Much as we might dream of making a living writing books, the sobering reality is that few of us ever will—even if accepted by a traditional publisher. When you pick up a book at the store, the majority of the authors you come across within are working a day job. These are just the authors who have “made it,” too, or who have otherwise been published by the publishing houses in the first place.
It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Many authors who seem to succeed, particularly those who are self published, often have multiple income streams. Others have a full time job which nevertheless gives them satisfaction or even improves their writing. If you are a writer, there are a number of jobs which can tie directly into your passion—whether you’re hoping to write something other than a book, or assist other writers in their journey, there are six jobs you should consider if you’re an author.
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1) Editor
Editors don’t become rich out of the gate, but the career of an editor can be lucrative in the long run. The barrier to entry is considerably steeper than it once was, however. If hoping to work for a traditional publishing company, many will prefer any applicants have a bachelor’s degree. This qualification can be in journalism, communications, and so on, but the challenge comes in the cost. Most of us don’t have $40,000 dollars lying around.
If a bachelor’s degree is unreachable, editors still have the option to freelance. The first jobs available won’t necessarily be your favourite, but they will provide you with experience you can carry into future jobs. As you build up a clientele and pad your resume, more will come to you for work—allowing you to be more discerning in your projects. In the beginning you might be forced to edit a typo ridden western written by a teenager, when you’d rather be editing fantasies, but this phase won’t last forever.
Interestingly, just over a majority of current editors prefer freelancing. This is because running your own business allows for choosiness in jobs, flexibility in hours, and overall more freedom. Of course, it also means you have to locate clients, market yourself, and tackle books which are in rougher shape to begin with.
It should also be noted that there are several types of editors. Developmental editors look at the big picture, rearranging plot elements, exploring themes, and catching major discrepancies in character or tone. Copy editors, on the other hand, parse through grammar and search for typos, giving books their final clean up. After the developmental editor has improved the story, it’s the job of the copy editor or the line editor to clean up the prose itself. As a freelancer, you could do both—or you may specialize. Experimentation may be necessary to determine which type of editing you prefer. Proofreaders look for last minute typos, perfecting a mostly completed project. While proofreaders aren’t considered the highest tier, it should be noted that for those who are intrigued by the idea of editing to read decent books, you would be receiving the best possible version of the story.
All types of editing can improve your own writing, forcing you to think about character problems, plot holes, and common pitfalls faced in first drafts. As you edit, it will be hard not to apply what you’ve learned, in editing the books of others, to your novel.
If you become a freelancer, you can run your editing business in tandem with selling your books, creating at least two streams of income. If one business on its own can’t pay the bills, two might—giving you both financial security and personal freedom. Editors don’t just tackle novels either. Some specialize in blogs.
2) YouTuber
If you’ve found that editing is too dry for you, or that it just takes away too much of the mental energy you need for your own novels, there is another avenue. Many authors we consider “successful” are doing well not only because of their books, or even because of their books, but because they’ve built a sustainable YouTube channel. On what many in the community call AuthorTube, it’s typical for writers to offer writing advice. Sandwiched between these advice videos, authors can also share vlogs of the author’s life, book trailers, and advertise their books. Authors can build direct relationships with their fans, and attract readers on the side.
A notable example of such an author is Jenna Moreci. Although she mainly offers writing advice, with a humorous touch to boot, she always begins her videos by advertising her Saviour’s series, and by sharing any updates (such as her book being on sale or there being a cover reveal). As a successful YouTuber, she also receives the perks of such—she supplements her income with not only ads, but with sponsors. For those serious about YouTube, sponsors can offer more income than Adsense. Many of the most successful swear by them, and some, like Jenna, are lucky enough to be sponsored by products which actually relate to writing. If you’re lucky, you won’t be running a Geico ad—instead, you may even be talking about a product you actually use and love.
Of course, if your first sponsor isn’t writing related, it’s usually down to you, as the creator, to make the ad as funny or entertaining as you can for your viewers. People don’t mind a commercial as much if it amuses them.
3) Blogger or Medium Writer
If starting a YouTube channel sounds scary, or you’re determined to keep your face concealed, running a blog can also offer another income stream. You might even supplement your YouTube content with your blog, or combine them as I have, but video is not necessary to profit from your writing. If you’re hoping to build your brand as a writer, starting a blog dedicated to book reviews or writing advice makes sense.
However, if you have other passions, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t write about them too. If you love video games, photography, or nature, building a blog around those topics is valid. Unfortunately, the success of your blog can hinge on the popularity of your topic. Cooking blogs usually have a better chance—a blog on birds might do okay, especially if well written, but it won’t take off in the same capacity. As a blogger, it’s up to you to balance what people want with what you’re passionate about.
Blogging about your passions is important, but niche interests, even if successful, will still be limited in growth when compared with topics like health, self help, and recipes. By the same token, you should never dedicate yourself to a topic you care nothing about. If you do, your growth will still be limited, because a lack of passion shows. People can usually tell if someone is writing something just to cash in on a trend. The best a writer can do is find a happy medium. Pick a topic that’s at least semi popular, and assure it’s one you love.
Typically, a blogger should host their content on their own website. That said, platforms like Medium can be a good way to break in. You still own the content, and Medium gives authors the chance to link articles back to their own websites. If you want to publish a piece on both Medium and your website, you can—in fact, its recommended by many that you do.
The only pitfalls lie in the fact that links must be removed from articles you mean to profit from, and creators have to be careful that their Medium articles don’t outperform their website when dealing with search engine optimization (or what people call SEO). Medium could be seen as competing with your website, but a built in audience on the platform means more chances of your writing being seen. Nobody knows about your website without a good deal of marketing and follower building, but your writing, if received well, has the chance to be pushed to numerous readers on Medium. Opting to submit your piece to what is known as a publication can also boost your numbers—along with your profits.
