7 Ways Writers Can Make Money With Online Publishing

Writers can make money online today with new business models that are continually developing in publishing.

The opportunity to build your own small publishing business based on online publishing is available to every writer.

The thought of digital publishing immediately brings ebooks to mind.

It is quick and easy to use Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) or aggregators to publish a digital book, but the competition is fierce.

Sidestep the competition

Ebook and book publishing on Kindle by independent authors is exploding.

On average, a new title is published every minute or two.

For traditional publishers and the publishing industry in general, this disruption to the market has caused a lot of headaches.

But for self-publishers with some experience, the publishing process is not only about ebooks, Kindle, Apple iBooks, and Google Play.

Yes, you can make some money selling ebooks and printed books on highly competitive retailers like Amazon.

But smart writers are diversifying their online business and income sources.

There are many ways to take advantage of new methods to exploit digital content.

Writing in any form now is all about e-publishing and digital marketing.

So it means writers can make money online if they are prepared to work.

All you need to do is look for opportunities.

Forget all about the writer of the romantic past

How often do you come across an author or writer’s website using an old typewriter as the header image?

It might be romantic or wishful thinking about days gone by.

But it is certainly not indicative of a writer today.

Writers are using laptops and mobile devices.

They are likely writing while propped up on a sofa in their pajamas.

Every word is saved on Dropbox, iCloud, or a thumb drive without a sheet of paper to be seen.

An online grammar checker does the work that a cigar-smoking copy editor used to do.

The battered copy of a Webster’s or Oxford Concise dictionary sitting on a writer’s desk has been replaced by a laptop’s inbuilt dictionary, thesaurus, and Wikipedia lookup.

The desk is now a coffee table, a kitchen table, or a lap.

Writers don’t receive letters anymore — only messages and emails on smartphones.

Technology has improved, but it is certainly not as glamorous or appealing as in the past.

But for some, it is still pleasant to reminisce or pretend.

Successful writers today are always opportunists

An author still burns the midnight oil pumping out a new chapter for their next book.

But when morning breaks, it’s time to hit social media with a few promotional posts or start on a new YouTube video book trailer.

It might be time to do some research about finding a narrator for an audiobook version of a title or pitching an article to a popular blog.

There is always a new blog post draft that needs finishing.

After that, hunting for a new affiliate marketing opportunity to bring in a bit more passive income from the blog.

Then check the overnight Kindle sales, but look for new publishing programs that are popping up every day.

After that, read a few blog posts to get fresh ideas, and if one is worthwhile, see if you can use it.

Go out for a walk, and maybe stop for a coffee. But take some photos to use in the new blog post.

Return home and quickly read articles in a few digital magazines or watch videos for new blog ideas.

Sales are poor on both book formats for one title, so it is time to research some new Amazon keyword and category ideas.

All types of writers can make money online, but it’s a busy life for an author or writer working from home today.

Spreading the word

Every word you write is data.

You can convert it very quickly into any number of electronic versions that you can use in various applications.

You can convert a Word document to an epub or mobi file for reading devices or copy it into WordPress or Blogger.

It can be uploaded to a grammar checker for editing and checking and then downloaded without losing any formatting.

With digitization, editing, and insertion are easy for such things as advertising, a video, or updated content.

All of these possibilities allow a writer to maximize the potential of any text, new or old, from a short blog post to a book.

In today’s world of e-publishing, or e-pubs, the opportunities are endless when you are serious about earning money online.

For new writers, digital publishing as a side hustle or side income is a great way to start making money from your writing.

7 Ways writers can make money today

When relying solely on Kindle sales, it’s tough to get to the top, especially if you exclusively publish with KDP Select.

Here are some ideas you might want to consider to boost your part-time or even full-time writing income.

1. Blog more

Making money from a blog is not that difficult. If you want to start a blog, you can earn income from affiliate marketing, advertising, or selling a service.

Peer-reviewed products or even books are very popular, particularly in the United States.

You could think about writing blog post reviews or buyer guides, which are perfect for adding links to affiliate programs.

If you can build a popular blog, many businesses will now pay for sponsored content placement on high-ranking sites instead of spending money on social media advertising.

If you are a freelance writer, you can make a lot of money from your blog.

2. Open publish your ebooks

When exclusive with Amazon, you relinquish all other opportunities to maximize your ebook’s potential.

But if you publish with the standard KDP, you can publish on Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and many others.

More importantly, you can offer your ebook on your website or blog.

You can even offer a free download in Kindle format and epub for Kindles, phones, tablet computers, and associated reading apps.

You can convert your ebook to any open standard you like or even make it public domain.

For the version you offer on your site, you can add any content you like. You can even add your affiliate links.

You can include bonus content (which is very restricted on KDP Select) or add teasers to your other titles.

This approach is ideal for series starters.

Selling ebooks on Amazon is now highly competitive.

Diversifying your distribution might be a good way to make extra cash from your ebooks.

3. Write for other blogs

Getting an article published on a popular blog can do wonders for your online presence.

You can usually add links to your books and blog in your bio.

It is also a highly effective means of getting a solid SEO backlink to your blog.

If you are freelance writing, it is a great way to improve your blog’s search engine ranking.

4. Get paid to write

There are many opportunities where writers can make money online.

One of them is to write long-form articles for paying clients.

You don’t need to do much research to find possibilities.

A Google search gave me this link to a site that offers a listing of sites that pay writers.

Another option is to register with Upwork to find paying writing jobs.

5. Advertising pays well

When you are approved to have Adsense on your blog, it is an easy way to make some extra money.

But the biggest advantage is that you can set it and forget it.

Once you have added the code to your blog, you don’t need to do anything else other than monitor your traffic.

One valid click on an Adsense ad can earn you from $0.50 to $2.50.

A sale of a $2.99 ebook will earn you around $1.95.

Food for thought?

You can also earn Adsense income on YouTube.

6. Affiliate marketing works long-term

One well-crafted article on your blog, written around an affiliate link, will work for you for years to come.

You can start by using Amazon Associates, which is very easy to set up.

But if you can find products or services directly related to your blog, dealing directly with these companies and using their affiliate platforms is better.

Depending on the product or service, you can expect to earn somewhere between $20.00 and $100.00 per sale.

7. Sell your skills

This is one of the easiest ways writers can make money online.

New authors always need editors, proofreaders, or beta readers.

If you have excellent writing and grammar skills, perhaps you can help.

But you need to find a balance between the price they can afford and what you are willing to accept, so it’s a win-win.

Then you can convert some of your leisure reading time into paid reading time.

Summary

For writers, there are countless ways to use Internet technology to make money from writing skills.

Sometimes it is only a matter of looking around to see what is available.

If your business is writing, or you want to make it so, forget the typewriter nostalgia and consider leveraging digital publishing technology and data to your advantage.

There is a very big world out there, full of people who are screen reading–and buying online.

Related reading: The Differences Between An Article And A Blog Post