I’ve had to narrow down the key insights from the Romance Writers of Australia Conference 2024, otherwise this post would have never ended. Firstly, I never imagined myself attending a conference of this sort. I wasn’t a romance writer. I didn’t do soppy or small town or happily ever afters. I wanted crime and grime, mystery and suspense. Then I fell in love with a region and penned a small-town romance. Just another example of, never say never!
Attending the RWA 2024 Trope Actually Conference was almost a spur of the moment decision. I only became a member a few months ago by chance, and then saw that the upcoming conference and thought, why not? That’s what I’ve been working with the past nine months or so, consequences be damned. How’s it working out for me? I’ll let you know in a few months…maybe.
I’m going off track. We’re talking about the RWAus 2024 conference held at the lovely Stamford Grand in Glenelg.
1. Write down what you want to achieve from a conference before you attend
It’s easy to attend a conference and have no idea what you want to get out of it. You end up wandering aimlessly like a lost chook. That was the last thing I wanted. The conference, any conference, isn’t cheap, especially when there are flights involved and hotel bookings. You want to get your money’s worth.
This was a piece of advice I picked up before the conference and I’m so glad I took it on board because it meant that I had some sort of plan in place, an agenda, and I wasn’t going in to walk around like a headless chook.
Conferences can be overwhelming but if you can focus on three or four things that you want to get out of it, it will give you focus for the event. My things were:
Meet and connect with new to me writers.
Expand my romance writing knowledge.
Write lots of words during my entire trip.
Have a great time.
Step out of my comfort zone.
I think I managed to hit all five. Although, I wish that I socialised more with the authors. Next year!
2. Take notes, lots, and lots of notes
There was so much information to take in from the moment the conference started that there was no way to take it all in without taking notes. Even then, there was information that was certainly missed.
I took fourteen pages of notes on day 1, and twenty-one pages by the end of the conference, along with the pictures of slides.
There is a wealth of information to go through and process. It’s impossible to remember it all without note-taking. On top of that, I’ve noted action steps to take to level up my author business. And yes, being an author is a business regardless of whether you are independently or traditionally published.
Thanks to RWAus 2024, I have an extensive ‘to do’ list to keep me busy until the end of the year.
3. Romance readers are on the rise
Yes. I was surprised with this statistic also. Readership is growing and Elana Johnson had it down pat with ‘I don’t just write kissing books’.
Romance isn’t just about the kissing and sex. Okay, so the steamy stuff definitely is, but there are also stories of hope, redemption, growth and friendship.
Why is romance so popular? It’s a form of escapism. Especially now, with a cost of living crisis, people want stories of hope and love, and romance authors provide that in huge quantities.
Which begs the question: Is there too much romance around? Hell no. Romance readers are voracious. Some read a week, others a book or two a day. Yes, I know, that’s a lot of books.
So if you want to write romance (or any other genre for that matter), go for it. You never know when your next reader will come from.
4. Writing may be solitary but success in writing is built around having a supportive community of readers and writer friends
Being a writer can be lonely unless you’re doing a lot of collaborations. Even so, when you’re actually sitting down to write, you’re on your own, and that can mean hours of solitary work. It’s easy to fall into a trap of second guessing yourself. Having an author community is a great way to stay sane, keep yourself accountable, and have others to bounce ideas off.
It’s nice to have champions too. You know, those people in your corner who understand what you do and support you wholeheartedly.
This was something I noticed at the conference which I thought was lovely and I hope to build my own community like that one day. There were groups of writers who knew each other well and were friends, either because they met at writer groups or they had attended the conferences in previous years.
It’s vital to build a community with like-minded writers. You don’t all have to write or even read in the same genre, but you do have to respect each other and support each other in different ways whether it’s to bounce ideas off one another, speak about your wins and woes, get some words of encouragement, or anything and everything in between.
5. The RWAus Community is growing, it’s supportive, and it’s inclusive
Apparently, there was a record newbie attendance, and as a newbie myself, I have to say that the RWAus 2024 members were wonderful, welcoming and inclusive.. Not once did I feel like I didn’t belong a the conference or that I wasn’t welcome because I wasn’t traditionally published or sold a gazillion independent books.
Sitting around the tables, most of the authors in attendance were lovely and chatty and seemed like fun. I just wish I put in a little bit more effort in networking. It’s definitely something I want to work on next year. It’d be great to have writer friends all around the country and the only way to do that is to get out there and talk to people.
One of the things I wanted to do is check out the books of the authors that I found myself sitting with. As my memory for names and book titles is shocking, I shouldn’t have been surprised that at one point when I looked up an author to buy their book, it turned out that I had actually already read them all! I did pick a few new author names to extend my ‘want to read’ pile.
6. You need to take ownership of connecting with other writers
The only way to actually meet people is to make the effort yourself.
By default, a lot of writers are introverts. Not all, but a lot. Going to a conference can be overwhelming and exhausting, but if you want to network and build relationships, you have to be willing to make the first move.
Make the effort to talk with new people. You never know who you will meet, the friends and connections you’ll make, and what you’ll learn.
My biggest regret from the conference is not speaking up more. I love talking to people and making new connections, but it doesn’t come naturally to me. I have to think about what I say before hand and more often than not, my natural instinct is to sit quietly and observe – although I usually regret it afterwards. I was actually surprised that at the cocktail party I went up to a few random people and started chatting, and you know what, I wasn’t set on fire or ignored’, I was greeted with warmth and conversation.
People like conversation. We are social beings regardless of whether we are introverted or extroverted.
So next time you’re at a conference, make an effort to chat to others. The person sitting next to you staring into their phone might just be that introvert who wants to talk but is really worried about making the first move. It’s almost like being on a first date…
7. There is money to be made in independent, traditional, and hybrid publishing
The RWAus 2024 conference was packed with many successful authors. How do I know that? Well, all I had to do was search the author names on Amazon and see their book rankings.
