I think it’s a rare writer who doesn’t want to earn some money from their writing, even if it’s not their primary goal. I’ve been earning money from my writing since 2012, when I started my writing business with the release of my first novel, Uncover. Since then, I’ve earned money in a variety of ways, but here are some that I have used that are simple and easy to get started with.
Medium
Medium is a blogging platform, and the best part about it is you don’t have to have any technical knowledge to use it. You set up an account and can start posting immediately. But the great thing about Medium is that if you are accepted to their Partner Program, you can earn money from your blog posts when people read them and also through referrals. You do need to have 100 followers and have published one post before you can apply to the program, but that’s very doable.
I have two accounts on Medium – one under my name and one under a pen name. The pen name account is the one where I’m in the Partner Program, and each month I earn a small amount, somewhere in the range of $5 – $20. The more I post, the more that increases. I’m pretty relaxed with this, usually posting a couple of times a month, and it’s nice to know that each time I do, I’m contributing to the steady stream of income I have there.
Another great thing is that you don’t have to post exclusively on Medium, which means if you are already blogging on your own website, for instance, you can take those posts and re-post them to Medium. In that way, you can get more eyeballs on them while still building up the content on your own website.
Easy to get started and fairly easy to apply to the Partner Program. Check this one out.
Fiverr
Fiverr is a freelancing platform that makes it easy to connect with people looking for a service. You can list a “gig” for as little as $5, and that’s exactly what I did to get started.
I’ve had a number of gigs on Fiverr throughout the time I used it, but the main thing I did there was writing book blurbs (or book descriptions) for other indie authors, and I really enjoyed it. I started off offering them for just $5, so I could practice a little and build up some reviews, and once I did, I raised the price. I don’t have any active gigs right now, but here’s my profile if you just want to take a look.
That was doable for me because book blurbs are short (only about 150 – 200 words) it was okay for me to write them for just $5 at first.
And that’s one piece of advice I have–make it reasonable for yourself. Don’t offer to write a novella for $5, but think about what you could offer that would be okay for that price. And also, you can obviously charge more, but getting people to take a chance on you is easier if your service is cheaper.
Fiverr is a great place to get a little money rolling in from something that you can write and allows you to practice your freelancing skills as well. Brainstorm some simple things you could write for somebody or browse through the site to get some ideas that way.
Ko-fi
Ko-fi is a platform for creators where people can tip you, commission work from you, buy products or services from your store, and a bunch of other things, too (they are always adding stuff).
One of the easiest ways to use Ko-fi is as a “tip jar.” On your Ko-fi page, front and center is a place where a supporter can “buy you a coffee” (or, in my case, a club soda). You can make a quick ask and link over to your Ko-fi page from anything that you create, and it’s an easy way for someone who likes your work to support you.
One of the best ways that I used my Ko-fi “tip jar” was when I was writing a serialized story in my fiction newsletter (which has since been published in book form, The Beach House). After each episode, I would ask people to buy me a club soda if they enjoyed it and then link to my Ko-fi page. I might get one or two or three club sodas, and then I would thank those people at the beginning of the next episode, which acknowledged their support but also encouraged other people to support the story too.
Take a look at my Ko-fi page and scroll down to my feed, and you can see the people who have bought me a club soda. Some of them left me a little message, and I always thank them.
Again, this is an incredibly easy way to allow people to support your work, and it doesn’t have to be heavy-handed at all. You may notice that I have links to my Ko-fi page in various places on this website, including underneath all blog posts. The more links you have up (in appropriate places), the more chances for someone to see it, and people will gladly buy you a drink when they’re really feeling appreciative of your work.
Amazon Affiliates
Amazon Affiliates is great for having a little money coming in from a website and is easy to set up. I’ve never had tons of money come in from Amazon Affiliates but being that I’m a writer and I’m often writing about or recommending books, this one is a no-brainer because it’s really easy to set up.
Basically, you sign up for an account, and you’ll have to let Amazon know which websites you plan to place links on. Once that’s all approved by Amazon, you can link to products on their site from your site, and if someone clicks on that link and then buys something at Amazon within the next 24 hours (I think), you get a small commission.
Like I said earlier, if you are already linking to Amazon for books, for example, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be an affiliate. If you’re going to send people to Amazon anyway, then you should get that commission if they buy something.
A couple of things to note here, you do have to have a disclosure statement on your website (maybe in a few different places) if you’re using affiliate links. You’ll notice I have one in the sidebar, and I also have a page called Disclosure Policy. Also, you can’t use Amazon Affiliate links in emails, so, for instance, if I have a link in one of my newsletters, it can’t be an affiliate link.
But otherwise, this is pretty easy. And again, if you’re going to link over to Amazon anyway, you might as well be in their affiliate program.
Publish An Ebook Through Draft2Digitial
Ebooks are slightly more advanced than these other things on the list but publishing them through Draft2Digital (D2D) makes it really easy. Draft2Digital is an ebook distributor, among other things, but that’s the center of the service.
(That link above is my referral link, which means that if you click it, sign up with them, and then sell books through them, I get a small commission at no cost to you.)
I’ve been using Draft2Digital for 7 or 8 years now, and one big reason why I’m recommending them is that they make creating ebook files dead simple. Basically, you need a simply formatted Word document (or equivalent), and they will create a great-looking ebook for you.
They will then distribute that ebook to a variety of different retailers, subscription services, and library catalogs without you having to lift a finger. You can then manage the book in just one place–on the D2D dashboard.
Also, it is completely free to use D2D. The way that they earn money is by taking 10% of each of your book sales, which is completely worth it because of all the services they offer. So, basically, they earn money when you earn money.
You will need to have an ebook cover image to upload your book, but those aren’t too hard to hire out or find a template for or make one yourself if you know how to do that.
Your ebook doesn’t need to be really long, but you probably don’t want it super short, either. Think about what you could put into ebook form that would be helpful, useful, or engaging to people and get to writing!
So, there you go! Five easy ways to get started earning money from your writing. And remember, in many ways, getting started is the hardest step. 🙂
Have you used any of these methods? What was your experience with them? Let me know in the comments below. I’m always interested to hear.
Amanda Linehan is an Independent Author, Coach, and INFP. She is the author of Productivity for INFPs: How To Be Productive Within Your Natural Rhythms and has published 16 titles since 2012, including five novels. Since 2017, she has run her author business full-time. Get exclusive access to her INF Summitt Interview on fiction writing, self-publishing, and being self-employed by joining the For INFPs newsletter here.
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