Interview #23: How Kern Carter Makes Money Writing

In this interview, Kern shares how a $50 writing gig turned into a six-figure career in books and ghostwriting.

Kern Carter has never had a plan B. From the moment he earned $50 writing a bio for a local Toronto rapper, he knew writing would be his career. More than a decade later, he's made good on that bet—ghostwriting high-profile articles, publishing novels like Boys and Girls Screaming, and co-founding CRY Creative Group, a platform for emotional storytelling. His income mix today is still heavy on ghostwriting, but with recent book deals from Penguin and Scholastic, that balance is starting to shift.

In this interview, Kern talks about the business of ghostwriting, how he built a writing life without compromise, and why mastering both craft and industry knowledge is key to sustaining a career. If you’re figuring out how to balance paid gigs with your personal writing goals, this one’s for you.

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• What you do: Author and ghostwriter.

• Years writing professionally: 11.

• Earnings range: $80k–$140k per year.

Kern, you’ve published both traditionally and independently, and also ghostwritten books for others. What does your income mix look like today across those different categories? 

It's still ghostwriting heavy right now as far as revenue goes. I earn up to $25k for a ghostwriting project so you can imagine doing a few of those a year. But for book publishing, it's starting to get there. Between royalties and advances, especially now that my books are starting to sell, I anticipate this flipping within the next twelve months. 

What was your first paid writing gig, and how long did it take before writing felt like something you could build a career around? 

My first paid gig was $50 to write a bio for a local Toronto rapper. There was never a time when I didn't believe that writing would be my career in some capacity. I've stayed narrowly focused and kept at it so there was no plan B.