Fiction, freelance journalism, copywriting, technical and medical writing — discover 12+ writing careers and what they really pay.
Think a writing career means daydreaming over a flat white while your novel writes itself? You’re only half right. The truth is far more interesting: today’s writing world offers as many career paths as flavours in a good coffee menu, from ghostwriting thrillers to writing user manuals for software you’ve never heard of.
Below, we break down the major fiction and non-fiction writing careers, what they typically pay, and how to break in.
Fiction Writing Careers
What does a fiction writing career look like?
Novelists, short story writers, playwrights, poets, lyricists, graphic novelists, video game narrative writers and screenwriters all make their living building imaginary worlds, and increasingly they’re doing it across more formats than ever, from streaming scripts to interactive game narratives.
Do you need a qualification to write fiction?
No formal education is required to become a published fiction writer. Some writers complete a degree or Master’s in Creative Writing; many others build their craft through online courses, workshops and mentoring instead. Browse our 13 specialised creative writing courses here.
How much can fiction writers earn?
A fiction author’s income fluctuates with the success of their work. There are no set figures, though the most recent Writers’ Earnings in New Zealand survey (Horizon Research, 2021) found that established NZ authors earned an average of around $16,000 a year from their writing, roughly a third of their total personal income, with most relying on other streams of income to make up the rest.
What has changed dramatically is the route to market. Self-publishing on platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) has opened doors that simply didn’t exist a generation ago. Amazon’s 2019 year-in-review reported that thousands of independently published authors earned over $50,000 in royalties that year, though plenty earned very little (success still hinges on strong covers, editing and marketing).
Two standout examples: New Zealand fantasy author Steff Green earned $125,976.53 in a single year (2018) from five self-published books, while UK crime writer L.J. Ross has sold around 4.5 million copies since launching on KDP in 2015, building what she’s called a genuinely sustainable income from her novels.
Non-Fiction Writing Careers
What are the main non-fiction writing careers?
Freelance platforms have made it easier than ever to break into non-fiction writing: you set your own rates, find international clients, and reach a far bigger audience than a local newspaper ever could. Ghostwriters, in particular, are in strong demand, typically charging clients somewhere in the US$20 to $45 per hour range on platforms like Upwork for collaborating on other people’s stories.
What qualifications do you need?
As with fiction, there’s no mandatory qualification, though most freelance platforms ask for some evidence of writing training when you sign up. Explore our journalism courses and specialist non-fiction and content writing courses to build a portfolio that gets you noticed.
Freelance journalism sits firmly in this category too. Journalists can work entirely from home, writing for print and digital publications worldwide. Formal qualifications aren’t essential if you can deliver well-researched, well-written articles, but a certified journalism course is a smart investment in a competitive field. In-house newsroom roles increasingly expect a journalism or communications degree, but these positions are scarce; most working journalists today are freelance.
What can freelance writers earn?
Rates vary by niche, experience and client base, but current New Zealand data puts freelance writers at an average of around $98,000 a year (about $47 an hour), with entry-level freelancers averaging closer to $70,500 and senior freelancers earning $112,000 or more. Freelance journalists earn a very similar amount, averaging around $98,000 a year. Hourly rates climb steeply with experience: a 2026 New Zealand freelancer study found rates averaging $24.60 an hour for freelancers in their twenties, rising to $76.00 an hour for those over 50.
And the range of paid work is huge: copywriting, business writing, press releases and technical writing are just a few examples, and setting up a freelancer profile is free.
Copywriting and Content Writing
What does a copy or content writer actually do?
Copywriters and content writers craft advertising copy, blog posts, website content, articles and social media content, the words businesses need to be found, understood and trusted online.
Many come from a background in communications, journalism, marketing or English. Others build their skills through specialised online writing courses; see our Copywriting Course and Writing SEO and GEO Content for Websites Course, which now also covers writing for AI-driven search.
What can you earn as a copywriter?
According to SEEK’s 2026 salary data, copywriters in New Zealand typically earn between roughly $75,000 and $95,000 a year, with Auckland and Christchurch averages sitting around $86,000. Freelance copywriters’ earnings vary more widely depending on client mix and specialisation. You can freelance solo or work in-house for an agency, publisher or a large company’s marketing team.
