How To Make a Living as a Writer

Identify what type of writing you want to do. There are people who will only write fiction, those who do both and those who make a very nice living writing only non-fiction. Your own preferences will guide you, but remember that non-fiction in general is much more lucrative than fiction. Once you decide between the two, decide what topics interest you the most.

Practice what you write. Writing is just like any other profession -- you need to be good at it to make a living at it. Practice daily and have others read what you write. Take writing courses that specialize in your chosen writing type.

Explore work earning opportunities -- a process that depends on your chosen mode of writing. If you've chosen only fiction to write, you'll need to study The Writers Market diligently to find what most of the publishing houses are buying. You'll need to spend every day sending out query letters to publishing houses, magazines and literary agents.

If you're writing non-fiction, you may be interested in querying publishers and agents, but you can also make a good living elsewhere. Copywriting pays well, as does technical writing. If you have a talent for either, set up a website that displays your talents and design a brochure for local businesses. You can write ads, manuals, marketing materials, brochures and flyers for local companies as well as companies that contact you online.

Web writing is another venue for writers, though it doesn't generally pay as well. There are millions of websites out there, and a large percentage of them hire freelance writers to write their articles and sales pages. Querying phrases such as "write for us" and "writers needed" in a search engine will bring up countless websites that are hiring writers. To get started in web writing, put together writing samples that you can use as "clips." Most employers will want to see numerous clips to gauge your skill. Make sure the samples are error-free.

Build a reputation. In fiction writing, the reputation is simply the work itself. Deliver consistently what the publisher wants. In non-fiction, deliver your work on time and without mistakes. A good reputation will lead to more work and higher prices for that work. Soon you will be making enough to live on. This can take much longer in fiction than non-fiction, as many fiction books take one to two years from acceptance to publication. Web writing and other non-fiction can bring in a living in less than a year.