There is no denying that book writing is a lucrative career. Not only do you get to pursue your passion for reading and writing, but you can also choose to work remotely, taking advantage of the digital nomad lifestyle.
If you’re thinking about getting into the game, you might be wondering how much money a book writer can make. Thankfully, we’ve got you covered on this front. Below, you’ll find a compilation of various ways to monetize your book writing skills.
Monetizing Through Affiliate Marketing
One of the simplest yet most effective ways to monetize a book is to use affiliate marketing. Simply put, affiliate marketing is when someone pays you (the publisher) to refer them to a product or service. There are a variety of affiliate platforms, but you’ll typically find that most affiliate programs are built around a simple model: you refer customers to a merchant, who then pays you a commission for each sale.
When someone clicks a link or buys a product that’s partnered with an affiliate program, the company making the product (the affiliate) earns a commission. This could potentially be a profitable model for a book writer who’s looking to make money through their writing. For example, if you’re writing a book about digital marketing and you decide to include affiliate links to resources that you think are valuable, you could potentially make money from the ads you’re promoting while writing the book.
Monetizing Through Product Reviews
Another popular way for book writers to make money is through product reviews. Simply put, a product review is when you’re given a product to review and then you comment on the product’s features or tell the reader how you feel about it.
If you’re a fan of tech and gadget reviews, you could potentially get paid to write about products you’re passionate about. For example, if you love to read, but you hate writing, you could get paid to become a tech reviewer. You would then get to choose which tech products to review and how to review them. This might be a better fit if you’re looking for a side gig to earn some extra cash. Still, product reviews are a great way to make money from a book you’ve already written if you’re able to get the rights to do so.
Monetizing Through Book Signings And Tours
If you’re looking to make some quick cash, you could always sign with a traditional publisher and then tour the country doing book signings. These are when you’re given paid travel to locations around the country (or the world) to meet with bookstores, libraries, and other locations where readers might congregate. While this is a common way to make money for a freelance writer, it’s not something to take on lightly. You’ll need to weigh the pros and the cons before you commit.
One of the main cons of this route to fame and fortune is that it often requires a lot of traveling. If you want to write a book a year, you might need to commit to doing a lot of traveling. While this might not be a problem for a digital nomad lifestyle, it can certainly be exhausting and unrewarding. Still, if you’ve got the talent, this can be a very profitable route. You’ll just need to be prepared to put in the work.
Make Money With Affiliate Marketing And Continue Authorship
If you’re an experienced blogger who’s made their name popularly through their in-depth content, you might be able to get paid to write and contribute to other people’s blogs. Simply put, an article collaboration is when you’re given an article to write, but you also get to choose which other articles to piggyback off of. In some instances, you’re even allowed to write the article in advance and then just have it published at a later date.
For example, let’s say you’re a journalist who’s covered the tech industry extensively. You’ve been writing for years, but you’ve never really been compensated for your knowledge. Now that you’re an established author with a large Twitter following, you could potentially get paid to write and share your expertise with other journalists. This might be a great fit if you’ve got a specific background that you can leverage to help other writers. Still, it’s not a bad idea to simply join a professional organization that can get you access to paying customers.
Make Money With A Book Club
If you’ve got a book club that you’ve been running for years, you might be able to get paid to write and edit the members’ monthly book reviews. In some instances, you can even get to choose the book you want to read and then watch as your club members give you their feedback. As a book club editor, you’ll get to choose the books your members read and then monitor their reviews for accuracy and fairness. Most book clubs that take on a volunteer editor do so because they can’t afford to pay anyone to do this work. Still, if you’ve been running your own book club for years and you’ve got a decent amount of experience, this might be a route you can pursue.
Monetizing Through Podcasts
If you’re a fan of audio books, you could potentially get paid to edit and produce them for others. Simply put, an audio book is when you’re given a book to listen to and then narrate or type out what you hear. With some training, you can be a very effective audio book narrator. If you’ve got a decent amount of training, you can even get paid to edit and produce audio books to order. If you’ve got a good name for yourself in your industry, this can be a very lucrative side gig. Still, you’ll need to be selective with the projects you take on because they’ll typically have a lot of riding on them.
Make Money With A Test Drive
If you’ve got a website or YouTube channel where you’ve been documenting your daily routines, you can get paid to try out new products. Simply put, a product review is when you’re given a product to test out and then you comment on the product’s features or tell the reader how you feel about it. In some instances, you get to choose the product you want to try out. For example, if you’re a beauty blogger and you’re trying to decide between the iPhone and the Google Pixel, you could potentially get paid to test out each one and then leave a detailed review. This might be a better fit if you’re looking for a side gig to make some extra cash. Still, it’s not something to take on lightly. You’ll need to be prepared to put in the work.
Make Money With A Speaking Engagement
If you’ve got a platform where you can connect with potential clients, you can get paid to give speeches. Simply put, a speaking engagement is when you’re given an opportunity to speak about your area of expertise to a group of people who might be able to hire you. In some instances, you can even get to choose the topic you want to speak about. For example, if you’ve been writing and documenting your experience as a digital nomad, you might want to look into giving speeches about this topic. If you’ve got a platform where you can connect with potential clients, this can be a very lucrative side gig. Still, you’ll need to be selective with the projects you take on because they’ll typically have a lot of riding on them.
Make Money With Virtual Assistance
A growing number of online tutors are looking for online students who can help them with their English homework. If you’re good at grammar, you can get paid to edit and provide feedback on students’ writing. If you’ve got a decent microphone, you can even get to choose the subject you want to help with (such as literature or psychology) and then just listen and provide feedback. As a virtual assistant, you’ll get to choose the projects you want to take on and then be able to bill your time. Just remember that this is a freelance gig and you’ll need to find your own customers and management team.
Make Money With A Digital Marketing Agency
If you’ve got a marketing agency that you’ve been working with that specializes in digital marketing, you can get paid to write and edit blog posts and run ad campaigns. Simply put, a digital marketing agency is when you’re given a specific brief for a particular project and then you develop a digital marketing strategy to meet the requirements of that brief. For example, if you’re a tech writer and you’ve got a marketing agency that specializes in digital marketing, you might get to choose which tech products to write about and then choose which ones to showcase in a commercial for a specific brand. In some instances, you can even get to choose the content you want to create (such as a blog post or webinar) and then get to work with someone else’s team to make it happen.