How to Make Money Writing

Writing is an important part of every day life: writing letters, composing emails, business correspondence, or other forms of written communication. Some people are more adept at writing than others, and some people enjoy writing more than others. If you're one of those people, you can learn how to make money writing, part time, full time, or as a freelance writer.

If writing comes easily to you and you enjoy it, the internet has made the ability to make money writing infinitely easier than it ever has been before. Whether you're a work at home mom or daytime daddy, or even if you're a college student wanting some extra cash, or if you're willing to give it your all and make a career out of writing for cash, this guide will show you how to make money writing.

Tips

  1. Start with something simple like blogging to get a feel for writing online.

  2. Move up the ladder as you become more confident at each writing level.

  3. You can make a significant freelance income just writing online.

Step 1: Start a Blog

Starting a blog is probably the easiest way to start writing on the internet and get used to the submission templates that websites use, get used to putting your writing out in public for people to read, handling comments, and learning to write on a schedule. Blogging is a great way to learn writing, because the expectations are low, you can't reject your own writing, and you can write more informally.

You can also learn how to make money blogging, combining the ability to make money writing with the blog, and turning a hobby into a lucrative venture.

Step 2: Web Content Submission Sites

Writing for web content sites that have little to no editorial review is a good logical step in the positive direction toward making money with your writing. These content sites usually accept open submissions, and while there is little or no editorial review, you will be paid based on the performance of your writing. The better the writing and the more web friendly, the more money you will earn on these sites.

Websites that have little or no editorial review for web content where you can make money writing include: Associated Content, Bukisa, Triond, eHow, Helium.com. These sites generally pay either nothing or only a small amount of money upfront (AC pays between .99cents and $25 upfront | Helium pays between .00-3.00 upfront), and/or they pay via performance either via page views or revenue share.

Web content sites that pay via page views and revenue share should be considered long-term investments, as they will yield residual income year after year, instead of paying out lump sum at the time of the writing. With enough time, considerable residual income can be generated from hundreds or thousands of pieces of content.

Step 4

Step 4: Online Magazines & Newsletters

Moving up the ladder in dollars and clips, online magazines and newsletters are the next step up. Generally speaking, most online magazines are easier to get published in with than print magazines are. Emailed newsletters or small print newsletters are also usually not as strict on editorial requirements, but some of these writing gigs can pay quite well. Finding online magazines are as easy as searching online in a search engines for the magazine name and the word submissions" or "writer's guidelines".

Step 3: Web Content Sites With Editorial Review

The next step in how to make money writing is to move up to websites that have editorial review. These website often require a higher level of writing ability, proven experience or skill, and the content submitted is review before or shortly after publication to ensure it adheres to quality standards. Because of these more stringent standards, these web content sites look better on a writer's resume than the non-editorially reviewed content sites. The clips from these website with editorial review are better used on your writing resume to land higher paying writing gigs in the future.

Some online content sites with editorial review include: Helium.com's Marketplace, Suite101, Demand Studios, Mahalo How-to Team.

Other sites that require applications and acceptance in order to write online for them include: Examiner, About.com.

Step 5

Step 5: Print Media

Print publication gigs are the cream of the crop in the writing world. If you want to make money writing, these are the writing leads that will likely pay the most and give you the best clips for future writing queries. Depending on the type of writing you're most interested in doing, local newspapers or limited circulation magazines are likely the best first step into the print world, using your online clips for samples of published works.

For large circulation magazines, you will need to read their submission policies and writer's guidelines carefully. Many magazines want query letters instead of submitting articles on spec, so you'll need to learn How To Query A Magazine.

Step 6

Featured Video: How to Make Money from Your Blog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVgrb4mMNnw

If you want to learn the quick basics to monetizing your blog, this video will show you the simple, practical steps to take to make that happen. The steps are clear, concise, and give you the specific information you need. It also briefly describes several different advertising companies and avenues you can take to make money from your blogging activities.

Step 7

Did you know...(guide note section)

  1. The average salary in 2007 for a career blogger was $17,000 to $35,000?http://salary.com/home/layoutscripts/homl_defaulta.asp
  2. The average salary in 2007 for a copywriter was $41,000 to $63,000?http://salary.com/home/layoutscripts/homl_defaulta.asp
  3. The average salary of a web writer is over $45,000 per year?http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layoutscripts/swzl_salaryresults.asp?op=salswz_psr&jobfamilycode=9&txtKeyword=freelane+writer&hdOmniNarrowDesc=Printing+and+Publishing&hdZipCode=&hdOmniTotalJobsFound=15&pagefrom=selectjob&hdJobCategory=IT02&hdGeoLocation=U.S.+National+Averages&countertype=1&totaljoblistnum=2&joblevelcode=&hdCurrentPage=1&hdNarrowDesc=Internet+and+New+Media&hdLocationOption=0&hdViewAllRecords=0&hdJobTitle=Writer+I+-+Web&hdSearchByOption=0&hdKeyword=freelane+writer&rdbSearchByOption=0&hdStateMetro=&jobcounter=10&hdSortBy=0&hdJobCode=IT10000125&state=&hdJSBoolDisplayAdvertisement=&hdAjaxKeyword=freelane+writer&hdAjaxKeywordWithOR=%23freelane%23+OR+%23writer%23&hdAjaxDisplaySection1=0&hdAjaxDisplaySection2=1

How to Make Money Writing Answers

  • Search for Questions

    Preview

References

Upload a picture from your computer

You can upload a JPG, GIF or PNG file. Do not upload pictures containing celebrities, nudity, artwork, or copyrighted images).

Specify an image URL

Image URL

Search

Type the image URL in the text field above and click 'Search'. Large images may take awhile to process.

Please remember that using others' images on the web without their permission is not very nice.

Crop this picture

Just click and drag on the image below to start cropping! Use the handles on the crop box to resize it.

Preview

Upload a picture from your computer

You can upload a JPG, GIF or PNG file. Do not upload pictures containing celebrities, nudity, artwork, or copyrighted images).

Specify an image URL

Image URL

Search

Type the image URL in the text field above and click 'Search'. Large images may take awhile to process.

Please remember that using others' images on the web without their permission is not very nice.

Crop this picture

Just click and drag on the image below to start cropping! Use the handles on the crop box to resize it.

Small Medium Large Full

Preview

Hotkeys