How much a writer earns is determined by how long a reader engages with their work. This means your earning potential is directly affected by your writing ability—by your skill in hooking a reader and keeping them there. Building a following will also boost your earnings, but every article will be different. The odd article could earn you a few thousand on it’s own, or only five dollars. For well received pieces, Medium may even pay out a bonus of one hundred simply to acknowledge you’ve done a good job.
Whether it be through your website, Medium, or both, a writer stands a fair chance of making a living off writing by supplementing their books with a blog. Plus, some blogs may be worthy of being worked into an e book. Even if it’s an author’s goal to focus on fiction, having a nonfiction book or two to your name doesn’t hurt your credibility. If a writer has a bestselling book on how to write, there’s a good chance they actually can write—which in turn cements the message your novels will be worthy of reading.
4) Teacher
Not everyone should become a teacher. Those who do need to have a passion for working with kids, learning, and, of course, teaching others. There are also the years of schooling, and according student loans, to contend with. Those investing that much time and money need to be committed to what they’re doing.
Those hurdles aside, teachers can find satisfaction in teaching what they love. English teachers can spend hours analyzing books, and sharing their findings with students; they can improve the writing of their class, discovering the odd student who has the knack; and they can improve their own knowledge, of both literature and writing itself, when sharing it with others.
Like any day job, being a teacher isn’t easy. There’s often a political underbelly to contend with. Instead of focusing on the actual teaching, teachers can find themselves embroiled in administration conflicts or budget cuts to extracurricular programs. Teachers aren’t typically paid for these extracurricular activities either—many host them during their free time, because they care about their students. Finally, the pay isn’t always glamorous; in recent times, teacher strikes for smaller class sizes, improved equipment, and fair pay have become common.
There’s also the fact you’re essentially an underpaid babysitter. If a typical babysitter had to supervise thirty kids, they would become wealthy fast. Teachers are expected to not only teach kids, but to babysit them and keep them under control. They must assure kids have breaks, are given lunch, and that nobody fights with each other. This is easier said than done. Some students have outbursts, or a learning disability which demands more attention from the teacher. Teachers also need to be prepared for emergency nosebleeds, or for catching that nasty flu a student has brought in.
Being a teacher isn’t easy, but for those dedicated to the profession it’s a rewarding job. English teachers have a chance to not only improve their writing, but to make a difference in the lives of tomorrow’s writers.
5) Reviewer or Critic
The definition of a critic can be murky in modern times. Becoming a professional critic for the New York Times isn’t going to be an easy job to land. Regardless, like self publishing and blogging, there’s no longer a barrier to one reviewing books if they want to. Reviewing books can go hand in hand with blogging.
If offering writing advice doesn’t appeal to you, starting a blog or channel where you review books can be a fun way to make a living. Reading in itself is great, but the need to read constantly, and to analyze the books you engage with, will improve your editing skills. As you spot problems in a narrative, such as plot holes or paragraphs with redundant adjectives, you’ll become more receptive to the same problems in your own writing.
Some creators can’t help being overly critical of the content they consume. If this is you, building towards a career as a reviewer or critic—whether it be in a traditional capacity or via a YouTube channel—can pay the bills, give you satisfaction, and ultimately improve your novels.
6) Cover Designer
Becoming a cover designer requires a writer to have some ability in drawing, Photoshop, or both. However, many writers do draw. These are two passions which seem to go together often. It may be because both fields require the creator to have an imagination, and an inherent desire to share what they imagine with others. It may be the satisfaction of creation itself, of recording what you imagine and giving it form. Whatever the case, many writers can draw—a skill they can capitalize on in the publishing world.
If a freelance editing business isn’t for you, a freelance cover design business may be more up your alley. One creator I follow, Mandi Lynn, has four streams of income: she writes novels; she runs a YouTube channel, where she shares advice and a vlog of her process; she designs book covers for clients; and she sells stickers and planners she has illustrated and designed herself. These planners are tied to her focus of writing too, being geared towards writers hoping to set goals for themselves. Although every income stream is different, each connects to the other.
When designing a book cover, you are remaining involved in the writing world. You are interacting with your fellow authors. You’re reading their books, and analyzing the themes and scenes you’d like to incorporate into the project. Finally, you’re creating, and profiting from a piece of art.
Creating book covers can be an enjoyable way to supplement one’s income. Moreover, those skilled at creating covers will be able to apply their skills to their own covers. A writer who can create her own book cover saves herself several hundred dollars, and retains control over the tone, the appearance of characters, and the fonts—she can make her cover exactly as she wants it, with the level of quality she desires.
In Conclusion
Profiting from books alone can be nearly impossible. Yet with multiple streams of income, writers can have a fair chance at being their own bosses. By running multiple independent businesses, with novel writing being but one, a writer can set her own hours, tackle work she enjoys, and be comfortable financially—all while giving herself the time to do what she loves, telling stories.
Whether she works for a company, or freelances, a writer can make a living doing what she loves, while also saving herself money and improving her writing skills in the process. She may expand her writing with a blog, review books for a living, edit the work of others, create covers, or even teach. She may supplement her writing with one if these, several, or all, but every career has a chance to give her both satisfaction and experience in her craft.
Some writers may also opt for a career that’s entirely unrelated to writing, and use what they’ve encountered in their unique field as inspiration for their writing—though that’s a blog for another time.
What jobs do you think a writer should do? Do you prefer to have a job that relates to your writing somehow, or one that is completely different? Let me know!