Being a writer might not be something that you automatically associate with being incredibly rich (unless of course, you’re JK Rowling). There are many talented people out there with excellent writing skills and a decent English or Communications degree that just can’t seem to find a well-paying job that allows them to use their talents.
Sometimes it’s hard to know what you’re looking for. Maybe you don’t know what is actually doable with your skillset. Or aside from going into publishing or education, you just don’t know how to monetise that English Literature degree. But these days, being a creative means that there are plenty of job opportunities out there.
We’ve created a list of great business ideas for writers to get your creative juices flowing. You don’t need to be a graduate or an expert in any of these things — you just need to have a creative flair when it comes to writing.
Have a look at our list below and start turning that passion into pound signs.
Start a blog
Starting a blog is an easy way to hone your writing skills, get your writing out there, and monetise your talents.
Use a free blogging platform like WordPress or Wix to set up your blog.
Write about something you’re interested in — do you love travelling? Write about the places you’ve visited and inspire other people with your adventures. Are you a foodie? Start documenting your trips to restaurants and food markets, and post reviews up on your blog as well as recipes and favourite lists.
Once you start gathering an audience and generating traffic to your blog, you can start featuring paid adverts, sponsored posts or affiliate marketing. You can even use it to sell your own products or services, like guides or ebooks.
Copywriter
Don’t fancy running your own blog? How about writing content for other people’s blogs or websites?
If you’re a writer, then consider becoming a copywriter. You can either work inhouse for a digital marketing agency, or in the communications department of a company, or you can go freelance.
You can easily sign up to do freelance copywriting on websites like PeoplePerHour or Upwork. You can set up a profile quickly and tout your wares as a writer — prospective employees will get in touch, and you will soon build up a portfolio.
Become an author
A more traditional route. If you have an amazing idea for a novel, then start writing it and become an author! This is something you will probably need to do on the side of your main job when you start, as you’ll need to get a publishing company to agree to buy and publish your book.
Be prepared to suffer a few knock-backs along the way but don’t be discouraged — Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was sent to 12 different publishers before Bloomsbury said yes.
Ghostwriting
If you’re not necessarily that bothered about becoming famous from your writing, and you’re just doing it for the love, think about becoming a ghostwriter.
With ghostwriting, you can use your talents as a writer to make other people’s ideas into tangible content. Your clients will be busy people like entrepreneurs, politicians, or executives who don’t have the time to do their own writing, or perhaps aren’t skilled writers, or just aren’t interested. As a ghostwriter, you could help to pen books, online blogs or posts, or even speeches for public speakers.
Start a resume or CV writing service
Many people struggle to write the perfect CV. If you have excellent writing skills and you have a keen eye for what employers look for in a resume, then set up a service for this. The job market is competitive and an impressive CV is something that people will pay for if it makes them stand out from the crowd.
Become a screenwriter or a songwriter
If you’re more of a creative writer and you pride yourself on writing emotive, attention-grabbing content, think about becoming a screenwriter. Check out this insider’s guide to becoming a screenwriter.
Likewise, if you’re a writer but you also have musical talents, why not put music to your words and pen songs? You can write full-length songs for artists, or even jingles for radio stations.
Proofreader
If you think your reading and writing skills are high calibre, then think about using these skills and becoming a proofreader. You can set yourself up on a freelancer website like Fiverr or the ones we mentioned above, and make money with your error-spotting skills. Anyone from university students to online editors use proofreaders to check essays, website content and more.
Excellent command of grammar and punctuation mandatory.
Social media manager
Writing doesn’t always have to be long-form. Social media posting is a perfect example of short-form content that — when written well — can be extremely effective and succinct.
Most businesses these days use at least one social media platform, but they frequently don’t have time to maintain their brands on these platforms, unless they have an inhouse Social team.
This is where you come in — if you’re a whizz on social media and can specialise in eye-catching, well-toned content, this could be the perfect job for you.
Journalist
Can you fire out rapid, well-written content? Journalism is a fast-paced industry, but if you’re passionate about current affairs or reporting on local going-on in your home city, then it’s fun and rewarding.
You can work freelance or inhouse depending on what suits you, and you can work with online or print media.
Most of our ideas here allow for the opportunity to be self-employed and therefore give you lots of freedom and mobility. So you can try a few of these business ideas out and see what suits you.
What do you think of our 10 business ideas for writers? Are there any that you think we’ve missed out? Let us know in the comments below.