Your Journey to Become a Novelist: Supplementing Your Income, Part 2

Lauren Simpson // Blog Writer

This post is a continuation of Your Journey to Become a Novelist: Supplementing Your Income. Be sure to read that post first to see even more opportunities!

Wedding Photographer / Videographer 

As a student at Emerson College, you have the opportunity to take some basic production classes that could make you qualified for freelance photography or videography. Also, if you’ve built a portfolio, you could apply to a photography or videography company and work with a fixed salary, which would relieve some financial stress and adjust your budget accordingly. Working on weddings is a unique experience because you are capturing what these people expect to be the most important day of their lives. You get to hear their stories and witness their celebration while crafting a narrative of the event for them through the lens of a camera. This could inspire some of your work and also can be pretty lucrative if you can get enough clients.

Per wedding, videographers can charge quite a lot, as “the range can often run between $1,200 and $1,500 nationwide or as much as $12,500 for a luxury shoot,” according to brides.com. Preparing for a wedding as a videographer or photographer may include several meetings with the client, as well as a trip to scout the site of the wedding venue beforehand, but the wedding itself is just one day. Editing your footage or photos afterward can take a few days, but all in all, the salary can be very decent, and the time commitment per project isn’t smothering. This can leave writers comfortable and with enough free time to keep writing. Videography and photography don’t have to be exclusive to weddings either: making promotional material or shooting headshots can also be lucrative. Initially, developing your skillset and purchasing equipment can be an investment, so you may need some initial capital, but you should soon be able to pay yourself back. 

Waiting Tables 

Waiting tables can be extremely stressful. But it isn’t a hard job to find, and the pay can be decent depending on the restaurant. You also have the opportunity to interact with many different people (the possible inspiration for your next characters?), and you aren’t trapped in a cubicle only seeing the same five faces at the water cooler every day. Personally, I hated being a waitress, and anyone who has worked in customer service knows how difficult it can be at times. But for some, waiting tables is enjoyable and they excel at it. If you do hate it, it might be even more motivation towards getting your work published. 

Freelance Crafting / Online Store 

With the rise of TikTok, many more people with special crafts skills had the opportunity for more exposure. Whether it’s jewelry or painting or custom T-shirts, you can likely find your audience through some form of social media. You can either sell through Etsy, another third-party seller, or create your own online store. Working freelance and being your own boss gives you the opportunity to create your own schedule, which means you can make time for your writing. Owning your own business is always a risk, and managing your social media presence to draw in more clientele may end up being more time-consuming and stressful than anticipated. More and more people are finding that creating their own small business is an achievable avenue for them. 

Self Publish 

It seems like an injustice to ignore the fact that self-publishing is an option. You don’t need to go through a publishing company to get your work out there. If you are tired of waiting, then self-publishing may be the right route for you. The issue with self-publishing is that by not going through a company, you don’t have access to their marketing, representation, and resources. A publishing company takes over many aspects of the business end of things so that you can focus on getting your work in pristine shape. Forfeiting a publishing deal means that you may have to seek out an artist to work on your book design yourself, find an editor, invest in formatting software, and manage your own marketing, which can be very difficult without a large following. Many self-publishers will connect with other self-publishers through online forums and groups to work together to promote their work, though their reach though may only extend to the edges of these online circles. Finding a designer, an editor, the right software, and marketing on your own also puts you at risk of being scammed while a publishing company would more likely use in-house resources or outsource to trusted professionals they have worked with before. This isn’t to say that even if a publishing company does want to move forward with your story, they should be immediately trusted. Always do your research and look over contracts carefully. And utilize your Emerson Mafia connections! 

Good luck to everyone braving the path to becoming a published novelist. Everyone’s journey is different, and there will be valuable experiences along the way.