In the early days of blogging, most bloggers made no or very little money. And while that's still the case for most, independent blogging has turned into a viable career for some people. Australian
Darren Rowse is one of those lucky ones.
Rowse makes his living by writing or being involved in about 17 blogs (as well as peripheral activities like public speaking and consulting on the topic of blogging). His blogs include
Digital Camera Review,
Camera Phone Review, and
Laptop Review.
Much of his income comes from
Google's AdSense -- contextual ads placed on his blogs, in which Rowse shares some of the money. Things appear to be going well for Rowse, because he
reports that in May, Google sent him a check for $14,436.45 -- his best month ever. The bulk of that money came from three of his blogs.
Rowse, who also writes a blog on the topic of how to make money from blogging,
Pro Blogger, says that while it's not easy to reach his level of success, he is aware of some other bloggers making in the $10,000-a-month range from Google AdSense.
Don't forget, this is only from AdSense. Bloggers like Rowse can of course earn money from independent ad sales, ad networks like
BlogAds, and peripheral opportunities arising from their expertise on a topic.
The lesson is obvious: Blogging needn't be just a hobby. Done right, one can make a decent living at it.