One of my favourite moments was sitting in on the ‘Indie Evolution‘ session with Anna Hackett, a seven-figure independently published author. Yes, seven figures, go and put seven figures into a calculator if you have to.
There were many Mills and Boon authors who write lots of books. If you’re writing several books a year, then it’s highly likely that you are making good coin.
It’s not all about the money (but money helps us pay the bills), it was nice to discover that Australian authors are financially successful thanks to their amazing books.
Whether you want to go the traditional route, the indie path, or a combination of the two with hybrid, the possibilities are endless. Yes, you can make a living with your writing.
8. You have to get the basics (the foundation) in working order to expand your writing business
One of my favourite sessions was listening to Anna Hackett, the ultra-successful Australian independent author of romantic suspense, alien romance, and contemporary romance, I mentioned above. This amazing lady writes 10 books a year and sells A LOT of books. Just check out her rankings on Amazon if you don’t believe me, and her books have great reviews.
What are the basics? Glad you asked. Anna’s tips were to focus on Website, Newsletter, Story, Cover, Consistency. Get those things right and you can build a successful author business, whatever that may mean for you.
So in other words, write the best damn book you can, put a delicious cover on it, have a website that is eye catching with a link to a regular newsletter, and be consistent with your output so that your readers know what to expect.
I’m definitely going back to the drawing board and working on enhancing those basics. How about you?
9. We all suffer from imposter syndrome at one stage or another
Success doesn’t always equal confidence. Okay so the ultra-successful might be, but most of us mere mortals do suffer from imposter syndrome and self doubt to some degree. Every author has wondered at one point or another whether their book was good enough or get another idea to write the next one. It’s a natural part of the author life irrespective of where you are on your author journey.
The truth is there will always be someone who is smarter or more successful than we are. We may enter a room and feel out of our depth but we aren’t the only ones, and the only way to overcome this is to take a leap of faith and take that first step. Show up, participate, converse. Then do it again, and again, and again.
10. There is no one way to write, publish, and sell your books
Sit three authors at a table for a group chat and you’re going to find that each one has their own writing process. Some are planners, some pantsers, while others do a bit of both or something in between.
The same goes for publishing. There are those who are finding success in the independent space, then others who have hit it off with traditional, and those who like to go hybrid.
Selling is another one, some find success in ads, others word of mouth, and then there are those who have left it to their publisher.
Find what works for you, then go for it. If you need to change course down the line, that’s fine too.
It was lovely to see successful traditional authors sitting down to listen to the ins and outs of independent publishing and vice versa. We all still have something to learn. The industry is constantly evolving and if we don’t learn and adapt, we will be left behind.
The only way to stay in the game is to continue broadening our horizons, picking up new skills, and trying new things, and being an author provides much opportunity for learning and growth.
While by the end of the conference I was exhausted, I was also energised and ready to tackle my writing goals and implementing all the tips I got out of the conference. Writing is definitely what I want to continue pursuing while growing my author and reader community.
Did you attend the RWAus 2024 Trope Actually conference this year?
Yesterday’s gone, tomorrow doesn’t exist and right now is all there is.
Yes, I’ve heard it too. But it doesn’t stop me from looking back over the past twelve months and thinking about what I want to do next year.
On a success scale of 1 to 10, where one is complete failure to ten being an epic success, I’d rate 2016 about a 6.
Am I being fair? I’m not sure. But here are just a few of the things I achieved.
✓ Started a new position with the same company at a higher pay
✓ Published Lethal Instincts – a prequel novella
✓ Published Lethal Aftershock – a sequel novella
✓ Drafted Lethal Games – book 4 in the Lexi Ryder series
✓ Ran the Mother’s Day Classic 8km
✓ Spent a week in Fiji
✓ Ran the Fiji 5km and came 3rd female (awesome!)
✓ Spent a week in Hawaii (epic!)
✓ Increased my social calendar activities by saying YES more often
✓ Started construction on the house (sort of)
✓ 15 Email Subscribers
✓ Sold 98 books
✓ Gave away over 1,596 books
But I don’t feel successful. I don’t even feel happy. It’s been an emotionally turbulent year and I’m working on getting all my ducks in a row. The most important is my family’s health and the rest will slowly fall into place.
Deep inside I’m feeling like a failure and that sucks big time.
I need to shift gears. Stop taking so much on and focus on the little things more.
In 2017, I don’t want to work harder. I want to work smarter. I also need to be grateful for the little things.
I’ve been meaning to write and publish this post for the past week. Call it laziness, call it procrastination, call it whatever you want but I haven’t been able to get motivated to do much writing at all lately.
Then it hit me: motivation isn’t going to come knocking on my door. I need to seek the motivation to keep me going forward with my dreams, with my goals, with the habits I’m chasing.
It’s up to me to make a change. Just the same as it’s up to you to create change, joy and excitement in your own life.
Imagine December 31st 2017, what are some of the goals you want to be ticking off your list? What’s important to you? How hard are you willing to work for what you want? Is 2017 going to be the year that you achieve your wildest dreams?
Do you find yourself setting the same goals each year?
Hmm, me too. I’ve noticed that my productivity wavers between the years. One year I’m all about hard work and achieving lots and then the next year is just a downer. It’s weird and frustrating and has to stop.
But I do have to learn to take it easy sometimes. Which is why this morning I spent two hours lying a blanket under a tree by the beach after dropping my son off at kindy then I treated myself to a nice lunch while I wrote and thought about what I want to achieve in 2017.
When you consider your goals you need to think about the following:
Do you really want it?
How hard are you willing to work for it?
What’s your plan for achieving them?
Are the goals difficult but realistic?
Can you break them down into bite-sized pieces?
MY 2017 GOALS
1) Start and finish the construction of my house.
That should finally start mid January and hopefully be completed by August. Fingers crossed. All the finance and paperwork and contracts are organised so it’s just a matter of the builder getting started.
