How to Make Enough Money to Become a Full-time Writer on Medium

Step one: Quit your 9–5

I quit my 9–5 to write full-time on Medium.

Earlier this week I detailed the process of making that decision. I journeyed from a USA Today affiliate reporter to the Army, back to USA Today and finally to Medium; a place that is increasingly feeling like home.

However, fellow writer Ryan DeJonghe — the king of making insightful and witty posts on LinkedIn — called me out in the comments. He said he wanted to know the nitty-gritty of how I can survive on income from Medium alone. And a quick shout-out to another incredible writer Lori Lamothe for asking the same.

It’s a great question, and I’m sorry I didn’t address this the first time around because it is very important. Writing is not an easy job to get paid for, let alone make enough to feel comfortable. My journalism mentor at USA Today recently opened up about this:

“You used to be able to make a living as a writer, writing whatever it is you wrote. It seems more and more that you can’t.” — Matthew McGrath, former editor at Fox News.

So let’s break down how I got here and what I’m doing to maintain my full-time status at Medium.

Medium is my primary source of income

December 2020 was the first time I made more writing for Medium than working my full-time job. Full disclosure: Journalism does not pay well. I was making $40,000 a year which after taxes amounts to slightly above minimum wage.

Crazy thing is that some journalists at my job were making less than me. I’m not sure how they put up with it.

Sure, there were benefits. But benefits are something the top 1% give you to keep you quiet and happy. Benefits are the opioids of the masses. The day after I quit my job I enrolled in Obamacare. It didn’t cost me a dime. Benefits are dumb.

Meanwhile, my first big paycheck from Medium opened up Pandora’s box. There was no going back. I made a plan. In one year’s time with a stable income as a reporter, I’d leave my job to begin a career as a blogger. Three months into that decision and I threw that plan out the window. Along with it, the baby, the bathwater, the cat, and the kitchen sink.

My two-week notice was sent two weeks before my birthday. Call it fate.

I love writing on Medium and didn’t want to hold this plan up another second. Thank God I didn’t. Now I wake up with a new lease on life. I read the books I want when I want to read them. I write the articles I’m passionate about and interview the people I find the most interesting.

It’s also important to note that my office at USA Today unionized the week before I quit. Journalism is a demanding job and the pay is shit. You have to be a solid writer, a good investigator, have the ability to deal with unruly vicious people every day, and know your beat inside and out.

With the advent of the internet, however, good journalism doesn’t sell like it used to. It’s a fucking shame. But with how salacious mainstream news is now, they brought this on themselves. I don’t think that industry will survive.

How did my writing get me here?

You don’t need to have a niche or Shakespearean-type talent. This is what you need to do:

• Read more. No not flashy BS articles on the internet. Read more amazing works of literature. Fiction especially. Writers like Dostoyevsky and Aldous Huxley have rewired my writing. They taught me to let loose; to show some personality. Show a little leg. Reading your work should feel like sitting down and getting a drink with an old friend.
• Connect more. My mom, Jacquelyn McCall, started writing on Medium. One week later she told me she didn’t want to connect with writers who reached out on social media. I told her that would be a mistake. Writers like Tim Denning, Jordan Mendiola, Ryan Fan and so many more have helped me become a better writer. Heck, after my brief email exchange with Tim I was so inspired I went out for a 5 mile run at midnight. You cannot grow alone in your bubble.
• Invest more. This is the only reason I was confident enough to leave my 9–5. My money is working for me. I do not come from a wealthy or particularly financially literate family. I had to learn how to invest on my own and with the help of business-minded friends. This is the only way you can have a true life of financial freedom. Every night I make money while I sleep. You owe it to yourself to learn more and start investing now.
• Get Lucky. Luck is opportunity meets preparation. The more you put yourself out there the more luck you attract. I got lucky. Thousands of people read my article on intermittent fasting and then the ball kept rolling. Write every single day. Every article I publish I do so with the intent that this is the one that will change the lives of millions.

Live Like a Bohemian and Have a Back-up Plan

My rent living in Jersey City is around $900 a month. So my goal each month is to make $1,000 on my writing. I have enough funds stored away if I don’t reach that goal. I won’t starve.

Besides there’s no point wasting money on this stuff:

New tech. Fancy clothes. More subscription services. Eating out all the time.

If you like this stuff it’s fine, but it’s holding your dream back. Discipline equals freedom, as Navy Seal Jocko Willink says. Making $1,000 a month to be out on my own and do what I love is enough for me. Although I have 3xed and 4xed that goal. Not including anything I made on my investments.

Even then, however, I have several back-up plans. I’m a freelancer for several NYC-based startups making $100-$150 per article. Some of those roles range from writing for crypto blogging websites to helping out with the social media and SEO for fashion companies. It pays to have skills. Crazy enough, 99% of them I learned outside of college. YouTube can make you rich in more ways than one.

And if all of this fails! It doesn’t matter. I won’t starve.

Final Thought

“You should live a life that you can approve of when you die.” Every morning I wake up with that sentence in my mind. How are you going to stop me when this is what I’m thinking?

Once your work turns into a mission, you will think the same. I’m coming off a few bad months emotionally. No one really knew it but me. Not even my roommate. But I stayed the course. I did what I could despite feeling like a failure. Now I’m the happiest I ever felt.

I’m working out every day. I fast for 16–20 hours daily. I read twice a day. My writing is scheduled down to a T. And now I’m planning to take brief vacations with no technology with me. My first trip is to Colorado this weekend.

Sometimes I’m not even sure what I’ll do next. It’s a good feeling to have. Trust me. This article is for you Ryan DeJonghe and Lori Lamothe. Good luck. I’m rooting for you.

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