Do Writing Jobs Still Exist in 2026?

Do you love writing, and dream of making a living from it? I relate completely. As a lifelong amateur writer, I always knew that I wanted to do something related to writing when I grew up.nI’m fortunate now that I get to write for a living.

Writing however, since it’s now done so easily by AI tools like ChatGBT, is one that many fear will completely disappear due to AI. I would be lying if I said that I haven’t had major concerns about how writing automation has affected the job market for aspiring writers. But now, as it’s been many years after GenAI has become common place and accessible to everyone – I find that there are still writing jobs out there. Maybe not as many as before, but there is still many ways to make money from writing!

So, if writing is your dream, then read below for ideas for jobs that will allow you to use your writing skills to earn an income, whether it’s a full-time or a side hustle.

Writing Jobs That Still Exist (Even in the Age of AI)

1. Blogging

As a full-time blogger, I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I said that AI hadn’t affected blogging in some way – it has.

But, blogging is not dead – contrary to what many may tell you. Myself and many others continue to earn a passive income from blogging. It may not be as high as it was before for many of us, but the possibility of earning money is still there and we are constantly doing what we can to adapt in an age where asking chatbots and reading AI overviews is becoming more common than visiting websites.

Now that being said, to be a successful (money-earning) blogger, you need a couple things:

• Interest, passion and knowledge in the topic that you’re blogging about (don’t blog about stuff you aren’t interested in)
• Good SEO strategies which can learned from taking an SEO course, or simply reading SEO tips online

Blogging in my opinion is a job that I think will always be safe from compelete AI takeover, especially if the topic is not evergreen. For example, if you review books, travel, products, or anything that changes over time, then constant human evaluation and input is needed. AI cannot review these things, it can only go off of the reviews of other people. If people stop blogging all together, then there will be less to pull from. If you blog about something like parenting advice, then that can be more evergreen, and, unfortunately, harder to compete with AI. (Although I still recommend trying if this is your goal!)

2. Copywriting (freelance or employed)

Good copywriting is a really lucrative form of income because it involves writing text that sells. If you can write good copy, you absolutely still can make a lot of money. Businesses will hire you to write copy that resonates with readers.

Similar to blogging, good writing in copy requires you to be knowledgeable about your subject area. Most copywriters have ‘niches’ that they focus on, because trying to write about everything wouldn’t be worth their while.

Major companies continue to employ talented copywriters; often with a background in marketing. But, copywriting can be done as a freelance writer too. You could work from home and have clients that you provide copy for, or it could be a remote work situation working for someone else.

3. Author (traditional or self-published)

The beauty of living in this day in age is that anyone can self-publish a book. And no, that doesn’t mean that every book sells. But, if you’re a talented writer with a good story, then you can get your book published and on shelves or on people’s suggested Amazon purchases, and that means that it always has a chance of selling.

I know someone personally who’s self-published books earned her a top place on Amazon, and started raking in tens of thousands of dollars a month. In the end, she got a traditional publishing deal.

Publishing a book is something you can work towards while doing something else. It can be a fun goal that spend anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour a day making progress on.

4. Journalism

There will always be a need for journalists; people who find stories, interview relevant people, and get the stories published on large media outlets.

Journalism is always based on new information; that’s why its called ‘news.’ So, the job cannot be done by AI; at least not completely. Humans will always need to be involved in the process of the creation of a written published text.

Typically, being a journalist or reporter requires a university degree -usually in journalism.

5. Freelance writing

Freelance writing is bascially starting your own business, usually an online business. Rather than be employed by a company to handle all of their wriing tasks, you instead would have a number of clients, usually small businesses.

Now, freelance writing gigs are probably more limited than they once were, as many small businesses may be trying to tackle the writing component of their work using AI tools. I’ve heard that many end up realizing that with or without AI, writing is a lot harder than they thought and they end up going back to hiring someone!

6. (Bonus) Submitting written works to big publications

There’s one other way to make money as a writer – and that is by writing one off pieces for large media outlets. Travel and Leisure for example, is willing to pay you for an original written piece. Usually, an agreement like this has to be made beforehand. You can just writing something, send it, and then expect to be paid. You instead pitch your idea ahead of time, and get approval before you start the article!

Here are some outlets where you could earn money from writing:

• Medium
• Condé Nast Traveller
• Pro Blogger Job Board

Final Thoughts on Writing For Now and the Future

Writing jobs may be harder to find now than they once were, but they’re still out there. AI has changed the landscape when it comes to writing jobs, but I believe that there will always be work for writers who are dedicated, and willing to writing original content. Whether you want to be self employed, work from home, or be a digial nomad – writing, when its your calling can offer many ways to earn money.