How To Make It As A Writer: Who Actually Does?
If you love writing and wish it could be your day job, it’s time to learn how to make it as a writer. With persistent effort in the right direction, chances are high that you can achieve your author dreams. Bestselling author Kristin Hannah says it best: “The ones who make it keep writing no matter what.”
But what are some of the qualities of writers who actually make it? It’s the ones who pursue their craft, embrace the benefits of constructive criticism, and continue unflinchingly forward, even in the face of rejections.
In this article, I cover how to make it as a writer and several steps you can take to do so. Exactly how hard is it to make it as a writer? Let’s get straight into it.
How to make it as a writer: what’s covered
How do you actually make it as a writer?
Different writers use different definitions for the phrase making it, but if your goal is to support yourself via writing, there are several ways to do so. The method you choose largely depends on where you are in the publishing process.
For instance, learning how to make money as a freelance writer or how to get a content writer job usually makes more sense when you aren’t a household name. However, learning how to make passive income as a writer through your published works is much more achievable once you hit a bestseller list.
Whether you are completely new to writing or slowly establishing yourself as an author, here are a couple of different ways on how to make it as an author.
How to make money as a freelance writer?
If you are new to your author journey but still want to make an income from writing, creating digital copy for companies is a great way to go. Author entrepreneurship is an all-encompassing way to pursue your future dreams while meeting your current financial needs.
Learning how to make money as a writer online often starts with building a simple website. When you first start out, you may want to use one of the template versions WordPress and Squarespace offer.
Creating an online presence for yourself not only helps you get discovered as a writer, but practice in learning how to make a content writer portfolio makes your skillset much more marketable.
There are many ways to make a living writing before you land a traditional publishing contract:
Launch a blog, gain traction, and monetize your work
Make use of affiliate marketing on your website
Write blogs for various companies
Learn to write case studies
How hard is it to make money as a writer? Well, just like it takes time to build up workloads and client lists in other fields, it takes time to make a full-time income as a writer. However, if you want to write for a living as soon as possible, breaking into the digital copywriting space is a great route to take.
Many writers subsidize their author careers with other work. Why not work as a writer in the marketing space?
How to make money as a creative writer?
If copywriting in the digital sphere isn’t for you, try putting your creative writing chops to work. Earning income as a creative writer works well once you are partially established in the writing space: 1) you have credibility, and 2) people want to hire you.
Ghostwriting is a great way to both get experience as a writer and gain exposure to the world of publishing. You can look online for authors hiring ghostwriters or browse sites such as Reedsy.
Authors use various definitions for the term ghostwriter, so be sure you and your client are on the same page before signing the contract.
For example, some authors want a creative writer to draft their manuscript for them but then use their own name, not the editor, as the author. It’s up to you if you are comfortable with this arrangement.
Other authors want help writing their manuscript and are more than happy to acknowledge you on the front cover. Often this looks like:
Book Title
Author Name
With [Your Name]
Just like copywriting, it can take time to learn how to get hired as a writer, but the end result is worth it. You learn the editing process, what it feels like to work with an author, and eventually, you can apply this to your own author journey.
Now that you have a brief overview of how to make it as a writer prior to landing a traditional book contract, how do you actually start your own author journey?
How do I start a career as a writer?
It may seem counterintuitive, but refuse to hyper-focus on learning how to write a book that sells and instead, learn as many writing tips as possible. Both aspects are crucial to a flourishing writing career. However, if you don’t write well, chances are low that it will sell well. Early in my writing career I took the following eleven steps. I think they will help you learn how to make it as a writer as well.
1. Invest your time in a writing mentorship
One of the key building blocks of learning how to develop as a writer is understanding what you don’t know. I say this often, but I wrote my first book not knowing that writing rules existed. It wasn’t until I began a writing mentorship that I began to understand how much I didn’t know.
There are many avenues you can take to pursue a writing mentorship. A simple internet search can help you get started.
2. Write your debut manuscript
As cliché as it may be, the truth remains: learning how to make yourself a better writer starts with writing. Many writers dream of writing a novel. In fact, many start.
However, to move through the following steps takes commitment:
Coming up with your idea
Writing your opening
Making it through the middle of your book
Completing your draft
If you want to make it as a writer, writing your debut is one of your first steps.
3. Build a website
Mentioned above, creating a website is foundational to allowing potential readers to discover you. If you think you should wait until you have a book published, I would urge you to reconsider.
The more people who find you and enjoy your content, the bigger your platform becomes. Today, platform is one of the top three keys to securing a traditional book contract. Building your subscriber base on your personal website is much better than building a follow-for-follow platform on social media, where the algorithm can (and does) change at any moment.
4. Create content on a regular basis
Have you ever wondered, “How can I improve as a writer?” To restate the above, write. That said, unless you have already made it as an author and your job is to write full-time, it may feel overwhelming to focus on writing a book constantly. Write manuscripts when you can, but you may want to try your hand at something more manageable first.
Blogging teaches many aspects that writing in private cannot:
You learn what topics your audience engages
You build trust with your audience
You feel the healthy pressure of needing to post content when you said you would
You write short pieces regularly
Blogging will also get your name online so you appear higher in search engines (one reason why some people seek to become a thought leader). This way, when someone searches your name later on, you’re sure to pop up with a host of previously written resources.
