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Writing, teaching and digital products

You make it once and sell it many times, or you sell your words by the job. Here are the real royalties, wages and platform fees.

✓ Checked 5 Nov 2026 against company pages and US Department of Labor data · Next check 5 Feb 2027
A woman in a coat working at a cafe table, a notebook and a laptop in front of her

Platforms publish their fees. What they cannot tell you is how many copies you will sell. Make the sum with your own price, then be honest about how you will find buyers.

Ways to earn here

A family on a sofa watching TV, the father holding the remote
VOLTIXPay slip
60%
of the full price, every renewal
✓ Checked 10 Nov 2026

VOLTIX referral program

Share your link and keep 60% of every full-price plan your people buy, every time they renew.

A man typing at a desk beside an open book
KindlePay slip
70%
or 35%
✓ Checked 5 Nov 2026

Amazon KDP

35% or 70% on ebooks, and how paperback printing eats into the rate.

Open books and a notebook on a wooden desk
WritersPay slip
$36.98
US median per hour
✓ Checked 5 Nov 2026

Copywriting

The nearest official pay figure, and what freelancers add to it.

A laptop and open books on a white table
BloggingPay slip
68%
AdSense share
✓ Checked 5 Nov 2026

Blogging

What ad networks really share, and the traffic they ask for first.

A woman writing in a notebook at her desk
SubstackPay slip
10%
of paid subs
✓ Checked 5 Nov 2026

Substack

10% of paid subs, and what Stripe adds.

A woman teaching online at a laptop, in front of bookshelves
CoursesPay slip
37–97%
at Udemy
✓ Checked 9 Nov 2026

Online courses

Marketplace or your own site, and what each leaves you.

A hand marking a printed page with a red pen
EditingPay slip
$37.46
US median per hour
✓ Checked 5 Nov 2026

Editing and proofreading

Real pay for editing and fixing text, at a $37.46 median.

A hand drawing a lemon on a tablet with a stylus
CanvaPay slip
Royalty
rate not public
✓ Checked 5 Nov 2026

Canva

Royalties for accepted creators, and a licence that decides what you can sell.

A desk with papers, a calculator and a laptop
GhostwritingPay slip
$0.35
a word, average
✓ Checked 5 Nov 2026

Ghostwriting

Real money on books, at rates for professionals.

Compare the real numbers

Way to earnYou needYou keepPaid out at
VOLTIX referral programA free account60% of the full price, on every renewal (30% with a discount code)From $20
Amazon KDPA book, priced $2.99 to $12.99 for the 70% rate35% or 70% on ebooksNo minimum by bank transfer
CopywritingSamples and a first clientUS median $36.98 an hour, writers and authorsSet by your client
BloggingA site and steady trafficAbout 68% of Google Ads spend on your pages$100 with AdSense
SubstackA subject readers will pay forAll but 10% + about 2.9% + $0.30Through Stripe
Online coursesA course and a way to reach buyers37% to 97% at UdemySources differ
Editing and proofreadingExcellent language skillsUS median $37.46 an hour for editors, $24.58 for proofreadersSet by your client
CanvaA portfolio, and to pass reviewRoyalties, rate not publicNot on its public page
GhostwritingWriting samples and client skillsAbout 35 cents a word on books, Reedsy dataSet by your contract
Ko-fiA page and fansAll but 5%, or 0% with Gold at $12 a monthStraight to your PayPal or Stripe

The catch

  • Publishing is not selling. No platform promises you buyers.
  • Udemy’s and Substack’s own pages could not be read when we checked, so their numbers rest on independent sources that agree.
  • Platform fees are only part of the cost. Your time to make the product comes first.
  • Check whether a low plan’s transaction fee costs more than a higher plan with none.

Truth checks

“Get paid to read books”People are paid for what they write or fix, not for reading.
Not for reading

Sources

Show the other 9 sources, each with the day we read it