Poet vs fiction writer

The differences between poets and fiction writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a fiction writer has an average salary of $78,921, which is higher than the $49,190 average annual salary of a poet.

The top three skills for a poet include slam, short stories and powerpoint. The most important skills for a fiction writer are fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.

Poet vs fiction writer overview

	Poet	Fiction Writer
Yearly salary	$49,190	$78,921
Hourly rate	$23.65	$37.94
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	989	10,192
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Poet vs fiction writer salary

Poets and fiction writers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Poet	Fiction Writer
Average salary	$49,190	$78,921
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $86,000	Between $51,000 And $120,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between poet and fiction writer education

There are a few differences between a poet and a fiction writer in terms of educational background:

	Poet	Fiction Writer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	English	English
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Poet vs fiction writer demographics

Here are the differences between poets' and fiction writers' demographics:

	Poet	Fiction Writer
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2%	Male, 48.1% Female, 51.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 4.9% White, 75.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between poet and fiction writer duties and responsibilities

Poet example responsibilities.

Manage international man-made fiber market research/publishing company and supervise editorial content and sales of industry statistical journal.
Review submitted manuscripts, brainstorm & implement promotional strategies, track community involvement, and plan literary events with the editor-in-chief.
Select and edit photos utilizing Photoshop.

Fiction writer example responsibilities.

Manage arts and entertainment editorial calendar, assign stories to multiple freelancers and plan daily coverage.
Publish several works including the publication of one non-fiction title.
Curate, edit, and write for the fiction section of a small, start-up online magazine.
Co-Authore and publish a non-fiction book available on Amazon.com
Implement a digital photography program that reduce costs by eliminating traditional physical photos.
Work collaboratively with editors, other writers, graphics professionals and photographers to ensure high level of editorial professionalism and detail.

Poet vs fiction writer skills

Common poet skills

Slam, 30%
Short Stories, 16%
PowerPoint, 15%
Public Speaking, 14%
Fiction, 14%
Artist-Teacher, 12%

Common fiction writer skills

Fiction, 71%
Non-Fiction, 11%
Poetry, 9%
Short Stories, 9%

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Poet vs Fiction Writer

Updated January 8, 2025

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