Building a Sustainable Writing Career: Priorities, Platforms, and Getting Paid

This exclusive pre-conference workshop kicks off the 2022 Writer’s Digest Annual Conference weekend on Thursday, July 28. Seats are limited, so register today! 

Before the arrival of the Internet, writers had few options for making a living that didn’t involve working with traditional publishing outlets or businesses. Today, there are many potential business models and sources of income that enable writers to build a sustainable and how you will sustain and adapt it over time. By developing a diverse mix of writing opportunities, you can future-proof your career, create more of the opportunities you want, and decrease those you do solely for the money.  

In this full-day workshop, Jane Friedman—co-founder of The Hot Sheet, former publisher of Writer’s Digest, award-winning blogger and author of The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press, 2018)—will teach you how to be clear-eyed and strategic about developing revenue streams best suited to your personality, your writing, and your career expectations. We’ll discuss early career foundation and brand-building for freelancers who want to work for publishers or businesses, how and when freelancers can successfully market and sell their work directly to readers/consumers, and the varied income opportunities related to being a visible writer or expert in the market.  

You’ll learn: 

• How and when early career freelancers might work for “exposure” versus cash
• Principles and techniques for building a platform, with special attention paid to lead generation
• Foundational strategies and principles for using your website, online writing (blogging), email and social media in concert with each other to develop opportunities for your career
• How to optimize your branding and messaging in an online environment, and use the language of clients or consumers to help your efforts
• The importance of relationships and community, and uncovering freelance opportunities through collaborations, partnerships, and influencers
• Methods of patronage and reader support that can support less commercial writing efforts, including crowdfunding and grants
• The critical difference between hourly work, scalable work, and passive income
• The basics of selling services, such as editing, coaching, consulting, and online courses (and how to get started with something like freelance editing or non-university teaching)
• How to more confidently talk about money and negotiate, and how to price your services—whether you do it on a fee-basis or hourly basis
• How to crack the holy grail of digital subscriptions
• What affiliate marketing is and how to start simply and ethically
• The most popular, economical, and easy-to-use tools to support your freelance business
• Resources to help you uncover more freelance opportunities and creative freelancer networks wherever you live

Who this session is for

• Established and aspiring authors who want to develop more freelance income or diversified income streams
• Bloggers and other online writers
• New and emerging freelance writers;
• Creative writing students who want to make a living through writing or freelancing

Register now

Instructor

Jane Friedman has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry, with expertise in business strategy for authors and publishers. She’s the editor of The Hot Sheet, the essential industry newsletter for authors, and has previously worked for Writer’s Digest and the Virginia Quarterly Review. In 2019, Jane was awarded Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World; her newsletter was awarded Media Outlet of the Year in 2020.

Jane’s newest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press); Publishers Weekly said that it is “destined to become a staple reference book for writers and those interested in publishing careers.” Also, in collaboration with The Authors Guild, she wrote The Authors Guild Guide to Self-Publishing.