Let's face it, the life of an academic freelance writer isn't always as lucrative as we'd ideally hope. Sometimes referred to as the "neglected stepchild of freelance writing" academic freelance writing has a certain stigma and negative aspect attached to it, that some people just can't seem to see past. The job of an academic freelance writer is not to help students cheat on their homework, essentially doing the work for the students. The job of a freelance academic writer is to provide a base, or a model for students struggling to make sense of their assignment papers or homework, so as to help them make sense of what they're doing. Freelance academic writers are there to help students out when they need it, to help their papers and assignments make more sense, so that they can they complete the work themselves, once they actually understand what it is they're supposed to be doing.
The problem with academic freelance writing, is that you're only catering for one market, and that market is students and those in some form of academic education. Whilst the market is very popular, and academic freelancers are certainly in high demand, there will be times when business is decidedly quiet, especially during breaks in term time. If you're looking to earn a living, you need a constant flow of steady income to tide you over and keep you busy, so what do you do? Well, you could look for alternative sources of incomes related to your writing talents, and use your writing skills and creativity to help you boost your income. Here are 10 examples of alternative sources of income for academic freelance writers, which is designed to help you increase your income by using your writing skills and overall creativity.
1. Start a how-to blog - If you're looking to increase your income, then blogging is a great way of using your writing skills and knowledge, and earning a little extra money in the process. Forget about a personal blog, as although it may be fun, if it's money you're after, you'd be very lucky if that worked out. What has been proven to be a tried and tested method however, is starting a how-to blog, that addresses a set of problems. Take cooking for instance, if you like cooking, and you're good at it and knowledgeable, start a cooking blog offering helpful hints and tips. The more people that visit your blog, the more potential there is to generate a steady income thanks to advertising programs. In simple terms, the more people that visit your blog, the more likely it will be that advertising companies will pay you just to host their ads on your page.
2. Proofreading and editing - If you're a good writer, you'll have good punctuation, spelling, and grammar and will know how to format sentences and paragraphs etc. Well, why not use this to your advantage and place an ad on various advertising pages, or even freelance writing pages yourself, and wait for the customers to contact you with what they need. You can then proofread and edit their writing so that it reads better, and get paid for the privilege.
3. Erotic fiction - Thanks to a certain poorly written book trilogy involving an extremely wealthy man, a girl he falls for, and a number of whips, chains, and who knows what else, erotic fiction is now hugely, hugely popular. The aforementioned book trilogy made the author a multi-multi millionaire within a matter of months, despite the fact that it's about as believable as an episode of Star Trek. The author proved that the erotic fiction market is huge, and although not all will admit it, many writers start out, or supplement their income by writing for various erotic fiction websites, or even self publishing.
4. Short stories - If you have an especially vivid imagination, why not try your hand at short stories? There are a number of publications online and in print, that will pay you for your story, if it's good enough of course. The pay varies greatly, but if you're good at it, and you can write them quickly, you could generate several stories per week, get them submitted, and hopefully wait for the acceptance messages to roll in.
5. Greeting cards - You may not have ever considered this one, but as you're a professional writer, why not try your hand at greeting cards, holiday cards, birthday cards etc? Get in touch with various card companies, see if they're hiring, or perhaps just send a sample of your work.
6. Magazines and newspapers - Magazines and newspapers are another source of potential income. Remember, just because you hear the word 'magazine' or 'newspaper' this doesn't mean you have to try to write for the biggest names in the world. There are so, so many different ones to choose from so why not give it a go. There's DIY magazines, fishing, fitness, country living, travel, food, the list is endless, so pick a few up, look at a few examples of what they generally print, and try your luck.
7. Try writing best-man speeches - Another great way of potentially making a very good income is by writing and selling best-man speeches. People often advertise the fact they're looking for a writer to create a speech for them, so search on various ad pages. Or, post an ad yourself. If you consider yourself witty, this could be an easy income for you.
8. Write resumes and CV's - This is proven to be a very effective method of income, as so many people miss out on their dream job, because their CV's and resumes look amateurish and poor. If you can create top quality CV's and resumes for people, you could charge good money as well. Ask your customers to leave feedback and reviews if they're successful.
9. If you can speak other languages, translate - If you can speak more than one language, advertise this fact on various ad pages and offer to translate for others. You have a unique skill, so use it.
10. Freelance websites - Finally, there are heaps upon heaps of freelance websites, some of them aimed specifically at writers, so get yourself on there and get earning money. Find out which ones are the most popular and pay the best, and focus on these.
Are there any more creative ways to make money in the coming off-season weeks? :) 