By 31 December 2017 I’m living in my newly built home with my husband and son, and I’ve done up an awesome home office full of inspiration for writing.
2) Write and publish three fiction books and one non-fiction book (that’s 4 books in 2017).
There are four quarters in the year so one book per quarter. I can write a book a month, then spend a month editing and the third month preparing for publication. Ok, I’m being super optimistic here!
By 31 December 2017 I have seven books on the market which are selling, getting positive reviews and bringing me at least $1000 in side income each month.
3) Complete the 70.3 Ironman in Ballarat in under 6 hours.
This race is in December. I’ve did a 70.3 before I had my son and I’d like to do it again but giving myself a year to prepare rather than just the five months I had previously. There will also be a few fun runs and a half marathon (maybe a full) somewhere in the middle – signing up for these events keeps me motivated to train.
By 31 December 2017 I’ve trained hard all year, injury-free, and am comfortably finishing the 70.3 in under 6 hours with the bike leg under 3.2 hrs and the run leg under 2 hrs with my family watching on the sidelines cheering me on.
4) Earn $25,000 from freelancing, blogging, books and side hustles.
That equates to $2500 per month. While this figure won’t allow me to quit my job and work for myself it will help me reduce my mortgage and give me funds to travel.
By 31 December 2017 I have two websites that are getting 15,000+ views per month and are earning me an income through affiliate marketing, sponsored posts and products sales.
5) Travel to three new places this year.
The places on my mind are New Zealand, Barossa Valley and Tasmania. Earning extra side income will help me achieve this. The places aren’t set in stone though, I’ll be looking for specials throughout the year.
By 31 December 2017 I have spent a weekend at the Barossa Valley in April, followed by a week in Tasmania in July, and a long weekend in October in New Zealand.
6) Increase my personal savings to $15,000+.
While the mortgage is priority, I’d like to have cash sitting on the side as a safety net.
By 31 December 2017 I’m saving at least 15% of my income from each pay which has been automated as well as putting aside at least 50% of my side hustle income.
7) Read at least 78 books in 2017 of which 26 are non-fiction.
By 31 December 2017 I’m averaging about 1.5 books per week and getting through my Goodreads ‘want to read’ bookshelf.
8) Become a better writer
By 31 December 2017, I’ve developed good writing habits, I’ve challenged myself within different genres and styles of writing. I’m expanding my vocabulary and I’m constantly pushing my abilities to continue to grow as a writer.
These are just 8 of my goals for the year that will be conducive to my happiness and satisfaction. I’m being challenged physically and mentally providing me with the balance I crave.
How do you envision your 2017 turning out? What goals have you set for yourself? What are you going to achieve them?
It seems that these days being a freelance writer is cool and sexy. People around the world are chasing location independence and the internet age has given them this ability.
Freelancing is awesome but it’s not just about choosing whether you work today or not or staying in your pyjamas till noon. It’s actually requires some hard work on your part too.
Freelancer is defined as being self-employed and working for various companies. Did you know historically ‘freelancer’ meant a medieval mercenary? Just a bit of useless trivia for you.
It can also be sexy as hell.
At least Gina at Horkey Handbook makes it look like it is.
If you want to be a freelance writer, I highly recommend you go and check out Gina’s course on 30 Days Or Less To Freelance Writing Success. I did. And it was worth every cent.
There are a ton of courses out there claiming to help you become a freelancer. I’m not saying they aren’t any good. What I’m saying is Gina’s course is awesome.
It’s trumps on quality, cost, and ongoing support.
It actually tells you everything you really need to know without having to ask.
On top of that, there’s a community on Facebook for all graduates of her course. The group is impressive and generous. Whenever there’s a question, someone finds an answer. The support is incredible and sometimes that’s what you need to take the next step in starting your freelance writing career or getting out of a rut for a more advanced freelancer.
It’s not just the notes on a page, the emailed activities at the end of each module but someone rooting for you, holding your hand, having gone through similar experiences.
A lot of courses take your money, provide you with the material and then forget about you. Gina doesn’t do that. She’s there to answer your questions and offer ongoing support. It’s incredible.
If you’re serious about getting in the game, this is the course that will help you get there.
If you want to be successful you need a network of people around you. Thanks to the Internet age, your clients don’t have to live in the same city, country or even continent as you.
I wish this course was around eight years ago. It would have kicked me in the butt much sooner to get a move on and make freelancing a part of my life, and saved me a lot of frustration.
I’ve actually decided to run through the course again for a kick in the backside.
The dream is much closer than I could have ever anticipated. I feel a little giddy inside.
Accountability is important when it comes to starting a business. The beginning stages are the hardest. Having someone who’s got your back when rejection hits, and to pull you back up and make sure that you persevere and succeed is not just encouraging but fucking brilliant. We all need someone like that in our lives.
Success isn’t about how much money you make. It’s a daily effort. And each day can be a success on its own merits. The definition is yours alone. Own it.
Gina regularly updates the course so it’s always up-to-date info that you can learn to get your freelance writing business off the ground. She also has a VA course, 30 Days To Virtual Assistant Success if you’re interested in that direction.
Gina’s course has everything you need to get started as a freelancer and so much more. But if you still don’t believe me, here’s a quick interview with Gina.
If you don’t believe me, check out this quick interview with Gina!
* This content contains affiliate links.
Check out the transcript below!
Interview with Gina Horkey from Horkey Handbook!
Kasia: So tell us a bit about yourself.
Gina: Hi, my name is Gina Horkey. I self identify as a married millennial mamma to two precious toddlers. Of course I screw something up in the first like minute, right.
Kasia: Um, so what about for your business side of things. Tell us a bit about that. What do you do?
Gina: At first I broke into freelance writing and then I added some virtual assistant work, ah, for a client. Um, as a full time job I was a personal finance adviser and support person to a large planning practice. So I built my freelance business actually on the side of that for the first like eight months and then I put in my notice…that was back in 2014 so I’ve been going strong going on to two and a half years.
