How to Make Money as a Writer Online

If there's one skill that translates almost universally to making money online, it's writing. Not because writing is easy — it isn't — but because nearly every online business model depends on words, and most people are either bad at writing or don't enjoy doing it.

That's your leverage.

Let me walk through the most realistic income paths for writers in 2028, including what I've seen work, what I've personally tried, and where I'd focus if I were starting fresh.

Option 1: Ebooks and PDF Guides

This is probably the most natural starting point for writers because you're already doing the work — writing. The difference is packaging that writing as a product instead of giving it away for free.

An ebook doesn't need to be long. A focused 50-page guide on a specific topic, priced at $15–$30, can outperform a 300-page general overview because buyers know exactly what they're getting. The key is specificity: "How to Write a Winning Grant Proposal for Nonprofits" sells better than "The Writing Guide."

I sell my digital products through MadeThis, which handles the entire transaction and delivery. You upload your PDF, set a price, and share your link. No technical setup, no manually emailing files to buyers. I've broken down exactly how it works in my MadeThis review.

Option 2: Paid Newsletters

The paid newsletter model has matured significantly. Platforms like Substack and Beehiiv make it easy to charge monthly subscribers for premium writing — analysis, curated insights, exclusive essays, or community access.

The challenge: building a paid newsletter from zero requires an audience. It's not a starting point for most writers — it's something you graduate to once you have consistent readers who trust you.

If you're not there yet, free newsletters as an email list builder first, monetized content second, is the more practical sequence.

Option 3: Ghostwriting

Ghostwriting is one of the fastest ways for writers to earn good money — often better money than publishing under your own name, at least initially.

Businesses, executives, coaches, and thought leaders constantly need help producing content: LinkedIn posts, newsletters, books, blog articles, scripts. If you can write in someone else's voice and meet deadlines, this market is large and underserved.

You can productize this too. A "ghostwritten newsletter package" or "LinkedIn content month" offered as a fixed-scope product at a set price scales better than hourly billing.

Option 4: Writing Courses and Workshops

If you can teach writing — whether it's fiction, business writing, copywriting, grant writing, or anything else — there's a market for it. Courses and workshops can be priced anywhere from $47 for a focused mini-course to $500+ for an intensive program.

MadeThis supports bundled digital products, so you can package a video course, a workbook, and a template set together as one product. Writers often underestimate how much value they can provide in a structured teaching format.

The post on how to make money as a teacher or educator online covers this in more depth if courses are where you want to focus.

Option 5: Templates for Other Writers

Here's a slightly counterintuitive one: sell writing templates to other writers. Pitch email templates, book proposal templates, query letter frameworks, blog post outlines, newsletter issue templates.

Other writers will pay for things that save them time, especially for formats they're not familiar with. A "Book Proposal Template That Gets Agents" sold at $29 can convert well because the value proposition is crystal clear.

Building Distribution

Writers often have a leg up on distribution because they're comfortable producing content — and content is the best marketing for selling information products.

A blog with posts targeting what your ideal buyers are searching for (e.g., "how to write a grant proposal," "ghostwriting pricing guide") drives free organic traffic that converts to product sales over time.

I've covered the fundamentals of this approach in my post on best tools for your first $1,000 online — the same strategies apply for writer-specific products.

Where to Start

If I were a writer starting today, I'd do this in order:

1. Pick a topic I already know well
2. Write a focused 40–60 page PDF guide or template pack
3. Set up a free MadeThis store and publish it
4. Write 2–3 blog posts targeting related search queries
5. Share it on LinkedIn and in relevant online communities

You don't need a huge audience to make your first sales. You need a specific product, a clear buyer, and a way for them to find you and pay you.

MadeThis.com is where I'd start for the selling side. Set up your store free, upload your first product, and start getting paid for your writing.