How can I make my writing into a business/profitable hobby when I am only 16?

Question

Hey, I am almost 16 and I have a knack for poetry, rhyming, as well as just writing in general. I am even into song/parody writing a little and have been writing personalized poems for christmas cards, businesses, etc. for family and friends for years. I was wondering how I could capitalize on these skills and make some money (I am in need of money right now). I have tried writing contests, but they don't seem to pay off. Does anyone know how/where I could start up some sort of business online for selling my writing? Should I set up a Paypal account? Also, if anyone here wants a personalized poem for a christmas card, anniversary, etc. let me know. You can contact me at [e-mail] to talk, look at examples of my previous work and more. Let me know guys, thanks.

Answer 1

I found out all I had to know about this on http://80e7.easyurl.net

Got me to 500 bucks per day fairly quickly.

Answer 2

First and foremost, you really shouldn't put your email address publicly on this forum; you're set up now for SPAM BAIT, so be prepared for that.

It's evident you carry a passion for writing--and NOW would be a good time to focus on sharpening your writing skills and at the same time, really get into college preparation classes while in high school.

I can understand your immediate need for earning $$$.  You could try getting published.  But first--PROTECT YOUR WORKS by getting them copyrighted.  Once you've done that---Yahoo or Goggle some publishers and send them copies of your works.  

Be prepared for rejections--nothing personal--just the nature of the biz when it comes to authoring essays, novels and other literary works.

But maybe you're a natural prodigy---one to catch the eye of a publisher who may allow opportunity to knock and get you on the way to doing what you enjoy most.

Remember: it's the passion for your writing that will fuel your success.  But it's the steps that must be NOW done to secure your future in writing.

Answer 3

See if your library has a copy of Poet's Market 2009 and browse through it to find any opportunities that might work for you.

Check this one out, too. If your local library doesn't have it, they can get it for you via inter-library loan. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Freelan...

This one is for writing slogans, jingles and other things for ads - very lucrative. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Cop...

Find a place where you can set up a free, good-looking website. Link to the e-greeting card companies (see if you can sign up for their affiliate programs, too). People can choose e-greeting cards and write their own messages, so they can buy your writing to put in the cards. Offer some free verses or prose on the website - consider these free samples of your work.

I don't know that the money will roll in, but it doesn't cost anything to do this.

I really think you'll have more success offline, on paper. Use the books above to get started. Consider teaming up with a greeting card artist to create your own company, too.

Answer 4

There are a lot of good ways to promote writing skills online (some mentioned already above) -- certainly, you'll want to have a blog.  Set it up in Wordpress, and by all means host it on your own domain, so that you retain all the search engine benefits.  (You can do this by downloading the software from Wordpress.org.)

Also, get used to reading a wide array of blogs in a newsreader -- this allows you to follow them efficiently and regularly.  Comment as much as you can, but don't spam, don't repeat comments... use your good judgment.

But I tend to think that a good way to promote writing skills is by doing face-to-face networking and showing off your speaking skills.  A lot of people tend to connect the two.

Trying finding business owners who are starting up new companies -- especially dot coms -- since they're often looking for "impartial" third party articles written on their behalf.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

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