Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Joe Mullich's avatar

I've been making a living as a writer for 45 years. I may be the last of the generation of non famous writers to make a living churning out words.

I have been paid up to $6 a word to write magazine articles. But rates and opportunities have been on the decline since the Internet began killing off print publications.

The reality is "fun" writing - like essays and fiction - has always been a tough way to make a buck. There isn't a large paying market for type of stuff most people want to write on substack.

I still make a six figure income but it's largely for stuff like white papers ang ghost writing - that's where the money is. I still publish profiles and essays but I can't make a living with those as I did 29 years ago because the markets have dried up.

I think there will be great opportunities for people who are clever about developing an audience and monetizing their work. But I doubt it will be from patrons who are sponsoring art. More likely it will be companies who want to leverage the creators audience for marketing purposes.

Expand full comment
Joshua Kent Bookman's avatar

Good writing Gunnar, and good research.

Expand full comment
15 more comments...

No posts