Hi out there!
I just wonder for myself if there is any chance to make a living as an author after college, how realistic is that, or will there be a lot of similar jobs first, like working for newspapers etc.? Does anyone has experience with writing or publishing even? Would be of great interest for me to get insider tips!
Advice is needed!
Have you heard of the podcast “Longform”? They interview writers, and there is a lot of info on how they started and progressed in their careers.
Start now with freelance writing. I do a lot of it over summers. Google is your friend. You can either google “freelance writing” in general, or “magazine submission guidelines.”
There are also some websites that will pay you to write content. As a math teacher, I’ve done lots of math writing-- sites like Shmoop, a bit of textbook writing, some “item writing” (ie: test questions), lots of education articles, and a decent amount of math content on assorted sites.
Start here: http://www.freelancewriting.com/guidelines/pages/
http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/
http://www.freelancewriting.com/freelance-writing-jobs.php
https://www.flexjobs.com/jobs/writing-editing-journalism?sub=1091
Thanks for planting the thought… I just applied to 3 freelance jobs.
After Christmas, money is tight. A little spare freelance cash would be just the thing 
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I just wonder for myself if there is any chance to make a living as an author after college, how realistic is that, or will there be a lot of similar jobs first, like working for newspapers etc.? Does anyone has experience with writing or publishing even? Would be of great interest for me to get insider tips!
Advice is needed!
@tantilla What type of writing do you wish to do? And, what type of degree are you pursuing? (Journalism, Technical Writing, English/Literature, Creative Writing OR a non-writing degree with the dream of transitioning into full-time writing?) Each path offers distinctly different levels of opportunities because of the focus, training, and education. Publishing is different for each path too. You can definitely earn a living as a writer, but much will depend on how you prepare yourself.
As bjkmom suggested, you can go the freelance writer route. No degree is required, but a college degree always helps. It is still important that you learn the craft and the business if you hope for a steady full-time income.
If you have a job/degree in a non-writing field, there will be niches to fill. (Currently, I see a huge demand for STEM writers with educational backgrounds.) Freelance writing is competitive, so you’ll need to patch the work together until you build a client list.
Another way to get started in freelance writing is to find a reputable content site, with strict editorial oversight, that allows writers to upload and sell their articles (they provide the marketing) AND/OR allows you to apply for jobs the site has researched. (Normally, when an article sells, the site takes a percentage.) These sites also offer a chance for you to study how web content is bought/sold, what categories are marketable, and how to price your articles.
Do your research before signing up for anything. There are a lot of scams in the writing field, but also a lot of writers looking out for each other.
And for what it’s worth, editors on these content sites are often overzealous, so pull up your big girl/boy undies before submitting articles. 
Good luck!
Freelance writers typically do not make enough money to live comfortably.
I do know some folks who are published authors who make significant amounts through royalties and movie options, however these are people who have day jobs that pay the bills (jobs totally unrelated to writing) and write in their free time. Only after many years have a few of them made enough money writing to quit their day jobs.
So, you at least think there is a way but more or less a combination of professional strings knotted together - yes, at least that would be finde to work more or less in the field, I think this is not possible or achievable for everyone.
Creative writing would be best, but actually I feel a lot at home with poetry. Makes my mind comforted and my cheeks soemtimes blush, my blood comes to rush - like it directly comes outta my fingers onto the paper.
^^^^
@tantilla I’m confused. So you want to major in Creative Writing in college? And your interest is writing poetry?
If that is the case then you’ll need a non-writing job/career to pay the bills until your creative writing can support you. (Think years and years.) And, if that writing is poetry, then chances are slim to none that you will ever make enough money to pay the bills. I have writing buddies who are poets and they make less than $1,000/yr from poetry. (There are success stories, but very rare, and only after decades of publication.)
Literary fiction is the least profitable writing path, and is, by and large, still using a version of the patron system for the full-time writer. (The patrons are parents or spouses or a trust fund supporting the writer.)
Do research these career paths thoroughly before making the commitment. If you want a day-job as a writer, then investigate technical writing or journalism degrees. If you want to go with freelance writing, then you’ll have to commit to hustling for jobs and clients , but being self-employed leaves little time for creative projects.
It is not only poetry - just at the moment I am totally obsessed with that - I further more wrote a couple of short stories and one longer piece,which is actually not done. Still I am clinging on to a hop to live on that one day.
PJackson: did your freinds already publish in any ways, or how was the 1000 counted?
@tantilla anthology sales mainly, but one poet-friend has found a small niche selling poems to educational/testing markets.
I think that the point we’re making is to start now-- get published. Look at magazine submission guidelines, look at freelance, start now to build a portfolio of things you’ve gotten published.
And realize that it’s going to be very, very tough to make a living with any sort of creative writing. Have a plan B, in case you end up writing on the side and needing another job to pay the bills.
Would you rather have a job that lets you write – albeit not “creatively”? Or would you rather have a job that is not so all-absorbing that it pays the bills – yet leaves you time and energy to write?
hey! not sure if I can help you much, but my cousin managed to publish a book a few years back, and she has been very happy with it ever since. She found a good publishing house and they helped her a lot throughout the whole process. I can ask her what it was called if that’s any help at all. I know it was her main income at the time, but since then she started working again as a teacher - I guess if you want to make a living out of it you have to keep publishing, which was not her aim or ambition.
