How To Make Money Writing On The Internet

The truth from an experienced freelance writer

Michelle Detwiler
5 min readOct 25, 2024
Photo: Ai image created by Canva

I’ve been making money by writing on the Internet for as long as the Internet has been widely available.

I started as a freelance print writer, moved on to become a staff writer at several local newspapers, and then started blogging frequently.

When I switched careers to teaching, I needed some extra cash in the summer. So I started trolling for freelance jobs, and I’ve continued to do that as my need to spend money apart from my regular paycheck has increased.

I’ve made as much as $10,000 per year side-hustling my writing.

Here, I’ll tell you all you need to know to make money writing, too.

One caveat: Before you start on this path, it’s important to remember that even though it’s not a full-time job and you might see it as a hobby, you need to treat it as a business. For that reason, if you start publishing a lot, you’ll need to pay taxes, so keep track of every penny you make, and be sure to file a 1099 at tax time.

Writing as a service

You’re selling a service — your superior writing skills — so you should treat your freelancing business as such.

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