5 Ways New Writers Can Make Money (How I Made $4420 In My 1st Year)

"I accidentally found 5 revenue streams for beginner writers."

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Writers should get paid for doing what they love, which is something few people are truly capable of: entertaining, educating and inspiring others through the written word. Become a paid subscriber to How to Write for a Living for just £8 a month to unlock every article in our archive and gain full access to the Member Resource Hub.

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By Derek Hughes.

I wasn’t supposed to make money.

I started writing online in January 2023. It sounded like a fun thing to do. I’d heard Nicolas Cole had made a truckload of money writing. But knew that wouldn’t happen to me. This didn’t matter. I was here for the fun.

One year later I’d accidentally made $4420.

This shows how possible it is. Don’t listen to that negative voice in your head. New writers can make money.

Here are the 5 ways I did it…

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1. Ghostwriting

Earnings $380

I’d been on Twitter/X for 5 months when I was offered money to ghostwrite.

But you should know I was awful when I started on X. So I bought a course and improved quickly. I invest in property so posted a few comments on a property profile. These were so impressive (or they were so desperate). They messaged me asking if I could ghostwrite their X & LinkedIn content.

Writing is a valuable skill

The pay was astonishingly good.

It blew my mind someone would pay $100/hour for my writing skills. I’d only been writing for 6 months. When that money hit my bank account my mindset was transformed. Self-doubt dissolved. I started to believe I can do this writing thing.

Everything changes when you earn your first $1.

Want a ghostwriting contract? Do this

Get out of the creator bubble.

Your skills are valuable. There are businesses everywhere desperate for them. But if your engagement is with other writers they’ll never find you. What do you have an interest in?

• Health

• Finance

• Retail

• Tech

Enter these online spaces. Go where these businesses hang out. Find 10 businesses. Make intelligent comments on their posts. Mention you are a creator. Then offer advice on how they can improve their writing. Go slow don’t rush this. Be kind. Be helpful. You might get offered work through this.

If not make a direct offer to help them.

2. Freelancing

Earnings $475

This is a crazy story.

I used my Medium content to design an email course. And a magazine editor signed up for it. She was so impressed with my writing she offered me $475 to write for her magazine. She wanted an article on property investment. And knew I was an investor.

Now here’s the golden insight for you.

The property magazine knows people who have property expertise. But few can write. I have property knowledge and writing skills. This sets me apart. This is a similar lesson to ghostwriting. You don’t stand out amongst writers.

Go into a space where you have knowledge and you’ll be priceless.

3. Affiliates

Earnings $515

I hate sales.

I’ve unsubscribed from a few newsletters that are thinly disguised sales pitches. Creators desperate for cash. But if done correctly affiliate is a nice earner that can boost your reputation.

I never knew this was a thing. I’d completed a Twitter/X course. Then got an email from the creator. He was offering to pay 40% to affiliates. You promote his course and you get paid if people sign up via your link.

The course made a massive difference to me. So I was comfortable telling others about it. I shared how the course had helped me grow. This inspired others to buy it. I gained some cash and they improved their skills. Win-win.

If you’ve paid for any courses why not approach the creator to become an affiliate? Then share honestly how the course has helped you.

4. Medium

Earnings $2985

It’s incredible what’s possible on Medium. But the start is so hard. In my first 7 months, I earned $80. I knew writing was a long-term game. So I kept going. I focused on writing every day before work. And improved one aspect of my writing every week.

I secretly wondered if I could grow my earnings to $100/month. In August I earned $300. And by October I was hitting $800+.

Most writers worry about their results too early. Place your trust in the power of compounding. Focus on your writing. Get better every week. And learned to write content that people want to read.

Improve your skills and the results will come.

5. Products

Earnings $65

I launched an email course on Gumroad about Twitter/X hooks. It was pay-what-you-want. I had no idea what would happen. It was a fun experiment.

People could have it for free but I got $65 for it. 116 people signed up for it. Boosting my newsletter. Most amazingly it has 31 x 5-star reviews:

This has boosted my confidence. I can put together a course that people rate highly. So 2024 will see me launch some paid courses.

The key message in all this is experiment. Have fun and try things out. But make sure you have a solid base of good writing skills. Don’t paper over the cracks with high-pressure sales tactics.

Get good and then get in front of people. And who knows what exciting things might happen.

Derek Hughes.

Derek Hughes has grown a huge following on Medium. You can get his 5-Step writing system for free. Get it here.

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