Gina: So, I had a fair amount of success early on in my freelancing career. I was able to bring my income from nothing all the way up to $4000 a month in the first six months and that was on the side again of that full time job, and you know I am very much a processes and data person so I kind of chronicled my journey during that time so that I didn’t live out that whole definition of insanity, as far as doing the same thing over again and expecting a different results, and so by taking notes, documenting my pitches and kind of my behaviour it helped me to see what I needed to change over time and then when I reflected on that, you know six months later I thought, well, I kind of have a blueprint here that could maybe help somebody else, and so I also had somebody whispering in my ear, an online peer that said ‘hey when are you going to break into the products market’ and I was like ’what do you mean the products market? Like who am I to put something out?’ That little bug just kept growing stronger and I decided to take November of 2014 and every morning I got up, I was again still working full time, and at 4:30 in the morning and I cranked out a lesson or two. By the end of that month I had 30 Days Or Less To Freelance Writing Success. The whole goal of the course was just to take what I had learned ah, practical advice that was really actionable as well. So the lessons are really short and the goal was to like read something and then immediately go and do something, so you’re taking action every single day towards your goal of becoming a freelance writer.
Kasia: Fantastic, so did you ever think, did you expect it to be as successful as it has become?
Gina: No (laughs). Not that I’m that big of a deal, or the course isn’t that big of a deal, but you know I launched it in December and then I was hoping that people would buy it and then I was hoping that they would be able to put it into practice and get the results that I had, and you know I’m really happy to say that I’ve got some really great testimonials that I’ve collected over time, and you know people that have been in the first couple of weeks of the course that had you know started making $500 a month. There are of course people that it takes a little longer to that as well, and that’s completely ok. But it’s been really fun getting to know this community of people. The Facebook group now is almost 600 strong and not everybody that takes the course, you know decides to join that but they’re very supportive of one another and you can tell that the goal is to build each other up, and to cheer each other on, it’s very much a mentality of abundance rather than scarcity, like they don’t see each other as competition. And I think I’ve had a little bit of a hand in that. I try to be a natural encourager but I’m just really proud of the group as well for doing that for one another.
Kasia: Well, your course has probably changed a few people’s lives.
Gina: Well, they’ve done the hard work. I’ve just given them you know the tool or an instruction or two.
Kasia: Well, we all need a nudge sometimes, in the right direction.
Gina: We do, even myself.
Kasia: Um, so what makes your course unique to all the other courses that are on the market?
Gina: Sure, I think you know, me, um not to give myself a big head but you know that’s one of the common pieces of feedback that I get is that I’m very relatable and the way that I write is very conversational, and so the person that is taking the course doesn’t feel like they are studying for this big final exam – there’s not an exam at the end of the course. The exam is getting clients and being successful, right? But they think it’s instead of me kind of being over their shoulder talking to them as a friend, and teaching them as a friend and breaking it down so that they can again go and put it into practice really easily, so I’ve heard that quite a bit, that makes me really proud. I’ve also heard that encouraging part like I’m their kind of cheerleader there egging them on. The Facebook group is great that’s nothing crazy, new or outlandish, but the group itself, the people that are in there, like I said are really awesome. So when you just put all that stuff together and you know the action on your part, the dedication on your part, I think it gets results and that’s what’s important.
Kasia: So It’s not really just signing up for a course and getting a few emails, you are actually very hands on throughout?
Gina: I try to be. As much as I can. There are a couple of different tiers. So if you just want to do it yourself you totally can, if you want a little bit more coaching there’s options for that as well. I try to keep it affordable too, so it doesn’t break the bank. You should be able to make your investment back with a client or two. And you know the goal is again just to help people get started and take action because where most of us fail is thinking too much, learning too much. Um you know you can read on the internet for days and if you don’t put any of the information into practice then it’s really hard to get results so instead of listening to every expert out there on freelance writing maybe give a course like mine a try, and you know commit to putting the action steps in place to doing them and seeing where you are at the end of a couple weeks or a month, depending on how much time you have.
Kasia: That’s what comes down to, doesn’t it. It’s taking action even if it’s a small one.
Gina: Exactly.
Kasia: So, um, what do you think is the hardest part of freelancing?
Gina: Ourselves. You know, it can be a tough gig. In a way it’s sales. You’re selling yourself you’re trying to market and get clients. If you don’t have any experience than I think we get in our way by telling ourselves like, who are we to put ourselves out there, to call ourselves a professional writer or are we gonna be any good, is the client going to like our writing and you know a lot of that fear then builds up that inaction, right? And tells us not to put ourselves out there, not to pitch, not to turn in a piece for review and I think it’s really ourselves and kind of the self doubt. I think rejection can be hard but that all kind of blends in with the same thing but the opportunity is abundant if you want to spend more talking about that. I was actually on a podcast interview earlier today and we were talking about how we’re moving into a more global economy and workplace which is great, and there’s just a lot of opportunities to be a freelancer or a webpreneur these days. If you think about it every company really needs a website , every website needs writing through copy, through white papers, through email, and then a lot of them are very open to have a blog as well so obviously that’s something that needs to be updated on a regularly basis in order to connect with a client or customer base.
Kasia: Well, definitely in an information age aren’t we?
Gina: Yeah. I don’t see our mediums continuing to change and experiment, as far as video is really hot right now but you still need writing to go along with the video to introduce it, right? Kasia: That’s right.
Gina: Plus a lot of people will deliver a video interview as well as transcribe it into a blog post which has to do with writing, um, so the writing part isn’t going anywhere ah anytime soon.
Kasia: Awesome. So, how does, um 30 Days Or Less To Freelance Writing Success help wannabe or aspiring freelancers overcome some of the hardships like you said – the fear of rejection, overcoming their own inability to take that plunge?
