The 10-Year Job Outlook for Writers Isn’t Terrible

If you’re anything like me – and the chances are excellent that you are – you’re sitting in front of your computer for more hours than are reasonable pounding out as many words as possible to make as much money as you can. Whether it’s a side hustle, your main gig, or an actual job, you’re worried about the long-term prospects in a field constantly undergoing change. It’s perfectly understandable.

Can you make a living as a writer? Honestly, I don’t know. Can you? It takes hard work, talent, the right platforms for what you write, consistency, marketing savvy, a thick skin, and a little luck. It’s totally possible.

I’m a numbers gal (I’m a former accountant) and I spend a lot of time diving into the deep end of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website for my work as a freelancer. We’re about to go there again. Keep in mind that the BLS is doing its best to account for the impact of the pandemic, but economic projections and predictions change weekly.

The Big Picture

The BLS tracks employment statistics for occupational groups before drilling down into individual jobs. Writers fall into the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media occupations group. As a group, the expected job growth between 2020 and 2030 is 13.1%. Considering that the average growth rate for all jobs during that time period is 9%, it’s not a bad rate, but it does include more than just writers.

The Outlook for Writers and Authors

The BLS lumps writers and authors together in their statistics, and includes both those with actual employment and freelancers.

The job growth rate for writers and authors is expected to be 9% between 2020 and 2030. The rate is 11% for media and communications workers. The prediction is that around 15,400 jobs will become available each year for the next decade. Note that most of those will be for full-time employees, not necessarily freelancers.

Also important to note, from the BLS website:

“Writers and authors are shifting their focus to online media, which should result in some employment growth for these workers. However, fewer jobs are expected with newspaper, book, periodical, and directory publishers, as the industry consolidates and shrinks.”

The Rise of Freelancing

In 2018, the BLS predicted that 63.1% of writers and authors will be freelancers by 2026, with a projection of 89,200 people working in the field. With the upheaval of the pandemic, the great resignation, and the labor force re-evaluating its options, those numbers are likely to rise and/or have already risen. It’s unlikely that there will be a new report before 2022.

While the median annual pay for writers and authors was $67,120 as of May 2020, mileage varies, as you likely know. The bottom 10% of writers earned a wage lower than $35,800.

Making the Numbers Work for You

The BLS has sometimes fumbled but rarely, if ever, dropped the big picture ball, so it’s not unreasonable to take heart from the projections. If you’re typing your fingers to the bone, wondering if this writing thing will ever work out, it’s clear that it does and will work out for many writers, and there’s room to join the ranks. It’s not like trying to be an astronaut or professional athlete.

If your goal is to make a steady, livable income as a writer, don’t put all of your eggs in one basket, unless that basket is a full-time job with an employer. And even then, keep your eyes and ears open. Employment is less of a guarantee than ever. Write on multiple platforms. Work as a freelancer. Find work on gig sites. Submit to paying publications. Research opportunities and niches.

Lastly, read good advice on the business of being a writer. Be wary of whose advice you heed. Read their bios and about me pages. Where have they published? Do they have a book? Be discerning.

Sometimes, writing is a numbers game, whether you like numbers or not. Numbers of stories you’ve written and are writing. The number of publications you submit to. The number of people you follow and who follow you. The numbers that show you that there’s a chance you could succeed in this business if the numbers align.