Make Money Writing Fiction Online
Online fiction writers often offer their work to the public for free. Some people are fine with it, as long as they get their writing and stories out. Others wish they were able to earn from it, so here are some ways to make money writing fiction online.
Online publishers want short fiction.
If you wish to make money writing fiction online, it's best to put your epic novel ideas aside and get ready for some short story action. In fact, many online fiction publications are in high need of flash fiction.
Flash fiction stories are less than 1,000 words long.
Characterized by a lack of exposition, flash fiction stories jump right into the middle of things from the very first sentence. Chances of such stories being accepted by online fiction publishers are higher than for longer works.
Look for professional markets first.
Even if you don't have much faith in your writing, it's best to start with online fiction markets that pay the best rates. Even if your story isn’t accepted, you’ll know you tried. Online and offline publications can be roughly divided into mainstream and genre fiction, each made up by dozens of genres and sub-genres. Before sending your story to a publisher, determine which genre it belongs to.
Earn $40 or more per 1,000 words.
While some fiction markets offer token payments of less than 1 cent per word, most publishers pay starting from 4 cents per word for works of fiction that manage to go through the editor. Besides, that's the best way to get your name on the radar.
All currently available publications, sorted by requirements, payment rates and response times, can be found on the online fiction market database Duotrope.
You can publish fiction yourself.
If your short stories aren’t accepted by any of the paying markets, it's no reason to give up on making money from writing fiction. Several self-published fiction authors have achieved success on their own, despite the difficulties that path can present. Before you decide between selling ebooks and earning money from ads, get familiar with your readers.
Know your audience.
Short stories won't earn you any money unless somebody reads them. Internet users tend to like shorter fiction, but there are those who prefer longer works too. Some readers are accustomed to buying fiction for their Kindle, but others will only read it for free.
Study the people who are interested in your work and learn which monetization strategy will suit your fiction best out of all possibilities. Find a comfortable niche and go with it.
Success is rare among self-published authors.
Successful authors make the industry seem like one big success story, but in reality, very few people make it past their first published book and those who do are often faced by even more disappointments on their way.
According to a recent article by Guardian, half of self-published writers earned less than $500 in 2011.
That's only $500 in a year.
Then again, most self-published authors probably do not exert the kind of effort that could ensure a long-term financial success of their endeavors, so these statistics are not unexpected and should not discourage aspiring fiction writers from trying to break into the business.
You need to find your motivation and focus on it.
Don't give up on writing.
Writing fiction is hard, self-published writers will have an even harder time doing it and achieving financial success by writing genre fiction will be the hardest. Always be prepared to make adjustments to your work, no matter how determined you were to do things your way.
Unless you know where you stand as a writer and who your readers are, the chances of your success in this business will remain slim. Embrace criticism with open heart, find your style and earn money writing fiction online.
