High-Paying Writing Jobs For Professional Writers

Sometimes a stigma can be attached to writers when it comes to employment options. However, there are plenty of opportunities for writers to make a good income, spanning across many different industries. Here are seven high-paying writing jobs that you can tell your family about over Thanksgiving dinner when they ask you what you want to do with your life.

Speechwriter

Speechwriters do just what the title says. They write speeches. Most celebrities, politicians, business executives and representatives don’t have time to write their own speeches. That’s where the job comes in. Basically, you just work with the speaker to cultivate a great speech that represents them. To be a speechwriter you must be able to write in a style and tone that matches the speaker you are writing for.

It is a profession that you can work your way up in and excel in if you’re passionate about it. Who knows, you may just be the next presidential speech writer!

Medical Writer

Are you a writer with a love for science? If so, then medical writing might just be for you! Medical writers are needed when it comes to translating complicated clinical documents and scientific information into diction that is easy for the audience to understand. As a medical writer, you will conduct research, write research papers and write training materials and clinical documents.  Most medical writers have some sort of bachelor or minor in a scientific field, so make sure to incorporate that into your college curriculum if you are interested in this field.

Technical Writer

You know those user manuals you get when you buy a new phone or the ones that come when you buy a toy you have to put together? That’s just a small portion on what a technical writer does. If you have the magic touch with technology and like to write about it, this may be the field for you. Technical writers need to have a knowledge in computer hardware, software, engineering and other fields.

Proposal Writer

Proposal writers are very important in the business world. A lot of the work they do are towards writing proposals to win contracts for their employer. You should be proficient in researching and analyzing, as well as have an understanding of the business language, copywriting techniques and procurement.

Copywriter

Copywriters write words to sell something and increase the popularity of a company’s brand. It is a pretty diverse job and you could work on website copy, company brochures, flyers, advertisements, events, letters, emails, etc. The possibilities are endless. While most copywriters work for marketing agencies or advertisement businesses, others freelance their copywriting skills and get their own clients.

You can also be a freelance copywriter and work remotely from home! Many companies will hire you to do their website content, web ads and other writing-related content. Copywriting is a job that is rapidly increasing and being needed among companies, therefore, a great start to your writing career!

Proofreader

Are you a grammar Nazi and can spot an error a mile away? Then proofreading may be just the job for you! Proofreading deals with making sure every book, document and paper you come across is grammatically correct. You won’t be rearranging words and sentences (that is an editor’s job) but just making sure that the writing itself and word usage is accurate.

To be a proofreader, make sure your skills are precise and error-less. It’s good to have subscriptions to various writing formats such as AP, APA, MLA and others. That way, if you are proofreading a certain type of writing, you are on top of what format you need to abide by.

Editor

Do you enjoy reading and writing? If so, you should think about being an editor. An editor handles various processes in the writing world. You receive content and decide what should be published versus what shouldn’t, edit and write comments on copy, organize content and much more! There are also various field within editing you can enter: book editing, magazine editing, company editing, etc. With the rise of the blogging world, many companies are looking for editors to handle the content on their site!

The skill of the written word is often overlooked but is vital in so many areas of the workforce If you want to learn more about Grand Canyon University’s English program within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, check out our website or click the Request More Information button on this page.

References

• “Yes, You Can Make Great Money as a Writer! Here’s How.” Trade-Schools.net, www.trade-schools.net/articles/jobs-for-writers.asp.