The average salary for a writer depends heavily on the type of writing a person does. For example, how long you’ve been doing it and the type of articles you write impact the average salary per year. The mean hourly wage is $15.76 and the mean annual wage is approximately $39,600.
The average salary for a writer is $50,000 per year.
Average salary for a writer
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average wage for a writer in 2019 was $39.84 per hour and $82,930 per year. The highest earners made over $167,200 that year. But not all writers make a full-time salary from their writing gigs. Some supplement their income with jobs teaching creative writing or doing freelance work as an editor and paid article writer on the side. If you’ve always dreamed of being a writer but were intimidated by having to live off your writing alone, don’t let that stop you! Since most people are busy living their lives and working all day, they need experts like you to help them learn about new things. You can earn extra income by teaching your skill sets and sharing your expertise with others who have no idea how much they need it!
Know your worth.
In order to figure out how much you should charge for your services, it’s important that you take a look at the hourly rate of other writers. You’ll want to figure out what the average rate is and then compare this to your own skill level and experience. (If you’re just starting out, don’t be afraid to charge less.)
It’s also good practice to know how much time you spend on each article or project. For example: if an article takes me two hours but another writer can write it in one hour, then I will charge more than that other writer because my time is worth more due to my skill level and experience.
I always have trouble pricing projects because there are so many variables involved—the size and scope of the project; who else is working on it (if anyone); whether or not I’m writing part-time or full-time; etc—so I find it easiest when given specific parameters so we aren’t guessing at what needs done!
Decide what stage you’re at in your writing career.
Once you’ve defined your target market, it’s time to take a look at yourself. What are your strengths and weaknesses? Do you have a specialty? Are there any opportunities that align with what you enjoy most? It may be helpful to write down some goals for yourself as well. You can use these goals to help guide the direction of your career.
Once this is all figured out, start researching the industry! Know who is writing in similar genres as yours; they might be competition or collaborators! Knowing who is doing what will help keep from stepping on their toes or wasting time on projects that are too similar. Once you know who else is around, figure out why people like them so much (or dislike them). This will allow for better marketing later on
Plan ahead of time how much you need to earn.
- Know your expenses.
The most important thing you can do to make sure you’re earning enough money as a writer is to plan ahead of time how much you need to earn. The first step in doing this is determining what your monthly expenses are, which includes paying for rent, food, clothing and all other necessities. If any of these costs fluctuate from month to month depending on what type of contract your employer has with them (i.e., if they pay by the hour or by project), add an extra 10% or so on top of what they normally cost; this will take into account any emergencies that could arise during the year and prevent them from becoming a financial burden down the road
Create a blog post or landing page for your freelance work and make sure the page is linked to your social media accounts.
A blog post is a post on your site that has been designated as “blogworthy” by you or the company-including companies that hire freelancers. A landing page is a specific section of your website dedicated to driving traffic to certain products or services. Landing pages are important for freelancers because they help you create credibility and authority in your industry while simultaneously generating leads through effective use of ad copy, call-to-actions, etc.
Whenever possible, try to create everything yourself when starting out as a freelancer (like I did). It’s not only cost effective but also makes it easier for you to learn about how things work behind the scenes so that if something goes wrong with one of your clients’ websites (for example), then at least now there’s someone who understands more about how these things work than before! The best part? There are tons of free resources available online where people share their knowledge about creating various types of content like blogs posts/landing pages just like this one!
Create a business card that links to your blog or website.
Create a business card that links to your blog or website. Before you can start selling your writing services, it’s important to make sure you have a professional-looking business card that includes all of the following:
- Your name
- Your email address and phone number (in case there are any questions)
- A link to your website or blog (to show clients how much experience you have)
As you meet people in real life, make sure they know that you’re a writer and that you’re available for work.
As you meet people in real life, make sure they know that you’re a writer and that you’re available for work.
If someone asks what your job is, try to be as specific as possible about it. For example: “I’m a freelance writer.”
It’s important to let them know what kind of writing experience you have (if any), and how long it’s been since you last worked as a full-time freelancer. It’s also good to mention any publication credits or clients who have used your services in the past.
Look at listed opportunities for freelance article writing jobs for online magazines, newspapers, and as a writer for hire on websites such as UpWork, Fivver and Guru.
Look at listed opportunities for freelance article writing jobs for online magazines, newspapers, and as a writer for hire on websites such as UpWork, Fivver and Guru. Create a profile on these sites so potential employers will know what you have to offer them. Be honest about your skills and experiences in your profile so you get the job you want. Read the job description carefully to see if it’s something that interests you before applying for it. Make sure your profile looks good by including examples of your work within the text section of each posting; this could be links or pictures of articles written by other writers who worked together with them before (but make sure they are not copyrighted material). Also make sure that all contact information is correct so that employers can reach out easily with questions about their requirements vs yours – don’t forget about LinkedIn too!
Be professional when applying for employment opportunities online or offline through networking events held through organizations like meetup groups held regularly throughout most cities worldwide where people gather online via social media sites such as Facebook groups etcetera which then allows everyone involved access regardless whether they live nearby or far away from each other allowing anyone interested learning more about each other professionally rather than personally (because let’s face it – sometimes people don’t always think clearly around others) while also having time set aside during which they can talk privately over coffee/lunch.”
Aim to build up your client base so that you have a solid amount of regular work coming in. Try to have seven clients at any time.
You need to be able to take a break from writing, even if it’s just for one day. A week or two would be great, but one day is the minimum. The more regular work you have, the better equipped you’ll be to take time off when you need it—and still make ends meet.
Aim to build up your client base so that you have a solid amount of regular work coming in. Try to have seven clients at any time; this should provide enough financial security and flexibility in case one client goes through some unexpected difficulties or delays paying their invoice (which happens).
You can make it as a freelance writer if you have a plan and take the right steps
If you want to be a freelance writer, first and foremost, you need to learn how to market yourself. You also need to be able to write well. And if you’re going to work for yourself as a freelancer, then you’ll have to know how manage your own time wisely while also managing your finances responsibly. Finally, even though it’s not something that comes up often when talking about writing careers, many freelance writers have some kind of relationship with their clients—and they need skills in order not just write effectively but also communicate clearly and professionally with their clients without being impolite or condescending.
Conclusion
I hope this article has helped you realise that you can make a successful career out of writing. It’s important to understand your own writing style, to plan ahead, and then to take the steps needed to bring work in and build up a list of clients so that you have a steady flow of work coming in. Good luck!
