by Kasia | Oct 10, 2016 | Writing
When you think of a lucrative career what titles come to mind? Investment banker, Chief Operating Officer, Lawyer, Doctor. Writer rarely enters the thought but then again just look at Stephen King, JK Rowling, EL James, Russell Blake, Joanna Penn, Bella Andre. These are writers making more than some investment bankers. They’ve broken barriers and given the rest of us mere mortals the opportunity to do the same.
It’s time to start looking at writing as a career that provides multiple income streams.
Traditionally, we got a job, stayed in it for fifty years, retired on a modest pension, and counted down the days till the end. While that still happens today, it’s more common to see people change jobs or even careers every five to ten years, and then retire on a piss-poor pension that barely covers the necessities.
Fortunately, we have more options today to make a difference to our bottom line, do what we love, and never formally retire – if we don’t want to. With the rise in use of technology around the world, it’s never been easier to be a writer and to be wealthy.
It’s simple. It isn’t easy.
If you’re prepared to work smart, commit to a few years of uncertainty and basically writing for free, you can create a future where your writing provides you with multiple streams of income. That’s my plan. Wanna join me on the journey?
Why multiple streams of income?
Being 100% reliant on one source of income is dangerous. Get laid off, quit, get injured and aren’t able to work, need to stay home to look after a loved one, and you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. Who’s going to pay the bills if you’ve got no money coming in? Unless you’ve been stashing away 50% of your income for the past ten years, you might have a hard time making ends meet.
Multiple streams of income means earning an income from multiple sources. Well, duh. It provides you with a higher level of financial security than just your day job. Originally, multiple streams of income would include your job, real estate, shares, a business, maybe a moonlighting gig.
As a writer your multiple income streams can include:
- fiction books
- non-fiction books
- blogging
- niche sites
- freelancing
- copywriting
- affiliate marketing
- advertising
- sponsored posts
I’ve mentioned 9 streams. Imagine if each stream gave you $500 per month. Five hundred dollars isn’t going to pay the mortgage and give you security but if you have nine of these streams trickling through each month, that’s $4,500 on top of your day job. Now wouldn’t that be awesome? You might even trade in the day job and work for yourself.
Stop starving, start living
You can start earning as a writer from day one. As an author, my main aim is to make a significant living from my books. That’s not going to happen overnight. It’s going to take a lot of work, sacrifice, patience and tenacity to get there. I’ll get there.
At the time of writing this, I’ve made enough to cover my toner cartridge for a laser jet printer, not much else. That’s fine. Freelancing has got me enough to cover the cost of my book covers. Blogging, well, the aim is to start making some money from it this year.
I’m aiming to reach $500 per month each from freelancing, blogging, and books within 12 months. That’s $1500 per month that will make a huge difference to my lifestyle. What would an extra $18,000 per year give you?
Baby steps will get you there
There are bloggers who are making more money per month from their online businesses than is easy to imagine. But it shows that it’s doable. Just check out these three to see where they’ve started and how far they’ve come.
Horkey Handbook
Pinch Of Yum
Money Can Buy Me Happiness
Now not everyone is going to be making that sort of income but what would an extra $1000 or even $500 per month mean for you? These writers didn’t start from six figures per year. They started with $1 and build their businesses up from there. If you want to make money that’s exactly what you need to do, treat your writing like a business.
Do you want to be a freelancer?
Check out Gina’s 30 Days Or Less To Freelance Writing Success course. I’ve read a lot of books on freelancing and even tried a course or two, Gina’s has been the most useful and practical. She outlines everything in a simple manner and provides real life examples that got her to where she is today. Check out her course here.
You can read So You Wanna Be a Freelancer? for more info!
Do you want to be a blogger?
You can easily set up a blog in as little as half an hour. I use Bluehost and recommend their services. You can check out my post on How to Start An Author Blog. You can use the information to start any type of blog.
Do you want to write books?
I suggest you check out The Creative Penn for everything that’s book writing for both fiction and non-fiction. Joanna Penn provides a wealth of information.
I’ve started a ‘How To Write A Novel’ Series here, check out these four so far:
Part 1: How Do You Write A Novel & Can Anyone Do It?
Part 2: Where Do You Get Your Ideas?
Part 3: Should You Write What You Know?
Part 4: How Well Do You Know Your Characters?
Do you want to make money through affiliate marketing?
Michelle from Making Sense of Cents, created an awesome affiliate marketing course. She’s a champ when it comes to affiliates. Her income has exceeded six-figures per month. Now that’s something to write home about. Her course is packed with useful information that you can put to practice write away and hopefully start earning.
Do you want to create multiple streams of income so that you can have the financial freedom to do what you want, when you want?
