2015 was the first year I made any money from writing. I made $15. It was for my short story ‘A Girl and her Dog’ in SQ Magazine and I was stoked.
In 2016 I made $151.06. That’s more than 100 times growth. I also won a short story competition and an iPad mini.
In 2017 I made $939.60. That’s another massive leap.
This year I’ve already made $1300 and have a contract for another $1300.
**The majority of this is from freelance, non-fiction writing**
I don’t say all this to boast, or to shock anyone with how little writers are paid. Everyone already knows it’s hard to make money from writing. But you can do it. It may be a slow haul but the amount I make is growing every year and I know that with a lot of hard work and perseverance I can build a lucrative career out of writing.
The truth is, when we tell ourselves writers don’t make much money we are preparing ourselves to not make much money.
We need to change the narrative we tell ourselves about how much we can expect to earn. And that goes for all creatives selling themselves short because they’re afraid of disappointment or selling out.
Money is a part of life and it’s a wonderful tool that let’s you do and make make what you want. Don’t be afraid of going out there and getting some.
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