Adam is a freelance writer and R&D Engineer that produces compelling and persuasive content for websites, white papers, technical reports, press releases, promotional material, magazines and more.
Many of us have dreams of earning a living by doing something that we are passionate about.
Something that makes us want to get out of bed in the morning; something that really makes us tick.
If writing is your passion then there is no reason why you cannot go ahead and earn a living from it.
Sure, earning your living by writing best selling novels is going to be extremely challenging and you could be setting yourself up for a fall if this is your only goal.
Whilst that can be the end goal (and it should be if it is what you want to do), you should also be aware that there are many ways of making money from your writing that does not require becoming a New York Times Bestseller.
A good place to start is to write for other people…
Writing for blogs and websites
The easiest way to make money from writing (or to make money online for that matter) is to write for other people as a freelance writer.
There are thousands of blogs and websites on the internet, and they all need content – and lots of it.
Many of these website owners are prepared to pay good money to have regular, quality content written for their site.
If you think that you can write engaging and informative content for the web then there is likely to be online writing jobs out there for you.
The quickest way to land your first gig would be to directly contact blogs and websites in areas that you are already knowledgeable and passionate about.
Send website owners a well thought out cover letter telling them about yourself and what you can offer their site. Also give them a link to some samples of your writing.
If they like your approach then there is a good chance they will give you a chance to write an article for them.
This is your chance to really impress them and try and land a regular, paid blogging gig.
Writing for yourself
Now this is more challenging, but has the potential to be much more lucrative.
Instead of writing for someone else and receiving a one-off payment for your work, you can make money from your articles over and over again.
This is known as having a residual income, and is done via affiliate marketing.
You basically set up your own blog on a subject that you are passionate about, write interesting posts on a regular basis, and start to build up a following of readers. As you start to receive more and more traffic to your website you can start to monetize it.
The easiest way to do this is to promote an affiliate product on your blog.
So if, for example, you have a blog about writing, then you could recommend that your readers purchase a writing guide eBook that you have used yourself, and found really helpful. Then if people go on to purchase the eBook as a result of your recommendation, you will receive a commission for the sale.
By writing your own articles for your own website and by using your writing to help drive traffic to your website, you are effectively building up your own online business where your writing can earn you a nice residual income.
Having a residual income, from which you can live off, frees you up to follow any other passions you may have, such as getting that novel done.
But earning a residual income from your own writing is a gradual process, so it is recommended that you start off by writing for other people first to earn a guaranteed base income, whilst you work on your own projects at the same time.
Writing for other people is also a great way to learn about marketing so that you can apply to techniques to your own blogs in the future.
The world is your oyster
This post has just scratched the surface in terms of the methods available to make money from your writing, but hopefully it has got some exciting ideas floating about in your mind.
In addition to approaching blogs and websites, you can see if local businesses in your area are in need of a freelance writer, you can submit your articles to magazines, or even write and sell your own digital product.
Writers often have the stereotypical stigma of being “starving artists” and many people believe that it is impossible to earn a living from writing…but that is simply not the case.
The opportunities are endless.
There is a lot of writing work out there for the taking, it just takes a bit of determination and persistence to go and get it.
"You’re such a smart boy!" were his first accolades heard. So, it’s no wonder that this phrase became the title of his business, Smart Boy Designs.