I was going through previous posts on my blog and I stumbled on this particular post where I shared samples of work I have done as a content writer. I thought it would be a good idea to share it with you today.
There is a general conception that writers do not make money. In fact, we discussed this during the Writers’ Hangout on Saturday. As I sat down to reflect on what we discussed that day, I realized that people do not make so much money from writing in this part of the world because they have a myopic view of the ways money can be made as a writer.
As you read this post and you see the samples I put here, I want to start thinking creatively about the various ways you can monetize your writing skill. It is not as difficult as you think.
Do you know you can be paid to take minutes at a meeting and write a summarized report about the proceedings? Yes you can. It’s called rapporteuring and I once got paid a lot of money to do this.
We’re having a training for 10 writers in August where we’ll be showing writers creative ways to make money and how to also make passive income as a writer. These are things you won’t ordinarily find in books and blog posts. We’ll also share resources and materials that will make it easier for you to build your authority as a writer and earn more.
As I stated before we are only taking 10 writers because we want it to be as personalized as possible. If you will like to register, send an email to [email protected] for payment and other registration details. I believe it is time for you to take your writing to the next level.
If you’ve been following this series, you will know that one of the things that I really love to do is to create magazines. This is first magazine I ever handled by myself in my role as an Assistant Editor.
I can still remember how frustrated I was creating this magazine because we changed the cover person more than three times. I will never forget my endless search for a vintage car all over Lagos.
There was also the failed photoshoot. Imagine going for a dress fitting, locking down a location through negotiation only for the celebrity to cancel on you for flimsy reasons. That was the story of my life back then; celeb drama, photo shoot woes, distribution headache and so on. But will you believe that I loved it all? It was really challenging but my passion kept me going.
Doing this particular issue however made me realise that I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life dealing with Nigerian celebrities and their drama. I’d rather be shielded from all that. The stress before I got the cover interview done was unimaginable. I had to go to Lekki Phase 1 three times in one afternoon with Lagos traffic and all!
All that nonetheless, I can’t explain my joy when I saw the finished product. It made all the stress worth it. That’s the thing with being in this creative industry. You have to work. There’s a lot that you have to put up with. Some undervalue your work, others take you for granted or refuse to pay your balance after you deliver but do you know what makes it worthwhile? Knowing that you have created something that will outlive you.
Don’t take your talent for granted. Keep building yourself up and pushing yourself. And don’t despise the days of little beginnings. Treasure every work that you do; the ones that you were paid N5,000 and the ones you received N500,000 for.
Treasure the free ones too because I can tell you this for a fact, the free jobs I have done have opened the door to greater opportunities for me.
Ok enough talking. Here are some samples of the work I have done so far
I managed content for the 1plify.com blog. I had such an awesome time writing specialized articles to promote the brand.
I was a regular contributor for TheMuseNG where I wrote the ‘Dear Series’. One of my articles on the site went viral.
I had the almost impossible task of creating a 24-page Christmas Issue in seven days over the Christmas holiday. Content was developed and concluded in three days. Sleep had to take a long vacation for me to be able to achieve this.
These are just a few samples. Over the years I have expanded my skill to writing social media copy, proposal writing, high level research and report writing, voice over scripts and much more.
Don’t forget to register for our course in August to learn how you can increase your capacity to earn as a writer. See you next week!