If writing is a thing you enjoy doing as a hobby, or you aim to start a career as a short story writer, then I’m glad to tell you that you can make good money while doing what you love professionally.
With how developed the online world is today, where virtually everything is easily accessed on the internet within a couple of clicks, there is now an increasing audience who love to read and pay to have access to books or stories online. This creates an opportunity for short story writers to take advantage of.
There are various types of writing, like flash fiction, novella, and novels, which all possess the potential to create a new income stream. For people who are beginners, writing short stories is a good place to start. We aim to guide you on how to make money writing short stories and maybe even make a full-time income.
Making money is one of many benefits of writing short stories; it’s also a good place to start for those writers looking to build a career in writing. Short stories are popular among children but also have many adult audiences.
First, we’ll cover the basics of the various writings and their difference before moving on to ways and tips to make money writing short stories.
When venturing into the world of professional writing, you would want to answer a couple of important questions, and one of them is the length of writing you prefer.
The most popular types of writing known are short stories and novels; however, novellas and Novelette are also types of writing, and it’s important to know their differences. So, what is the difference between these types?
These types of works have one major difference: their typical word length or word limit. A novel can range from 55,000 to 110,000 words, a novella has 20,000 to 50,000 words, and a short story has 1,500 to 7,500 words.
Flash fiction is a short story with about 500 to 1500 words. Some journals may have a different definition of flash fiction length, but most accept 1,500 words as the standard maximum word count.
On the other hand, Novelette is longer than a short story but shorter than a novella. The word count is usually between 7,500 words to 17,500 words.
The longer short stories border on the length of novelettes, and the longer novelettes border on the length of novellas, while the longer novellas border on the length of novels.
The most obvious reason why people love short stories is that they are short and take less time to read or write. In addition, the size of these writings makes them perfect for anyone from children to adults.
From the reader’s perspective, short stories are a good tool for sampling different authors and topics in a short time without losing the benefits a novel would provide, like an overriding theme, authentic characters, and a fascinating plot with tension and resolution.
Some adults prefer short stories as a good in-between reading piece. Sometimes people who love to read but need more time to finish a novel usually opt for a short story. They can enjoy the pleasure of finishing a piece in time with short stories.
So you are satisfied with a story that immerses you in another world, moves you in some way, and stays with you afterward. All in just a few thousand words.
Now we know a little about writing, what are the best ways to make money through writing? Below are a few ways to get you started.
Of course, for most authors, having a website is a good idea and a reasonable way to take your fate in your hands and put your best foot forward. Having a website has its advantages.
However, this freedom comes with a cost
One way to do this is to write blog posts related to your niche. The blog post tells google you are an authority.
Once this problem is solved, a website should be a valuable resource to have. You can also advertise your websites on social media sites like Facebook group to drive traffic to your site.
Many magazines, including print magazine and literary journals, accept short stories and flash fiction, and they are fairly easy to find online.
Each magazine or journal has its own submission guidelines and timeline, so you should check them out before picking the one suitable for you.
Below are some recommendations. They accept writings from all over the world and have a wide audience.
Smokelong quarterly is a good place to publish short stories. They usually accept stories up to 10000words, and response time can take up to 4 weeks. Payment is $50 upon acceptance for publication in the quarterly issue.
Write City Magazine publishes short stories, creative non-fiction, and flash fiction writing. Payments range from 25 to 50 USD per story for at most 1800 words per piece.
The New Yorker is a great publication to include on your resume or portfolio. It’s difficult to be accepted here, but the magazine does accept short fiction. If you want to publish here, you should aim for between 600 and 1,000 words, but be aware that acceptance is extremely competitive.
Typishly is a good and very user friendly platform to build a career for new authors as they publish writings from both new writers and old writers. Typically also has a fast response time within one day of submission.
The sand journal is a literature and arts journal that accepts short stories at a specific time in the year. They accept short stories and flash fiction with one short story of up to 5,000 words or a single file with up to three pieces of flash fiction of up to 1000 words each, not to exceed 3000 word
Strange Horizon accepts speculative fiction up to 10,000 words (under 5,000 words preferable). Words more than 10,000 words won’t be considered. Submission resumes on the 1st of October 2022. Payment is 1cent per word.
The threepenny review accepts a wide range of genres, and they currently pay about $400USD for short stories. Response time can vary from two days to two months. This magazine starts accepting stories in January; you are advised to check the company website for guidelines and instructions to avoid making mistakes.
Virgin quarterly review, or VQR, accepts short fiction, poetry, and non-fiction writings. They publish four(4) times a year, and submitted materials must be previously unpublished. Published stories will earn up to 1000USD.
Amazon is one of the first names that come to mind when you talk about selling books in today’s world, amazon is not only popular with non-fiction writers but fiction writers too.
This is because Amazon runs platforms like Amazon kindle direct publishing (KDP) and recently launched amazon Vella platforms, giving more access to different kinds of writers to publish their writings easily.
For those interested in short stories, the amazon Vella platform is suitable as it is designed for short story-type writings. To qualify on this platform, stories must be between 600-5,000 words.
However, it can be something other than a self-contained story; for example, a full-length novel can be broken into chunks, providing the reader with individual episodes.
Amazon is a good platform for beginners as they are a trusted and established platform that provides the stability you need while giving you more time to focus on your writing.
Selling your work on platforms like Amazon and Amazon KDP is one of many ways to make money online.
You can also make money by rendering your service as a short story writer to organizations or individuals that require the service of a freelance writer on an online platform and on freelance sites.
Some freelance sites even run short story contests.
However, the difference is that you give up the right to own your work, as those who hire you will own the copyright of whatever work you write for them. This is known as ghostwriting.
Many writers make as high as $1000 per book as a ghostwriter. You can bill your clients either a flat fee or per 100 words written.
To achieve this, you can register on Fiverr, Upwork, or any other freelance website and create a profile to render your services.
There are tons and varieties of work you can select from based on your preference and take advantage of to improve your writing skills.
