Creative Writing Work In A Saturated Market: 3 Action Steps
Make it stan
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
If you’re new to the writing world, you may think creative writing work is reserved for novelists. While authors dream of making a full-time income writing fiction, you can actually start your creative writing career without ever selling a book.
When you track the number of books published per year, you find some staggering numbers:
Annual new book titles are around 4 million
Roughly 500,000 to 1 million are traditionally published
At least 1.7 million are self-published
Bear in mind that many self-published authors don’t use ISBNs that can be tracked, so these numbers are likely still shy of how many books are produced annually. Despite these overwhelming numbers, you still want to become an author.
Mentors and writing coaches often encourage aspiring authors to keep their day jobs until their writing habitually generates a full income. But what if you don’t want to wait for your career to take off before you start monetizing your work as a creative writer? Below are three steps you can take today to start yourself on your journey in creative writing work.
#1 - Master Writing Skills
No matter where you are in your author journey, the most crucial factor in both getting creative writing work and eventually becoming a full-time author is learning to write in a way that grips your readers. Whether you write product descriptions as a day job or bestselling novels every year, what lies at the crux of either success story is a mastery of writing skills.
It’s important to note: Some books sell millions of copies despite the author ignoring common writing rules. If you are a new writer and have yet to publish a book, learn the rules so you know how to follow them. Later on, after you become a successful author, you can consider if you know the rules well enough to decide when to break them.
Do Creative Writing Courses Work?
Part of mastering your writing skills comes down to the proper training. You may wonder if investing in a writing course is worth the financial investment and time investment. Some products or services are extremely helpful.
Consider Jerry Jenkins’ Writers Guild or the learning platform, MasterClass. However, before you invest financially in your course of choice, do your research and make sure it’s reputable.
Does Digital Marketing Matter?
Depending on the type of copywriting needed, you can implement creative writing techniques in your day job. Drafting copy for landing pages, blog posts, and even bios are all places to put your newfound writing strategies to work.
While social media may not be your favored platform to test your creative skills, keep in mind that publishers will look you up when deciding whether or not to offer a contract. The better your writing appears across platforms, the more seriously they will take your work.
#2 - Learn SEO Basics
SEO, or search engine optimization, is a term that encompasses the many tips and tricks writers use to boost their ranking. If you learn SEO early on, you can set yourself ahead of other writers.
While you may not dream of creating content for Google Crawlers forty hours a week, a general understanding of how to rank on page one of Google, write a great call to action, and use headings, will help you look much more marketable as a writer.
Good Copywriting Sells
With SEO getting your content in front of more eyes, the next factor to consider is your copy. Great copy draws in potential customers. From personal brands to large corporations, every company that sells a product needs individuals in order to move sales.
Quality copywriters know the difference between writing to an audience somewhere out in the void versus writing copy targeting an individual customer. Learning the art of writing copy that sells will help you turn your creative writing talent into revenue that fuels your dreams.
Understand Your Target Audience
Writers often write to a target audience or, better yet, a target reader. This person is a made-up individual who embodies the characteristics of their ideal readership. The sooner you can learn to understand your audience, the faster you can move through your writing phases.
The best writers know how to write what their audience loves. You may not be paid to write fiction for an audience this early in your career, but the better you learn to write to the audience you are paid to market to, the more practice you give yourself for your future creative writing work.
#3 - Build A High-Quality Website
There are many reasons it takes time for writers to go from aspiring authors to published authors, but the quality of your website should not be a factor. With free templates on WordPress, Squarespace, and other platforms, building your own website is more simple than it’s ever been.
Today’s nonfiction authors often sign book deals based on their amount of reach, or platform. Individuals with a public image are much more likely to quickly sign a book deal than writers who lead a private life. Credibility is often equated with the number of follows a person has.
Discouraging as this may be, you can proactively build your own credibility—for free—and simply create a standout web page to showcase your work. When agents and publishers look you up, they will see:
You’re serious about presenting a thoughtful online presence
Already comfortable putting your writing out there
Professional as well as creative
Early on, your website can act as an online resume to bring in part-time writing gigs. As you continue pitching your novel, sign with an agent, and eventually land a contract, you can transition your website into an author website.
Showcase Your Creative Writing Work
Once you launch your website, it’s time to show the world your writing. Remember, in the beginning, your website will look more like a resume of writing samples than a place to market your debut novel. That’s okay, and actually a great first step.
When you establish yourself as a creative writer and a consistent voice in the industry, you build your credibility. Particularly if you want to publish nonfiction, credibility is key. If at all possible, share your work on your website and begin to establish yourself in your creative field.
Research Content Marketing
Now that you have a website and content to share, understanding how to execute great marketing will benefit you in two key ways: Act as an aid in growing your creative writing work portfolio and create the backbone of your launch strategy when it comes time to publish your book. With such a plethora of online content available, standing out is a must.
Knowing how to market your creative writing work in a way that is genuine, rather than salesy, will put you far ahead as you decide how to market your book. Readers want to purchase books they’ll truly enjoy. The more effectively you can market, the more sales you make.
Devote Yourself To Your Dream The Next 30 Days
You have an outline of how to leverage your writing dreams into step-by-step goals, but now it’s time to take that first step. Wherever you fall in the above three categories, you can take action toward making your full-time, creative writing work dream come true.
First, if you need to focus on mastering your skill in creative writing, enroll in an online class, schedule a call with a writing coach, or search for a writing community to join. Over time, focused steps in the right direction bring great results.
Second, teach yourself the basics of how to optimize your writing for search engines. We would all love to think that if our writing is great, it will be the next piece to go viral. While sometimes this happens, it is not the norm. Learn how to get your work before as many eyes as possible.
And lastly, create a website to showcase your work, attract clients, and in the future, act as a hub for your fans. It can feel intimidating to create a website, but if you start with a free template, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The time investment is worth the learning you’ll give yourself.
Now it’s up to you! If you’re serious about working your dream into reality, for the next thirty days, commit time to spend on your dream: Learn the art of show don’t tell, teach yourself the difference between keywords and lead magnets, or build a website.
As always, I’m here to help if you need it. Simply reach out to me here, and I’d love to chat!