*This post contains affiliate links which means I might receive some moolah. Moolah is good, it means I can keep writing, keep producing and keep communicating with you – and I won’t have the debt collector showing up on my doorstep!
by Kasia | Oct 7, 2016 | Blogging, Writing
If you’re an author, you need a blog.
You write books not articles. You want to entertain with 100,000 word stories not quick two sentence paragraph quickies.
That’s fine.
You still need a blog.
If you want to find readers, build a platform and sell books, you need to be online and the best way to do that is to have a blog or a website.
Without an online presence it’s difficult, if not impossible, to get noticed. Yes, it’s hard online too, there are hundreds of thousands of blogs popping up left, right and centre. But that’s no excuse for you as an author to ignore the blogosphere.
8 Reasons Why As An Author You Need A Blog!
1 – Build an online platform for your fiction.
You can write about your writing process and how you research – readers love to learn more info about their favourite authors. That’s why I started a Piece of Me section on my website. It’s nothing major, just a little bit of space where I can share the trials and tribulations (and joys) of being an author-entrepreneur in the making without the pressure of putting together a blog post.
2- Build an online platform for your non-fiction.
It’s much easier to make money with non-fiction than fiction – apparently anyway. There are authors making a decent buck from both. You might be a fiction writer who wants to teach newbies how to get published and live their dreams. Having an online presence will make it easier for you. I’ve always wanted to write a How To book. Now’s my chance!
Related: HOW TO START AN AUTHOR BLOG!
3 – Grow an email list.
An email list is an asset. One that authors cannot be without. You don’t want to rely just on the platforms like Amazon and Kobo for your sales. You just don’t know when they’ll wake up one morning and decide to change the rules. An email list is potential buyers at your fingertips. Invest in them. Nurture them. And they will in turn reward you buy buying and loving your books. I’m still working on my email list. I was giving away one of my books for free and I’ll continue to do that but I’m also working on a free ebook for the business side of things.
4 – Improve your writing.
Blogging is a different type of writing than fiction. It’s conversational. It’s short and long, snappy and laboured. It’s what you want it to be. A blog can allow you to practice your craft and get instant feedback through comments. You can write articles related to your niche or even short stories or extracts from your books. If you like you can even publish an entire book online.
5 – Attract potential readers.
The more time you spend online publishing quality posts the more likely you are to attract readers who are going to love what you’re offering whether that’s fiction or non-fiction. As a writer I assume you want readers, right?
6 – Attract contacts.
It’s not just about readers. It’s also about being part of a community. Working with your peers. Supporting one another. Helping each other. Having an online presence with a blog will increase your chances of being sought by editors or publications, it will help you meet likeminded people (much harder to do in the real world!).
7 – Sell your books direct.
Whether that’s through your blog or website, you can sell your books without the middleman which means more profits to you and you make the rules and set the prices.
8 – Diversify your income stream.
Let’s be honest, writing books isn’t going to make most of us rich, nor is it going to let us quit our jobs and do the gig full time. If we win the lotto maybe, or if you find other income streams to support your book writing. A blog and a website can do just that. With it you can make money through Adsense, Affiliates, and Sponsored Posts, among other things.
What if you hate the idea of blogging?
I love to blog. I have so many ideas that I don’t have the time to execute so it’s hard for me to fathom that some people just don’t like blogging or don’t blog. There are a lot. Like 99% of the people in my circle of family and friends.
If you hate the idea of blogging don’t do it. But you at least need to have a website. A piece of internet real estate that will help potential readers find you. It’s like having a business and not listing it in the yellow pages or not having a Facebook page. It’s a no-no.
Have a website at the very least. You can then just include the bare necessities – about you, about your books, and how can readers contact you. Easy.
What can fiction authors blog about?
- Research
- Interview with other authors in their niche
- About themselves
- They’re favourite writing spaces
- Interesting facts about their life/characters/settings
- Plans for future books
- Upcoming events
- Short stories related to their novels or completely separate (don’t you hate when a book ends? You can do a short story spin off and publish it on your blog?
What can non-fiction authors blog about?
- Research
- Interviews with experts in your niche
- Expand on topics in your non-fiction books
- Facts and figures related to your niche
- How to articles related to your field
What are some of the different types of blog posts you can write?
- List posts – probably the most popular
- Tutorial or how to
- Essay types
- Reviews
- Stories
- Profiles
- Interviews
- And much more!
Are you ready to start an author blog? You can check out my post on How To Start An Author Blog here!
Do you have an author blog? What do you write about? Have you found benefits in having a blog? Share your experience in the comments below!
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by Kasia | Oct 5, 2016 | Writing
Pick up a few ‘How To’ for writers books and you’ll find various opinions about characterisation. Some experts tell you that a name is enough others want you to complete full character profiles.
Do you really need a full three-page bio on your character?
No.
