How to Make Money From Your Writing

Learn the secrets, methods, and tips to help you generate money with your writing. Whether you want to create your own business, add to your income, supplement your retirement, or boost what you're earning as a writer, this class includes practical information that rarely gets taught in writing classes.

6 Weeks / 24 Course Hrs

Starting May 14, 2025

Offered in partnership with your preferred school

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Learning method

Self-Guided

$185

No instructor. Study on your own schedule

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Instructor-Moderated

$170

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Starting May 14 | June 11

Details + Objectives

Course code: wc2

You really can make money with your writing. Whether you want to create your own business, add to your income, supplement your retirement, or boost what you're earning as a writer, you'll find the how-to's here. You'll learn secrets, methods, and tips to help you generate income with your writing. This class includes all the practical information that so rarely gets taught in writing classes.

In most courses and social groups it's taboo to discuss money, but not here. This course embraces it! Making money is the focus of the lessons. You'll explore a dozen genres that can help you establish a sometime, part-time, or full-time career as a writer. Along the way, you'll learn methods to work faster, suffer less rejection, and bring home more bacon. Fulfilling (and lucrative) writing work is waiting for you!

What you will learn

Find out what it takes to be a paid writer
Understand what a writer's life is really like, and learn how to deal with rejection
Learn tips for self-editing and productive researching
Find out how to submit queries and land feature writing assignments for magazines and e-zines
Develop a working knowledge of writing novels and nonfiction books, what the publishers are looking for, and how to submit writing
Understand what it means to be a ghostwriter, how to find clients, and how to develop and maintain a strong working relationship with your clients
Gain knowledge of the business side of writing as it pertains to advances, royalties, letters of commitment and intent, invoices, and releases

How you will benefit

Become more efficient in your writing time management and learn how to market your products like a pro
Understand the ins and outs of writing for money and become more confident in your ability to succeed
Develop a new career path as you successfully learn to make money from your writing

How the course is taught

Instructor-Moderated or Self-Guided online course
6 Weeks or 3 Months access
24 course hours

Outline

Where do great ideas come from? How do best-selling authors get to be that way? What makes writing so very scary, intimidating, delicious, and wickedly wonderful? How are words pulled from nothingness and zapped to the screen or printed page? What makes writing nearly addictive to one group of humanity and yet an overwhelming task for others? Are there born writers? Can anyone learn to write? Why do some people get published and others fail? In this lesson, you'll start learning the answers to those questions and begin the journey to becoming a better writer.

Have you ever heard that to be a writer, you only need a pen and paper? That's true. Yet, too many writers throw in other requirements—from a year of unfettered time, to a trust fund that will keep them in caviar until the royalties come flooding in. This lesson will delve more deeply into the writing life as it exposes some myths about writing.

This lesson will discuss self-editing and researching. Self-editing and researching are both skills you'll want to learn so that you can sell your work. It's highly unlikely that you'll ever sell a first draft, and it's equally as unlikely that you'll sell something you didn't research. This lesson will teach you some simple tricks to make your work shine!

This lesson could be called Magazine Writing 101. If you've written for magazines before, then this lesson will be a refresher or a nudge. If you haven't written for magazines and would like to, then you'll find out indispensable information that will get you going. With this info, you could find your niche and begin making money as a freelancer, possibly while you're working on your novel.

The previous lesson focused on writing nonfiction articles for popular magazines. But you won't find every magazine that uses freelance work in your grocery store or big super bookstore. There are magazines, publications, and periodicals with an otherwise large distribution that never even get to these places. Those magazines are always looking for new short works such as short stories, columns, essays, and poetry. This lesson will talk about how you can sell your short works to magazines and newspapers.

Some writers just love to write long fiction and have a story that is burning to get out. If you fit into this group, or just wonder how one goes about writing a novel, then this lesson should speak to you. You'll find out why some people need to get that book out and what it takes to do so. By the end of this lesson, you'll have a working knowledge of the genre possibilities and what it takes to write a novel. You'll learn how stories are found, how some famous novelists were discovered, how to stay motivated, and what has stopped a few hopeful writers from writing.

Now it's time to give the nonfiction genres a turn. Adults are infatuated with nonfiction and it sells better than any other type of book. There are scads of different genres in nonfiction books. In this lesson, you'll focus on the types of nonfiction writing and how to get a project started, written, and noticed by publishers and agents. Nonfiction books concern real people, places, events, information, or situations. Whether you're addicted to reading nonfiction, or just want to learn all you can about writing, this lesson will give you valuable information that will help you better understand the world of publishing.

What does it mean to be a ghost in the literary world? This lesson will give you the scoop on this lucrative business. If you have a talent for emulating peoples' voices, and if you're fast, efficient, and good with people, this might be the field for you. This lesson will talk about how to advertise and find clients, how to select appropriate clients, and how to maintain a good working relationship so that you can produce the best book possible.

This lesson will talk about the roles of editors and agents. Specifically, you'll find out what each of their jobs includes and why you need to know this information. If you're currently writing a novel or a nonfiction book, gathering a collection of poetry or short stories, or maybe just dabbling in the idea, you'll want to read this lesson carefully. Find out how agents interact with editors at publishing houses and how you can interact with agents and editors.

Attend any writing conference or sit with a group of published writers, and you're bound to hear words like: self-publishing, POD, copublishing and e-publishing. This lesson will discuss the options that are often called alternative publishing. If you're serious about joining the world as a writer, you should be aware of these options. They're not for everyone, but the information you'll receive will help you make sound career and financial decisions.

