Commissioned writing
Copywriting
Words that sell someone else's thing, billed by the day or the job, often at a rate literature cannot match.
No book requiredUncappedLess obvious
Read the route
Catalogue
The streams
34 ways writers have been known to turn the skill into money — from the contract you hope for to the invoice you can send on Thursday.
Every categoryBooks & rightsSelf-publishingAppearancesTeaching & coachingCommissioned writingDigital & audienceCollecting, prizes & grantsAdjacent skills
5 streams
Commissioned writing
Journalism and articles
A byline, a deadline, a word-rate, and a public place to think out loud.
No book requiredSolid ceiling
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Commissioned writing
Ghostwriting
You write the book. Someone else's name goes on the cover. The fee should reflect that fact.
Needs a nameUncappedLess obvious
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Commissioned writing
Scriptwriting for screen, radio and stage
Dialogue, format, and a different set of doors: commissioners, producers, and the writers' room.
No book requiredUncappedLess obvious
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Commissioned writing
Content, technical and business writing
Clarity for hire: white papers, help pages, reports, internal comms, the unglamorous backbone of the web.
No book requiredSolid ceilingLess obvious
Read the route