But I’d say it is always possible if you work hard for it, and if you persevere. It does not always work out… and sometimes you have to go with a vanity publisher if your MS does not get accepted. And that does not have to be a bad thing. Anyways I guess you also have to stay open-minded and be able to take an opportunity when it presents itself to you.
Whoooopa, what q question, a mixture would be the right thingy, at least there should be always at some point time to write, but as I for myself think, there is always time you only have to plan it.
@ cinniminni: Do you still know the name of the vanity publishing house he contacte,d would be of interest for me? Thank you anyways, I know that there are chances also not to get published but for me, it is a dream I am longing for and working on it, hard.
Please do some serious research before you go the vanity publishing route. There are many scams out there, and vanity publishers often prey on writers desperate to be published.
Also consider joining writing forums/websites/blogs (there are oodles and oodles of them) and read. (In the beginning, don’t ask questions. Just read.) What you’ll find is plenty of advice, opinion, stories, and cautions about the writer’s journey and the publishing world. Once you have a feel for the forum/site, then join the community and ask questions, join or form a critique group, and share your thoughts.
Here are just a few places to get started.
Young writer forums:
http://www.youngwritersonline.net
https://www.youngwriterssociety.com
http://ywp.nanowrimo.org
Young poets sites:
http://www.youngpoetsnetwork.org.uk/category/writing/
http://hyperallergic.com/108800/an-online-community-for-young-poets/
And, finally, writers warning other writers:
http://pred-ed.com/pubwarn.ht
http://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/
https://winningwriters.com/resources/writersweekly-warnings
PJackson is totally right… there are a lot of vanity publishing houses, which are only chasing the dollar. Therefore, you have to be very careful and need to do a lot of research… An old friend of mine published his first novel nearly a year ago, but becoming a published author was a pretty difficult thing to do for him. It took him a few years and a lot of research (even in writing forums and websites) until he finally found a publishing house called novum, that accepts unknown and inexperienced authors like him either… Before that, he got rejected over and over again by major publishing houses (mostly, due to his lack of knowledge and reputation) so he watched out for vanity publishing houses either. Some of them not only seemed to be rather strange and money-grubbing, but also uncooperative and disinterested to him. Because of that, he has refused signing any contract until he felt certain enough about the publishing house and their collaboration…
@tantilla When I saw this in my inbox this afternoon, I thought of you immediately. University of Iowa has one of the top writing programs in the country, and they are leaders in offering MOOC creative writing courses. (MOOC = Massive Open Online Courses, which are free online courses)
http://iwp.uiowa.edu/flashwrite
http://us8.campaign-archive2.com/?u=f20036938b23d28f266f3cf00&id=7f0c75cf2f&e=ef79f6d08d
Greetings from the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program!
We’re thrilled to announce our newest creative writing MOOC, which has been designed exclusively for teenage writers! The #Flashwrite Teen Poetry MOOC will be open to all writers 13-19 years of age. Teachers are welcome to join this MOOC and use it in their classrooms. Parents who wish to audit may do so. The MOOC will begin on March 30, 2016 and end on May 3, 2016. Registration is free!
The MOOC will be taught by Daniel Khalastchi, Associate Director of the University of Iowa’s Frank N. Magid Center for Undergraduate Writing and author of the poetry collections Manoleria and Tradition.
Watch a course preview video on YouTube here or on Vimeo here!
For more information and to register, visit the IWP #Flashwrite page here.
Join the #Flashwrite Facebook Group and do some fun writing activities before the course starts!
Do you know a student who might want to earn university credit early? Please forward this email along to anyone who might be interested!
Students who complete the #Flashwrite MOOC may enroll in an optional University of Iowa #Flashwrite Teen Poetry Workshop for one undergraduate university credit. The online workshops will take place from May 16 - June 13, 2016. Each workshop will be taught by a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop with a substantial teaching and publication record, and will be limited to 15 students. Enrollment requirements: completion of the #Flashwrite Teen Poetry MOOC and payment of a $398 USD tuition fee.
Have questions? Review all of the course details on the IWP #Flashwrite page here.
We will be offering more creative writing and literature MOOCs, for everyone, later this year. We’ll send you updates on our 2016 programming, and you can always find the latest news here.
Happy writing!
Susannah Shive
Distance Learning Coordinator
International Writing Program
University of Iowa
I agree, vanity presses are a tricky thing. I mean it doesn’t automatically have to be a bad thing, but better to remain careful. Do not let anyone exploit you / take your money without you knowing where it is going. But if a publishing house seems legit despite it being a vanity publishing house, by all means, why not. It isn’t like you can expect to get all the PR services for free anyways.
I love MOOCs, I did one not long ago on marine plastic pollution. They are a great thing and there should be more courses of this type. Education should be free and accessible to all.
Thank you so much PJackson and PonyPenny - that is very good advices and a lot of info.
PonyPenny - but was he then satisfied with the service they offered, or what made him choose them exactly?
PJackson - Great, I will also definitifely do that one and get more info!
Writing and getting published is a long process, I know that and there is energy in me to go on and just do it, like a final goal, your own book in your own hands, think that could be a great lifechanging moment.