Start A Writing & Editing Business - Business Ideas

Updated: September 15th, 2022
Start A Writing & Editing Business

Please note that the data provided in this article are estimates and may vary depending on various factors, and should not be considered as perfect or definitive.

A writing and editing business is a business that provides writing, editing, and sometimes proofreading services. Such businesses market their services to businesses, corporations, and individuals who might require those types of services.

The earning potential of writing and editing is incredible. Freelancing is one of the best ways to earn some extra money. If you like writing and editing, then freelancing can provide you with an opportunity to prove yourself as an expert, increase your network and help steer your career in a new direction.

Writing is one of the easiest businesses you can start. You might dream of becoming a professional writer, selling your stories to famous magazines, or writing books that millions around the planet will read.

Starting a writing & editing business requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.

If you're interested in how to sell writing & editing, or selling writing & editing online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.

Key Stats

starting costs
$12.5K
gross margin
70%
avg product price
$10
time to build
180 days
growth
Word of mouth
business model
Consulting
time investment
Full time
work from home?
Yes

Startup Costs

Min Startup Costs Max Startup Costs

Office Space Expenses

$0

$7,000

Employee & Freelancer Expenses

$151

$352

Website Costs

$223

$7,215

Business Formation Fees

$600

$4,700

Equipment & Supply Expenses

$63

$200

Software Expenses

$150

$2,470

Advertising & Marketing Costs

$0

$3,000

Total Startup Costs

$1,187

$24,937

Successful Businesses

Business URL Rank

grammarly.com

141

Wordvice

wordvice.com

100,351

Slick Write

slickwrite.com

136,484

Ship 30 for 30

ship30for30.com

181,436

AutoCrit Online Editing

autocrit.com

212,868

Creative Writing Forums

writingforums.org

241,998

Ultius

ultius.com

271,705

International Association of Professional Writers and Editors – Helping to bring legitimate and vetted working opportunities to professional writers and editors

iapwe.org

294,706

Wordy

wordy.com

347,490

FirstEditing

firstediting.com

386,593

Content-Whale Private Limited

content-whale.com

479,726

Pros & Cons

Pros Description

Flexibility

You can put as much time into the business as you'd like. If you like the work and have some initial experience, you can start small and manage all aspects of the business on your own.

Ability to start your business from home

It's not necessary to have a physical storefront or office space to get your business started. You can do everything from the comfort of your own home, at least in the beginning!

Scalable

With businesses and processes changing daily, there will always be demand for new features, products and services for your business. Additionally, there are several different business models and pricing tiers you can implement that will allow you to reach all types of customers.

Traffic to your website

A writing & editing business gives people a reason to visit your website and to keep coming back to you!

Meaningful business connections

You never know who you will meet as a writing & editing business. This could be the start of an incredible business opportunity!

High customer retention rates

Once a customer invests in your product, they've invested their time and energy to utilize your product/service which is highly valuable to them. Typically, your product or service becomes indispensable to your customer.

Cons Description

Constant maintenance of publication

You may find yourself constantly needing to update your writing & editing business in order to stay relevant for your audience and for those searching on google.

Motivation of employees

If you plan to have a sales/content team on board, finding creative ways to motivate them can be a challenge. It's important that you're able to offer great incentives and a good work environment for your employees.

High employee turnover

In the writing & editing business, employee turnover is often high, which can be quite costly and time consuming for your business. It's important to try and avoid this as much as possible by offering competitive pay, benefits, and a positive work environment.

Work can be repetitive

You may find creating the same product over and over repetitive and tiresome. One way of avoiding this is to diversify product lines and revenue streams - this will keep things interesting!

Churn

In this business, customers can cancel their membership or subscription for your services - which can make revenue forecasting challenging and unpredictable. It's important to focus on your churn rates and trends so that you can prevent this as much as possible.

Time commitment

With starting a writing & editing business, all responsibilities and decisions are in your hands. Although this is not necessarily a negative thing, work life can take over at times. This can place a strain on friends and family and add to the pressure of launching a new business.

Marketing Ideas

  • 1

    Affiliate Program

    Affiliate marketing is a great way to bring in a new revenue stream, especially when you don't sell products or services.

    Simply put, an affiliate program is an agreement where a business pays another business or influencer ("the affiliate") a commission for sending traffic and/or sales their way.

    The affiliate typically gets a unique link where clicks and conversions can be tracked.

    Learn more about affiliate program ➜

  • 2

    Word of mouth

    Word of mouth is when a consumers reflects their interest in a company’s product or service in their daily dialogues.

    Therefore, word of mouth advertising is essentially a free advertising triggered by the customers experience.

    According to Nielsen, 92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family.

    Therefore, in today’s hyper-connected world, a single recommendation through a word of mouth can have a huge impact to your business.

    Learn more about word of mouth ➜

  • 3

    Social Media Advertising

    Social media advertising is the use of social media platforms to connect with your audience with the objective to build your brand, increase sales, and drive website traffic.

    According to Oberlo, approximately 48% of the global population use social media, and the number is ever-growing.

    Therefore, social media allows brands access to cost-effective advertising by enabling them to interact with a large audience.

    Learn more about social media advertising ➜