How I Made $300 By Giving My Writing a Chance
By: Emily Tyler
Tags: Writing, Getting Published, Personal Essay, Submitting

Photo by Sabine Peters on Unsplash

I struggle with putting a value on my words. Writing is a vulnerable practice: it shares the way we think with readers and asks, “do you understand me?” When we sell our writing, the question we ask isn’t only if the reader understands us, but how much is that understanding worth? It’s a difficult thing to put in financial terms. Maybe that’s why so many writers allow themselves to be underpaid or in many cases, not paid at all.

Writers deserve to be paid for their work. That shouldn’t need to be said. The reality is we all need money to live in society and artists are not exempt from this need. We still need to pay rent, eat, and buy a half-decent cup of coffee to remind ourselves we’re humans who can leave the house. When you can quantify your writing in the face of that — of whether or not your art can afford you to live — it makes the money aspect easier to figure out.

Setting a Goal Bigger Than My Fears

My insecurities about my writing were keeping me from making a full-time income from it. I was telling myself “I’m not good enough” before I even tried and both my income and creativity were suffering from it. Some people suffer from Imposter Syndrome, and this felt like Self-Rejection Syndrome. Don’t worry editor, I’ll go ahead and save you the rejection letter. So, I decided to change my submissions mindset.

I stopped approaching submissions with the idea of: “Is my writing good enough?” Instead, I asked, “Will this publication pay me?” To help shift my mindset, I set a goal to make $2,200 from writing in one month. It was a big jump from what I’d been pulling in (~$600 on a good month). But, I have access to google and writing groups and thanks to them, I knew it was an achievable number. Based on my own financial needs, it seemed like both a practical and viable target, if a bit reaching from my comfort zone.

I spent a month perusing Facebook writing groups for advice and job opportunities, journaling ideas, and pitching places I never would have pitched if I were basing my action on whether I thought I was good enough. Turns out there was a lot of variety in where I could pitch. By changing my qualifier to whether the job would pay me, I was able to separate myself from my words and treat writing like the job it is.

Setting my goal at a number that was achievable but not easy helped me step away from the vulnerability of applying. If I wanted to make that much money, I knew I was going to have to face a lot of rejection so I might as well try everything. I was also going to need to pitch to higher-paying publications. That goal gave me permission to reach, and as a result, I stopped limiting myself. Instead of waiting to apply for jobs that felt like a perfect fit, I started applying for anything I felt I could vaguely fit. I started viewing opportunity where previously I had feared rejection.

Success in Small Steps and the Power of One Yes

An editor accepted an essay pitch and offered to pay me $300 for it. A lot didn’t. Most didn’t even respond or responded months later with nos. But one editor said yes, and in doing so raised the bar of what I believed myself capable of.

To be perfectly honest, I didn’t love the essay I sold. But as a writer, my opinion really isn’t the one that matters at the end of the day. It’s the reader’s opinion that matters, and if that reader happens to be a paying editor, I’m not going to argue that my flow was off or my intro wasn’t strong enough. I’m going to trust that if they see value in the piece, there’s value in the piece — and then I’m going to use the cash value that comes with it to order myself a pizza.

Photo by gbarkz on Unsplash

Writing success doesn’t come all at once, at least not for most people. It comes in little yeses, here and there. A reach-out from an old connection who remembered you were interested in writing and offers you some of their extra work. A small business that loves your enthusiasm and wants to give you a shot. A new publication that wants to curate new voices and perceptions. An editor who knows nothing about you but really loves your poem.

If you don’t give people a chance to see your work, you don’t give them a chance to accept it. It can feel safe to self-reject before anyone else gets the chance, but it won’t get you ahead. Don’t wait until you think your writing is good enough. Tell yourself that it is and pitch like you believe it.