Gina: Yeah, so, one of the things the course doesn’t really cover is how to write, right. There’s definitely tips on formatting and blogging and that sort of thing but you need to kind of have decent writing chops to begin with. Um but the rest of the course is definitely on the business of freelancing, the business of freelance writing and so, I think how it helps people that are unsure or have that self doubt is it breaks it down to those manageable, small steps, so really all you have to do is plug in and play. If you kind of just follow what is outlined for you, if you put in a half an hour or an hour a day for a period of time, then there’s no reason that you can’t put the things in place to have a launching pad for a successful business.
Kasia: So, do you think most people can be, can start a successful freelance business?
Gina: I think if you have a good attention to detail, you’re responsible as far as like meeting deadlines, you aren’t afraid of putting yourself out there or at least you’ll get better at it over time as far as prospecting. And you have a sufficient command of the English language – I’m a much better writer than I am a talker I don’t know. Yes, there’s a lot of opportunity again and you’ll get better with time. I mean look at random bloggers um they weren’t that great in the beginning. You and I weren’t that great a writers in the beginning but the more you practice your craft, the better you’ll get at it and now that also goes with the learning curve I think of the type of clients you get too, so my first client I was writing WordPress these descriptions for $7.50 a piece, US. They were 150-200 words and I think that is somewhere around like 5 cents a word, I can do the math real quick. But um you know at my skill level at the time you know that was a decent pay check , would I take that project today? Probably not. It just wouldn’t be worth my time. But I needed the certain stepping stones in order to get my feet wet to practice. My boss, the client was really great at helping me give me constructive criticism or feedback, not criticism um which helped me to grow as a writer and as a freelance writer.
Kasia: You’ve grown quite a bit from what, it’s only been what two years since you started?
Gina: Yep, going on to two and a half.
Kasia: That’s fantastic. That’s very impressive, um, result.
Gina: Yeah. I appreciate that. You know I started as a freelance writer and then worked my way into virtual assistance and then you know the course is obviously on the product side of my blog, I try to do a little bit of affiliate marketing too…I’m a big fan of diversification and I like try new things too.
Kasia: There’s nothing better than multiple streams coming through , isn’t it?
Gina: Yeah, unless you drive yourself crazy on too many things. But I think it’s good to try different things for sure and to have a couple of different ones because you know things will change and it’s summer right now a lot of the time that’s lower for freelancers because companies are taking more time off that doesn’t mean there aren’t clients to be had. Though I built my business in the beginning during the summer months as well here in the United States anyway I know you’re in winter over in Australia um but and that’s the other great part is you guys are in winter so maybe you’re not taking as many holidays as we are over here so there’s a chance to work with different types of clients across the world. Um, my point is yes, things are cyclical but I think that if you’re putting consistent effort out there especially from pitching standpoint, and when I say pitching you know going out there bidding for freelance jobs , prospecting, marketing. Um that if you consistently do that over time you know you’ll be able to fill your client load pretty quickly. And certain things take time to also come into fruition you might pitch somebody today but you might not hear back from them for a conversation for two or four months from now, so it makes sense to be deliberate and consistent about it.
Kasia: Fantastic. So if you were starting um freelancing today is there anything that you’d do differently?
Gina: No, I’m a fan of learning from my journey. I’m sure there were things that weren’t as effective but at the same time I was able to ramp up pretty quickly so I don’t see anything really glaring. Um one piece of advice is to be as authentic as possible, and relational. Ah, because you never know who will become your client or who you could refer for. But if you’re only looking at relationships, and building relationships from that standpoint of. what can you offer me or who do you know kind of thing that’s not good. But instead be interested in people to try to develop relationships that I think that really helps with prospecting too um people like to work with or refer to people they like so kind of keep that in mind from the get go. I think I could have done more relationship building and I can still do more relationship building it’s just always hard when you have a finite amount of time.
Kasia: That’s right, it is time, it comes down to time, doesn’t it? Time to fit it all in. And it is who you know, not what you know, often?
Gina: Right but I didn’t have a journalistic background. I went to college and I had a psychology degree and then I was in personal finance , did a lot of writing as a part of my day to day job activities, but I didn’t have any concrete experience in that realm, and I didn’t have any contacts in my network either that gave me work so everything that I did was built through that hustle and that grind of putting myself out there and making connections. So, please if you’re listening definitely hear you don’t have to have this established network already. It’s something that you can build over time, you don’t have to have a journalism degree. It’s something that you can use your skills and always build and invest in them as well.
Kasia: That’s fantastic advice. That’s one thing that could keep people from embarking on a freelancing career.
Gina: And the whole thing about working online and freelancing and we’ve kind of talked a little bit about this already is, like, most people want to learn new skills and always kind of to broaden their horizons, and what they’re capable of doing, and it’s a pretty fast paced world, things are always moving. There’s new tools that are on the market coming out on the market, look at social media platforms there’s a few if you’re new ones popping up all the time. I think if you have a capacity to use things and an interest in learning new things you could make a good webpreneaur.
Kasia; Um, so where do you see the freelancing industry heading in the next five to ten years especially, um when so many people are actually turning to the industry?
Gina: Yeah, we eluded a little bit to it earlier when I was talking about just like the opportunity that exists. That’s what I really think will happen, as more companies work with freelancers, solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, whatever you call yourself, there are so many names these days but basically you know small business or self-employed people are going to be people that want to work in corporate America or similar capacity around the world where they like being an employee they want to clock in and just do their work and what have you, but there’s a growing number of people that are frustrated with that type of atmosphere. They want more flexibility and control and they are comfortable with taking the risk and working hard in order to get more of that reward as well. So I don’t see that part slowing down. It’ll be interesting to see what types of platforms continue to pop up. You know if you think of Fiver, or you think of what used to be Elance is now Upwork . Those aren’t places that we recommend that you go look for freelance writing work by the way although you could they just don’t, aren’t known to be the highest paid places. Um but I think that part will be interesting to see how many more places are I guess hooking up freelancers with clients and in a capacity where you’re getting good quality service and the freelancer is getting a good rate as well.
