Top 10 Business Ideas for Writers to Make Money Online in 2024

7 minute read

Is writing your passion? Why not start your own business online doing what you love?

In today's blog post, we will uncover the top 10 business ideas for writers to make money in 2024.

From writing eBooks to teaching writing through online courses or monetizing your knowledge through social media accounts, stay tuned to learn the best ways to start your own writing business.

Keep reading below for our favorite writing business ideas you can start today!

10 Business Ideas for Writers to Make Money Online

#1: Create and Sell a Writing Online Course

Sharing your knowledge and expertise with others is a rewarding experience - and a profitable writing business idea!

By creating an online course, you can teach aspiring writers and help them write their first book, or improve their writing style.

Starting an online course business is a flexible and accessible option. It doesn't require a large budget, and you can earn money by sharing your passion with others, making it a great opportunity.

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To start your business selling online courses, all you need is an online course platform.

Heights Platform is the ideal choice for anyone who wants to start selling online courses and needs a powerful tool by their side that lets them build a business with all the flexibility and features they need.

Heights makes it extremely easy to design, structure, and deliver your course to a global audience. Plus, it has AI features to create courses faster and kick-start your writing business.

You could teach whatever you are passionate about through an online course: a collection of video lessons and resources that help students get from point A to B.

If you are interested in starting your writing online course business but don't know where to start, we have hundreds of blog posts like this one going into great details of how to build a profitable course.

Here are some to start with:

If you want to see an example of a real-life online course about writing, check out the image below. This is a course that teaches technical writing, made with Heights Platform.

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Or another course built on Heights Platform that teaches how to write books and even offers a private community for its students where to discuss what they learn and share their progress about novel writing!

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#2: Self-Publish an eBook

Self-publishing e-books is a powerful avenue for writers to share their work with a global audience and generate income independently.

Platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) provide writers with the tools to publish their books in digital format, making them accessible to readers worldwide.

Authors have the freedom to control the content, cover design, and pricing of their e-books.

This democratization of publishing allows writers to bypass agencies and complex processes and establish a direct connection with their readers in a much easier way than traditional publishing.

Through self-publishing, writers can earn royalties on each sale, with the potential to build a sustainable income stream and cultivate a dedicated readership.

On our podcast, The Creator's Adventure, we recently interviewed Morgan Gist MacDonald about how to self-publish a book. Check out the episode to learn all about self-publishing and writing books:

Book Publishing Guide for Entrepreneurs with Morgan Gist MacDonald

#3: Sell Digital Products Online

Another great business idea for writers is to create and sell digital products.

Digital products are assets that are delivered in a digital form, so technically, eBooks and online courses are also digital products. But there is so much more you can create!

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Embrace the digital age and cater to the increasing demand for digital products by leveraging your writing skills to create and sell a range of digital products.

From writing templates and worksheets to e-books and custom content, the possibilities are limitless.

Platforms like Heights Platform allow you to create your online store for digital products and effortlessly handle online transactions. Plus, Heights Platform doesn't keep any percentage of your sales; everything you earn is 100% yours to keep!

Learn more about creating and selling digital products:

#4: Teach Writing With a Membership Site

Another great business idea for writers is to run a membership site, as it can be an excellent way to grow a loyal community of writing enthusiasts while generating recurring income for your business.

A membership site is a website or program that provides exclusive content to its members behind a paywall.

As the creator, you can charge your members a monthly or annual fee. In return, they gain access to your exclusive content and a collection of digital products such as online courses, a community or space for your members to interact, digital products and live events.

Heights Platform provides an ideal solution for building a membership site tailored to your writing niche.

You could offer diverse membership pricing tiers with unique benefits such as exclusive workshops, behind-the-scenes content, or one-on-one mentoring sessions.

#5: Build a Community of Writers

Online communities have become a powerhouse for building connections in a virtual environment, fostering growth, and even marketing your products and business.

A great business idea is to build your own branded community for writers, positioning yourself as an authority in your niche, gathering valuable feedback, and boosting customer trust, website traffic, leads, and sales.

Heights Platform facilitates the creation of a personalized community, enabling your members to connect, engage in discussions, and feel actively involved with your brand.

You can customize the look and feel of your online community, and structure it the way you want with unlimited community channels and channel groups, dedicated to different topics.

In a branded community, the creator encourages discussions, organizes virtual events or workshops, and helps the community to flourish.

