Your Journey to Become a Novelist: Supplementing Your Income

Lauren Simpson // Blog Writer

Pursuing a career in the arts can be daunting for a plethora of reasons, one being the competition with no guarantee of success. Publishing your first novel is a feat that every aspiring writer hopes to accomplish, but it isn’t an easy accomplishment even with the best ideas and work that illustrates them. For many writers, fulfilling your dreams of becoming a published author isn’t as simple as getting an entry-level job after college and working your way up the ladder. Instead, it’s a pile of rejections, making valuable networking connections, staying committed to your craft, and a bit of luck. According to Curtis Brown Creative, “professionally published novelists found the average age of first publication to be 36 years [old]” (Keren), and many either don’t have the means to work exclusively toward the goal of being published without an income or choose to be financially independent. With that in mind, the (assumed) 12 years between graduating college and that average age is a long time to go without an income, and having a dream doesn’t pay the bills. So here are some ideas for careers or side hustles to supplement your income while your work toward sharing your stories with the world.

*Don’t forget that while you may have to devote time to make money to survive being financially independent and unpublished, you should allocate time to your craft and don’t lose focus on your dream. While working you can still submit short stories and poetry to contests, literary magazines, and more, which can lead to more publishing opportunities.*

*Also, while 36 is the average of getting published, there are plenty of examples of famous and wildly accomplished writers being published much younger.* 

Working in the Publishing Industry 

This one is probably a given, but like any other industry, networking connections are king. While trying to get published, it makes sense to make personal connections with the people who would do exactly that. Toni Morrison, who won a Nobel Prize in Literature, worked at Penguin Random House and “was the first female African-American editor in company history – from 1967 to 1983″ (Penguin Random House). On top of making good connections within the industry that can help get your work published, you are also able to work with other writers and be immersed in the literary world, which can help inspire and motivate you to keep up with your own publishing dreams. 

Luxury Travel Reviewer 

You don’t have to look specifically at the luxury side of travel, but if you’re able then why not? A perk of being a travel reviewer, obviously besides the travel, would be getting to monetize your written word. You would get to articulate your experiences into stories for your readers, which isn’t a huge leap from your desired career. Observing the world around you and being paid for it and for your opinion will help you build your skill as a writer and flex those writing muscles so you don’t get rusty. On top of that, traveling to new places gives you so many opportunities to meet other people, hear their stories, create some of your own, and learn about the world and history. This can all lead to stories and inspiration for your future writing endeavors. Becoming a travel reviewer isn’t instantaneous, and it can take a while to build a following on your own. An alternative would be finding a company that has a fixed salary to alleviate some financial concerns. Some hotel chains will hire reviewers and send them to different locations, but be careful because reviewing all of the Holiday Inns in Ohio might not give you the same experiences and writing inspiration that you are looking for. Another alternative would be working as a flight attendant. There isn’t a monetized writing aspect to this, but there may be more opportunity for paid travel. Of course, both of these career paths are likely on hold until travel becomes safe again. 

Work Exchange Programs 

This option also may be limited due to travel restrictions, but with some research, there are still some domestic travel opportunities through Work Exchange Programs. Work Exchange Programs are jobs that people take with the intent to travel and live somewhere new. There is usually an understanding that the employee will be provided housing. Sometimes part of your salary is allocated to your housing but it isn’t nearly as much as paying rent. In some instances, room and board are exchanged for the work that you provide. This depends on the websites you look at. WorkAway.info connects small employers with travelers, and both parties are aware of the arrangement and housing. Some employers pay on top of free room and board, while others exchange room and board for work. This website connects you directly with the employer which is usually a person and is not a company.

Jobs range from farm work in Hawaii, to lighthouse hand in Norway, to bed and breakfast help in Southern France. There are international and domestic options and a lot of different jobs. On each job posted you can find details about room and board as well as salary, the average length of time that people stay, and reviews from people who have worked there. There are also Au Pair options. Other sites that are meant for work exchange sometimes advertise companies that either provide employee housing or help find affordable housing for employees. These can include companies like the Four Seasons and jobs such as receptionist, cook, waitstaff, retail, etc. The biggest benefit of Work Exchange programs for an aspiring writer would be the experiences you take away from it that can inspire your writing. Depending on the program or position you choose, you may not find yourself with a lot of free time to work on your writing, so this is definitely something to consider. Most Work Exchange programs are also meant to be finite with a fixed amount of time for a stay or an expectation of only seasonal work. This means you could do several Work Exchanges and travel more, but there is no ladder to climb and salaries are not often very much.

This is a two-part post. The second part will be posted on Tuesday, March 2.