It didn’t take me long to figure out that making money as a screenwriter is… difficult. Indeed, the most common ways to make money in this field are by whether selling a script or working in a writers’ room.

It’s the beginning of my career and I haven’t done either of them yet, so I started researching other ways to make money and pay the bills. The good news is, there are some solid options out there.

Teach a Course on Skillshare

I’m not sponsored by Skillshare in any way, I just think it’s the easiest way to start selling your course. Create a course on any writing-related topic like how to develop interesting characters, how to format a screenplay, what to do with your screenplay once it’s finished, how to come up with a good plot, etc.

It doesn’t need to be too long: a 30-minute course is perfect.

You can use a combination of videos and slides, and it’s easy to get started with the recording feature on Zoom and/or your phone. No need to spend big bucks on a fancy camera just yet.

According to Skillshare, the average teacher makes $200 per month after publishing only one course. That sounds pretty good to me!

Start a Paid Newsletter

Recently on Stage 32, someone mentioned Substack and making money with a newsletter as a screenwriter. I have a newsletter about screenwriting myself, but it’s a free one — I never thought people would actually pay for it.

I’m planning to keep mine free, but I think you should definitely launch your own paid newsletter. After doing some research, I discovered that Leila Cohan (Bridgerton, Santa Clarita Diet, Awkward) offered a paid Substack newsletter at $5/month called Room Snacks. She writes about anything from how to create a TV pilot to choosing a good topic, screenplay formatting, etc.

Leila doesn’t offer a free version of her newsletter. I don’t know how many subscribers she has, but she seems to get a lot of engagement on her posts, so it probably works pretty well.

Offer Screenplay Coverage

Several sites/production offices offer reader positions, but they typically don’t pay well. It will require a bit of work and sweat to find clients, but you could set up your own consulting gig.

Create a website, showcase your work, and offer premium coverage and story development advice.

If you are a seasoned screenwriter, this might be a good opportunity.

Create an ebook

Find a topic and write an ebook about it. I strongly recommend you do thorough market research before doing anything else. Don’t lose time writing something no one wants to read.

In order for your ebook to sell, you have to provide a solution to a problem. Don’t try to answer everybody’s questions, focus on one segment of the industry. For example, Horror or TV writers.

To find a “problem” to answer, look on Quora and Reddit: what are screenwriters talking about? Can you see any pattern or pain point?

You can also use a tool called Answer the Public — it will give you a look into what people are searching on the internet and the questions they are asking.

I used the tool to find the most common questions about screenwriting people ask on Google. Here’s what I got:

There is some real gold in there. Look at these questions, find one or two that stick with you, and provide an answer in the form of an ebook. That way, you’re guaranteed that there is an audience willing to read it.

Now that you’ve written your ebook, you have two options:

1. Sell it on Amazon
2. Use it as a freebie to drive email signups

If you’re considering the second option, give your ebook away for free in exchange for email addresses. You can then use these emails to promote your paid newsletter or your consulting services, for example.

Conclusion

Sharing your skills is a great way to make money, in any field. You don’t have to wait for your pilot to sell before setting up solid income streams.

If you don’t have a lot of time, I suggest you put it into creating a Skillshare course or an ebook. These are passive income sources and won’t require any maintenance once you put them out there.

About Alicia Sekhri

I write about entrepreneurship, entertainment, and screenwriting. Sometimes I recommend my favorite films & TV shows.

I share tips & tricks from my screenwriting journey in this newsletter. Subscribe for free ;)

Previous Stage 32 blogs by Alicia:

4 Things I Learned by Offering Free Script Coverage

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Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Got an idea for a post? Or have you collaborated with Stage 32 members to create a project? We'd love to hear about it. Email Taylor at taylor@stage32.com and let's get your post published!

Please help support your fellow Stage 32ers by sharing this on social. Check out the social media buttons at the top to share on Instagram @stage32 , Twitter @stage32 , Facebook @stage32 , and LinkedIn @stage-32 .