If you want to learn all about creating your online community, check out these articles from our blog:

#6: Grow a Writing-Focused YouTube Channel and Monetize It

You can also leverage social media platforms like YouTube to showcase your writing talent, engage with an audience, and monetize your content.

You could record and share videos where you document your writing process, offer tutorials, share insights, or even chronicle your writing journey.

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To grow a YouTube channel to the point when you are able to monetize it, it is essential to optimize your videos, engage with your audience, and post new content regularly.

Once your channel meets eligibility requirements, apply for the YouTube Partner Program to monetize your content through advertisements, sponsorships, or merchandise sales.

Here are a few blog posts to read if you want to learn more:

#7: Offer Freelance Writing Services

Freelance writing services offer writers the opportunity to showcase their skills and earn income by providing written content for various clients.

As a freelance writer, you can use platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, or Freelancer to find a diverse range of writing projects.

Clients often seek writers for blog posts, articles, web content, marketing copy, and more.

By establishing a strong online profile and portfolio, freelance writers can attract clients looking for their specific expertise.

This flexible and independent approach to writing allows freelancers to work with clients from different industries and build a reputation in the competitive world of online content creation.

That said, starting a freelance writing business is not the same thing as creating and selling digital products. With freelancing, you are trading your time for money by offering a service in exchange for payment.

Since you are the only person in your business, you can only take as many projects as your availability allows it, and it is harder to scale this kind of service business.

With digital products, however (online courses, eBooks, memberships etc...), you are not exchanging time for money. Once you have created your product, you can sell it over and over again without having to create it from scratch. This makes digital products a much more scalable business idea compared to a freelance business.

#8: Become a Ghostwriter

With ghostwriting, you craft content on behalf of clients who may lack the time, expertise, or writing skills to produce it themselves.

As a ghostwriter, you work on writing articles, blog posts, books, or other written materials while allowing your client to take credit as the author.

This collaborative arrangement is common in the writing world, where authors, public figures, or business leaders often seek professional writers to articulate their ideas cohesively.

Ghostwriters must adapt their writing style to match the client's voice and vision, maintaining a level of discretion and professionalism throughout the creative process.

To become a good ghostwriter, you need not only good writing skills but also the ability to empathize with the client's perspective and effectively convey their message.

As with freelancing, ghostwriting can be a lucrative business idea. However, it is hard to scale, as you can only take one or a few clients at a time.

#9: Help People with Their Resume and Cover Letters

Offering professional resume and cover letter writing services can be a lucrative opportunity for writers to assist job seekers in presenting their qualifications effectively.

As a writer specializing in this niche, you can help write compelling resumes that highlight an individual's skills, experience and accomplishments, or cover letters that convey a candidate's unique value proposition to potential employers.

By understanding the nuances of various industries, you can create documents that stand out in competitive job markets, helping clients secure interviews and advance in their careers.

#10: Become a Writing Coach

Another writing business idea is to become an online coach or consultant. Offering writing consultations is a great way for writers to share their expertise and guide others on their creative journey.

As a coach, you can provide valuable insights into various aspects of the writing process, for example idea generation, storytelling techniques, character development, and manuscript refinement.

Coaching usually happens through one-on-one sessions or group programs, where writers can benefit from your tailored advice, constructive feedback, and strategic planning to elevate the quality of their work.

This approach is like a mentorship, where you connect with aspiring writers, understand their unique challenges, and offer targeted solutions to help them overcome their doubts and achieve their writing goals.

If coaching is your ideal business model, then you can use Heights Platform to handle online payments from your clients and sell coaching calls and other digital products.

Start Your Writing Online Business With Heights Platform

Today, we explored 10 lucrative business ideas for writers to start in 2024. From creating and selling online courses to self-publishing eBooks, there are so many writing business ideas you can start to make money online.

Our favorite online business idea is to create and sell digital products from your own website, such as online courses, membership sites, communities, and digital downloads.

One all-in-one solution to handle every aspect of your writing business is Heights Platform, a powerful tool that empowers creators to design, structure, and deliver courses globally.

With AI features to expedite course creation, Heights Platform makes the process seamless and efficient. Whether you choose to sell digital products, run a membership site, build a community, or offer coaching services, Heights Platform provides the flexibility and features you need.

Ready to turn your passion into a profitable business? Take the first step by trying Heights Platform free today!

Create Your Online Course Today

Post Topics: Build and Promote Your Course