As a content strategist, you can make more money than as a blogger – precisely because you offer SEO and strategy as well. You don’t just write but you suggest topics and optimize your posts.
Prices vary widely from as low as $25 per post (perhaps even lower) to $350 or more. The more specialized you are, the more you can charge. When you write about a topic you know well, you can write faster, too, as you don’t have to do a lot of research.
If, for instance, you’d want to target the travel sector, you can try to get guest posts published on well-known travel blogs. This will gain you a lot of credibility – it may even generate inquiries. Your own website could simply explain what you do (content strategy and blogging for travel sites) and include links to your guest posts. I don’t know how easy it is to break into this sector. But I used guest posting to land my first clients when I started out (I gained them before I had my website live as I only had a landing page).
You may want to check with Jon Morrow what he knows about the travel sector (or another sector you may want to target). He has a good feel about potential in different markets.
If you can land a few clients via guest posting, you can devote most of the rest of your energy to your novel writing.
Enchant readers. Woo customers. Win business.