What it pays
Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.
Half of all Writers and Authors in the U.S. earn more than $76,910 a year — the middle 80% land between $44,310 and $139,870. About 47,940 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Writers and Authors”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Professionals earn about ₹38,298 a month on average — around ₹4.6 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$76,910typical pay / year
47,940people in this work
$139,870+top 10% earn
₹4.6 lakha year in India (family avg)
Think you get this job?Six quick questions on how it really works — with a hint and the reason behind every answer.
Test yourself →The work, task by task
These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.
Keeping the record2
Write words to accompany the melody
+Write lyrics to match a 90 BPM minor-key melody about urban night drives: four 8-line verses, a hook repeated…
Write words to accompany the melody
+Write lyrics to match a 90 BPM minor-key melody about urban night drives: four 8-line verses, a hook repeated twice, clear rhyme pattern, and avoid trademarked names.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordESCOjob descriptionsO*NET
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Revise written material
+Revise the submitted article to reduce length by 25%, tighten lead, improve transitions, fix passive voice,…
Revise written material
+Revise the submitted article to reduce length by 25%, tighten lead, improve transitions, fix passive voice, and return a clean and tracked version with a 24-hour turnaround.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptionsO*NET
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Convincing3
Write prose
+Finish the 800-word character-driven piece on the failed summer romance, keep the lyrical voice intimate and…
Write prose
+Finish the 800-word character-driven piece on the failed summer romance, keep the lyrical voice intimate and music-forward, check factual copyright references for quoted lines, and deliver a clean manuscript by Tuesday morning.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptionsO*NET
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Write essays
+Write a 1,200-word essay on how melody shapes modern folk lyrics, include three musical examples with brief…
Write essays
+Write a 1,200-word essay on how melody shapes modern folk lyrics, include three musical examples with brief analysis and cite copyright sources, finish a draft for peer review by Thursday evening.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptionsO*NET
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Choose subject matter
+Map five strong subject ideas for a monthly column about songwriting craft, note target reader, voice, and…
Choose subject matter
+Map five strong subject ideas for a monthly column about songwriting craft, note target reader, voice, and one opening anecdote for each so I can pitch to Editor Sam on Monday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptionsO*NET
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Learning1
Plan project arrangements
+Draft the client project plan for the three-song EP: outline milestones, rights-clearance steps, budget for…
Plan project arrangements
+Draft the client project plan for the three-song EP: outline milestones, rights-clearance steps, budget for session musicians, and delivery dates so I can send it to Producer Anna and the label by next Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Wordjob descriptionsO*NET
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The daily work14
Match lyrics to mood of melody
+Match the draft lyrics to the melody’s dour, slow-tempo A minor groove so each verse tightens the melancholy,…
Match lyrics to mood of melody
+Match the draft lyrics to the melody’s dour, slow-tempo A minor groove so each verse tightens the melancholy, swap any bright phrasing for darker imagery, mark lines that clash with the rhythm, and return a single-page lyric set for rehearsal by Wednesday.
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Copyright legislation
+Review the song’s lyrics and chord chart against UK and US copyright basics, flag any lines that risk copying…
Copyright legislation
+Review the song’s lyrics and chord chart against UK and US copyright basics, flag any lines that risk copying an identifiable source, note ownership and clearance steps needed before licensing, and deliver a one-page risk memo by next Tuesday.
