As a small business owner, I've been writing on the web and in print publications for over 15 years now. The publishing industry is completely different today from when I first got started. The first industry magazine I wrote for, Massage Magazine, was print only at that time. Now, of course, magazines have both a print and an on-line edition. In fact, some magazines are digital only now!
What's great about all the changes in publishing is that you can now create an income stream from publishing without waiting for a magazine or book publisher to hire you. You can hire yourself as a writer! You can write books, special reports, e-books, and more, and from that you can make money. In essence, you become your own little publishing industry.
Not long ago I got to attend a writer's retreat with my friends Gary and Merri Scott. Gary and Merri have been publishing special reports as a business for forty years now, and in that time they've made millions of dollars. Of course, when they first started publishing there was no digital world at all – they delivered printed copies of their special reports by mail to their customers. Fast forward all these years later, and they deliver everything in digital form. How they market their reports has changed, too. But it's safe to say that there's not much about self-publishing that Gary and Merri don't know, and I was all ears at their retreat. When I go off to learn something, I go straight to the top!
The trick to actually making money with special reports and e-books is to realize that your topic must be carefully selected. Successful writing for income works like this:
- Plan your topics based on market research and what you know about or is interesting to you – so interesting you're willing to do the research before you write.
- Get your marketing started before you even begin writing.
- Write to a specific, structured format that pleases your readers (your customers).
- Continue to market long after the publication is in digital print.
Merri and Gary have done this very successfully, and to a lesser degree, so have I (I've not made a million dollars yet from publishing, but that doesn't mean I won't over time). I'm going to lay out for you some of the insider secrets that I know, and some that I've learned from the Scotts, in a one-time webinar coming up on August 15th. It's free to attend, but you have to be present to get the goodies. If you've written but not sold, or you secretly have a yen to see your writing published, and you want to actually make money from your efforts, this webinar is for you. To register, go to this link.
I'm looking forward to sharing with you the ABC's of creating income from special reports and e-books. I believe most small business owners can benefit from self-publishing, and I'd like to show you how.
Great tips, Sue! Sounds like Gary and Merri really know their stuff. Looking forward to learning more about e-publishing.
Hi Sue,
Great article. As a writer I love leveraging knowledge to help others and to increase income and or leads. 🙂
Write on!~
Lisa Manyon
So excited for you webinar Sue!
Kiyla Fenell
Sue,
These tips should help out the folks who see them.
Mitch
Great advice! Looking forward to learning more from your webinar. You are always so generous with your knowledge and support.
Hi Sue,
Your tips will help me to develop a better strategy for my writing. Looking forward to the webinar. Thanks so much!
Ellen
As one actively writing my first book, I gobbled your suggestions up! I’ll look forward to using them as I continue down this road. Millions you say…hmmm, gobble them indeed 🙂
While I’ve done some publishing, doing more is one of my three top areas of focus. This was both timely and helpful. I look forward to learning more and hearing more about your own journey.
Wow! Your friends sound so helpful Sue! Great tips here for e-publishing.