Six Ways to Sell Your Writing Online

For the last several years, I’ve provided a full-time income for my family by writing online.  Along the way, I’ve used a variety of different methods to do so.  If you’d like to earn a living writing online, consider these six options:

1.  Provide Web Site Content

Providing web site content is the way that I’ve made the most money online, but it certainly isn’t the only way to make money online, and I won’t even go as far as to advocate it as the best way to sell your writing online.  The fact of the matter is that web sites need content.  They thrive on content.  A web site that features a product, such anything from probiotics to car parts, needs to have content if that web site is going to show up in Google searches, and in other search engines.  Unfortunately, while someone may be great at producing their particular widget, they may not understand Search Engine Optimization.   That is where you come in:  by providing content on topics related to their web site or product, you drive traffic to that web site more effectively than paid advertising can.

Challenges:

• You have to have at least a rudimentary understanding of SEO.
• It can be difficult to expand beyond a specific niche.
• You are at the mercy of the web site owners in terms of frequency of work.
• You have to spend a good bit of your time finding and wooing new clients, and on billing and other administrative tasks.

Advice:

It’s good work, if you can get it.  Forge relationships with your webmaster clients;  the more successful your writing is for them, the more likely they are to come back to you to do more work.

 2.  Submit your articles to paid directories

Article directories are very often the best place for new writers to start out.  There are a number of article repository web sites that will pay you for your content.  Some of these sites, such as associatedcontent.com, will offer to pay you a certain amount up front plus additional payments as your article receives more and more page views.  Other article pay only based on page views.  Some of these sites pay more based on certain keywords or specific topics that they would like to cover.  Sites in this category include associatedcontent.com, ezinearticles.com, eHow.com, and others.

Challenges:

• Per-word rate is much lower with paid directories than with most other options.
• Not all of your work will be accepted once it is written.
• Many niches just don’t pay.  For example, in the first six weeks on eHow, I had an article on Dungeons and Dragons earn only $0.12, while an article on starting a running program earned $0.55 in just three weeks. 

Advice:

Article directories are most useful if you are just starting out, or if you can use them to promote one of your other income streams, such as blogging.  I especially recommend associatedcontent.com, as you are guaranteed a minimum $3 payout for any accepted article, but really any of the directories are worth looking into.

3.  Find Freelance Contract Writing Work

There are many people looking for writers on freelance web sites like scriptlance.com, guru.com, and elance.com.  These writing assignments can take the form of anything from blog writing to eBook writing to technical writing for print publications. 

Challenges:

• The freelance writing market is saturated. 
• There is strong competition from writers in developing countries who will work for a small percentage of what you want to make.
• The freelance web sites are, more often than not, geared toward more technical areas.

Advice: 

Don’t low-ball your bids on freelance writing work.  Emphasize the value that you add to the project.  For example, if you are a native English-speaker, say so; if you have a degree, mention that in your bid also.  These things will help you get picked over lower bidders.  Prepare a portfolio of your work, such as with article directories, for potential clients to view.

4.  Self-Publish Your Print Book

There are many writers who choose to write their book (or magazine, or whatever it is that they are writing) and to use a print-on-demand service like lulu.com or iuniverse.com to self-publish.  These services will offer any number of options, including everything from graphic design to shipping.  In addition to on-demand printers, there are smaller presses who will print a smaller number (usually starting with 500) of copies on a per diem basis.

Challenges:

• It can be expensive to market your writing in this format.
• The margin of profit in this method tends to be relatively small.

Advice:

I’ve considered this approach in the past, and I’m not convinced that it’s entirely viable.  It would seem to me that the overhead involved (mainly in marketing your book, not in the printing itself) would eat up all of your profits.  Still, there are those that swear by this approach, time will hopefully prove me wrong.

5.  Publish Your Own eBook or Report

Another option for someone with a complete work like a book is to publish that book electronically.  There are a number of web sites that will sell your eBook for you;  the most successful eBook authors sell their own using a variety of marketing approaches.  One of the most common approaches is the use of a “pitch page.”  You can see what this looks like here:  Death of Google AdWords Report.

Challenges:

• Publishing an eBook requires a certain amount of technical knowledge.
• Here again, it can be expensive to market your eBook.
• eBooks often sell for a fraction of the cost of print books.

Advice: 

With the release of the Amazon Kindleand other eBook readers, the eBook market seems to be growing.   Be careful of using shady marketing techniques, or you will earn a horrible reputation which will hurt future sales.

6.  Blog

I like this idea.  Essentially, you are providing a valuable thing – content that benefits peoples’ lives.  In turn, companies with related products will advertise with your blog in a variety of ways.  I’ve watched as other people like Darren Rowse and Yaro Starak have turned their blogs into Internet Empires.  While there are some who believe that the blog market is now nearly dead, there are others (like myself) who believe that the blog is, really, in its infancy, and that there is plenty of room for expansion.

Challenges:

• Blogging for profit requires a consistent, determined, organized approach to blogging. 
• In the beginning especially, a blog can take a lot of work.
• Blogging for profit requires a good bit of marketing and business acumen that many writers just don’t have.

Advice:

Jump in, but make sure you look first.  Choose your niche wisely.  Get (and use) the Blog Profits Blueprint by Yaro Starak.  Make sure that your niche isn’t over-saturated, and that it can be monetized.  Don’t plan on making any money for the first several months.

Related Thoughts on the Writing Life

• Plagiarism 101
• How to Market Your Internet Writing
• What is Search Engine Optimization and Why You Need to Understand It
• Beginner Basics for Making Money Online Using Blogs