Technical Writing
What does a technical writer do?
Technical writers turn complex information into simplified documents: instruction manuals, user guides and standard operating procedures that make products and processes usable.
What can you earn as a technical writer?
New Zealand technical writer salaries currently average around $81,500 a year, with a typical range of roughly $70,800 to $95,750 depending on experience and specialisation, and top earners exceeding $100,000. There’s no fixed training path, but tertiary study in English, science, engineering, computer science or commerce is valuable, and dedicated technical writing certificates can help you stand out.
Medical and Academic Writing
How do you become a medical or academic writer?
Combine solid scientific literacy with strong writing skills, and you can build a career crafting peer-reviewed articles, reporting on clinical trials, and translating complex medical research for healthcare professionals and the public.
What do medical writers earn?
Current New Zealand data puts medical writer salaries at an average of around $91,500 a year, with most roles falling between $78,500 and $100,750 depending on experience, and senior specialists earning over $100,000. Most medical writers work freelance. The skillset transfers well to academic writing too: whether that’s engineering, finance or environmental science, going freelance opens up work with governments, NGOs and enterprises willing to pay well for precise, well-researched writing. Many academic writers combine this work with a part-time role lecturing at a tertiary institution.
Business Writing
What kind of career can you build in business writing?
Business writers produce everything from proposals and grant applications to reports, resumes, emails and newsletters. Sharp grammar and clear, persuasive writing are essential, and a relevant qualification helps.
Proposal writers in New Zealand currently earn somewhere in the $68,000 to $78,000 range on average, depending on industry and seniority, with building, IT and corporate services roles tending to sit at the higher end. Some business writers freelance as consultants for companies large and small; most, however, write as part of an in-house role.
Browse our business writing courses here.
Copy-Editing and Proofreading
How do you launch a career in copy-editing and proofreading?
Every piece of writing, in every field, needs a sharp-eyed editor. Correcting grammar, verifying facts and improving readability are skills built through dedicated training, and while some copy-editors are self-taught, publishers increasingly expect at least six months of formal training.
View the details of our practical Copy-editing and Proofreading Course here.
What can you earn as a copy-editor?
Copy-editors and proofreaders in New Zealand typically earn between roughly $46,000 and $74,000 a year, averaging around $60,000 to $62,000 depending on specialisation, with senior editors overseeing larger publications sometimes earning well over $100,000. Opportunities span freelancing, creative agencies, publishing houses, film and TV studios, government departments and PR firms.
Whether writing is your side hustle or your full-time freelance career, one thing’s clear: there’s no single ‘writer’s path’ anymore. Combine the right training, a bit of specialisation, and a steady coffee supply, and a career as a writer is within reach.
Ready to start? Explore all our writing courses here.
References
Amazon. (2019, December 23). Kindle: A year in review. About Amazon. https://blog.aboutamazon.co.uk/innovation/kindle-a-year-in-review
https://www.salaryexpert.com/salary/job/proofreader/new-zealand
Green, S. (2019, June 10). ‘This year I’ll bank over $200k’: An NZ writer on actually making money. The Spinoff. https://thespinoff.co.nz/books/10-06-2019/this-year-ill-bank-over-200k-a-nz-writer-on-actually-making-money/
Haysom, S. (2021, February 24). These self-published authors are actually making a living. Here’s how. Mashable. https://mashable.com/article/self-published-authors-making-a-living
Horizon Research. (2021, February). Writers’ earnings in New Zealand 2020. Copyright Licensing New Zealand. https://authors.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Horizon-Research-Writers-Earnings-Survey-Report-2021-FINAL.pdf
PayScale. (2026). Copy editor salary in New Zealand. https://www.payscale.com/research/NZ/Job=Copy_Editor/Salary
PayScale. (2026). Proposal writing salary in New Zealand. https://www.payscale.com/research/NZ/Skill=Proposal_Writing/Salary
SEEK. (2026, May). Copywriter salary in New Zealand. https://nz.seek.com/career-advice/role/copywriter/salary
Zealancer. (2026). 15 or 250 NZD per hour? New study from Zealancer about rates of freelancers. https://www.zealancer.nz/nl/124&15-or-250-NZD-per-hour-New-study-from-Zealancer-about-rates-of-freelancers