Do you need to know how your character looks and is likely to behave in certain situations?
Yes.
Figure out the bare minimum and start writing.
It’s easy to get bogged down in the nitty-gritty details of each character before you start writing the book but it’s unnecessary. Stick to the basics and then add what is necessary as you write your story and discover more about your character.
Having trouble trying to figure out how your character looks like?
Try Google Images.
Google Images will save you time and frustration. Once you find the person that looks like the character you’re imagining for your story you can pin it to your storyboard and refer to it whenever you need a description or need to get into the character’s mindset.
Images will make your life easier and you can picture the face each time you write it, bringing you closer to the character you are writing about.
TIP: Find a suitable image for your character online. Keep it in your file and glance at it whenever you’re writing a scene with that character. Do this for both your protagonist and antagonist as well as any secondary characters. Being able to picture your characters might help you with your story and it will keep your descriptions accurate throughout your book, reducing your chance of giving the character blue eyes at the beginning and brown at the end.
Don’t bog yourself down into too much detail though. That’s called procrastination. Procrastination will prevent you from writing the story and getting your book out there. Stick to the basics and take notes as you write. You can fill in the gaps as you go.
Your Character Profile Cheat Sheet
Here’s a list of the main character details that may prove useful when you start writing. These aren’t mandatory. It’s your story. Use what is required to get started and start writing rather than stressing about your characters star sign or hair colour.
- Name:
- Age:
- Occupation:
- Family:
- Likes:
- Dislikes:
- Best friend:
- Worst enemy:
- Main Motivation:
- Main Obstacle:
Check out a PDF version here –> Character Profile Cheat Sheet
TIP: Include a mini character profile for all your characters, even if they are just walk on. It doesn’t have to be major, just a short sentence or description.
As you go you can fill in the blanks. Remember this isn’t set in stone. You can modify it along the way. Characters are funny in that they don’t always turn out the way you planned them.
My character Lexi was initially a weak one that was meant to grow through the novel and find herself. But the writing was torture and the story wasn’t going anywhere. As soon as I toughened her up, a more interesting story emerged. She’s still growing just in a different way.
How much you know about your characters also depends on the type of story you are writing.
Some books are plot driven. Others are character driven. Some are a combination of the two. Only you will know what’s necessary for your story.
The most important thing is to get started and stop trying to get it perfect.
Perfection is overrated. You will only learn with the more you write and the more you create.
TIP: Make sure you give all your characters strengths and weaknesses otherwise to make it easier for your readers to relate to them.
What makes a character memorable?
It’s not their hair colour (unless it’s bright pink on a district attorney). Is it the way they speak? Maybe it’s how they find endearing qualities in every person they meet?
There’s no one size fits all. The only thing your character has to fit is your story.
Need a little extra help, here’s a book that ought to have a permanent spot in your home/Kindle library.
Don’t have a Kindle? You can get one delivered to your door!
Kindle Paperwhite E-reader – Black, 6″ High-Resolution Display (300 ppi) with Built-in Light, Wi-Fi – Includes Special Offers
How much do you know about your characters? Do you write up long or short character profiles or maybe none at all?
*This post contains affiliate links.
by Kasia | Oct 4, 2016 | Blogging
Do you like a challenge? Do you like pushing yourself to your limits and beyond to see what you’re made of?
Me too.
Whether that’s with writing, working, running or any other facet of my life I’m one to avoid the easy route and aim higher. Things don’t always go according to plan but at least I can say I’ve give it, whatever it may be, a go.
In October I’m challenging myself to post every day, Monday to Friday. That’s 21 blog posts in 21 days. I figure having the weekends free will take the pressure off.
Doable?
Sure is. I actually planned to do this last month and the month before but life got the better of me – as it often does when you’ve got a job, a toddler and trying to get started on building a house that just doesn’t seem to want to be built.
Why am I adding a blogging challenge to the mix?
I’m afraid I’ll get bored. Hahaha, no, I need to take Writerly Pursuits to the next level. I need to get a lot of the ideas in my head out into the world before my brain explodes.
But blogging isn’t enough. Write and they shall come is not a good mantra. It doesn’t work like that anymore. Maybe when blogs first started emerging you could write and the audience would magically appear but that is not the case anymore.
Today it’s much harder to earn your readers trust and interest.
There’s so much noise out there that there are no guarantees of success. Talent isn’t enough. A lot of people have talent. Unfortunately, not all are successful.
I have noticed one thing though, slow and steady wins the race. Consistency and discipline are vital.
What do I want to get out of a full month of blogging?
◆ Double my page views.
◆ Attract regular readers.
◆ Help writers achieve their dreams by showing them it’s possible.
◆ Sell more books.
Join me.