5. Pursue freelance writing opportunities
Now that you drafted your first book and blog on a regular basis, you’re likely much more comfortable with the writing rules. Abiding by the writing rules are crucial for freelance writing.
A few of these rules are:
Learning to use active voice
Varying sentence lengths
Writing in various voices
When you can write to pay your bills, becoming an author feels that much closer to reality. Much of the practicalities of learning how to make money as a content writer comes down to word-of-mouth marketing and referrals, or cold calls. Below are a few tips that helped me.
How to make it as a freelance writer:
Take every opportunity you can
Keep track of every client you work with
Slowly build your portfolio
How to make money as a copywriter:
Study copywriting best practices
Learn marketing techniques
Familiarize yourself with a diversity of brands
The more well-rounded you are, the better prepared you will be to meet the needs of your next client.
6. Attend writing conferences
Part of becoming well-rounded in the publishing sphere is networking. I’ve realized that if I ever think I know enough that I can no longer benefit from a writing conference, I likely know far less than I think I do.
Even if the specific workshops are areas of your expertise, by choosing to sit in you refresh yourself on the topic and may hear a new perspective. Conferences are a fantastic way to network with those in the industry and connect with other writers.
7. Query agents
If you attend writing conferences, a literary agent may invite you to send in your query. Regardless of whether you are invited to or you query an agent you’ve never met, your query is an absolutely priceless part of your author journey.
I’ve played around with many different ways of writing query letters. One of the best ones I wrote landed me a full manuscript request from the agent just nine hours after I queried.
How you write your query drastically impacts how an agent receives your query. If you pique their interest, they will likely consider representing you.
For help on how to write a query letter, see my coaching page.
8. Query publishers
Next, you may want to query smaller publishers who accept unsolicited (non-agented) submissions. There is no magic answer to how to make money as a book writer, but getting on the map (as one editor called it) is a start. Find publishers that publish your genre and accept unsolicited queries.
Send out several requests, then:
Track your feedback
Make the necessary adjustments
Send out another batch
Intentional progress, even if it’s slow, is usually best.
9. Develop new hobbies
Writing is an easy career to obsess over. Every word and phrase matters. Every plot point can make or break the direction of your story. Rather than fixate on the career you desire, take a healthy step away.
For me this looked like rock climbing, kickboxing, and paddle boarding. For you it may be something similar or entirely different. Just be sure you take some time to clear your head so you can recenter and focus for the long term.
10. Maintain relationships
Extrovert, introvert, or mixture of the two, relationships matter.
Thankfully, how you make it as a writer usually includes a myriad of other people surrounding you:
There are the agents who will represent you
There are the editors you’ll work with on editing your manuscript to make it the best it can be
And hopefully, there are the family and friends who support you
It’s all too easy to singularly focus on the goal and miss the gift of relationships on the journey. I imagine that making it as a writer won’t mean much if you lose the important relationships on the way up.
My writing mentor says, “Never sacrifice your family on the altar of your writing career.”
11. Periodically assess your growth
Learning how to make it as a writer takes quite a bit of self-awareness. Every so often, it’s helpful to assess where you are so you can track your progress.
For instance, let’s say that ten months ago publishers rejected your manuscript based on your writing. You found a writing coach and reworked your manuscript. Now publishers show interest. This progress is extremely helpful to know.
Track your progress so you can pinpoint when you are gaining traction, and most importantly, why.
What are the odds of making it as a writer?
It’s been said that the odds of getting a literary agent are 1 in 6000. Regarding the odds of getting published, it is agreed that:
The chance of a writer getting their work published is between 1% and 2%
Over 95% of manuscripts are below the level agents/publishers require
This is good news. If you study writing tips and work with a writing coach, you could move into the top 5%. I would not be where I am today without my writing coaches, and I know many of my writing colleagues would say the same.
See “What does a writing coach do” for a more in-depth discussion on the topic.
Can I make a living as a writer?
It takes hard work and persistence, but many people can make a living as a writer. If you are willing to branch out and work hard, you’re already well on your way.
How to make a living as a writer often starts with writing for brands or companies, rather than readers. Working in this type of writing space is a great way to gain a better understanding of the importance in platform building for creative writers. Remember, platform is one of the three keys to getting published.
If one style of writing can fund your future writing endeavors, learning how to make money as a fiction writer may not be as far away as you think.
One of my author friend’s decided to take the leap and try to make it writing fiction full-time. Because he knew his audience, how to market, and where he fit in the publishing world, he’s seeing massive success today. You never know where hard work may take you.
How to make it as a writer: final points
How to make money as a beginning writer may feel overwhelming. However, just one step forward is all you need to start your writing journey.
Of the eleven steps discussed, which one feels most achievable?
Investing your time in a writing mentorship?
Writing your manuscript?
Building a website?
Regularly creating content?
Pursuing freelance writing opportunities?
Attending writing conferences?
Querying agents?
Querying publishers?
Developing a new hobby?
Maintaining relationships?
Periodically assessing your growth?
If you’re completely burned out, take a few days or weeks off and find a new hobby to engage in. If you feel ready to jump-start your journey, take the leap into working with a writing coach. If your draft is complete, consider querying agents.
“Can I make it as a writer?” you ask. Much of the answer relies on you. As entrepreneur and friend Vincent McIntosh once said, “The game is only over when you give up.” And as I always say, the last one to give up wins. Dare to stay in the game.
For help knowing which step to take next, download your free guide today!
