Comments on: Can you earn money as a writer? http://www.thecraftywriter.com/2008/01/01/projected-earnings-and-the-seven-year-itch/ the business and craft of writing Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:29:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Fiona http://www.thecraftywriter.com/2008/01/01/projected-earnings-and-the-seven-year-itch/comment-page-1/#comment-8786 Fiona Sat, 04 Apr 2009 07:00:52 +0000 http://www.thecraftywriter.com/2008/01/01/projected-earnings-and-the-seven-year-itch/#comment-8786 Hi PA. Tim's right, earning money from poetry is very difficult. It's also very difficult to earn money writing online in general. All of these websites and ads that promise you can earn £30,000 a year are at best misleading, at worst fraudulent! But it's not impossible to earn some money. You have to do it yourself though, no one, particularly not me, can help you. Develop your craft, find markets, submit your work, build your portfolio ... it's simple hard graft. Realise though that online poetry will not pay. Good luck with it. Hi PA. Tim’s right, earning money from poetry is very difficult. It’s also very difficult to earn money writing online in general. All of these websites and ads that promise you can earn £30,000 a year are at best misleading, at worst fraudulent! But it’s not impossible to earn some money. You have to do it yourself though, no one, particularly not me, can help you. Develop your craft, find markets, submit your work, build your portfolio … it’s simple hard graft. Realise though that online poetry will not pay. Good luck with it.

]]> By: Tim Rowe http://www.thecraftywriter.com/2008/01/01/projected-earnings-and-the-seven-year-itch/comment-page-1/#comment-8750 Tim Rowe Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:03:57 +0000 http://www.thecraftywriter.com/2008/01/01/projected-earnings-and-the-seven-year-itch/#comment-8750 p a noushad: i am p a noushad,poet,would like to earn income through online writing. Me: Wouldn't we all! I think E E Cummings pretty much covered the all-lower-case-and-unusual-spacing thing, though; I don't think there's much potential there nowadays. Seriously, poetry is probably the hardest form of writing to make money at, and the web is so swamped with really bad poetry that it's just about impossible to get noticed. I think the traditional route of doing readings, self-publishing an anthology of what goes down well at the readings and then selling the anthology at subsequent readings is still the best chance. Although even that route just leaves most aspiring poets with a pile of unsold books and an invoice for the printing. p a noushad:
i am p a noushad,poet,would like to earn income through online writing.

Me:
Wouldn’t we all!

I think E E Cummings pretty much covered the all-lower-case-and-unusual-spacing thing, though; I don’t think there’s much potential there nowadays.

Seriously, poetry is probably the hardest form of writing to make money at, and the web is so swamped with really bad poetry that it’s just about impossible to get noticed. I think the traditional route of doing readings, self-publishing an anthology of what goes down well at the readings and then selling the anthology at subsequent readings is still the best chance. Although even that route just leaves most aspiring poets with a pile of unsold books and an invoice for the printing.

]]> By: p a noushad http://www.thecraftywriter.com/2008/01/01/projected-earnings-and-the-seven-year-itch/comment-page-1/#comment-8743 p a noushad Fri, 03 Apr 2009 09:25:46 +0000 http://www.thecraftywriter.com/2008/01/01/projected-earnings-and-the-seven-year-itch/#comment-8743 help me to earn money through writing poems online. help me to earn money through writing poems online.

]]> By: p a noushad http://www.thecraftywriter.com/2008/01/01/projected-earnings-and-the-seven-year-itch/comment-page-1/#comment-8742 p a noushad Fri, 03 Apr 2009 09:24:35 +0000 http://www.thecraftywriter.com/2008/01/01/projected-earnings-and-the-seven-year-itch/#comment-8742 i am p a noushad,poet,would like to earn income through online writing. i am p a noushad,poet,would like to earn income through online writing.

]]> By: Fiona http://www.thecraftywriter.com/2008/01/01/projected-earnings-and-the-seven-year-itch/comment-page-1/#comment-6524 Fiona Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:51:52 +0000 http://www.thecraftywriter.com/2008/01/01/projected-earnings-and-the-seven-year-itch/#comment-6524 How very kind of you. All the best with your own writing Jose. Fiona How very kind of you. All the best with your own writing Jose.

Fiona

]]> By: jose rivadulla-rey http://www.thecraftywriter.com/2008/01/01/projected-earnings-and-the-seven-year-itch/comment-page-1/#comment-6522 jose rivadulla-rey Mon, 19 Jan 2009 08:14:21 +0000 http://www.thecraftywriter.com/2008/01/01/projected-earnings-and-the-seven-year-itch/#comment-6522 you have an amazing story ahead of you, its people like you who give people like me more inspiration to continue, hopefully one day my words and efforts will contribute to someone elses passions, thank you very much. you have an amazing story ahead of you, its people like you who give people like me more inspiration to continue, hopefully one day my words and efforts will contribute to someone elses passions, thank you very much.

