Making money from writing & self-publishing

Use your writing skills to produce a traveller’s guide.
This would include information on where to find the most interesting places of historical interest in popular tourist locations. Research your subject thoroughly and give your reader some interesting facts and figures to dwell on. Include some picturesque photographs. Have your guide printed and sold through bookshops in the area of interest and in tourist information centres.

Specialise in writing greetings card verses.
Send your examples to card producers in the UK and abroad. Research the market thoroughly to find out what sells. A wide variety of themes exist for different occasions. The obvious ones being birthdays, anniversaries, christmas, coming of age, new home, new baby, etc. etc. A good sense of humour is a definite advantage. For some types of cards it`s essential. A list of card producers can be found in `The Writers and Artists Yearbook`.

Write short stories for magazines.
Fictional short stories are tremendously popular, particularly in womens` magazines. If you have a talent for writing good romantic fiction, then you`re bound to sell your work. There are numerous other options of course. Science-fiction, horror stories, detective stories, historical romance are all good sellers. Research all the available magazines that cover your topic of interest. Send your stories addressed to the editor, keeping the original on file. Suggested reading: Writing Short Stories by William H. Phillips

Devise and write a correspondence course.
This would be based on a subject that you have an in-depth knowledge of. Lots of people would like to improve their own knowledge and learn new skills, and are willing to pay for someone to help them. And not everyone has the time or inclination to go to college to achieve what they want. If you can help people learn to write better, draw better. learn a new language, learn a new trade, then you have the opportunity to turn your ideas into a worthwhile business opportunity.

Start an e-zine on the internet.
There`s lots of electronic magazines springing up all over the web. If you can specialise in a particular subject that has little competition, then you could be on to a winner. The internet enables you to have a huge potential audience. If you can regularly update information on your chosen subject, then you have the foundation to set up an e-zine. How do e-zines make money? By subscription of course, and through third-party advertising.

Subscription based newsletters are also worthy consideration if you’re an experienced writer with lot’s of ideas and energy. It’s time consuming but can be an excellent way to turn your writing skills into profit without the need of a publisher.
See Learn the Art of Successful Newsletter publishing

Write a book on how to make money from property.
If you have prior knowledge of the subject, that`s a good stepping stone to get started. If not, do some research into how other people make a living from renting, or buying and selling property. Cover all the bases, including buying property from auction, renovating, converting large houses to flats, nursing homes, renting out shops, land development and so on. There`s always a large section of people who can benefit from this type of book. You could self-publish it by selling it on the internet or having it printed and sold through mail order.

Writing jokes and letters to magazines can be a useful source of extra cash.
If you have a talent for telling a funny story or a good joke, there are plenty of magazines who would be willing to publish your work if it`s appropriate to their needs. Refer to the`Writers and Artists Yearbook` for contacts and study the magazines you would be interested in writing for.

Compile a collection of questions and answers and write your own quiz book.
Specialise in a specific subject to pinpoint a selected market. For example, a quizbook based on golf or cricket. Alternatively, produce an audio cassette version along with a booklet and instructions, and market it as a quiz game. Have it packaged and sold by mail order or through gift shops.

Write a business guide on how to write and publish a newsletter or magazine.
If you have prior knowledge and experience of this subject it should be a simple and straightforward project. You could self-publish the guide and sell it through advertisements placed in business opportunity magazines.

Consider writing articles for magazines.
There`s a huge array of subjects for would-be writers to specialise in. Whatever your interests are, there`s bound to be a magazine that`s appropriate to your particular talents. Whether it`s photography, computers, fishing, cycling, nursing, caravanning, windsurfing, or whatever, you could probably find something to write a short article about, and get paid to have it published. Many writers make a good income this way. As always, research your subject thoroughly. Find out what the going rate is for payment, and give it a go.

Write a book about how to trace your own ancestry.
A lot of people are interested in this subject, but sometimes they`re not sure how to begin and proceed. A well written book or guide to the subject is bound to be popular if marketed correctly.

Write and publish a regular newsletter or magazine based around a ‘niche’ subject.
Sell on subscription. If you come up with a good idea it could prove to be very lucrative. (One man in Britain set about publishing a monthly magazine based on foot fetishes, and ended up with more than 20,000 subscribers)

Write a biography about someone famous from the past who lived in your part of the country.
Self-publish the book if you prefer and sell through local bookshops and tourist information services.