This lesson is all about the legal side of writing. You'll learn about sample agreements and contracts that will help keep you in good stead as you become the writer of your dreams. The lesson will also talk about royalties, advances, and the scoop on that lovely green stuff that pays the bills.

Saturday comes, finally. The house looks like a disaster hit. The kids need shoes, the dog has a vet's appointment, and you swear that the health department might condemn the car. Unlike Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, you can't seem to click your heels hard enough to make it all disappear. You've got a yearning, a deep burning to write, but the clutter, the mess, the hours spent doing things for others (okay, and procrastination) are eating at your heart. What does all of this have to do with creativity? Check the clock, because it's all about time management, and that's what you'll learn in this vital lesson.

Instructors & Support

Eva Shaw

Eva Shaw, Ph.D., is a full-time working writer. She has authored thousands of articles, essays, short stories, and more than 70 books, including "Writing the Nonfiction Book," "Insider's Guide to San Diego," and her latest release, "The Pursuer." Her work has been featured in USA Today, San Diego Union Tribune, Publisher's Weekly, and others. She has won several awards, including the Book of the Year Award from the American Journal of Nursing, the Benjamin Franklin Award, and the Woman of Merit Award.

Instructor Interaction: The instructor looks forward to interacting with learners in the online moderated discussion area to share their expertise and answer any questions you may have on the course content.

Requirements

Prerequisites:

There are no prerequisites to take this course.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

PC: Windows 8 or later.
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

FAQ

Instructor-Moderated: A new session of each course begins each month. Please refer to the session start dates for scheduling.

Self-Guided: Your course begins immediately after you enroll.

Instructor-Moderated: Once a course session starts, two lessons will be released each week for the 6 week duration of your course. You will have access to all previously released lessons until the course ends. You will interact with the instructor through the online discussion area. There are no live sessions or online meetings with the instructor.

Self-Guided: You have 3 months of access to the course. After enrolling, you can learn and complete the course at your own pace, within the allotted access period. You will have the opportunity to interact with other students in the online discussion area.

Instructor-Moderated: The interactive discussion area for each lesson automatically closes two weeks after each lesson is released, so you're encouraged to complete each lesson within two weeks of its release. However, you will have access to all lessons from the time they are released until the course ends.

Self-Guided: There is no time limit to complete each lesson, other than completing all lessons within the allotted access period. Discussion areas for each lesson are open for the entire duration of the course.

Instructor-Moderated: Students enrolled in a six-week online class benefit from a one-time, 10-day extension for each course. No further extensions can be provided beyond these 10 days.

Self-Guided: Because this course is self-guided, no extensions will be granted after the start of your enrollment.

Reviews

I was in your magazine writing course last year. I actually used the magazine article query letter I wrote for a class assignment, and I sold the story. It is on the children's musical composition project called "Hey, Mozart!" and will be in the Aug/Sept issue of American Music Teacher (AMT) magazine. Yippee!

Eva has found the right mix of lessons for an Advanced Writing class. Her commitment to teaching is, as aways, very strong. She comments constructively on all submitted work, and encourages useful and positive feedback from fellow students. She creates a wonderful, positive class, that was very inspiring. Very well done!

Eva, I truly appreciate all your help, encouragement and patience. I can honestly say had it not been for you and this amazing class, I wouldn't be writing.

Eva Shaw is one of the best teachers I have ever had. Her encouragement and enthusiasm for the field of writing is inspiring. I would encourage anyone that has ever considered writing, to take her Writeriffic course. Whether you wish to be published or not, you will finish her class with a sense of accomplishment.

Eva, thanks so much for all you have taught me in this class. I never expected to get so much valuable info in a short six week class. Thanks also for the nudges and your kind words. You are the best! I really enjoy taking your classes. Look for me soon in your magazine writing class.

Thanks for another fun and enlightening writing course. I especially like the information on the business side of writing, and the way you always encourage us to think of ourselves as "real" writers. With every course I can see my dream of becoming a professional writer becoming more and more a reality. Thanks for all that you do.

The editor you suggested emailed back this morning and wants to use my Intuition piece on their website. She said it was moving, powerful and emotionally raw and she would be honored to publish it. Thank you for the nudges. Your encouragement helped give me confidence in spite of my own doubts.

These classes have been exactly what I need to make me think. I am no longer the wide-eyed novice totally unaware of what is involved in writing. I can make an informed decision about what I wish to do with my life. No matter what I decide, you will always be my mentor, my first true writing teacher, and my expert! Besides, I can't stop writing now. It is way too much fun!

This class was the best I've ever taken. The exercises Dr. Shaw provided enabled me to stretch my writing capabilities in a way I never dreamed possible. I have never written as well as I have in this class. Her lessons were detailed and provided me with invaluable information and the tone she set in the class motivated me to not only want to write well but to interact creatively with other members in the class. Dr. Shaw's willingness to give 150% motivated me to want to give back even more. Kudos to Dr. Shaw for a fantastic class.

Eva & Classmates: Thank you so much for your encouragement through this online classroom! I will now be able to officially say that I have been PUBLISHED - I would have never thought of writing an essay or having it accepted by a magazine. It's just Lesson 6 and I'm a published author. Now I need to write more! Thank You SO much for your guidance.

Eva, I truly appreciate all your help, encouragement and patience. I can honestly say had it not been for you and this amazing class, I wouldn't be writing.

How to Make Money From Your Writing

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