Do you secretly dream of becoming a successful writer?

I did, for several years. But it wasn’t a dream I shared with anyone. I didn’t want to be laughed at or lectured for pursuing something that only paid pennies – and that’s if you’re lucky.

It was nothing but a fantasy. A dream job I didn’t think I could ever chase.

But, you know what?

I was totally and completely wrong! Turns out it’s pretty easy to become a paid, professional writer. I’ll get to that in a minute.

First, look at this…

In other words, if you dream of being a successful writer… you’re not alone.

But that’s part of the problem, right? Too much competition from other writer-hopefuls?

Like a lot people, you may have grown up thinking writers are generally starving artists and that there’s way too much competition. You may have even been told getting struck by lightning is more probable than getting noticed in an editor’s slush pile.

And hey, that’s probably true if you’re convinced the only way to become a successful writer is via the slush pile.

But it’s not. The dream of being a published writer is more feasible than ever before. And thanks to the internet and other little-known writing niches, life as a well-paid writer is a reality.

Better yet, there’s not a lot of competition for the higher-paying writing jobs.

Sure, legions of people want to be writers. But a surprising few actually pursue the career. Fewer still know where to find the good gigs.

And that’s why I started Barefoot Writer.

Along with the Barefoot Writer team, my goal is to show you where to find the really good writing opportunities that pay well and give you loads of freedom.

To begin, you should know that not all money-making writers publish stories. Many write content for magazines, movie scripts, songs, ads, direct-mail campaigns, and online publications.

Lots of them work full-time, but many are self-employed so they have very flexible schedules. Others work in-house at ad agencies or in corporate marketing departments.

Now, if you look online, Forbes reports the average pay for writers is about $68,000. And that’s not half bad. Yet I know dozens of writers who make six-figures, and most of them freelance from home. I’m one of them.

You’re probably wondering how it’s possible to work as a freelance writer and make loads of money…

It didn’t make sense to me, either. Not at first.

But that’s because I knew nothing about the different types of content in high demand by thousands of big-money companies.

The internet plays a pretty big role in the need for good writers. Because if a business doesn’t have an online presence these days, it almost doesn’t exist.

Nearly every company out there, large or small, must continually publish fresh content that’s relevant to their customers. This is how businesses maintain an online presence. It’s how they grow their audience and customer base.

And it means there’s plenty of ongoing work for writers who know what they’re doing.

Consider all the pages of other kinds of content, like emails, newsletters, social media posts, white papers, case studies, product descriptions, and copy for the websites themselves.

That’s how a lot of successful writers make their living.

But there are other ways. You don’t have to write for clients, for instance. You can easily write your own content-filled website and make some bucks that way. Or write e-books. Or self-publish.

You can even write persuasive copy that’s never published online, but instead gets sent out through snail mail.

The bottom line is, life as a well-paid writer is a reality. It’s a dream job, sure. But it’s also a real opportunity.

And here on the Barefoot Writer, along with my fellow writers, we’re going to show you how you can make it your reality.

If you’re skeptical, don’t sweat it. I totally was when I first heard freelance writing could be lucrative. I share my story here, along with what finally won me over and led me to the writing career I have now.