IN THIS ISSUE
- From the Editor’s Desk: How to uplevel as a multipassionate creator
- On The Wordling: The 4 types of writing styles
- News & Views: What kind of author benefits the most from direct selling?
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
Happy Thursday, everyone,
This will not surprise those of you who’ve known me for a while, but so far this year, I’ve signed up for and completed 8 online courses.
About half were to learn practical skills like building sales funnels, editing a novel, and AI prompt engineering, while the others were purely mindset (a long-term obsession). Most of them had assignments, challenges, and homework, which I’m still finishing.
See, I love learning. I love to grow. I love adding new skills to my repertoire. Perhaps this is because I’m easily bored, but I know it’s also because I’m a multipassionate creator with many interests. I knew, early on, that the only way I would be happy in my career was if I embraced these multiple facets of my personality, and while not all of them would become careers, they could certainly aid in whatever I chose to do. (The multiple streams of income don’t hurt!)
I love numbers and so, for years, I did my own bookkeeping (I now pay my 12-year-old son to do it; he loves numbers too). I love psychology, especially the dynamics of ambition and self sabotage, so I routinely coach highly ambitious writers and help them get out of their own way. I love content in all its variations, so this last year I’ve spent a lot of time working with freelance clients who’re focused on SEO and learning everything I can about that.
These are all skills I picked up along the way, not because I was actively trying to learn them, but because I was curious.
But that curiosity has a cost, and I have to tell you, if I had to purchase all those eight courses I took this year separately, I would be out anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000.
There’s a trend online to record a few hours of video, call it a course, and sell it for $300-500. Some of it isn’t even original; it’s just rehashed content found online that’s been collated by AI. I’m not interested in generalized information. When I take a course, I’m looking for a specific result, and I’m hoping the knowledge and action steps will help me achieve it.
It’s why I love memberships. I’m part of several. Any time I want to upgrade my skills, I don’t have to shell out thousands of dollars or wait until doors open to a particular course. It means I’m learning day in and day out. It means I can work at my own pace. And it means I can pick up and implement specific skills that will help my business right now.
Of course, my love for memberships is precisely why I created Wordling Plus.
I don’t want writers to worry about the cost of learning. I don’t want you to shell out thousands of dollars every month in order to uplevel your skills. I don’t want you to spend $400 for a skill, only to find that it’s not something you can implement right away.
I want you to work at your own pace.
I want you to build multiple income streams.
And I don’t want you to struggle for years to get there.
Most of the writers reading this newsletter are multipassionate creatives who are in business for themselves and, therefore, have no time to waste. You’re freelancing for clients, pitching stories to publications, writing and publishing books, and building your audience on the side. You need resources that work, and you need them fast.
Wordling Plus is for that kind of creator.
In addition to 20+ courses, you’ll also get monthly group coaching and live weekly events that help you stay current with the industry. Plus, I’m always just a message away.
We had our first group coaching call yesterday, and it reminded me why I do this. How much I love to see writers get out of their own way and shine. How so many writers have told me they play my courses and trainings in the background even when they’re not actively learning in order to stay inspired.
Being multipassionate was the biggest challenge of my career. Until I turned it into my biggest strength. I’d love to help you do that, too.
We’re currently open to new members, and if this resonates, we’d love to have you.
Enjoy the issue!
Natasha Khullar Relph
Editor, The Wordling
P.S. If you’re looking for a way to promote your next book, check out what our friends are doing. They’ll help spread the word about your books, and it costs nothing.
NEW ON THE WORDLING
There are 4 Types of Writing Styles. Here’s How to Develop Your Own
Explore the four writing styles, discover the nuances of each, and use these tips to craft your own.
UPCOMING MASTERCLASSES
100 LOIs IN 30 DAYS
with Natasha Khullar Relph
When: Wednesday, March 13
11am New York | 3pm London | 8:30pm New Delhi
A few years ago, I took a break from freelancing to write books. When I returned, I went from 0 clients to $12,000 in monthly income within six months. I did it all with LOIs.
