4 Realistic Ways That You Can Make a Living as a Writer

Being a full-time writer can be a struggle financially. This is because there is really no guarantee that your book will be a success. And when you are writing a book you don’t really have a regular salary that you can turn to.

This is also aggravated by the fact that books take a long time to write, so in the meantime that means you will have to fend for yourself and budget whatever funds you have. But this does not mean that you cannot find alternative ways to make money. Here are some realistic ways that you can make a living as a writer.

1. Create your very own blog site

When it comes to earning a living as a writer, it always pays to have a blog site of your very own. Having a blog site of your very own is very handy because it can act as a base of operations for your book publishing and side line work as a writer.

A blog site can be used for your book publishing operations because you can use it as a platform from which you can market and show samples of your work. You can also use a blog site as a platform where you can sell your work and even keep in contact with fellow authors and fans.

You can also use your blog site as a way to make yourself more discoverable as a writer. Through your blog site you can create a reputation for yourself as a writer which can ultimately get you good side line jobs that are reasonably easy and well-paying. All in all, having a blog site is a great option for any author who wishes to make his or her work more discoverable.

2. Be a content writer for online businesses

With the multitude of online companies nowadays, there is a great need for people to write the content. Which is why content writers are very attractive to employers nowadays. Every company needs a content writer to provide a variety of content that range from advertisements, informative articles to short blurbs on services.

And this is where you will come in. Any writer worth his or her salt can create good content if given the right instruction and references. And seeing as most companies pay content writers well and even go so far as to hire writers full time, then being a content writer is a very attractive prospect indeed.

But if you should enter into a contract with a company you should know that they expect you to act as professional as possible. Working within a company means that you have to follow their instructions to the letter. They will be paying you for your time and creativity, so you are expected to do your part. Which mean no flights of fancy or unnecessary flourishes to your articles.

All in all though being a content writer is a pretty respectable job for any writer, and will make paying the bills a lot easier.

3. Write for various periodicals

Whether you plan to write for an online or offline periodical, you will still have to go through a great deal of criticism. This is because periodicals are some of the most widely read and respected writing platforms you can work for. This is especially true for long running periodicals. But as hard as it can be to get a job in periodicals it is still worth it.

By having your work appear in online periodicals, you are technically giving your work a great deal of publicity and you are given a chance to make quite a name for yourself. Just be sure to be as discerning as possible. Pick a periodical that not only has a name, but can also pay you a decent wage.

4. Take up copy-editing jobs

Aside from content writing, you can also take up copy editing jobs. Copyediting entails you to review and check written material to improve accuracy, readability and consistency. Copyediting jobs pay quite well because authors are very particular about the quality of their books, and they will pay a great deal of money in order to get it done right. Which is why, if you do take up copyediting jobs you should be as professional as possible.

The more experienced you are, the more attractive you will be to authors. Indeed, self-publishing companies hires only seasoned writers to handle the marketing of self-published books. So if you want to command higher pay for your work, you will have to establish yourself as a professional writer.

All in all, if you truly want to make a decent living as a writer you will have to be highly skilled and consistent. The writing profession is a notoriously competitive one. And it takes a great amount of effort and some time to make a name for yourself. So hone your craft as much as possible.