How To Make A Living, Writing

Conventional wisdom tells you it’s impossible to make money from writing but here’s something you don’t hear every day: You Can. Not only that, but a lot of so-so writers out there are actually profiting from their work and the reason some are getting it wrong is because

a) They lack appropriate training

b) They just don’t want it badly enough

c) They have unrealistic expectations and are living beyond their means

It’s important to realize that your articles won’t necessarily sell the moment you write them and on average, you need to resend them roughly three to four times before they are accepted for publication. In some cases you won’t even hear back from the publisher until at least three months, so that’s nine months (to three different magazines) right there. Should you be lucky enough to get published, it takes another 3-6 months of waiting to get paid. So it’s safe to say that magazines on their own aren’t enough of an income stream.

That’s where newspapers come in, which offer $15-$20 a pop plus extra if you include photographs and since newspapers aren’t as picky, the articles will be shorter and easier to write. Newspapers do not have the same issues with reprinting as magazines and there is an endless list of newspapers to sell your work to. On average, they buy faster, print weekly or daily and tend to pay immediately.

Keep a fast turnaround on your articles and resell those that have already been sold. Over time, you’ll gain a reputation with the editors, be on a first name basis and more familiar with the kind of material they are looking for. On the side, you can continue to submit to magazines cementing your reputation as a writer, while at the same time getting paid for the rest of your work.

Writing, as you can see by the paragraphs above, is hard work and in practice, isn’t as romantic as it might be in theory. So if you’re serious about getting paid through your craft, then you’re going to learn to be determined, hardworking and persistent. The rest is will come in time!

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