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Develop themes and plots
+Develop three central themes and a three-arc plot outline for a 70,000-word literary novel about a failing…
Develop themes and plots
+Develop three central themes and a three-arc plot outline for a 70,000-word literary novel about a failing folk singer reconciling with his estranged daughter, include scene beats for opening, midpoint crisis, and final reveal, and list motifs to weave through lyrics and dialogue.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptionsO*NET
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Conduct research for factual detail
+Research verifiable background detail for a contemporary song cycle set in Bristol: find local venue names,…
Conduct research for factual detail
+Research verifiable background detail for a contemporary song cycle set in Bristol: find local venue names, transport links, regional slang, climate patterns for April, and three archival facts about the 1990s folk revival to add authenticity to lyrics and scene-setting.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptionsO*NET
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Follow procedures for copyrights
+Prepare a checklist and step-by-step memo for registering song copyrights and transferring rights for a…
Follow procedures for copyrights
+Prepare a checklist and step-by-step memo for registering song copyrights and transferring rights for a co-written album: include deposit materials required, timelines for registration, contract clauses to retain performance royalties, and instructions for submitting to the collecting society.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptionsO*NET
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Attend book launches or readings
+Plan attendance at the Shoreline book launch on Friday: write an event report template with pre-event goals,…
Attend book launches or readings
+Plan attendance at the Shoreline book launch on Friday: write an event report template with pre-event goals, three interview questions for the author, note-taking fields for audience reactions, and a follow-up pitch to editors within 48 hours.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptionsO*NET
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Write humorous material
+Write a ten-minute stand-up set about the absurdities of songwriting and streaming royalties: create five…
Write humorous material
+Write a ten-minute stand-up set about the absurdities of songwriting and streaming royalties: create five punchlines, three callbacks to use throughout, timing notes for pauses, and two audience-tested taglines for social posts.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptionsO*NET
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Collaborate with other writers on specific projects.
+Draft a collaboration brief for a four-song EP with two co-writers: define theme, assign verse/chorus…
Collaborate with other writers on specific projects.
+Draft a collaboration brief for a four-song EP with two co-writers: define theme, assign verse/chorus responsibilities, set deadlines for demos, state split percentages, and schedule two revision sessions with clear deliverables.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordO*NET
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Create original written works
+Draft an original 1,000–1,200 word short story in my voice about a touring guitarist losing their show after…
Create original written works
+Draft an original 1,000–1,200 word short story in my voice about a touring guitarist losing their show after a sudden copyright dispute, keep language cinematic, include three scene breaks and a final paragraph that ties to the song that opens the piece.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptions
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Write scripts
+Write a 10‑page teleplay for a half‑hour pilot centered on two co‑writers racing to finish lyrics before a…
Write scripts
+Write a 10‑page teleplay for a half‑hour pilot centered on two co‑writers racing to finish lyrics before a demo session, use industry formatting, include sluglines, dialogue beats, and a scene describing the melody so a composer can set it.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptions
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Write poetry
+Compose a sequence of twelve short poems that trace one song’s lifecycle from idea to release, each poem 8–16…
Write poetry
+Compose a sequence of twelve short poems that trace one song’s lifecycle from idea to release, each poem 8–16 lines, vary meter and voice across blues, folk, and R&B registers, and mark which could be sung as refrains.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptions
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Prepare works for publication
+Prepare a publication package for three original songs: clean manuscript lyrics, synopses of themes, composer…
Prepare works for publication
+Prepare a publication package for three original songs: clean manuscript lyrics, synopses of themes, composer notes on tempo and key, and a one‑page copyright statement ready for upload to a publisher.
The tools that do the workAdobe Acrobatjob descriptions
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Adapt text for musical requirements
+Adapt these draft lyrics into a performance version that fits a 3:30 pop arrangement: tighten verses for…
Adapt text for musical requirements
+Adapt these draft lyrics into a performance version that fits a 3:30 pop arrangement: tighten verses for eight bars each, add a singable bridge, mark rhythmic stresses and suggested syllable counts for the vocalist.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptions
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Interpret the style of a music piece
+Listen to the attached two‑minute demo and produce a two‑page analysis describing the piece’s style, likely…
Interpret the style of a music piece
+Listen to the attached two‑minute demo and produce a two‑page analysis describing the piece’s style, likely genre influences, suggested instrumentation, and three concrete notes a producer should act on.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordESCO
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Says who?
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The logs, files & records this job keeps
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Same family of work — each with its own tasks and prompts.
The LLOS Work Atlas is the world's largest evidenced task library — a map of human work, with a ready prompt behind every task. 1,774 careers · every task named by the sources that witnessed it — O*NET, ESCO, real job descriptions, Wikipedia — and the deepest tasks by several at once. And it is honest about limits: where AI cannot help, the map says so.
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Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses