ICYMI - The WriterpreneurOS Kickstarter is Live
It was a surprise start. Here's the story to the new Kickstarter. It's open for another 12 days...
This Kickstarter is now live. Please join now.
Only 12 days to go, according to the ticker…
Why Does No One Teach Writers This?
What I Found Was So Unexpected, It Changed My Financial Freedom – Forever.
Now you're about to find out how it can change yours.
This isn't your usual Kickstarter. It's about revealing life-changing research -- connecting the dots to come up with a radically new approach to an age-old problem. We are solving a mystery that only a very tiny few authors have solved. But those that have, kept their solution to themselves.
(Read this carefully. It contains the core data to making a living from your writing...)
Most Writers Want To Earn A Decent Living From Their Writing.
However...
According to the final report of Author Earnings in 2018, only four-tenths of one percent of over 200,000 authors were making over $50,000 annually.
A study from 2023 by the Author's Guild verified that this situation hasn't improved.
Researching why the bulk of writers fail to earn a livable income from their writing alone is revealed by an observation made years ago:
There are two types of successes in the book-selling industry:
Writers who learned how to market, and
Marketers who learned how to write.
But it's even simpler. Writing + Marketing = Business.
The successful writer-marketers became entrepreneurs – they became writerpreneurs.
In short, their writing is part of their business (along with their marketing) – and they run that combination as such – with metrics and best practices.
The Model Most Authors Use is Broken.
The approach to use is to then find the successful outliers who are making their success outside of the conventional methods – that new model.
Writerpreneurs realize that they are marketing before they write the first sentence of the book.
They know the value of writing in series, the use of serials, and that you'll reach a wider amount of audience by publishing all possible versions of a book.
They know why social media doesn't sell books – users are there only to be entertained, not buy things. And those platforms send little to no traffic out to out-bound links now.
Why does Amazon and its old model fail authors? Among other reasons, they have some 200 links on every book sales page to buy something else. But they will sell you ads to promote your book there...
Why are Kickstarter, Patreon, Substack, and Gumroad succeeding? Because when a person visits those sites, there is a commercial expectation to buy. When your audience lands on your page on those platforms, they only are shown your products. Simple. Because those platforms are only financially successful to the exact degree they help you achieve your own financial goals.
What's this new model have that the failed model doesn't? Simply: the author and the reader meet and agree on the price they want to exchange their goods for. There are no intermediaries in between.
How a Writer Got Himself Off the Amazon Hamster Wheel
Russell Nohelty tells this story - he was making a decent income selling comics though Kickstarter, but wanted to write full novels. And bought into the idea that the "only real way" to sell books was on Amazon. He then studied all the conventional wisdom about how to succeed with ads and whatnot and released his first book with all sorts of promotion – it barely broke even. But he estimated that by the fifth book in his series, he would be rolling in it as he got "discovered". But the second book didn't sell as well, or the third. And by the fifth, he was tens of thousands in debt with that book selling only a handful of copies total.
Then he realized he had run campaigns for a couple of standalone books on Kickstarter. He dug their campaigns out again and looked them over. They were profitable. He got between $20 and $40 per book. Sold hundreds of them each time. And ever since, he had the email addresses of those buyers to promote to.
So he pulled back the books from Amazon and did a new release through Kickstarter. By the third book, he'd paid off his debt and paid for the production costs for the other two books in the series. By the end of the first five books, he had a healthy "war chest" for promoting the next ten books he planned to produce.
Yes, Anyone Can Do This.
Kevin Kelly wrote an essay (https://kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-fans/)the year before Kickstarter was formed. It talked about having 1,000 true fans that would pay a creator $100 per year, enabling that creator to have a $100,000 annual income.
Most writers on Amazon publish at $2.99 per ebook and need to sell 2,000 books per month to make $50K per year. Since most books sell 250 copies or less, then this explains why the Amazon model doesn't work.
But the sweet spot of that 1,000 True Fans idea is obvious when it is graphed. You can go the long tail of selling your book to thousands of fans for cheap. Or offer a very pricey special edition to only a handful. But the middle of that curve says to sell a regular book at a regular price, and you'll only need a few hundred backers to make it a financial success.
That explains how Nohelty and others earn a very good income. They release through Kickstarter with special editions to their fans. They fund their production costs this way. And only later also release a marketplace version widely to all possible book distributors.
Do the math:
1,000 fans buying two $25 books makes $50,000 annual income.
Or 250 fans buying five $40 books.
