Fortune Cookie writers can make up to a $100,000 a year writing fortunes.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median salary for writers in 2008 was $53,070. The lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $28,020, while the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $106,630. Most writers earned between $38,150 and $75,060. Fortune cookie writers likely earn salaries on the lower end of this scale, simply because the writing process is not as involved as the process for other writing works like novels or research articles. However, a fortune cookie writer with several years' experience and a strong reputation has the potential to earn a salary on the higher end of this range.

Fortune cookie writers need to be creative, inspiring and philosophical. They also need to write concisely to convey a message in just a few short words on a small piece of paper inside of a cookie. Fortune cookie writers need strong writing and communication skills, as well as a sense of humor. Salaries vary based on their employment status and workload.Some fortune cookie writers, like many other types of writers, are freelance writers as opposed to salaried writers for a company. According to BLS, about one-third of all writers are self employed, or freelance writers. Freelance writer salaries depend largely on the rate they charge clients and how much work they have. Most are paid either by the hour or by the project. Freelance writers earn from $12 to $50 or more.

Working as a fortune cookie writer has a number of benefits. Those employed by a company often receive additional benefits to their salaries, including health insurance, paid time off and possibly a 401k retirement savings plan. Freelance fortune cookie writers enjoy the benefit of creating their own schedule and working as much or as little as they want. All fortune cookie writers also enjoy the benefit of reaching thousands of people with inspiring or humorous words they write.