Most people think that you can make money writing non-fiction by getting published in a major publication. This is true, but it’s not the only way to make money writing non-fiction. In this article, I’ll talk about 5 of the fastest ways to make money from your writing skills and turn them into cash!
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Why Write Non-Fiction?
If you’re a fiction writer, you may be wondering why you should make the switch. It’s an understandable question that deserves asking! The answer is simple: there are many ways to make money writing non-fiction. If you enjoy using your research skills and like helping people solve problems with their lives or businesses in expert detail, consider making this change for yourself.
Non-fiction writers make money in different ways: royalties, book advances and bonuses, writing for magazines or newspapers, speaking engagements. You can make a lot of bucks when you’re the expert on something or even when you know more than the audience you’re trying to write for.
One of the best things about writing non-fiction is that you can write about a lot of different subjects without ever feeling like you’ll run out of things to say. There are so many genres and places to write that you’re bound to find something that works for you and your situation.
Non-Fiction Market and Trends
The non-fiction writing market is huge. According to the Business Research Company, the worldwide non-fiction book market by itself is likely to grow from just over $24 billion in 2020 to nearly $27 billion in 2021.
And that’s just the non-fiction book market (and you know that the non-fiction market is more than just books). So while there aren’t any specific numbers, it’s likely that the non-fiction writing market as a whole is probably closer to $100 billion!
That’s a lot of opportunity for writers.
The trends in the industry make it clear that non-fiction is only going to continue growing and getting bigger! There are so many people who want expert advice on any number of subjects, from managing money or relationships to parenting or business management. So no matter your specific skill set, maybe, if you have the expertise, there will always be an audience eager to read about it!
Make Money Writing Non-Fiction
OK, so now that you know that the non-fiction writing market is HUGE, it’s time to talk about how you can get a piece of it. So let’s get on with it and look at 5 of the fastest ways to make money writing non-fiction.
Write a Book on Amazon
This is the best way to make money writing non-fiction, and it’s also one of the easiest.
Even if you’re not a fiction writer at all, there are so many ways that you can make an excellent income from your writing skills by selling books on Amazon. They have categories for every type of book imaginable: self-help, parenting guides, buying bitcoin, how-to manuals, low-content book niches… You name it!
Think about it this way: people will always need advice or ideas in their life – no matter what they do. And as long as that’s true, writers will make money off those things with even just one book! This is why I call Kindle publishing “The Forever Industry.” It doesn’t matter who comes up with the next best idea or who has a new take on self-help – when that happens, writers make money from it!
How to Get Started
The easiest way to start is by writing your book in Word and then exporting it as an ePub file. This format can be uploaded directly to Amazon for sale. It’s also easy to make changes this way too if you notice any errors while publishing.
If you want something more professional than just uploading your manuscript without going through some editing first, consider hiring a freelance editor. Editors can help make your work shine and make it clear that you’re a professional writer.
Hiring an editor is one of the best things to do if you want people to take what you have more seriously because when readers see a book with any amount of editing, they know that this isn’t just someone who wrote something on their lunch break!
Start a Blog
Blogging is a great way to make money writing non-fiction because there are few limitations.
You can blog about any topic that interests you! But, if you’re interested in being the expert on something, then start blogging and make sure to include your expertise with each post so people know they can come back for more help or advice from you.
Your posts don’t have to belong either! You could make anywhere between $500-$1000+ per year based on this one small commitment every day if you try hard enough – even if all it takes is 30 minutes before lunchtime or after dinner on weekdays when everyone has some free time.
Plus, starting a blog will get other opportunities like speaking engagements or collaborating on other books to come your way. It’s a great place to make connections with others in the industry!
Blogging is also super easy and low-cost, which I love. So you don’t need a big budget or anything like that: just some motivation to make this work for you!
How to Get Started
The easiest way to get started blogging is to start on WordPress using Bluehost as your hosting platform. However, there are lots of other options you can choose from as well.
Next, you need an idea for the content and then decide how often you want to commit to posting (once or twice per week is probably best). From there, it’s straightforward! You create posts with whatever information will be relevant at the time – make sure it has some keywords in there, so people find what they’re looking for when searching too!
WordPress is perfect because it offers many built-in features like SEO optimization, social media integration, and paid advertising opportunities. Plus, Google loves blogs which means higher rankings in search results pages!
Write Magazine Articles
Writing magazine articles is another excellent way to make money writing non-fiction.
Magazines are always looking for new topics and fresh ideas, so it’s a good idea to make sure that you’re submitting your best work to them. Of course, you don’t need any prior experience with this type of content either – make sure you read the other writers’ pieces in magazines first before submitting anything!
You can also make some extra cash on top of what they pay by doing freelance article gigs. Of course, it helps if you have an area or topic that most people would be interested in hearing about, like “How To Get Rid Of Pesky Ants.”
For example: write up a post on how to remove ants from your home using natural remedies and make sure to include some of the reasons why they’re worth using.
Many magazines love that kind of content and will reward you with extra cash on top of what they pay if it’s good quality work!
How to Get Started
You can find these opportunities by browsing through websites like Writer’s Market, but make sure before sending in anything that there are still open writing positions listed.
It might take a little bit more effort than just blogging for profit (which is super easy!), but this option has higher rewards, too, so it’ll be worth your time!
Write SEO Website Content for Business Owners
Many business owners might not have the time or know-how to make sure their website is optimized for search engines. However, if you’re confident in your ability to make this happen, writing SEO content is a great way to make money writing non-fiction!
It’s vital that you read up on everything there first so it doesn’t come off as too “salesy.”
Your writing should make it sound like you’re providing them with needed advice and content to improve their site, not just pushing something on them. Plus, if your blog posts are popular, then a lot of these businesses might want to hire you for other things too!