You’ve nothing to lose and everything to gain. There’s no need to do it every day. Maybe aim for every other day or three times per week. Choose an amount that is easy then add ten percent to stretch yourself a little. You might be surprised at what emerges.
Not sure what to write about? Here are a few topic ideas to get you started:
✓ List post
✓ ‘How To’ post
✓ Tell a story
✓ Opinion piece
✓ Share an experience
✓ Do an interview
What to expect over the coming weeks?
⁃ How To Write A Novel series of posts (writing a novel is simple but it isn’t easy)
⁃ Interview with authors selling books (yes, there are many indies swimming in book sales)
⁃ Different income streams available to writers (you don’t need to be a starving artist)
It’s easy to make excuses about not having enough time or energy. In October, I’m quitting with the excuses and getting down to work because no one else is going to do it for me.
I challenge you to get out of your comfort zone too.
by Kasia | Oct 3, 2016 | Writing
Rough patches come and go, my one seems to stuck with me for all of September. It’s been a great month in most regards except for writing.
I even managed a week in Hawaii averaging four hours of sleep a night and spending my waking hours eating, drinking, hiking, walking, swimming and exploring the nightlife and doing absolutely no writing. Hawaii is awesome guys, if you haven’t been there, pack your hiking boots and swimmers and enjoy.
There’s a simple little taco joint across from the International Street Market (don’t let the name fool you, they have Saks, Michael Kors and lots of high priced stores) and a few doors down there’s a Asian place that takes no reservations and you’re likely to be waiting for thirty minutes in line to get freshly made noodles in curries and soups. It’s like a diner set up but oh so delicious and great value for money. You can even watch through the front window as they make the noodles.
50 Shades of Blue
Guaranteed freshness. Definitely worth the wait.
Where was I? I tend to get carried away when talking about food and holidays. I love food. A lot. Fortunately I like exercise too otherwise my love affair with food and drink would be short-lived.
There I go talking off tangent. Let’s get back to the topic at hand, writing.
My writing in September sucked. I planned on finishing book 4 of the Lethal series. Hmm, nope. Didn’t happen. That’s three months behind now and it’s driving me insane.
I planned to finish a quick ebook that I wanted to give away for free for subscribers too. Yep, no that wasn’t meant to be either.
Then there’s Writerly Pursuits. I had great plans before the holiday to schedule posts and increase my traffic. But what do you know, I stalled and procrastinated and now we’re back to the end of the month once again.
Yay. Not.
Ok, we all get these months right? It’s not just me going through a rough patch. We all do from time to time.
I’ve been beating myself up about it for a few days now and that’s not conducive to my progress. It’s making things worse. So I’m just taking a chill pill (theoretically speaking), and just going with the flow for the next few days.
Hopefully, easing the pressure will get the muse going again.
Oh and I signed for National Novel Writing Month.
Did you know there’s like over a million writers participating? How awesome is that?
I did National Novel Writing Month a few years ago and wrote the first draft of a novel which I hope to tweak and publish in the next twelve months. It’s been on the agenda for some time with the story percolating in the back of my mind.
It’s 50,000 words in 30 days. About 1667 words per day. Completely doable, right?
Can you do it? I dare you. Challenge yourself. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. And if you’ve been procrastinating like me then it might the kick in the backside you need to get your novel written.
I’m looking forward to it. Now just to decide which story idea to work on first?
Income
Income was nothing to write home about. I wrote two articles. Got paid for one. The payment for the other will probably arrive in October and get counted towards that months’ income.
September Writing Income: $188
Pitches: 0
Poor effort on the pitching front. I didn’t send any pitches and that’s frustrating. My income is not going to increase if I don’t approach publications and submit pitches.
Would you like to earn money freelance writing? Check out So You Want To Be A Freelance Writer?
Books
I currently have 3 books out. Two novellas and a novel in the Lethal series:
Lethal Instincts (Book 1 in the Lexi Ryder Crime Thriller) – A Novella
Lethal Disposal (Book 2 in the Lexi Ryder Crime Thriller) – A Novel
Lethal Aftershock (Book 3 in the Lexi Ryder Crime Thriller) – A Novella
Free Books: 223
Smashwords: 175
Amazon: 43
Kobo: 0 (You can download Lethal Instincts free from Kobo)
Books Sold: 0
I made Lethal Instincts permanently free on Kobo and Smashwords. The purpose of giving away my book for free is to attract more readers. I hope that if they enjoy book one they are more likely to purchase books two and three and so forth.
I’ve a few more projects in the works. I’m hoping to publish two more books in 2016.
Site Statistics
Blog posts: 4
Page Views: 204 (hmm, not looking good)
Goals For October
Write more
Pitch more
Earn more
Take time to relax
How much do you know about your characters? Do you write up long or short character profiles or maybe none at all?
