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What is a novelist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a novelist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $24.9 an hour? That's $51,800 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 5,900 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreNovelistUS Average
Salary
4.0

Avg. Salary $51,800

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
3.4

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.7
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.36%

Asian 4.95%

Black or African American 5.97%

Hispanic or Latino 7.67%

Unknown 5.60%

White 75.45%

Gender

female 39.41%

male 60.59%

Age - 41
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41
Stress level
3.4

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
5.4

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a novelist

  1. Explore novelist education requirements

    Most common novelist degrees

    Bachelor's

    68.8 %

    Master's

    10.4 %

    Associate

    9.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific novelist skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Fiction67.61%
    Short Stories16.46%
    Facebook15.93%
  3. Research novelist duties and responsibilities

    • Manage, create, photograph, curate, and market an independent DIY blog.
    • Design and implement book specific and company websites utilizing best practices for CSS and SEO.
    • Track blog metrics and SEO.
    • Conceive, devise, design, outline, write and illustrate full-length finish major literary works of contemporary fiction.
  4. Prepare your novelist resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your novelist resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a novelist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable novelist resume templates

    Build a professional novelist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your novelist resume.
    Novelist Resume
    Novelist Resume
    Novelist Resume
    Novelist Resume
    Novelist Resume
    Novelist Resume
    Novelist Resume
    Novelist Resume
    Novelist Resume
  5. Apply for novelist jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a novelist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first novelist job

Zippi

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Average novelist salary

The average novelist salary in the United States is $51,800 per year or $25 per hour. Novelist salaries range between $28,000 and $93,000 per year.

Average novelist salary
$51,800 Yearly
$24.90 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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