Kasia; Ok, so opportunities are still available.
Gina: Totally.
Kasia; That’s good to know. Um so why should freelancers, or aspiring freelancers sign up for 30 Days Or Less to Freelance Writing Success?
Gina: Well the course is catered definitely for kind of newbies, people that are just looking to break in that really haven’t, don’t have a lot of experience, definitely don’t have a full client load. But there’s a lot of people that have taken it that have already gotten their feet wet and they really want to take their business to the next level. So if you thrive on structure, you want kind of a road map, something that’s worked for other people, now going on, I don’t know, 800 people that have taken the course I think it’s a good kind of starting point for you. I’m also working on an advanced version right now which will focus more on like blog monetisation as well as freelance writing. Some other aspects of working online. But I think it’s a great, simple, when I say simple program, it kind of is. It will challenge your comfort zone and you will learn new things but it’s not overly technical, you don’t have to do a lot of math. You know it’s fun and there’s a great supportive place in the Facebook community as well.
Kasia: Fantastic. And so do you have any other courses going at the moment?
Gina: So I have one for virtual assistants as well. It’s the same name. So, 30 Days Or Less To Virtual Assistance Success . Um, you know I broke into freelance writing first and then added the VA services on. And the VA services are honestly what allowed me to put in my notice at work behind because of the predictability of the pay, which isn’t always there from a freelance writing standpoint although you can get more retainer type clients. Actually all the client’s i work with right now are predictable in that nature. We have a retainer agreement um so I created that course because the two are honestly very complementary to one another, and you know a lot of writers don’t want to write for forty hours a week or whatever too, so maybe virtual assistance work is a good complement for them, um plus it’s just another growing field that I see people have a lot of enjoyment with that course too. It’s been around about a year now .
Kasia: Excellent. Well thank you so much for your time Gina. It’s been great chatting to you. I mean, I’ve done the course, I think it’s fantastic. It’s definitely helped me boost my abilities and confidence so I highly recommend it. Um, thank you again and have a lovely day.
Blogging is simple but it ain’t always easy. While we hope to get it right the first time, the reality is much different. We are going to make a lot of blogging mistakes. I’ve been blogging for 8 years and I still make mistakes, sometimes I even repeat a few, especially when life gets in the way.
So, I rounded up some awesome bloggers to share with you a few of the blogging mistakes they’ve made and included some of my own.
Learning from others mistakes will save you time and money. We all want more of both, don’t we?
Check out these common blogging mistakes and how you can fix them.
1 – Not getting advice on the technical side of things.
HTML. CSS Codes. SEO. What the? I’m still not comfortable with these terms but I’m learning. Unfortunately, it took me a while to realise that although this is a one-woman show, I can’t succeed without the assistance of others. It’s my business but a business requires support staff or people who know more than I do, especially when it comes to the technical side of things.
How to fix it?
Hire a VA. Get someone to look over your website. Make sure theirs looks great first and they have some experience. Hiring a VA was the best thing I’ve done for my writing business. I am only one person and I cannot do everything myself, at least not long term.
“A blogging mistake I made in the beginning was probably having no clear focus or plan for my blog. I started my blog entirely as a hobby, so I didn’t really do much research on blogging, instead I just went with the flow and winged everything. If I could go back, I would have taken it a little more seriously in the beginning. My blog posts from the beginning are scary to read, haha!”
“Another blogging mistake I made was that I spread myself too thin. I thought that the way to be a successful blogger would be to start several blogs. This made me tired and I didn’t have much love for my other blogs that I created. Instead, I knew that Making Sense of Cents was my one true love, so I sold the rest and focused again on my main website. It was a great decision!”
“With all of the above being said, I don’t believe in regret, haha. I think that everything I did made me and my blog into who I am today, and I am very happy with how everything turned out. Everyone has to learn somehow!”
2 – Forgetting the value of plugins (not knowing what they are and what they do).
Ok, there are so many plugins available for your WordPress site that It’s not always easy to figure out what you need. Not all plugins are created equal and before you go installing them all you need to figure which ones you need to get the most out of your website.
How to fix it?
Look at some of your favourite blogs. How do they look? What functions do they seem to have that yours doesn’t? You can always email the owner of the blog and ask them or search for plugins using keywords. Google is also great. Type in ‘must have plugins for bloggers’ and see what pops up.
Plugins will provide you with a lot more functionalities than just the bare bones of WordPress. You need them to run a successful blog.
3 – Ignoring relationship building (you can’t be a successful blogger with online relationships!)
As in real life, it’s more with who you know than what you know. I’m an introvert and like to do things myself. It’s not easy for me to connect with others and that’s a skill I need to work on. Relationships are imperative to your success as a blogger. Take your time to get to know people and make sure to be kind to everyone that you cross paths with.
How to fix it?
Reach out to your fellow bloggers. Find someone who’s awesome and send them an email. Ask if they offer guests posts (free or paid), write epic stuff for them if they do, have a chat, remember the holidays, promote them on social media. Be supportive of their work. It’s the little things that can make a huge difference down the line.
“My biggest blogging mistake was blogging in the dark. I was pumping out 7 posts a week and waiting for the world to read them. After six months, I finally started networking with other bloggers and being active on social media and it boosted my reach, even though I was only posting three times a week or less.”
“My second biggest mistake was writing whatever came out of my mind, without worrying about optimization. A long title that has nothing to do with what is in the post won’t incite readers to click. Adding a few keywords and a better headline can go a long way.”
How do I expect to get readers without marketing and promotions? Ten or fifteen years ago it may have been easier to get discovered by readers organically. With today’s competition (hundreds of thousands of new blogs each year), it’s easy to get lost amongst the flock. I wrote and expected readers to find me. I laugh at this now but there was a moment in time where I thought I would give up because I didn’t realise what I was doing wrong.
