How to Make Money Writing Fiction

From LoveToKnow Freelance-Writing

How to make money writing fiction is not a simple question to answer. Fiction writing, unlike nonfiction or article writing, is a fickle field that is highly dependent on the tastes of the readers and the ability of the author to anticipate rather than respond to a trend.

Making money writing fiction requires dedication and persistence.

How to Make Money Writing Fiction: Keys to Success

Persistence and dedication are the two key ingredients a fiction author will need to make money through screen writing, poetry writing, short stories, ghost writing and authoring books. Writers need strong talent, a gift for painting pictures with words and hooking the reader with the first few paragraphs. Most fiction writers will say they didn’t start writing fiction to make money. Writing fiction requires passion, commitment and the ability to come back from failure, time and time again.

Screen Writing

Screen writing is one option for fiction writers to make money. Screen writing involves creating, writing and developing a story idea in script format for filming as a television, movie or Internet program. Multiple contests offer fiction writers opportunities to break into screen writing, but this is one field where "Johnny-on-the-Spot" is the better option for the fiction writer. Screen writers, like actors, directors and producers, stand a better chance of having their materials looked at when they network with people in their field and that typically means living on location in a film town such as Hollywood, New York or Vancouver.

Software for screen writers can help make the job easier, by helping the writer to create in the proper format. Many how to books are available for writers who want to try their hand at screen writing. Screen writing classes (both online and off) can help writers hone their screen writing skills.

Short Stories

Writing and selling short stories is another viable option for how to make money writing fiction. The market for short stories is highly competitive. Fiction writers who want to be successful in this area need to be prolific writers. They need to make sure their short stories conform to guidelines. Editors of magazines turn down more short stories because they don’t conform to guidelines than they turn down pieces that are poorly written.

Check out Love To Know Freelance Writing's short story articles

Ghost Writer

Ghost writing offers fiction writers an opportunity to make money by writing stories created by other authors. A fiction ghost writer generally follows an outline, writes to a schedule and turns over all creative rights to the person that hired them. Ghost writing can pay decently, particularly since ghost writer fees are offered upfront, but the fiction writer cannot claim their work as their own.

Book Author

Writing the best-selling novel is the dream of most fiction writers. But for every J.D. Robb, J.K. Rowling and L.E. Modesitt, there are literally hundreds of writers that no one has ever heard of. These authors produce one-off or genre fiction that followers of that genre will recognize.

Peter David, for example, is a very well-known comic book and science fiction author that a romance reader may not recognize at all. To write fiction books and to be published requires the writer to commit to putting 70,000 plus words on paper, editing them and submitting a synopsis and outline to agents or publishing houses. The advent of e-books means that publishing fiction books and making money by writing fiction is easier.

While there are advantages and disadvantages to novel writing, the committed writer can develop a healthy income over time from residuals, royalties and advances. For first time novelists, however, it’s best to keep the day job until the fiction writing proves successful.