(by 4 people)
How do you get paid for writing?
This lens will help you make money with your writing. There are some fields in which getting paid for writing is extremely difficult. Fiction. Poetry. Playwriting. Screenwriting. You must have an idea and style that capture the imagination of the publisher or producer. Honing your craft is a long process of writing, writing, and writing. Editing, revising, submitting your manuscripts, editing and revising again. With very little encouragement or feedback.
If you want to be a professional writer, and get paid for writing, then take a look at some fields in which you can be paid soon, and paid well. These include technical writing, copywriting, corporate communication and educational writing.
This lens will explore the areas where it is easier to get paid for your writing.
Writing the How-To Piece
Write the kind of information every publication is HUNGRY for!
If you can write a simple how-to instruction, you can get paid for that writing. Publications, from local newspapers to national and international magazines, are always looking for well-written pieces that tell someone how to do something.
Everyone knows Martha Stewart. Do you know that she often describes herself as a "journalist"? She created a billion dollar empire telling and showing people how to do things.
Anything that you know well, or that you can research thoroughly until you DO know it well, can be the topic for a great how-to article.
Information on Writing for Magazines
- See my notes on Writing for Magazines
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page you get to at this link. Download the FREE PDF of notes I gave at a conference, on writing how-to pieces for magazines.
Feel free to e-mail me with any questions you might have.
Recommended Resources
All of these resources will help you get paid to write.
Writing To Learn
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 07/26/2008)
List Price: $14.95
Used Price: $2.88
Multiple Streams of Income
Amazon Price: (as of 07/26/2008)
List Price: $24.95
Used Price: $0.01
God Wants You to Be Rich
Amazon Price: $14.00 (as of 07/26/2008)
List Price: $14.00
Used Price: $0.08
Paying Writer Jobs
- Paying Writer Jobs in Yahoo Groups
- To join this group in Yahoo Groups, go to the above link.
Paid opportunities are posted daily. It covers many areas of the country, and there are frequent telecommuting and freelancing opportunities.
More Writing Books
The Well-Fed Writer: Financial Self-Sufficiency As a Freelance Writer in Six Months or Less
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 07/26/2008)
List Price: $19.95
Used Price: $6.19
Bob Bly's Guide to Freelance Writing Success: How to Make $100,000 a Year As a Freelance Writer and Have the Time of Your Life Doing It
Amazon Price: $15.95 (as of 07/26/2008)
List Price: $15.95
Used Price: $8.45
Secrets of a Freelance Writer, Second Edition: How To Make $85,000 A Year
Amazon Price: $11.70 (as of 07/26/2008)
List Price: $15.00
Used Price: $0.01
The Wealthy Writer
Amazon Price: $12.91 (as of 07/26/2008)
List Price: $18.99
Used Price: $4.90
Copywriting
Writing about products and services with a marketing and sales spin.
Copywriters need to be able to write clearly and concisely. They need to be creative, and yet understand the important aspects of writing a winning formula. They also need to be able to understand a product or service, and how best to represent that product or service in words.
Copywriters work for marketing deparments and ad agencies, and may also work on their own as independent consultants.
Learn to be a copywriter by studying the masters currently working in the field, as well as those who established the genre from the beginning of print advertising. Study marketing and corporate communication, and advertising.
Books on Copywriting
Start and Run a Copywriting Business (Start & Run a)
Amazon Price: (as of 07/26/2008)
List Price: $18.95
Used Price: $3.61
Persuasive Online Copywriting: How to Take Your Words to the Bank
Amazon Price: (as of 07/26/2008)
List Price: $18.00
Used Price: $68.95
Advertising Copywriting
Amazon Price: $91.95 (as of 07/26/2008)
List Price: $91.95
Used Price: $3.16
Teach Yourself Copywriting
Amazon Price: $11.21 (as of 07/26/2008)
List Price: $14.95
Used Price: $6.16
Masters of Copywriting
Amazon Price: (as of 07/26/2008)
List Price: $97.00
Used Price:
