12 Ways to Make Money as a Writer

12 Ways to Make Money as a Writer

If you're a writer, you know that one of the most important things you can do is find ways to make money from your craft. Whether it's through freelancing, writing grants, or writing contests, there are many ways to make money as a writer.

In this blog post, we will explore 12 ways to make money as a writer in 2022. Some of these methods may require some upfront investment, but they can all be done from the comfort of your own home.

Whether you’re looking to make some extra cash on the side or build a full-time writing career, there’s something here for you. So if you're ready to start making money from your writing, read on!

01. Start a blog and monetize it with ads, affiliate links, or sponsored posts.

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Blogging is a great way to share your thoughts, ideas, and experiences with the world. It's also a great way to connect with other like-minded people, and to build a following of loyal readers. 

There are several proven ways to make money off your blog. The most common are through ads, affiliate links, and sponsored posts.

Ads: One way to monetize your blog is through ads.  

You can sign up with an ad network such as Google Adsense or Media.net. Once you're approved, you can add code to your blog to display ads. The code will differ depending on which network you're using.

Adsense is probably the most popular ad network and they provide a wide range of ad types, including text, image, and video ads. 

Media.net is another popular option and they offer both banner and native ads. 

Affiliate Links: Another way to monetize your blog is through affiliate links. 

This is where you promote a product or service and earn a commission for every sale that you generate. To find affiliate programs, you can search for them online or contact companies directly. 

Once you've found a program that you're interested in, you'll need to sign up and get a unique affiliate link. You can then start promoting the products or services on your blog. 

Sponsored Posts: A sponsored post is where a company pays you to write a post about their product or service. This is a great way to monetize your blog when you have a large audience. 

To find sponsored post opportunities, you can contact companies directly or search for them online. Once you've found a company that you're interested in, you can pitch them an idea for a post and negotiate a price.

02. Write articles for other blogs or websites as a guest contributor.

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As a freelance writer, one of the best ways to get your name out there and build your portfolio is to write articles for other blogs or websites as a guest contributor. Not only does this give you the opportunity to showcase your writing skills to a wider audience, but you can also make money from it.

Most guest contributors are paid per article, and rates can vary depending on the site or blog you're writing for. To maximize your earnings, be sure to write for sites that pay well and offer a good number of writing opportunities

Here are some great writers who have done it: 

  • Maya Angelou famously wrote for several different publications throughout her career, including "The New York Times," "The Washington Post," and "Essence" magazine. 
  • Toni Morrison was another prolific writer who contributed guest articles to various publications, such as "The New Yorker" and "Time" magazine. 
  • Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Cormac McCarthy has also written guest articles for a number of different magazines and newspapers, such as "The New York Times" and "The Paris Review." 
  • Margaret Atwood, another well-known author, has written guest articles for a variety of publications, including "The Globe and Mail" and "The Guardian." 
  • J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, has also written guest articles for various publications, such as "The Times" and "The Daily Telegraph."

03. Sell your short stories or other writing online.

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Yeah, you can sell your writings online! One of the best ways to do it is to join a writing platform like Wattpad or Scribd. These platforms allow you to upload your writing and set a price for it. People can then purchase and read your work. This is a great way to get your work out there and make some money from it.

Another option is to sell your writing through an online marketplace like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. With this option, you can upload your writing as a Kindle ebook and set a price for it. When someone purchases your ebook, they can download it and read it on their Kindle device. 

If you're looking for a more traditional way to sell your writing, you can always try submitting it to magazines or literary journals. This can be a bit more challenging, but it's definitely worth a shot.

Whatever route you decide to go, selling your writing online is a great way to get started as a writer. It's a great way to get your work out there and make some extra money.

04. Enter writing contests to win cash prizes.

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As a writer, there's nothing more exciting than entering a writing contest and winning a cash prize. But how do you go about finding the right contest for you? There are a few things to keep in mind when you're searching for writing contests. 

First, make sure the contest is legitimate. There are a lot of scams out there, so do your research before you enter. 

Second, make sure the contest is a good fit for your writing. There's no point in entering a contest that's looking for a specific type of writing if you don't write that type of thing. 

Finally, make sure you read the rules and guidelines carefully. Some contests have specific requirements, so you need to make sure you can meet them before you enter. 

Once you've found a few contests that look promising, it's time to start writing. Enter as many as you can, and don't be discouraged if you don't win right away. Keep entering, and eventually, you'll find the right contest for you. And when you do, the cash prize will be that much sweeter.