Oscar Wilde's answer to what type of writing pays the best was, "Ransom notes!" With the advent of the Internet, a good writer or manager of writers can make ransom notes look like pocket change. Whether you supply content or sales copy, there's a river of money flowing to those who can put together words that work hard and earn a living for the buyer.

The number one reason people go online is to find information. Content providers are at the head of the line for those searching for relevant content that matches their search queries. "Authority" sites rank highly in SERP's (Search Engine Result Pages) because of the amount and "density" of their relevant content. You can bet that many of the Web site owners did not write that content themselves!

The highest paying form of writing that's relevant to Internet Marketers is sales copy. A hard-hitting, highly converting sales page is worth a fortune. That's why top sales copywriters charge a fortune up front, and often command a percentage of the sales generated by the sales page. However, copywriting is a refined art that takes years to master and a genuine talent that most writers do not possess. If you have what it takes to produce sales copy that "pulls like a nitro-charged tow truck", your income and reputation will be assured for life.

Hype, bold red headlines and tabloid-style sales pitches put off some people. Never mind what you like - the only measure of a sales page is results, not aesthetics. If the same ads on the back page of a comic book or scandal sheet keep running, month after month and year after year, they're profitable. Considering how expensive it is to run a 4 color, full-page ad, they have to be.

It's not necessary to be totally garish and offensively pushy to create excellent sales copy, either. There are plenty of examples, online and offline, of long-running ads that draw you in by carefully chosen words, layouts and pictures that work together. Some of the most powerful ad copy is written for direct mail promotions. Given the up-front cost to send a letter, the sales copy must produce the desired results or there won't be a second mailing.

For the majority of writers who serve the IM community, creation of content is the way to make a very good living and create multiple streams of revenue. Done correctly, supplying information can be leveraged into some of the biggest online businesses that serve other IM professionals. Content providers can use their eBooks, articles and reports as a jumping off point for creating audio, video, live seminars, coaching, mentoring and Master Mind groups that bring in millions of dollars, most of it pure profit.

Getting started in either copywriting or content creation begins with small steps. Many of the best out there got their start with article marketing or producing content for affiliate/AdSense Web sites. They mastered the art of "preselling" before moving into harder selling or information products of their own. For content creators, ghostwriting is a natural step up from article writing, leading to the creation of their own info-products.

The best resources for finding and learning more about writing for profit are online discussion forums and interest groups. Internet Marketing, copywriting and ghostwriting all have online meeting places where like-minded wordsmiths trade ideas, share resources and answer each other's questions. If you have the interest, talent and passion for words that it takes to make it in these fields, go seek out your peers and start participating in their exchange of ideas, strategies and tactics.