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 So, you're a writer. Good for you. Maybe you're the next multi-million dollar writer and a future star of stage and screen.
We all have dreams, especially as writers. We've got big imaginations and quite often egos to match. But rarely does that translate into money. Oh, how I wish it were otherwise...
The truth is that as writers, we often practically give ourselves away to the lowest bidder, just to get out stuff out there. We WISH we could write a best-selling novel, but how many people actually accomplish this dream? Few, as you likely well know. (Drat!)
How I Make Money as a Writer
Much of my money has been made as a copywriter. That is, I make people buy stuff online. By itself, it's a nice, lucrative business. I enjoy what I'm doing, and there's quite a bit of attention I can get from my clients when things work well. (Let's not talk about those other times...).
But, as I'm discovering, the REAL money to be made as a writer isn't by writing for other people. As I've worked my magic for my clients, I've watched other writers earn easy six figure incomes by writing for themselves.
No, I'm not talking about writing a book that you spend years and many tears trying to sell to a publisher (who gives you the CRUMBS if the book sells).
I'm talking about writing your own information products.
What's an information product? It's an electronic book, often along with a few video tutorials, that solves a problem for people. For example...
- There's the guy who made millions selling an E-book on how to train your parrot...
- Another guy who's made his fortune selling dog training tips (over a million dollars a year)...
- One more who's made multi-millions on "how to stop your divorce."
- And the list goes on, and on, and on...
Now, I don't want to discourage you from finishing your book. It really is an important expression of your creative nature and a way to demonstrate your passion. I read books all the time.
And I'll also fork out $79 for a 97-page guide on search engine optimization simply because I'm dying on the vine with my new web site and need a boost in my search engine ranking.
The key to making an information product work is to find something that people are already buying. If you know something about the subject, then great. Go for it. It's got to be something people CARE about and (more importantly), something they really, really need.
The more urgent the need, the more you can charge and the more products you'll sell. For example, one guy I know has developed SEVERAL information products and is sitting pretty on practically six figures per month!
Another friend of mine makes over 20 million dollars PER YEAR selling information products.
Let's be realistic though. How much could you expect to make if you did everything right? On average, people who take all the necessary steps can expect to be making at least $1,000 per month, and typically closer to $5,000 per month.
Figure that if you sell a $39 E-book and make one sale a day, you'll bring in $1,170 per month in pure profit.
The best part is that it's mostly passive income. Once you do the initial work, you just sit back and count the money (with only a few hours per week effort).
So... am I going to sell you an information product here?
No. I don't have one (yet). But one of the guys I told you about (Nick Usborne - look him up) is doing a free teleconference on how to get started on July 23, 2009.
I wanted to tell you about it. Click here to sign up for the teleseminar. It's free, like I said.
Oh, and if you want to check out my new copywriting blog (please do... I can use the visitors!), just visit me at my B2B Copywriting Blog (and drop me a line).
Sid Smith
Copywriter and (if all goes well) Information Product Marketer
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it doesn't matter to me i think i don't need help but am not 100% sure
