I tailored it to this company’s branding and made sure to focus on getting my own personality on the page (address/company info is hidden).
The trick is to find jobs that you’re a good fit for and where your style and voice will fit in the best.
Jobs for Creative Writers
There are more jobs for creative writers than you think.
Many of us automatically think “author” when we think of creative writing. And while an author is one of the best options, it’s not the only one.
NOTE: If you do want to write creatively as an author, make sure to check out our Fundamentals of Fiction Self-Publishing Program so you can get started in the next 90 days!
Learn more about it here
Here are some of the many jobs available to creative writers:
- Author
- Short story writer
- Creative writing teacher
- Story blogger
- Playwright
- Children’s book author
- Novelist
- Ghostwriter
- Editor
- Journalist
- Social Media Manager
Creative writing doesn’t limit your options as a writer. All writing needs some creativity thrown in there and these jobs allow you to do that.
[Tweet “Creative writing doesn’t limit your options as a writer…if anything, it broadens them.”]
Blog Writing Jobs
With the invention and high utilization of the internet, every single website needs writers.
There are two options when it comes to blog writing jobs:
- Create your own blog
- Write for another blog
How to Find Blog Writing Jobs:
Blog writing jobs are everywhere. Whether a website advertises that they’re hiring or not, you can often wiggle your way into writing for them.
In the section above about performing outreach for online writing jobs, we highlight the system of cold pitching, which involves visiting websites and looking for a “write for us” page at the bottom.
If you can’t find this page, you can use tools like Hunter.io, ContactOut or VoilaNorbert in order to locate email address in which you can pitch to.
Here are a few tips for finding blog writing jobs in your area of expertise:
- Determine your writing niche
- Google “[your niche] websites” in order to find sites with your content
- You can also try Googling “[your niche] write for us” to locate their specific writing page
- Read their content to determine if your voice/style is a good match
- Look at their blog posts and determine if there’s an area of weakness you can strengthen
Doing these things will ultimately help you find the best writing job for you.
