Make money writing short stories! Yes, it is possible indeed.
Short Stories! These two words create excitement, isn’t it?
But for whom? Almost all age groups, but especially for children.
Children love short stories and also adults; we love short stories.
Short stories are bringing in billions of dollars in revenue globally every year.
A smart writer would always think more about marketing to sell his short stories than the efforts he takes to write them.
You don’t always need to write novels to earn a name for yourself.
Writing short stories are a great way of starting your career as a writer.
Also, the best way to become a great writer is to keep reading and writing a lot.
Writing doesn’t alone make you a better writer. It also gives you a name, fame, and money.
So, what should we do to make money writing short stories? You will find out in this article.
Let’s dive into the topic!
Affiliate Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links, and I receive a commission if you purchase through one of the links, at no additional cost to you.
How Do We Make Money Writing Short Stories?
Well, there are many ways that we can do to make money by selling short stories.
But, in this article, I would be highlighting the best methods to sell them.
Most people try to sell their short stories to literary magazines.
But, not all magazines accept your short stories unless you have written them very well.
But still, literary magazines are useful in your early career to get a name for yourself among all writers.
You can make money writing short stories quickly because many blogs and online magazines pay a hefty amount if your short story is outstanding.
But, nowadays, writers sell their short stories on Amazon KDP.
Amazon KDP is a great platform for selling your short stories.
Sell Short Stories On Your Website
Having a website is a great resource for selling your short stories.
Bluehost provides you with a free domain and SSL certificate when you purchase hosting from them.
You will have a seamless experience, and it comes with a one-click WordPress install.
Once you are done with purchasing your hosting, install WordPress, and build your website.
Initially, you need website visitors to get sales from selling your short stories.
So, you approximately need six months to get a fair amount of traffic to your website to make money writing short stories.
Write long-form blog posts optimized for SEO to attract organic visitors to your website.
Try to publish 1-2 blog posts every week, which can be around 2000 to 3000 words per blog post.
I highly recommend you purchase your website hosting through Bluehost because they provide you free Content Delivery Network, which helps your website load faster.
Try Google Ads To Sell Short Stories If You Are Ready To Spend Money
Note: To make money writing short stories through this method, you have to link these ads to your website from where people will reach your website and purchase your short stories after making payment. You can use the Easy Digital Downloads WordPress Plugin to launch a payment gateway on your website for people to make payments to buy your short stories.
Create a Google Ads campaign and sell over in the United States because they have the world’s highest purchasing power.
For new users, Google Ads gives a free amount of promotional credits, so use them wisely.
Make sure you use proper keywords with low competition to sell short stories effectively.
Set your budget smartly, and don’t allocate more than 20 Dollars per day.
Selling Short Stories on Amazon
Amazon KDP is a great platform to make money writing short stories and self-publishing your short stories.
I highly recommend you publish it as an ebook because it is very much easy to purchase.
The main reason behind this is many people would face delivery issues if it is paperback.
So, if you have an ebook, people can buy it hassle-free from any part of the world.
It would be best to promote your ebook and ad on Amazon KDP, which is very affordable.
Also, offer giveaways about your ebook on social media to get quick reviews.
Create an attractive synopsis about your ebook on Amazon KDP.
Give it a try by selling your short stories on Amazon KDP.
I’m sure you won’t regret it. Also, you would get paid directly to your bank account for specific marketplaces.
How To Make Money Publishing Books On Amazon
Make Money Selling Your Short Stories On Upwork and Fiverr
To be precise, to make money writing short stories on Upwork and Fiverr, you are selling your short stories under the author’s name who buys your short stories.
You sell short stories as a service listed under Fiverr and Upwork, and you can decide your price, but try to keep your rates competitive among other freelancers.
This is called Ghostwriting, which means you pen your thoughts to be published under someone’s name.
You are just the owner of the money you get by selling your short stories to someone.
We get money for our work but no mentions or credits for our short stories.
You give the complete copyrights of your short stories to the person to whom you sell them.
People on Fiverr and Upwork offer reasonable rates to get a short story written by you.
But I highly recommend you to get advance in Upwork before starting the project.
How Much Do Magazines Pay For Short Stories?
Literary Magazines pay anywhere between 20 dollars per short story to as high as 3000 dollars.
I highly recommend you sell your short stories to magazines in the United States.
