10 Lessons from 10 Writers on Making Money

What I’ve learned (so far) from interviewing ten writers about the messy, unpredictable ways they earn money from words.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

When I launched How I Make Money Writing, I wanted honest conversations about something writers rarely discuss: how they actually get paid.

Not everyone I interview makes a full-time living from writing. Some do. Many don’t. But all of them earn something, and they’ve figured out ways—whether through freelancing, books, teaching or day jobs—to keep their writing careers afloat.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from these interviews, it’s that no two paths look alike. The income streams vary, the strategies shift, and success means something different to everyone. But some lessons crop up again and again, offering practical, hard-won wisdom about the financial side of writing.

Here are 10 standout lessons from my first 10 interviews—a behind-the-scenes look at how working writers actually make money.

1. Adapt or stall out

Matt Bai has covered seven presidential campaigns, written for The New York Times Magazine and The Washington Post, and even turned his …