In a world of billion dollar IPOs and buyouts, $75,000 can seem like what’s in the change jar the ultra wealthy keep at the back of their walk in closets.
But for anyone who understands and values money, $75,000 is $75,000. Nothing to sneeze at.
When I wrote and self published my first book Personal Branding Secrets for Beginners, I achieved a goal I’d set for myself. At the time, the self publishing ecosystem on Amazon was just ramping up. I had something valuable to say, I said it, and I put it out there to be useful to people who wanted to learn more about personal branding.
Was I scared? Nervous? Concerned no one would read it?
Sure. I don’t know any author who doesn’t experience a suite of mixed emotions about their writing getting published.
But I’m sure glad I took the chance on myself and my ideas because four years later, that one book has generated $75,000 for my business.
The Money Didn’t Come All at Once
That $75,000 didn’t show up all at once, and when averaged over time, it’s not enough to pay all my bills over a four year stretch.
But…
Not too shabby for a first time effort!
To be clear, most of that figure is NOT from the royalties Amazon pays me like clock work around the 20th of each month. In fact, the average self published author on Amazon makes about a hundred bucks or less a year from book sales.
Where the money came from for me, and comes from a book these days for a lot of people, is in new opportunities a book can create for an author to consult, teach, speak and/or coach. That’s where the bulk of the $75,000 I made came from, and again — nothing to sneeze at from a manuscript that comes in at about 70 pages long.
For the right kind of people, gigs like these can be professionally and personally fulfilling, not to mention lucrative.
Quality Beats Quantity
When you write a quality book (added emphasis on QUALITY) that educates, enlightens and/or entertains, you elevate the perception people have of you. Your professional clout increases. You are seen as someone who has done something 84% of the population says it wants to do…but never does.
Don’t overlook the value of that.
A book no longer needs to be 300 pages of the greatest prose anyone has ever written to be successful. I’m not talking about the Great American Novel or even tremendously profound non fiction that represents the life work of a world famous researcher or scientist.
Micro books about micro ideas as showcased in books like mine are fashionable right now. The outlook is promising, too, with no end in sight as more people look for niche topics and experts who can help them solve specific problems.
Give It Time
The money won’t come overnight. And it won’t come without marketing efforts and some kind of strategic plan once the book is published.
But, a well-planned, well-written book that’s aligned with your purpose and your brand?
That can change your life. Your business, at the very least.
A book can change other people’s lives, too. Writing and self publishing my book has generated business for editors, graphic designers, website builders and social media experts.
This last piece of the book writing puzzle makes me most satisfied. Sure, the money I’ve earned has been great. I won’t deny that. But to be a catalyst for other people landing gigs and earning money because I decided to write and self publish a book?
It doesn’t get much sweeter than that!
When Will You Write YOUR Book?
If you’ve been thinking about writing and self publishing a book of your own, what’s stopping you?
How would $75,000 or even $10,000 change the look and feel of your life as it is right now? What would it mean to contribute to other people’s economies because you decided to write a book?
It’s never too late to resurrect an old writing project…or start something new. You won’t know what’s possible until you see for yourself what a book can do for you.
Feel free to contact me here if you have questions, or want to know more about writing and publishing in the 21st century.
These days, the question isn’t, Should you write a book?
But rather, When are you going to write it?
