Academic writing: How to monetize your writing skills?

Nowadays there are thousands of resources devoted to thousands of fields. Most of these resources are fulfilled by freelance writers, who don`t have a special degree or knowledge of the topic they are writing about. So what does it mean? It means that everyone can try his hand in it. But beforehand, if you want to job connected with your writing skills to replace your main occupation, highest paying job should be chosen.

Highest paying jobs in the industry:

  • Copywriter;
  • Rewriter;
  • Columnist;

* especially for candidates without experience.

There are plenty of freelance grounds (easily googled), where you can with no effort to find your first order. But you still need to define with the particular academic writing job to start with. Above highest paying jobs are listed, so let`s describe each one and find most suitable for you.

Copywriting

Copywriting mostly used when someone wants his good/service to have an attractive description. For instance – a group of hypothetical beer brewers have invented new sort of a beer with an outstanding taste and flavour, but they can`t just start selling it without any ad, they also should print an attractive inscription on the label, etc. So as at least 2/3 of the whole work is devoted to writing texts. But beer brewers are not writers, they don`t know how to write a description, which will attract first customers and investors. At this step, they need someone to create the text for their product. There is a high probability that they will place the order at one of the websites. But it is not the only case when copywriters are demanded, there is a list of possible jobs for copywriters:

  • Literature copywriting (prose, plots);
  • Business copywriting (compiling presentations, business letters e.t.c);
  • PR-copywriting;
  • Mass-media copywriting.

If you are a creative person, with academic writing skills this is what you need. Now most pleasant part, the median annual copywriter`s salary is $47,838.

Rewriting

The basis for rewriting is already existing text which should be paraphrased keeping the sense of a source text. Nowadays, when the media sector is overfilled with different information it`s easy to violate the copyright. So rewriter`s services are in demand.

Rewriter is a very popular academic writing job. So what do you need to become a rewriter? Skills demanded: proficient working language, big vocabulary, advanced text programs user.

Columnist

Columnists usually work in magazines, newspapers, websites. They have own weekly/daily columns where they express their opinion at any issue and analyze it. It`s a nice option for a part-time job, where you can develop your writing skills and earn money. It`s also a nice opportunity to monetize your hobby. For example, you are a coin collector. You can find a magazine which writes about coins and applies for a job as a columnist. As it was already mentioned it`s mostly a part-time job, but there is a certain chance for a columnist to become a proficient journalist. Great start of the path for those who want to become a journalist without a degree. It`s worth noting that most of the famous writers have had their own columns in different magazines and newspapers.

Editor

It`s a very popular occupation which deals with correcting already written texts. Editing services are very popular today. No book/article can`t be published without editing. People also edit their speeches before representing them to the audience. So every step in the writing industry is accompanied by the work of an editor. In most cases, it`s a full-time job with a great salary.

Here is the list of places where you can find your first job:

  • Freelance websites;
  • Translation agencies;
  • Magazines;
  • Websites;
  • Newspapers;
  • Private editor (editing texts for different public persons in their social media).

Conclusion

In the 21st century, every skill and every knowledge can be monetized, especially such thing as writing skills. People with a sense of style, which are able to convey the message and cause an appropriate pragmatic effect will always be in demand. So why don`t you make an attempt and try your hand in this interesting, fast-growing field?