Write your own recipe book specialising in one particular area of cuisine.
If, for example, you have an in-depth knowledge of how to prepare chinese food, or perhaps vegetarian or Indian dishes, then a `how-to` guide devoted to your own food preperation techniques might prove popular. If you don`t feel you have sufficient knowledge to write a complete guide on this subject, consider finding and working with someone who does. And if you aren`t successful at convincing a publisher to publish your book, consider self-publishing. (see below)

Become a self-publisher.
These days it`s just as easy to self-publish your own work than it is to get it published through an established publisher. Most tasks involved in self-publishing can be achieved using a home computer. The research, drafting, compiling together text, illustrations and photographs, can all be done at home. It`s even possible to print and bind your book using a modern printer and binder. This type of book might be acceptable for selling by mail order. But for truly professional results you will have to use the services of a good printer. This does involve a substantial amount of investment however, but if you believe that your book will prove popular enough to sell in large numbers through bookshops, then this is the only other way to proceed. Having about one or two thousand books printed is probably the safest way to start. Of course, the higher the volume, the cheaper it becomes. Once your books are printed you will then need to canvass bookshops to try to get them to stock a few copies of your book, which they may accept on a sale or return basis. Ideally, however, it is better to be paid up front at the wholesale price. Seeing your book in print can be immensely satisfying, and usually worth all the hard work involved. Wherever your interests lie, if you really feel you have something worthwhile to write about, consider self-publishing as one way forward. Click here to find out how to self-publish on the internet

Write and sell a book on how to improve your finances.
Extra income books always sell well when marketed correctly. A number of ready-made titles exist for budding home publishers, but a new title with the latest money-making ideas will have the best chance to succeed.

Write a book on how to grow and take care of houseplants.
Thousands of people could benefit from a well researched book with lots of useful hints and tips relating to the care of houseplants. There are books already available on the subject, but by self-publishing you can produce and promote your book as a concise, and inexpensive, quick reference guide. Advertise by mail order in home improvement magazines.

Compile a large collection of general knowledge questions and answers and publish it as a ‘pub quiz’ book.
For example, it could be entitled `A 1001 questions for pub quiz fanatics` Sell by mail order in suitable magazines that have general classified ad sections.

Write a book on how to save money.
If you have a knack for finding the best bargains, and have numerous ways of saving money through useful household tips and inexpensive home improvement ideas, you could write your own A - Z guide on how to save money. Sell for a few pounds so that readers can save hundreds of pounds.

Produce a guide that shows other would-be writers how to write and sell a correspondence course.
Obviously you will need to have first hand experience on this subject, or be able to work in conjunction with someone who does. Sell the book as a business opportunity guide through the classified ads of business opportunity magazines.

Compile and write a collection of quiz books dealing with specific subjects.
For example, quiz books specialising in English or American history, popular music, classical music. the cinema, English literature, sport etc. Advertise and sell by mail order through the appropriate magazines.

Write a book about millionaires and how they achieved their wealth.
Arrange interviews with wealthy people who are willing to co-operate in your project. If possible, try to sell your book through a major publisher. If not, publish the book yourself and see if you can get bookshops to stock it for you. Also, advertise it by mail order in business ideas magazines.

Compile and self-publish a series of joke books.
For example, these might include jokes suitable for best man speeches at weddings, jokes for using at business seminars, jokes for the serious golfer, jokes for rugby players etc. Advertise each book in the appropriate subject-related magazine and follow up orders with a list of other books in the series.

Produce a directory of craftwork suppliers.
A directory of suppliers would be useful to the thousands of craftworkers throughout the country who need a list of useful contacts to help them in their hobby or business. It could be advertised and sold by mail order through selected publications read by craftspeople. Inclusion in the directory would be free except for display advertising space reserved for businesses who are prepared to pay for a larger advert to make their business stand out that little bit more.

Design and print a series of books containing crossword puzzles.
These could specialise in particular subjects such as various sports, the cinema, science and technology, geography and history etc. Sell them through newsagents and mail order.

Write a book about how to improve your memory.
Yes, I know it`s already been done. Actually someone lent me a book like this once, but I kept forgetting to read it. Still, if you think you have a foolproof method that can help others to improve their memory, you can be sure there`s plenty of people willing to buy it if the price is right. Try to come up with a snappy title and advertise it in the classified ads of various magazines.

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