The reason behind this is among all countries; they pay the highest for your short story.
You can also try selling your short stories to magazines in countries that have high purchasing power.
The 15 Magazines To Submit Your Short Stories
Here I am listing out the highest paying magazines to make money writing short stories.
Try to submit your short stories to these magazines to sell your short stories.
I have tried them myself, so I am recommending them to you.
1. Cricket Media
This is a young adult magazine with a huge base of teen audiences.
This magazine accepts short stories only in English, and you can give it a try.
They pay 0.25 cents per word up to 9000 words, and they provide a maximum pay of 2250 dollars.
2. Carve
This magazine accepts submissions for poetry, fiction, and non-fiction.
There is no minimum word count, but the maximum word count is 10,000 words.
For fiction, they pay 100 dollars, and for non-fiction, they pay 25 dollars.
3. Analog
Analog is a science fiction magazine that offers a reasonable price for short stories.
They pay 8-10 cents per word for up to 7,500 words and 8.5 cents for longer stories.
They prefer short stories where the plot is about future science and technology.
4. One Story
This magazine accepts literary fiction, and it can be any style and any subject as long as they are good to read.
They prefer that the stories submitted should give satisfaction to readers.
The submission period is from January 15th to May 31st and September 3rd to November 14th.
This magazine pays 500 dollars for 3000 to 8000-word count.
5. The Threepenny Review
They provide fiction, poetry, and essays for a readership of up to 10,000.
At present, they are currently accepting short stories, and it is ongoing.
This magazine pays 400 dollars for up to 4000 words.
6. The Fugue
This magazine accepts submissions only through Submittable for a 3 dollars service charge.
They accept fiction, non-fiction, and poetry from September 1st to May 1st.
Every year they host a contest with prize money of 1000 dollars.
Writers are paid 15 dollars for accepted pieces of work, which can be any genre,
7. New England Review
New England Review accepts short stories, novellas, novel excerpts, and translations.
You can only send one price at a time unless they are less than 1000 words.
This magazine accepts submissions from March 1st to May 31st.
They pay 20 dollars per page for up to 20,000 words.
8. The Georgia Review
This magazine publishes stories that are flash fiction to novella-length work.
You should submit only one story at a time, and they must be double spaced.
The submission period is from September to April.
They pay up to 50 dollars per printed page, and they do not have a word limit.
9. Daily Science Fiction
Daily Science Fiction is accepting speculative fiction, which is generally meaning science fiction and fantasy.
They mostly consider flash series, which are built around a common theme.
The submission period is from December 24th to January 2nd.
This magazine pays 8 cents per word for a word count of 100 to 1500 words.
10. The Antioch Review
The Antioch Review publishes more than 3 short stories in each issue.
They accept short stories that are compelling to read, and new writers are welcome.
The submission period is from September 1st to May 31st.
This magazine pays 20 dollars per printed page, and the word count is up to 5000 words.
11. The Southern Review
The Southern Review publishes fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, including essays and book reviews.
New writers are very welcome, and you can try submitting to this magazine.
The submission period is between September to December every year.
They pay 25 dollars per page and a maximum of 200 dollars.
12. Strange Horizons
Strange Horizons publishes a wide range of speculative fiction, including horror, science-fiction, and fantasy.
They also accept poetry, media reviews, and non-fiction.
Submissions are accepted mostly throughout the year, so kindly check with them.
Writers are usually paid 8 cents per word for submissions.
13. East Of The Web
East of the web publishes short stories of all genres, but mostly romance.
The romance short stories should include a mystery or thriller subject.
The submissions are mostly open throughout the year and are paid 5 cents per word.
14. Shades Of Romance
Shades Of Romance publishes romance short stories and tips and tricks about non-fiction.
The submissions are accepted mostly throughout the year.
Writers are paid 25 dollars flat fee.
15. Vestal Review
Vestal Review is one of the oldest magazines to publish super-short fiction, which is less than 500 words.
They accept all genres except children and hard science-fiction.
The submission period is between February and May and between August and November.
Writers are paid 25 dollars flat fee for every published story.
Final Thoughts
I have given hot piping information about how to make money selling your short stories.
Writing short stories make you a more creative person than you already are.
No one is a perfect writer in this world and every renowned writer today started as a newbie.
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