]]> By: Copywriting: write to sell at The Crafty Writer http://www.thecraftywriter.com/2008/01/01/projected-earnings-and-the-seven-year-itch/comment-page-1/#comment-6400 Copywriting: write to sell at The Crafty Writer Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:20:26 +0000 http://www.thecraftywriter.com/2008/01/01/projected-earnings-and-the-seven-year-itch/#comment-6400 [...] but not earning that much money. (For a lively discussion on how much writers really earn check out Can you earn money as a writer?) With this in mind, I’ve decided I need to expand my commercial copywriting activities. [...] [...] but not earning that much money. (For a lively discussion on how much writers really earn check out Can you earn money as a writer?) With this in mind, I’ve decided I need to expand my commercial copywriting activities. [...]

]]> By: Filmmaking - the screenwriter’s role at The Crafty Writer http://www.thecraftywriter.com/2008/01/01/projected-earnings-and-the-seven-year-itch/comment-page-1/#comment-4673 Filmmaking - the screenwriter’s role at The Crafty Writer Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:24:08 +0000 http://www.thecraftywriter.com/2008/01/01/projected-earnings-and-the-seven-year-itch/#comment-4673 [...] Like most forms of writing, screenwriting, certainly when you’re starting out, is not very lucrative. After 12 months of work I have not added to my bank balance through this film, but the professional leg-up I have received is worth far more to me right now than hard cash. If you’re in it for money, you’re in it for the wrong reason.   (For a reality check on what writers really earn, check out my post and the following animated discussion on Can You Earn Money from Writing?). [...] [...] Like most forms of writing, screenwriting, certainly when you’re starting out, is not very lucrative. After 12 months of work I have not added to my bank balance through this film, but the professional leg-up I have received is worth far more to me right now than hard cash. If you’re in it for money, you’re in it for the wrong reason.   (For a reality check on what writers really earn, check out my post and the following animated discussion on Can You Earn Money from Writing?). [...]

]]> By: Fiona Veitch Smith http://www.thecraftywriter.com/2008/01/01/projected-earnings-and-the-seven-year-itch/comment-page-1/#comment-4295 Fiona Veitch Smith Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:47:24 +0000 http://www.thecraftywriter.com/2008/01/01/projected-earnings-and-the-seven-year-itch/#comment-4295 What I didn't mention in the post The One is that the full-time job I gave up to pursue a writing career was as a professional journalist and sub-editor for a newspaper in Cape Town. I earned a good salary and someone obviously thought my writing was 'good enough' or they wouldn't have employed me. But it gave me no time to pursue other creative writing projects that were burning up inside me. I made the decision to earn a lot less but be far more fulfilled. And I don't regret it for a moment. What I didn’t mention in the post The One is that the full-time job I gave up to pursue a writing career was as a professional journalist and sub-editor for a newspaper in Cape Town. I earned a good salary and someone obviously thought my writing was ‘good enough’ or they wouldn’t have employed me. But it gave me no time to pursue other creative writing projects that were burning up inside me. I made the decision to earn a lot less but be far more fulfilled. And I don’t regret it for a moment.

]]> By: Fiona Veitch Smith http://www.thecraftywriter.com/2008/01/01/projected-earnings-and-the-seven-year-itch/comment-page-1/#comment-4294 Fiona Veitch Smith Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:17:56 +0000 http://www.thecraftywriter.com/2008/01/01/projected-earnings-and-the-seven-year-itch/#comment-4294 Depressing that averages have fallen even further. Try to find that survey and get back to us Jane. You're right about the media hyping advances. Amanda made a similar point earlier - the ads claiming you can earn 30,000 +. There's a well respected writing correspondence college that should know better that does it all the time. I've actually complained to them about it and they say that their ad says 'up to £30,000'. But it still gives the wrong impression. The point that hopefully all of us can agree on (hopefully TheOne will join us in this now) is that success as a writer cannot be measured in monetary terms. The piece of writing I'm most proud of at the moment is a screenplay that's actually been commissioned and filmed! Guess what I got paid? £1 - and I haven't even received it :) I can now use it as a calling card to hopefully get commissions that pay a bit more ;) Depressing that averages have fallen even further. Try to find that survey and get back to us Jane. You’re right about the media hyping advances. Amanda made a similar point earlier – the ads claiming you can earn 30,000 +. There’s a well respected writing correspondence college that should know better that does it all the time. I’ve actually complained to them about it and they say that their ad says ‘up to £30,000′. But it still gives the wrong impression. The point that hopefully all of us can agree on (hopefully TheOne will join us in this now) is that success as a writer cannot be measured in monetary terms. The piece of writing I’m most proud of at the moment is a screenplay that’s actually been commissioned and filmed! Guess what I got paid? £1 – and I haven’t even received it :) I can now use it as a calling card to hopefully get commissions that pay a bit more ;)

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