Then writerpreneurs expand their offers with all extra editions of that book, such as audio-books, large print, and even courses. Of course there are bundles as well – and we are soon out of what Amazon or any other book distributor can offer. That then utilizes the True Fans model to have a long tail of sales that return even more income through incidental sales - compounding and increasing income from books written years earlier.
(Meaning: if you are already a published author with a large backlist, you can conceivably put new life into their sales with the strategy outlined above.)
Authors who are in the writing business as a business then also have enabled direct sales through an ecommerce-enabled web site. More is better.
It Took Nearly Two Years to Bring You These Books
Since most of my income has come from non-fiction paperbacks, I set about distilling the 22 ebooks on self-publishing I wrote over 18 years. I winnowed these down into the simple evergreen principles (never change, always work) that they contain. Then I compiled these excerpts into a single book of workable business strategies for writers.
Once I accomplished extracting the core materials (which itself took six months) I realized I didn't really know how book marketing worked. There were gaps in the materials. So I set about filling those gaps with more research.
During that boil-down, I was also researching social media. And I found a key, common approach. The regular postings of top Twitter/X leaderboards showed that they used some version of copywriting devices and techniques in everything they posted.
So I then applied the same research methodology to Copywriting. Taking the classic advertising books in chronological order, I pulled their evergreen principles out. Then I skipped any books that simply repeated or rephrased what any earlier classics had already covered.
After Schwartz' Breakthrough Advertising in 1966, no new evergreen principles were added to this body of work until 2008 and 2013 when the subject of viral word-of-mouth itself was researched and published. So I added reviews and principles of those few books in there as well.
Now I understood why advertising is so obnoxious - because marketers don't know their basics that are well over a hundred years old by now. At that point, I quit hating advertising and learned to appreciate it as an another form of writing art.
Yet, it was pulling down the threads which led back to Amazon's whale readers, the True Fans essay, and Kickstarter. These threads really opened the door to a workable model that explained both success and failures.
Then I realized I'd already studied a book on marketing by one of the most successful book marketers of our age - Your First 1,000 Copies by Tim Grahl. Digging this up out of an archival hard drive, I found his book confirmed that the most effective book marketing has long been simply collecting email addresses and engaging with them so they became fans. (It's not too surprising that social media and continuing ad buys are not very effective.) Successful authors were using the essential tenets of marketing to build communities.
In this short story above, you now have the core basics of what I've distilled into three hefty books – so far. This is what writers should be told to build their own livable and expanding income base.
And This is Where You Come in.
The first three volumes of those collected evergreen principles and strategies are now ready.
So I'm testing their release here – with my first-ever Kickstarter.
And I've collected other short references works or excerpts that fill in needed gaps – as well as compiling my own research.
This resulted in three full texts of basic material. These are now ready for release. As exclusive editions to backers here on Kickstarter.
Your backing this campaign will then help me complete the research to revamp original course texts – which are sadly out of print and in need of updating. Once these are fully edited and proofed, they will add three additional books to this series.
Introducing: The WriterpreneurOS Series.
My own term for this is: writer+entrepreneur=writerpreneur. And this series of books I'm producing and releasing through this Kickstarter campaign are called the Operating System for Writerpreneurs - or the WriterpreneurOS.
Research as My Strong Point
This is where I shine. I have spent most of my life figuring out how things work – or how to fix them until they do. My second greatest skill is journaling. I kept notes of everything I found. When I discovered POD publishing in 2006, I started working out how to get my notes out to the world.
Of course, even then, the commercial lines were being built by transmogrifying the traditional publishing and book-selling models over to digital ebooks. Amazon and Kobo and others built self-publishing up into a thing that anyone could do.
But they don't train authors to write effectively.
And they don't train writers as entrepreneurs.
Or how to effectively market.
Which all explains how we mostly all got into the situation. We have a driving passion for writing, but choose to finance it by doing other mundane jobs to keep our costs of living covered. – while keeping us from enjoying that passion.
Our writing should pay its way so we can afford to keep doing it.
This is the promise of the WriterpreneurOS series – you can make your writing become remunerative enough to cover your bills and follow your bliss.
Anyone really can, already. This series just contains the methods to speed the process.
All I'm saying here is that I'm glad you've found this, and that together we can grow this movement and push it along.
I can honestly admit that I don't have everything figured out. What I do know for a fact, is that I've been able to research and boil down to just the workable basics - those that will stand the test of time. Because my research is into the things that work. Classics.
