In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis it is difficult for many people to find extra money to sustain normal activities, but if you are a writer there are ways you can harness some extra pocket money through your knowledge of the nuances of language and perhaps even by talking about your own books. Here are five ideas to try.
Jump to:
Copywriting
Check out recruitment firms that use contractors and freelancers in communications sectors of industry and public service; they may have opportunities for copywriters and proofreaders. Ask among your circle of literary friends if they have any leads.
Manuscript assessment
Many writers’ centres around the country offer a manuscript assessment service for newbie writers in which, for a fee, they are offered several pages of critical analysis of their work in progress. You can contact the centre in your city and ask to be placed in the stable of manuscript assessors and nominate for which genres you’d be most comfortable in providing detailed, constructive notes.
School (and other organisation) visits
If you are confident at public speaking and performative acting in front of primary or secondary school students, as well as for other organisations like libraries, councils and universities, have a look at a speakers’ agency such as Booked In. These specialise in sending writers out to talk about various topics, from the themes in their books, to inspirational life lessons and stories garnered from their lives.
Social media posts and management
Whether we like or not, social media is already a large part of our work lives and often small businesses do not have the time to actively post and monitor their social media accounts – a task that can be very time-consuming if there are a slew of comments that require a response. Here’s a job that does not require beautifully crafted prose, but simply needs short and sweet posts and replies to various clients’ Facebook, Threads and Instagram posts.
Read: 5 tips when applying for an arts grant
Transcription
Sure, there are free transcription services people can use, but their accuracy rate is not particularly high when it comes to translating the human voice to text. Often there is a lot of tidying up to do in terms of spelling, grammar, punctuation and paragraph formatting. So if you are a fast typist, you can finesse an audio file for whoever needs it done quickly and efficiently.