Freelancing is a game of numbers. The more you put yourself out there, the more likely you are to get work. And in this masterclass, I’ll show you my exact process for sending out 100 LOIs in 30 Days, in less than an hour each day.
Let’s get you bringing in new clients and income within weeks.
WRITE MORE IN 2024
with Natasha Khullar Relph
When: Friday, March 22
10am New York | 2pm London | 7:30pm New Delhi
If you want to make money as an author, you have to write more books. One book a year (or fewer!) does not a publishing career make. You need to write more faster. I can help.
In this live 1-hour masterclass, I’ll spend 20 minutes walking you through how to write fast effortlessly. And then, in the remaining 40, I’ll actually help you put it in action right there on the call!
NEWS & VIEWS:
Hot trend: Selling books directly to readers
Authors are no longer dependent on publishers to bring their books into the world and make a sustainable income with their work. (Traditional publishing is now a choice, and not always a good one.)
However, selling your books on big platforms like Amazon has its downsides, too. Much like the gatekeepers in traditional publishing, platforms have far too much control over your income, and losing your account (sometimes through no fault of your own) can throw a wrench in your career. Which is why smart authors are going straight to readers, and selling direct is the hot new trend in indie publishing.
Earlier this week, Kindlepreneur released the results of a study in which they polled 876 authors to see what makes direct selling work. “Is it just an overhyped side hustle, or can you actually build a sustainable business around it?” Kindlepreneur founder Dave Chesson asks.
Here’s what he discovered:
- 40% of authors who are selling directly only started doing so within the past year.
- 66% of authors who are selling direct have published at least 5 books; 44% have over 10 books available for sale.
- Authors with more than 10 published books earn $2,270 per month on average from direct sales.
- Authors with an email list of over 15,000 subscribers earn $6,119 per month on average from direct sales alone.
- There’s a positive correlation between offering a greater variety of product types (ebooks, paperbacks, hardcovers, audiobooks, merchandise) and generating higher revenues.
Our takeaways:
1. If you’re new to direct sales (or indie publishing), don’t fret. This is an ever-changing industry, with new opportunities coming up all the time. The only way the average author’s income will remain stagnant is if they don’t publish frequently or if they rely exclusively on traditional publishing.
2. Write more, publish more, in as many variations as you can (print, audio, merch, etc.)
3. Build your email list.
ALSO SEE
Spotify has added a new audiobook subscription tier for users interested in streaming books on the platform.
Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware has the lowdown on a new book returns insurance scam.
And drama has gripped the fountain pen community.
GLOBAL REPORT
UK: “Wilson Palow is pushing for the UK to establish a clear set of rules on overt surveillance. “The [UK] government in some ways seems to think that anything that might be out on social media or otherwise publicly available should be fair game for any purpose,” she told me. Until now, she added, it appears civil servants have been compiling profiles on people like Kaszeta by hand. But in the future AI could revolutionize the scale—and intrusiveness—of overt surveillance.”
TOGO: “In Togo, a Francophone country in West Africa, the proliferation of misleading health information poses a significant threat to public health initiatives, undermining concerted efforts to enhance public health. Recognizing this issue, in August 2020 Dr. Serge Michel Kodom, a Togolese doctor specializing in infectious diseases, created SOS DOCTEUR TV to provide access to reliable health information, particularly in rural regions across Francophone Africa.”
SRI LANKA: “Thousands of jobs in Sri Lanka’s book publishing industry will be lost due to the imposition of VAT (18%) on books, publishers claim.They claim that about 30 percent of bookshops have been closed due to the economic crisis.”
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“They’ll tell you you’re too loud, that you need to wait your turn and ask the right people for permission. Do it anyway.”
– Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
HOORAY! YOU MADE IT TO THE END!
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