You probably know that old phrase which has been repeated by so many:
“Those that don't learn their history are condemned to repeat the same mistakes.”
The converse is true. Those who take the time to distill the wisdom of the ages, and test those lessons, will be able to earn and live a great lifestyle.
How This Series Of Books Can Help You.
I long ago fired my last boss. And I've made enough income from book sales ever since to finance my research.
None of it was easy. It took persistence, and sacrifices.
Then I hit a breakthrough in a seemingly dis-related research area. After that, I decided to ramp up my income – because the lifestyle I wanted to live required more.
That's when I started to revisit all my earlier books on self-publishing. I needed to find out if I'd missed anything that would rocket my annual income.
In doing this, I did find holes that I'd missed earlier. So that required more research – and resulted in more breakthroughs.
In addition to compiling and editing that pile of material, I had to compile and edit two more books. All three ended up at least 200 pages long.
Now I have to get these released to the world so that you can benefit.
If you want to develop your writing into a viable income-producing business – one that brings your financial freedom under your own control, so you can make as much income as you want – then I want to invite you along for this journey.
You have to know how to write good books, to publish and market them, and to run your business as a business meanwhile. All while pulling down enough profit to more than support what you're doing.
Why You Should Back This Campaign
Because we're starting a broad movement with this launch.
I've already given you in this text above, all the core secrets in how to successfully self-publish your books. With this set of data anyone could now earn a livable income by self-publishing.
But you'll be like any writer starting out today. There are details to this industry. Mainly those of running a business. And details of how to write at a professional level.
It's not just searching on the Internet, going down consecutive rabbit-holes. What I've produced here is a guide for you.
And through this series, we can help any number of authors to take more control of their own income – instead of publishing and hoping.
It All Begins With This Kickstarter Campaign.
What you're reading is my own test of what I discovered, since I've never run a campaign here before. But others, like Nohelty, have left their own bread-crumb trail to make my way along this path.
Those 22 books above, where I distilled the evergreen entrepreneur principles, are what I found that worked in running a writerpreneur business. If you have a business background, you'll see the core basics here. (And these books are available as a massive bundle in the add-ons for this Kickstarter.) These books just distill all the workable stuff I've proved over the years to keep myself afloat with my own writing and publishing. Plus all the results from my additional researches that you've read about above.
The real message behind this campaign is:
This is a Revolutionary Movement
It's result is:
Every single writer can now make a livable income for themselves, writing from anywhere. We have a working, proved model.
When enough people do this, then Amazon and the others will change. But the key point is you no longer have to worry about what Amazon says about your books or how to market them. Amazon then doesn't have to be the key source of your income. Your readers and fans don't have to pay anyone but you for your writing. And you get all the income you want by how you treat your fans and turn them into superfans.
That can all start now.
You can use this above to earn any amount of income from your writing that you want or need.
Get these books I'm offering here. All the core data and strategies laid out in this description above is found in far more detail inside these three volumes.
Back this campaign at any level you're comfortable with.
Tell everyone you know who might be interested.
What Do You Get Inside These Books?
What's in these for you?
In short - enough actionable data to create your book-selling business alongside your books.
As I mentioned above, I wound up with huge, tall stacks of data. In 18 years of writing, what I've used to run my own business well enough to pay for a decent living and all my research. And from my own books I've distilled several typical actions any business-owner would do:
Like publishing several versions of books to diversify my output and gather more sales.
Like keeping metrics to measure where you're successful and what activities didn't work.
Setting financial goals and meeting them.
Leveraging your skill of writing into copywriting (which uses the same basic skills.)
Setting up an assembly-line approach for your book production that rewards your bliss and avoids burnout.
Creating inspiration on-demand while defusing writer's block.
What I've had to learn hands-on in these past two decades, I'm passing on to you as hard-won lessons.
1) I've boiled this research and its findings down into a single 270+ page book, which is readable and actionable. This massive book, comprises only evergreen writing-and-entrepreneurial principles - and including my most recent research.
2) I've completed a similar research into the evergreen and timeless principles of effective copywriting. From its start in 1898 right up to the recent breakthroughs in 2007 and 2013. This also takes the subject further, by developing methods for any copywriter to perfect their craft through life-long learning methods.
3) In this, I stumbled on one of the all-time most effective training courses for training writers into professionals. Some searching uncovered concise excerpts of their original manuals. These included short-handed, basic methods taught during its heydays. That is the third leg of this stool – writers have to write damn good books that keep their readers riveted throughout and craving more by that author at its end. No amount of marketing will improve sales of a poorly-written book.
