Member-only story
Good Writing Money, Bad Writing Money
If there’s anything I’ve learned in 15 years of writing, it’s that not all writing money is earned equally. There are such things as good writing money, and bad writing money. Here’s an idea of what they mean to me, and a guide to lessons I’ve learned, and how I’ll think about making money as a writer. I wrote this mainly for me, and decided to publish it in case anyone finds it useful:
Good writing money comes as a writer makes more money with each idea they have; this may appear as writing rates going up, but it also could mean that the writer is invited to paid speaking opportunities, to teach workshops, or to create courses. Bad writing money is found in terms of volume, as a writer tries to make a ton of work that makes very little money.
Good writing money is a result of a writer figuring out their own product and price, and selling it directly to other people. The writer is free to make their own bundle. This means that wherever the writer is, they can talk to every single one of their customers directly; they get permission from their readers to reach out to them via phone or email, and they securely own the data inside a spreadsheet or database. Bad writing money is a result of a writer working inside someone else’s product and price (i.e., bundle), like writing for a media company or at a platform. A gatekeeper, like an editor or an algorithm…
