By Holland Webb @WebbHollandLyle

So you want to make money as a writer? 

You’re living in the right era then. There are probably more opportunities to earn a full-time living as a writer now than there ever have been.

I know you’ve probably heard how the internet has disrupted traditional publishing. Newspapers are mostly struggling. Book sales soared for A-list writers but crashed for everyone else. And so on and on.

All that doom-and-gloom doesn’t change the facts. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the median salary of a writer in the U.S. is $69,510. I’ve seen other figures ranging from $50,000 a year to $75,000 a year. And yes, it’s totally realistic to clear the six-figure mark.

But it’s not enough to know you can earn a living as a writer. Do you want to write for money? And if so, what do you want to write?

If your only goal is to be a novelist, a screenwriter, or a newspaper journalist, then yes you face a steep challenge. Those tend to be hobbies, not full-time occupations. In today’s market, you usually earn money writing in three major avenues:

You can sell your own work. Writers who do this contract with a magazine or website to publish an article they draft. Sometimes, you get paid very little. But if you can snag a big publication, you can earn big money. In general, however, this strategy will not provide you with sufficient income to pay your bills.

You can write content or web copy. Basically, you contract with a brand, a marketing agency, or a media company to provide written services. Maybe you write blogs, LinkedIn posts, Facebook posts, Tweets, Instagram captions, podcast scripts, product descriptions, websites, or other articles. You get paid by the brand or the agency that hired you. 

You can complement what you already do with writing. Let’s say you sell a pet product. You’re probably an expert in management and design, not pets. You can add to your income by teaching courses, speaking, or (yes) writing articles about management and industrial design.

So just how much money can you make as a writer? 

I mean, JK Rowling went from public housing to her very own castle in the highlands of Scotland! Can you do that? Well, if you write something that takes off like Harry Potter, then I guess you can.

More likely, though, you can earn a solid middle-class lifestyle by working for yourself as a writer — if you write well, secure strong clients, and run your writing life like it’s a real business.

Now, if most of what you know about writing is what your English teacher said in school, then you’ve got some learning to do before you pitch a marketing agency. Writing for pay means writing for the public, not for a single reader like your teacher. You have to write killer headlines, pay weird taxes, and never stop marketing yourself. 

What role does faith play in writing for a living?

Well, what role does faith play in accounting, teaching, nursing, or any other career? Writing is not a super-spiritual calling that somehow dwells in higher planes than other professions. You have to live your faith in the marketplace as a writer just like you would in any other job.

If you want to write for Christian organizations, business executives, or publications, you can certainly do that. I think it would be tough to make a living without secular gigs. If you want to do that, though, go for it and prove me wrong.

In general, however, writing for pay means writing what the public wants to hear, not what you want to say. 

Does earning a living as a writer still interest you? 

If so, start building your business plan. I recommend beginning with these three questions:

• Do you see yourself primarily selling your own work, writing content for a brand or agency, or supplementing your current job with paid writing gigs?
• What’s your financial goal as a writer? 
• What are your three biggest hurdles to success as a paid freelance writer? 

Holland Webb is a full-time freelance writer and editor whose clients have included High Bridge Books & Media, Sweet Fish Media, Compose.ly, and RedVentures, and his articles have appeared in Focus on the Family, Influencive, Devozine, and Keys for Kids. With his friend Carlton Hughes, Holland co-authored Adventures in Fatherhood: A Devotional. Almost 20 years ago, Holland adopted two boys, both now grown, and he recently married for the first time at age 45.