For most poets, the most difficult task is figuring out how to make a living doing what they love. Making money by composing poetry isn’t always the most straightforward approach to fund your passion for writing. Let’s be honest: most publishers don’t ask for poetry submissions.
There are, however, a variety of possibilities for you to generate money online from your poetry, owing to a variety of internet chances. We’ll go through several uncommon but very practical ways to make money online by composing poetry in this post.
Why Is it So Hard to Make Money From Poems?
Poetry, as much as it is adored and admired, is not always the most financially rewarding form of expression. When compared to other forms of written employment, such as novels and freelance article writing, finding a market for your work can be quite challenging.
When it comes to selling your written work, it all boils down to one crucial question: who is your target audience and what do they want? Shorter-form books, such as poetry collections, CAN sell and do well — this is becoming more true than ever as people’s lives become busier.
This means that if you want to publish your poetry as a book, you’ll need to be rigorous in your study and consider collaborating with a literary agency to pitch your work on your behalf.
What About Self Publishing Your Book of Poems?
Many poets think of self-publishing as a way to get their work out there and earn money. Of course, this is always a good alternative — many established authors who have been published traditionally find it to be a successful way to supplement their income.
Self-publishing, on the other hand, might have drawbacks. There may be additional costs associated with printing and formatting, and you are still responsible for marketing your work to guarantee that it sells.
The audience is the most important component in understanding how poetry may sell effectively in today’s environment.
Who needs poetry, anyway? What are the reasons for their desire for poetry?
You’re ready to start investigating all of the numerous ways you can share your poetry with the world AND get paid for it once you’ve figured out who your market is.
Making money by writing poetry may seem too wonderful to be true, but there is a market for it if you know how to approach selling and sharing your work in the proper way.
4 Great Unique Ways to Make Money Online Writing Poetry
1 Sell Poems & Services on Fiverr
Fiverr is a website where people may pay you $5 to complete a task. Of course, a lot of folks on Fiverr charge a lot more!
You may make a listing for $5 and offer to write a bespoke poem. In your listing, be sure to add some photographs and examples.
This is a terrific approach to provide a low-cost poetry writing service to customers who wish to give a poem to a loved one on special occasions like Valentine’s Day, birthdays, and anniversaries.
It’s simple to create an account, and all you have to do now is improve your profile to highlight your poetry writing skills as a service you offer on the internet to make money online with your poems.
2 Create a Website of Your Poems
Another way to make money online is to create your own poetry website. I tried this a few years ago and made $75-$100 a month from folks who read a few of my poems and clicked on advertisements.
While this may not seem like much at first, it may quickly mount up, especially as your website grows in popularity and you gain a following.
Once your website has a certain amount of traffic, you can begin looking into other advertising partners who can help you earn as much as $10-$15 per 1,000 visits.
It takes some time to learn how to put up a website and how to attract traffic and advertisers, but this is a great way to do something you enjoy while also making some money. Creating an economical website with free blogging software like WordPress is a terrific way to get started.
3 Sell On-Demand Items With Your Poetry
Uploading photographs to sites allow you to sell them on goods like poster prints, coffee mugs, t-shirts, and more. While you’ll need a photo editing application for this, you can turn your poems into sellable things.
Poems on products like these may be a terrific way to raise awareness about your work while also providing unique gift ideas for others, particularly if you focus on writing poems for special occasions like Mother’s Day, Anniversaries, and Birthdays.
4 Sell Poems on Etsy
Etsy is a marketplace for all things handmade. You can sell prints of your poetry on paper, framed in a frame, or on canvas. If you like the notion of generating print-on-demand products, Etsy can be combined with companies like Printful, lowering your startup costs.
You may investigate other possible handcrafted products, such as selling your own greeting cards, in addition to selling your print on demand poetry things on Etsy.
You can also provide bespoke poetry writing services, as well as an eBook of your own poems. This can be a good way to get your poems into the hands of others while also getting compensated for your labor if you advertise them properly.
You might find some wonderful ideas for selling your unique poems on Etsy by searching for “poem” and “poetry.”
Consider Some of These Examples of Target Audiences
Here are some examples of target audiences who could be prepared to pay money for poetry:
- Those who require a poem for a special occasion or celebration, such as birthdays, anniversaries, or holidays.
- People who enjoy casually reading poetry on the internet
- Someone looking for one-of-a-kind displays, artwork, and accessories for their home, school, or office This one typically surprises writers, but more on that later!
- Someone in search of one-of-a-kind gifts for family and friends
You’ll have a better chance of selling your poems if there’s a bigger demand for poetry.
Final Thought
I hope this post has inspired you to look outside the box and investigate some fresh and unusual ways to make a living from your passion for writing poetry and verse.
While it may be an unconventional path from a published book containing a collection of poetry, all of these choices can help you earn enough money to sustain your passion for writing!
