This is another one of those posts where I have many more questions then I do answers. In fact, I pretty much have no answers as far as making money online goes.
But we have all been there, right? You don't get the book out as quickly as you'd hoped, it doesn't sell as well as you expected, and then you find out your fantastic junker of a car needs a million dollar replacement part or something like that. This is why the majority of writers that I know have day jobs. It is perfectly possible to make a fine living off of your books, but it just might take a bit of time to get there.
So what do you do in the meantime? Obviously a good answer to this question is a day job, but there are two reasons to explore the making money online option: First, even the day-job might not be earning you as much as you need, and second, wouldn't it be nice to make enough money online that a day job wasn't even necessary? I think so.
Not that making money online doesn't take work, and I don't even know where to begin. Do any of you have experience with this? The one answer I can think of is finding freelance writing jobs on sites like Freelance Writing Jobs, but I'm not sure even how to go about it, or if you can make decent money doing it in the first place.
So what are your ideas, oh people who know more then me? People say all the time that you can make a great living online, but how and where? Are there any helpful articles or tutorials that you are familiar with? I've done some research, but there is so much out there that its hard to sort through.
I hope todays post isn't too annoyingly mercenary. However, I think this is something directly applicable to almost every writer, especially the beginning ones. And to be honest, I could really use some advice about this right now. I'm getting ready to move in a couple months, and having even a small source of income would be, to put it lightly, very, very nice. I'm sure most of you feel similarly.
Thank you in advance for your advice. Keep up the writing!
Sarah Allen
p.s. For those interested in the Japanese literature that we discussed a few days ago, a wonderful list of 20 top Japanese writers has been brought to my attention that you might enjoy checking out.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
11 comments:
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You make some key points.I think a lot of aspiring writers are going through the same thing....
ReplyDeleteI know that some writers do copy editing. They do manuscript critiques and proofreading. You have to be good a grammar and punctuation though...commas are my kryptonite so I can't do that line of work.
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI just found you and your blog through the #amwriting hashtag on Twitter.
I have a few suggestions for you. You can make a living writing online - although it's not a glamorous thing in the beginning. However, between private clients and content assignments, I clear $4k a month. Definitely not an income to hang my head in shame over. :)
Here's what I suggest.
First, go to wahm.com and find the forum for "Wahms Who Write." You'll find a ton of fellow writers working from home. Some are just stay-at-home moms writing to help make ends meet, others are professional writers who supplement their income with content writing.
Second, go to sashaymagazine.com and find Monica Dutcher's contact info. She's the executive editor and always on the look-out for good writers for both the online and print editions.
Finally, you can go to my blog, theblueinkwell.com and read the Chickenshit Series (there's a graphic in the sidebar.) The last post in the series has a list of dozens of companies that hire freelance writers to write content. Some pay peanuts and could be written by a 3rd grader, but others pay better and have more respect for their writers. My favorites are Bright Hub and Contently.
Hope that helps. Like I said, it's not glamorous work, but you can do it in your PJs at home - on your own time.
Best of luck to you!
Hey, stop on by. You just won the "Write Hard" award on my blog :D
ReplyDeleteHello, Sarah... Thank you for stopping by my blog the other day and commenting -- I'm just now catching up.
ReplyDeleteI've done some writing on Helium.com -- and have made a few dollars over the past few years. You might want to check it out. :)
Thanks for visiting my blog. Here I am returning the favour. I personally would love to make a living through writing but like you have no idea how to do that online. But I think there has been some good advice in this comments section ;)
ReplyDeletewww.duncaninkuantan.blogspot.com
Thank you as well for stopping at my blog and commenting. As stated I am new to blogging and have only recently had the revelation that I want to write. :) I have always known that I enjoy it and have all of my journals, pretty well, since I was 12. I am reading everything that I can on this subject and input from everyone is wonderful! There are too many subjects spinning around in my head at the moment and as soon as I am able to tack one to a sacred space in the whirlwind, I think I will be off like my cocker spaniel when she gets the whiff of a squirrel! :)
ReplyDeleteI probably shouldn't comment on this post since I have no idea, but I wanted to say hi and thank you for commenting on my blog and following it! I am a copywriter and I have a full time job and do freelance, too, but I am well-known in my city for what I do and seemed to have developed a niche (which was an accident). I was always advised not to get a job as a writer if I wanted to write (novels) and I think that is the best advice one can give an aspiring writer! In other words, save your creativity and typing time for yourself.
ReplyDeleteI, too, would like to know how to make money online.I think I will check out Sandi's suggestions. I write a column for a monthly regional magazine, but...I don't get paid for it. I am hoping it will give me experience and exposure and eventually lead to paying jobs.
ReplyDeleteWow!! I have no idea about making bucks online (leave bucks, I haven't made a dime till date)
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your suggestions Ms. Sandi. What do you guys think about Adsense??? I am sure it is safe and reliable!!
with warm regards
http://becomingprince.blogspot.com
Thanks for writing this post, Sarah. I'm glad I'm not the only one who is interested in making extra money online, but has no clue how to do it! I'm fortunate to have my "day job," but I sure would love to be able to make some money writing. It was so helpful to read comments and suggestions, thanks to all for sharing!
ReplyDelete