This series of three is now being offered as a bundle exclusively here on Kickstarter. I'm also including various "cutting-room floor" excerpts and additional ebooks that will give you more of the background data this research was based on - and to bring you along for this journey.
All so you can side-check the data I'm giving you. Data isn't useful unless you can put it to work - starting now.
Here's The Core Rewards You Can Get for Backing This Campaign:
A Digital Workbook: you get a distilled workbook that outlines everything in the first WriterpreneurOS book in an outline form. So you can replicate this for yourself and get started for a low cost. This is an ebook in PDF format, suitable for printing.
"WriterpreneurOS" Ebooks: These three full books are all each over 220 pages as ebooks to carry with you on your phone or anywhere else - in both PDF and epub formats. Exclusive to Kickstarter - these editions will have a list of backers in its front pages.
Paperbacks: These versions of the full books is useful for dog-earing, underlining, highlighting, tabbing and bookmarking. Great to have around for restudy at any time. Each also has a special section that thanks the backers in its front matter. This will be Print on Demand, published by Lulu. This edition is also exclusive to this Kickstarter campaign.
Hardbacks: These print versions are as deluxe as I can make it – with a dust jacket, high quality paper stock. These version will last longer than the paperback if you're restudying it regularly - or you can simply put them on the shelf to start displaying your collection of this series. These will also be Print on Demand, with Lulu's best quality work. It will also have the backer list in it's front. This edition is also exclusive to this Kickstarter campaign.
Paid Newsletter: I am prolific, and I post newsletters three times a week. The paid version has access to additional digital materials in my archives in addition to hundreds of books, courses, and audiobooks. This is a paid subscription for one year.
A personal half-hour phone call: Yes, you can ask me anything about this series and pick my brain. But I'll only put up with so many people for so long. I like my reclusive lifestyle on this farm (the quietude allows me to write and research) and I have a lot more books to get out in this series. This is a higher-pledge-item, a very limited offer.
And Here's Your Add-ons:
Becoming a Writer Collection by Dorothea Brande - This classic is on every author-training list. Because her unique and timeless approach helps any author improve their craft while they are writing. This book contains her Becoming a Writer book as well as her Wake Up and Live! - which gives the background to her discovering and writing both. An ebook in PDF and epub.
My Collected Bundle of 22 How-to Guides on Self-Publishing - Assembled in order they were published, these books give you my research route. Starting as I did as a newbie author, each book solves the next question that came up. Follow along as I make my mistakes and learn from them - so you don't have to. A 1300-page ebook in PDF and epub.
The Cracking the Cashflow Code Course - Nine chapters of this book have been recorded with TTS audio so you can follow along as this code is cracked - followed with outlined steps you can take for yourself to start earning a liveable income from your writing alone. Access to online course plus PDF workbook.
Notes
Note 1: the higher you back, the levels below are all cumulative. You get all the offers available at lower backing levels. (Digital only.)
Note 2: At this time, I'm not shipping print versions outside the U.S. (Unless I can get that all figured out before the end of this campaign - and then I'll update this and let you know.) However, I've set up digital-only levels anyone can access.
Note 3: A non-exclusive ebook and print paperback will be released through the conventional distribution lines through Draft2Digital some 4-6 months from now. (But without the list of backers in their front. Generic versions - Plain Jane.)
Note 4: Backing this as low as $1 will ensure you are notified of the later releases in this series.
Stretch Goals:
On breaking past $4,000 we can then negotiate getting the audiobook created. At that point, I'll include the audiobook as an add-on. Delivery will be longer than the rest at it will have to be recorded and mastered.
If/When we get past $6,000, I'll send out a personally-signed book plate and a hand-written thank you note to all series backers, even if you only got an ebook. Because you deserve it - and I want to thank you personally.
The sky is the limit. There are other bonuses I can reveal for higher stretch goals than these. All income above the costs of producing the above will be socked away to invest in future production of this series - to get them to you faster.
Choose Your Backing Level
For now, look everything over in this campaign and pick the backing level which most appeals to you.
Do share this with your friends, family, and associates you think will be interested. The more we can get this data out into authors' hands, the faster we can help them fire their last boss and support themselves entirely from their own writing.
This book series is designed to revolutionize the publishing industry.
It's a movement you can be part of.
Join this movement where everyone wins. Back this Campaign NOW.
P.S. Stay tuned for unannounced digital giveaways - depending on how fast and how high this campaign climbs...
