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Here’s the Bad News: You’ll Never Get Rich Writing Online

Keep doing it anyway

Paul Combs
5 min readAug 25, 2023
Image: Wikimedia Commons

Because I love starting the weekend off right, let me get the bad news out of the way up front: you will never get rich writing online. No matter how many click-bait articles you read about how someone made $8 bazillion dollars in 30 days writing about how to make $8 bazillion dollars in 30 days trading cryptocurrency, it’s all a lie. Here are just 5 “occupations” that will earn you more than writing online:

1. Picking up cans on the side of the road.
2. Cat walker.
3. Manual typewriter repairman.
4. Chimney sweep.
5. Competitive hot dog eater.

I know that these are more lucrative because I have been writing online, both part-time and full-time, for over twenty years now; I started on sites like Associated Content and Helium at the turn of the century and most recently have been on sites from Medium to Vocal to Simily. As you can tell, I’m still here, which clearly means I have not gotten filthy rich yet.

I normally don’t discuss earnings outside the family (it’s just unseemly), but I will mention a few money-related specifics here because they are necessary for this article. The most I ever made from one story was $5,000.00; that came…

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Paul Combs
Paul Combs

Written by Paul Combs

Writer, bookseller, would-be roadie for the E Street Band. My ultimate goal is to make books as popular in Texas as high school football...it may take a while.

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