Making Money Online as a Writer

Over the past several years I have wondered if it is possible to make a decent living as an average, everyday freelance writer. I am not formally trained as a writer but I have a passion for composing all kinds of literary works.

Some writers have told me that I would be selling out if I tried to make money off of something that has been so pure and undiluted to date – my writing. My position has always been to take advantage of whatever kind of benefit that can come from my personal, artistic or rhetorical compositions.

Because I have been employed full time for my entire adult life, I have never been in a rush to “get published” or make money by marketing any of my work. I have tens-of-thousands of pages of handwritten and typed material that are collecting dust that will likely never see the light of day again. It has only been the past few years that I started electronically saving my work. This has allowed me to easily analyze my own progress as a writer, revisit previous material that I have written and, yes, make a few bucks.

For those who are like me, recreational writers who wouldn’t mind making a little cash on the side, I have compiled a small list of tips that can help build confidence and generate a little bit of income from writing.

Read Often

One of the most important activities that writers should practice is to read as often as possible. Reading the works of a wide range of authors exposes writers to different styles, nuances and ideas. We writers often find ourselves writing in a very specific fashion based on our own experiences and preferences. For a very long time I was stuck in a pattern of writing in the third person.

I was uncomfortable and self-conscious about writing using a first person style of speech. That gradually changed when I began reading autobiographies, a genre that I tended to stay away from. Reading various works from different authors can help writers enhance their vocabulary, build confidence and open up the creative flood gates that can result in the production of great pieces that are suitable for publishing.

Start Publishing Online

Even novice writers can find a solid reader base when publishing their work online. One of the easiest and most common means to become published online is to submit written works to revenue sharing websites. Revenue sharing sites are websites that catalog articles and literary works by topic and share a portion of ad revenue with contributors. Readers are directed to the published work through search engines, direct links or through social media. By publishing written material to such sites, writers are able to receive feedback from readers, develop their writing skills through practice and make a little bit of money.

Many article revenue sharing sites pay writers when their work has been viewed by online visitors and when those visitors click on relevant ads within the webpage’s content. Some elitists believe that these sites exploit writers by encouraging them to submit mass produced content for the purposes of generating ad revenue.

The fact is, the best revenue sharing websites are mutually beneficial to the writer and the website owner. Few recreational writers have the budget, time, expertise or resources to develop a website or blog that is seen by search engines or has a professional presentation. Typically, revenue sharing sites share earnings with writers based on the number of page views and ad clicks that are generated.

Although there are many quality revenue sharing websites, I have found FullofKnowledge.com to be one of the easiest, most user-friendly revenue sharing sites in which to publish my work. The pay rate far exceeds that of similar sites, they take a stand against plagiarism, they encourage backlinking for traffic building and, best of all, it’s free. After a quick and easy sign up process, work can be published immediately and revenue can be generated.

Share Your Work

Social media has made it simple to share the literary works of recreational and freelance writers. Because I have a passion for all things written, I like to share my work and the work of others on social networking sites such as Twitter. This exposes my content to a reader base and generates readership for other writers. By sharing literary works through Twitter @MuscleHQ, I am able to help drive readers to the work of writers who may not have otherwise been discovered.

Because writing can be time consuming it is critical that time management strategies are put in place so that quality work can be generated in the most efficient way possible. Writing can be enjoyable and fulfilling. Follow the above tips and it can make you a little bit of cash too.

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