by April Wilson

Created on: November 12, 2009

One of the complaints I hear most often from writers is how impossible it is to make money as a writer while they lament the loss of the "good old days." But I'm going to let you in on a little secret. There has never been a better time to be a writer, and there has never been more opportunity. The truth is that most ways to make money in today's world involve some type of writing you just have to make a mental shift.

The problem is that too many writers are stuck in old patterns: submitting fiction and nonfiction to mainstream publishers where it is highly competitive to get in and the pay is low. When you're a writer with touch-and-go income and that income isn't even great, no wonder you think it's impossible to make money as a writer. If you want to make money writing then you'll have to learn how to ride the publishing wave of the future.

Don't put all your eggs in one publishing basket. Diversify. If you want to write fiction, great, but don't only write fiction. Don't just write magazine articles either. These are the two least lucrative forms of writing. Mix up your portfolio a bit. Below are ways to make five of the most common types of writing work for you in the new publishing climate:

1. Copywriting

Copywriting remains one of the most lucrative forms of writing, but it's gotten a face-lift. Due to the internet and the increasing need for competent web-copy, there are more opportunities than ever before. Many of them don't pay as well as traditional print copywriting for larger companies, but they do still pay more than most other types of writing and they allow you to get your foot in the door to more lucrative paying jobs. Copywriting isn't the sexiest form of writing, usually it's product descriptions and brochure copy, but with more and more businesses moving online there is more work to spread around.

2. Fiction

Fiction by contrast, is one of the least lucrative forms of writing, and the way most writers continue to go about it is confusing to say the least. The majority of fiction writers write novels which they submit to agents to try to get a publisher in a mainstream house. However, most fiction authors published even by New York houses aren't making enough money to live on just from writing fiction. So unless you're at the very top stratum (bestselling author), you're not going to make a lot of money at this.

That doesn't mean you can't make "any" money at it. Fiction can grow into a decent passive revenue stream over time. But spending

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>