How to fix it?
You don’t know what works and what doesn’t so just do as much as you can and that includes using all the social media like Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Linkedin, Google+. Share it on your business sites and personal ones too. Join blog networks. Engage readers and get them to share your content too.
“Not engaging with other bloggers in the same niche enough. I initially thought that I would write and people would just visit my site organically, like they somehow would just happen across my website – naïve, I know.”
“The other big mistake is that I tried to push out too many articles to make my site look “lived in”. I thought quantity was more important and quality, and it just isn’t.”
“Stop spending so much time thinking about Google and other search engines. All that leads to is incessantly looking at stats and trying to improve rankings, not improve content and user experience on the website.”
5 – Should have spent more time commenting on other blogs in and around my niche.
Commenting on your peers blogs is one way to build relationships, get your name out there and become part of a community. It’s also easier to then make direct contact with the blogger(should you require advice or an interview or just to offer them praise. Bloggers love getting comments, especially if they create a conversation.
How to fix it?
Find ten blogs in your niche and start commenting on them after each blog post. Just makes sure it’s more than ‘Great post’. Comment with value, engage in conversation. Sooner or later readers are going to flock to your blog too and start commenting. After you’re comfortable with the ten, find another ten, and so forth. Obviously you want to spend more time writing and promoting than commenting on other blogs but at the beginning it can make a difference. Once you have more people coming to you you can limit your comments to once a week on the blogs you love the most.
6 – Proofreading and formatting – yes it matters.
I get excited and I rush things. Delayed gratification, what’s that? End result is an article or book or post with errors that could have easily been avoided had I spent an extra ten minutes going through my work. Duh!
How to fix it?
Use the spell checker and then print off the page, let it rest an hour, then read it slowly as a reader. Circle any spelling or grammatical issues, words missing, words repeated. Fix them up. Edit the writing, rewrite what’s necessary. Give it to someone else to read through. You want to be as close to error-free as you can get. I can’t proofread on screen I’ve done it and made mistakes, ones that made me cringe and want to give up on blogging but instead I turned it around to a lesson learned.
7 – Not starting with WordPress.
WordPress rocks. When I first entered the blogging arena I went straight to Blogger. Big mistake. WordPress is just so much easier to use and has so many better functions and is more visually appealing.
How to fix it?
If you’re new to blogging check out all the different platforms available. I wish I started with WordPress from the onset. It’s just so much easier to use and has more functionalities. Do you want to start a blog? Check out this post on starting an author blog.
“Choosing a unique niche – Many bloggers start out with too wide of a net. To be a travel, food, or fitness blog is not enough. There are thousands and thousands of general topic blogs in each of those spaces. You have to stand out. I started out as a food, travel beer, and wine blog. Being a little bit of everything brought me zero followers. Nobody knew what my brand was. You have to niche down. One way to do this is to do something epic – make a pledge to visit every winery in California or spend 100 days eating real food.”
“Seriously think about your blog name – You will be stuck with it forever as re-branding is very difficult. Don’t choose it on a whim. Test it. Research others in your space with similar words. Check for social media handles. Ask your friends what they think. I came up with mine – The Wandering Gourmand – after polishing off a bottle of wine. Six years later and I hate it. Nobody can spell or pronounce gourmand and half the travel blogs out there use the word Wandering.”
8 – Trying to do the same thing and expecting a different result.
Aren’t we all a little bit guilty of this one? I know I am. But slowly that’s changing. If something isn’t working there’s no point in trying to bang down a door that standing against a brick wall.
How to fix it?
You need to be more aware of what you are doing. Analyse everything. What results are you seeing from your writing and your marketing? Are some topics more popular than others? Are you getting more traffic from one source than another? These are important pieces of information. Note them down. If something isn’t working figure out why and change it.
9 – Not focusing on the audience enough.
It’s my blog but I’m writing for you, my audience. I think for a moment I forgot what the real intention of this place was.
How to fix it?
What makes other blogs successful? They offer useful and engaging content for their readers. You need to do the same. Emulate them. What’s your blog’s focus? How do you want to help your readers?
One mistake I made when I first started is not updating my blog enough times during the week and on a consistent basis. When I first started, I decided I’d publish a post every Wednesday. I managed to do this most of the time, but there were definitely some weeks where I didn’t write at all. I’d get busy and put my blog on hold. I soon realized this was not a good strategy. It’s important to update your blog frequently and consistently — that’s key to building a strong brand.
A second mistake I made is not promoting my own content. When I first started, I would publish blog posts but for some reason, I never found the courage to share the blog posts I wrote. I’ve learned that you have to dig deep and find the confidence to share your work with the world. After all, if you don’t believe in yourself, who else will?
You need to take chances to get anywhere in life. That’s one thing I forgot to do.
How to fix it?
Do things that scare you. Take chances with writing, marketing and reaching out to people. Say ‘yes’ more often. Embrace change.
Want a challenge?
Open up your blog and start going through it. Look at your home page, blog page, your about page, etc. Make notes on what you like and don’t like about them. What are some things that can improve them. Write it down.
Each day/week tweak your blog, no matter how small or big, to make it better.
By the end of the year you’ll have changed the trajectory of your blogging business and hopefully improved it in more ways than one.
What blogging mistakes have you made? How did you overcome them?
Why am I sharing my earnings with you? If you haven’t noticed already the online world is rather transparent. I like that. Money shouldn’t be a taboo topic. If you work hard you’re going to earn more. I read about bloggers making tens of thousands a month and I’m inspired and motivated to do the same one day.
The regular earnings and expense updates are a way to stay accountable to my goals, keep a record, and share my journey with you.
The Australian Financial Year runs from July 1 to June 30, which means that it’s tax time in my part of the world. I like this time of year, generally, I’m pleased to find I get a decent tax refund. I’m sure if I had to pay June 30 and I would not be friends.