You can also make extra cash by branching off into more niche topics that may be relevant (or even ask the business owner what they need help with). For example: “How To Make Money Keeping Bees” — or how about “Using Pinterest Marketing Techniques?”
There will always be demand for SEO website content writers because most business owners are too busy focusing on their business and don’t have time to focus on the other stuff like optimizing their websites.
How to Get Started
The easiest way to get started is to look for businesses where you live.
Head over to Google Maps or Yelp and make sure you’re looking at the “business” tab.
Find a business that could use your help with SEO content writing, then send out an email asking if they need any website content written for their site! It’s always good to include some work samples, so they know what kind of quality to expect from you (even if it includes one blog post). Then, once you get some interest, you can figure out how often they would like posts created and the price for your services.
If all else fails, try contacting local businesses that might have websites but no time for updating them. It’ll be worth your while when someone trusts you enough to handle these updates on their behalf.
Become a Ghostwriter
It’s easy to make a lot of money from ghostwriting, so if you’re good at writing and have some experience in the industry – this could be for you!
Ghostwriters are hired to write books on behalf of an author who doesn’t want their name attached. They can make well over $50k per year just by tying themselves with one book deal. It might seem like it would take a long time until your first project is done, but most authors will give you everything they need upfront (a proposal), which means that there’ll be less work once you get started.
It would be best to keep up with what people read because this can help make sure your content is always relevant no matter when it’s published.
How to Get Started
If you’re interested in becoming a ghostwriter, make sure to check out sites like Elance and Upwork. They’ll have hours of jobs for freelance writers that are ghostwriting-related.
These could be anything from writing to editing other people’s work – even creating entire books! Jobs usually go live at the beginning of each month, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled if this is something you want more info on.
It might take some time before someone hires you, but it helps when they know who you are as a writer beforehand (even if it’s only through one blog post).
The best way to get started with freelancing is by offering samples or small projects upfront, making it easier for them to make a decision.
Bonus Ways to Make Money Writing Non-Fiction
I know I promised only 5 of the fastest ways to make money writing non-fiction, but I couldn’t stop there. So below are three more ways you can get started making money writing non-fiction.
Write Product Descriptions
Some bloggers make money from writing product descriptions. This is a great way to make some extra cash as you’re reading about different companies and products on your blog posts. You can do this for free or make some serious bank by selling the content to others who need it.
There are a few different ways to start writing product descriptions, but they all entail finding a selling product. You can find these companies by looking on Amazon, selecting any product, and reading the reviews. You can also do a quick search for “product description writer” in Google, where you will find many companies that need writers to create their descriptions.
To get started as a product description writer, look at other people’s work by searching for them on your favorite social media site or company website, then copy what they’re doing and make sure it is 100% unique, so it doesn’t come off plagiarism. If you want to make some extra money writing non-fiction with this method, start small–write one or two descriptions per day until you grow into more content.
Write Social Media Posts
Many make money by writing posts for social media sites. As a result, companies are always looking for people to post content to make their pages look more interactive and lively.
You could sign up as a freelance writer on places like Elance or Upwork, but if you only have experience in one industry, this might not be the best option because it’s challenging to write about something that you don’t know anything about.
If all else fails, try contacting local businesses who might have social media profiles but no time for updating them — it’ll be worth your while when someone trusts you enough to handle these updates on their behalf.
Here is an example of what I’m talking about: You notice a restaurant in town has just started advertising itself as “a family-friendly environment.” They’re also having a 50% off special for kids. You can make it look like you found this out by “liking” their page, then post the following status update:
Hey all! Just saw that Joe’s Pizza stopped being just for adults. Now families are welcome too, with a new family-oriented menu coming soon!
If you want to make some extra money writing non-fiction through social media posts, make sure your posts are relevant so people will click on them — even if it means updating more than one account per day (even though that may be exhausting).
It might take weeks or months before any company hires you as an employee — but chances of someone hiring you increase when they see that you’re a reliable writer.
Write Video Scripts for YouTubers
Many make money by writing video scripts for YouTubers. One of the best ways to get started is through YouTube Partnerships, as you’ll make a percentage of what they make from ad revenue while also getting other perks like free equipment, collaborations with companies, and more.
The downside to this method is that it can be challenging to find good quality content on YouTube, which will make your script stronger. On the other hand, this means that many YouTubers are looking for people who have great ideas or skills in their field, so they’re willing to pay them for their work upfront rather than waiting until it’s done (although some do offer payment after each video).
You might notice an up-and-coming YouTuber one day and think, “this person has a ton of potential!” while watching their videos. It’s possible to make money writing scripts for them by reaching out and asking if they want help with their content so you can make some serious cash in the long run — or at least make enough on each video that will cover your living expenses.
How to Get Started Writing Non-Fiction
You might be wondering, “How do I make money by writing non-fiction?” Well, that’s an easy one: you write things for other people who have products or services they want to promote and are willing to pay writers like yourself for the privilege of using your words in their content marketing efforts! Sounds simple enough?
Just remember, not everyone has time — or talent — to produce articles themselves; this means there is demand from marketers looking for quality freelance writers with specific skill sets.
As long as you’re providing valuable information about topics that will interest potential buyers, then yes – absolutely! But what if you don’t know how? That’s OK because you can make money writing non-fiction by doing a few things:
- Research topics about which you have expertise.
- Learn the basics of search engine optimization (SEO) so that your content gets found in Google searches.
- Network and connect with other freelance writers to keep on top of marketing trends or find out about opportunities.
In this way, making money from writing non-fiction is much like any other type of freelancing work — it just requires extra effort! But don’t worry; if all else fails, there are still plenty of places where you can make money writing devotionals or articles without being an expert at anything specific: as long as what you’re producing fits their publishing guidelines, you’re good to go!
