This is mildly hilarious given the fact that, in my 20K post, I said that I don't write for the money. However, the idea of writing with the intention of making money is worth exploring, and is nothing to be ashamed of. Plus, my previous statement remains true: I write because I have to, because I want to; I would feel like part of me had died if I could no longer write. However, nobody starts writing because they know it will be a financially lucrative endeavour, in fact, the battle is making any money at all. I am lucky in that I can write and make some money; that’s money I didn't, and wouldn't, have otherwise. Forgive my flipping between the use of 'I', 'you', 'we', and 'us'...I've just drawn your attention to it, haven't I?
Writing has increasingly become a big part of my life and — particularly in the last few weeks — I have been writing more and more blog posts. Within that time I have also noticed that — the more I write — the happier I become in the uncertainty and turbulence we call life. So, naturally, when I started writing more and more, I realised that I could build upon the routine of writing ‘X’ amount of words a day — and then editing them in the next few days. From there, I could adapt the process to optimise my output of short stories and essays, in particular. These genres and forms of writing lend themselves well to a quick turnaround.
There is a lot on the horizon, and there is also a lot to sort out within that (admin and logistics). There is a lot of juggling. It is good that time-management is a strength of mine.
Why not make money from something you are passionate about?
That is everyone's goal, is it not?
Money is such a fundamental aspect of our society and without it, it is difficult — if not impossible — to survive. If we are working to make money, we may as well enjoy ourselves in the process of making that money. If writing is what replenishes and revives my soul, with the drive of helping others through my insight and experiences, then I'll happily accept money as a byproduct. Writing is an invaluable skill, after all. Sometimes, we forget the amount of people who don’t have the skill of writing to evoke emotion.
So how do you make money writing?
There is no set way, as such, of making money through writing — however, it is well known within the writing and publishing industry that Romance writers tend to make the most money (at least, there is a correlation between Romance and the amount of people wanting to read it). I am not much of a Romance writer myself — but that doesn't mean to say that I wouldn’t write it in future, nor that I don't utilise romance as a subplot within my stories.
Writing for the market is only one part of the equation: I could do with publishing regularly, and within the themes that I am most familiar with. I have very little experience with Romance (you may laugh). I can do all the marketing for this — particularly marketing seems to be at the forefront of everyone's mind, what with the rise of TikTok — but ultimately it is word of mouth that I feel makes the most influential. I know, for example, that my grandparents rave about my books, because they are proud. Yes, they may be biased, but the fact that they rave about my books still stands. I know, as well, that I have achieved sales through my social circles. That is without social media, and building a platform as an author. Any readers — old and new — is an opportunity. The more readers, the more opportunity there is to help someone. Ultimately, through my writing, I am helping people; whether that is entertaining them, or allowing them to feel seen. The more I write, the more I can help.
Is it over-saturated?
Maybe so. But then, people obviously like Crime and Romance as genres in particular, because there are so many books and so many readers; the genre wouldn't be so expansive if there wasn't so much of a readership. There is obviously a market, and if we can get our books in front of enough people, then our books will find their place.
What happens when you don't want to write in the same genre?
This is something I have thought about often because, although I feel that poetry is the genre that I lean towards most, I like to dabble in all sorts of genres. That is why I have written short stories and essays, as well as my poetry; I would like to explore the extent of my creativity.
To restrict myself to just poetry, would feel like I'm stifling myself. Everything and anything I write has the potential to bring my writing career to the next level.
It is often argued that, if we want to write in more than one genre, we should use a pseudonym so that readers do not get confused. I have considered this, and I would just like everything to be under my name — because, why not? If people like my writing, they are going to read it regardless.
Which brings me nicely into my next point — of writing and publishing prolifically. I think the logic goes without saying: the more I publish, the more eyeballs are going to get in front of my work — and the more I get people in front of my publications, the more likely it is that one or more of my publications will take off. Simultaneously bringing other publications with it (that's the idea, anyway). Whenever I think of ‘mass publishing’, I think of someone like Stephen King: we remember him for his successes, but not necessarily for his earlier books, and the books that are considered ‘less successful’ commercially. (Even that trumps most of us).
Word of mouth is very important
Vital, in fact. You can see there is a theme appearing here: however you approach your writing and your writing career, word of mouth is very important. If somebody — namely a new reader — picks up your books, then that is another opportunity for a snowball effect.
How much more likely are you to buy something — part with your money — if your friend recommends it, compared to a social media post landing on your feed?
It is worth mentioning that we rarely know who is reading our books, specifically. I mean this in a positive way, because we could write a book and then somebody could pick up your book in a far away country, and then their influence could have a great and exponential impact on your overall platform. And then we are back to the snowball effect.
With this in mind, I am thinking of publishing essays regularly (you can read my first one just here). Essays are something that I particularly enjoy writing: I'm passionate about them, and, obviously, I'm passionate about the subjects that I am writing about. As I've said before — and as you can see from my essay about being a wheelchair user — the insight in my writing helps readers. If I know that I'm helping people, then I have all the more motivation to keep going, and keep writing.
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