Unfortunately, June wasn’t the best month for income but I did sell a few books, so that’s great. I also hired a VA to help me out with a few things and am trialling a new editor for book 4 of my Lexi Ryder Crime Thriller Series which I hope to have out by the end of August.
To stay organised I keep folders for each financial year and I’ve also started a separate one for my business. It’s all under a sole trader. I don’t need the expense and complication of having a company (or corporation) just yet. Keeping things under my name, tax file number and business number is enough.
My record keeping isn’t fancy. I have a spreadsheet I use for my income, expenses, pitch submissions, blog schedule, etc.
HOW MUCH DID I MAKE AND SPEND IN 2015/16 FY?
2015/16 Earnings = $955.76 (freelancing, paraplanning, book sales)
2015/16 Expenses = $2,604.94 (this includes personal development courses, business coaching, editing and cover design. It does not include stationery, internet or home office charges). (Obviously, I also earn money from my day job which I don’t include here but it does pay the bills at home!)
WHAT DID I DO TO EARN THIS CASH?
Not enough. Marketing and pitching were not high on the priority list this year. That obviously is going to change. Year one was more of a test run to see whether I’m interested in this gig long term. Yes, yes, I am.
I submitted 53 pitches, so about one pitch per week.
I had 24 responses.
I received 5 assignments and 1 sponsored post.
I sold 77 books and gave away 1210 books.
I’ve set up some affiliates but haven’t done much promotion. (You can’t make much money with affiliates if you don’t have traffic coming in!)
My website stats are small but I have big plans for the next financial year.
My expenses are 2.5x that of my income. Which sucks but that’s my fault. Not enough pitching and not enough marketing. I wasn’t going to do this post, the figures are embarrassing. But I want you to see that it’s not all rosy profits in the online world, not unless you’re really willing to work your butt off. I didn’t calculate all the hours I’ve put in but on average I can say that I’ve worked about 10 – 15 hours per week (approx. 624 hours per year) on my side business. Unfortunately, it wasn’t smart work. I’ve reassessed and I’m going to make sure financial year 2 is profitable.
2016/17 Financial Year Goal
Make at least $10,000 in writing income from a combination of book sales, freelancing, blogging and affiliates.
$200 per month. $3000 per month. $15,000 per month. $170,000 per month.
These are just a few of the figures jumping around the blogosphere. Bloggers are making a killing with their words, online communities and traffic.. It’s not pocket change. In fact, it’s income that supports their families, businesses, and lifestyle. All of this passive income means bloggers can ‘retire’ much earlier. Can you imagine pulling in high five figures each month just from writing a few posts on your blog?
Ok, so maybe it’s not as easy as that but it is that simple.
Can you do it too?
If they can, so can you. Right?
Yes, anyone can make money blogging but not everyone will.
Blogging is more than just publishing a few posts each week. The bloggers making a living from their words and promotions have a strategy in place, and audience who loves them, and the ability to sell themselves.
While there is still a lot of opportunity to make money online through blogging, it’s by no means a get rich quick scheme. It takes effort, time, dedication and perseverance. Cash flow isn’t guaranteed and it’s likely that you’ll have to spend money to make money but that’s like any business, isn’t it?
So can you really make money blogging?
Yes, you can. But you have to be willing to treat it like a business from the get go. Sure hobby blogs might earn a couple of dollars here and there from Adsense. Some might even grow to be hugely successful and evolve into businesses. But why take the chance?
If you want to be a successful blogger making money you need to be in it for the long haul, with a topic you enjoy, and the willingness to experiment.
Here are just a few blogs who are making money blogging. Some have been at it a few months, some many years, they come from various backgrounds, but all share their love of blogging and helping others.
If these bloggers/writers/travellers/entrepreneurs can do it, so can you.
How are they making money?
Affiliates
The one thing that all of these have in common is that they earn money through affiliates. You can affiliate yourself with a company or brand and sell their products or services through your blog. When someone clicks on the link and makes a purchase you receive a portion of that. Sometimes it’s 4% sometimes it’s 50% depending on the affiliate you are recommending.
Freelance writing
Another income stream is freelance writing. Write blog posts and articles for publications and you can make anywhere from $20 per article to $2000 depending on your experience and who you are writing for. If you want to be a freelance writer, check out 30 Days or Less to Freelance Writing Success Course at Horkey Handbook.
Adsense
Adsense used to be popular. While it doesn’t generate as much income as it once did, it’s still a source of revenue worth trying if you do it properly.
Private ads
If you have a wide readership you might find companies or organisations willing to spend the extra buck to place ads on your website. You can charge whatever you like for these but obviously the higher your traffic the more you can charge for ad space.
Products
Why not create your own product? You can offer a service (eg. coaching) or a product (eg. course or ebook) and have a passive income stream that keeps on paying. Once you create a product you can sell it for as long as you want. There’s no time frame. Classics still sell today. Courses might need updating but you can continue offering them year after year with just a few tweaks.
Virtual Assistant Services
With more blogs popping up in the blogosphere, there’s been an increase in the demand for virtual assistants. If you enjoy helping others, are good with words, have strong attention to detail, know your way around social media and wordpress among other things, you might want to offer VA services through your blog. If you’ve been thinking about becoming a Virtual Assistant and working from the comfort of your own home working with business you’re genuinely interested in, why not sign up for 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success today.
These are just a few little ways bloggers make money. Some are stepping stones to something bigger, others are permanent gigs that provide variety, and a few might even become semi-passive income streams.
There has never been a better time to get started with a blog. Want to get started today? You can start your own blog in less than an hour! Click here to find out more.
What are you waiting for? Have you made any money blogging this month? What’s your most successful revenue stream? How long did it take you to start earning an income from your blog?
If you want to be a freelance writer, I highly recommend you go and check out Gina’s course on 
