Can You Actually Get Paid To Write History
What if someone could pay you to read and learn about history? If you’re already excited by that prospect, then you should consider turning your passion into your profession by becoming a history writer. The best part is that it’s not as hard as you might think!
The skills required
A historian records and analyzes past events. They usually possess a very comprehensive knowledge of history, and are capable of showing insight into it. An academic historian will have at least a master’s degree in history, while a professional one may even have a Ph.D. The most important skill for an historian is definitely their ability to understand historical context by reading primary source documents, which they must use with care as they can be highly biased or incorrect. An academic or professional historian should also be adept at research, evaluation and synthesis of information, organizational skills and writing ability.
What kind of jobs are available
There are hundreds of jobs available for professional historians and even more for history buffs. If you’re interested in writing about your area of expertise or becoming a professor, then you can find a job that utilizes those skills. For example, museums often hire historians to manage their collections and exhibits, while historic places like national parks often hire historians to keep track of important events that took place there. And speaking of events: if you’re really passionate about an event that took place during an important time period in history, you can apply to be a tour guide—many historical sites look for tour guides who have extensive knowledge about what happened at that particular site, but no writing experience.
How much can you expect to make
This is a hard question to answer, because every type of writer works differently. For example, an established magazine writer who can command $1 per word for a feature might not make much at all working on staff at a major newspaper. There are no unions for writers or regular paychecks like you’d find in other professions, so there are no minimums or guarantees in terms of pay. The best advice I can give you is to think about how much money your skills are worth and charge accordingly. If you’re just starting out and want to build your portfolio, take any job that comes along; as long as it’s writing-related, it will help you hone your craft and better understand how much work goes into each type of project.
Where do I start?
The first thing you should do when you want to write history is, get a job that pays well. If it doesn’t pay well then you won’t be able to pursue writing history as a career because you will have another job that pays your bills and might not have time for research or new projects. The best way to have time to write is if your job has time flexibility where you can work whenever but still make enough money. For example, an Uber driver could work anytime in his free time and earn some cash. If he has college degree he can even charge more than someone who doesn’t have one by talking up his knowledge of history. Now once you got a good paying job then get started on your passion!