Hey Podcaster-Have You Ever Wanted to Write a Book?
I'm writing books again
Announcements:
Paid Subscriber Office Hours are Today-Friday, August 11, 2023 at 3:00 pm MTN/8:00 pm EST (Please note-If no one signs on by 3:15 pm-I log off) This office hour is earlier in the month since I will be attending Podcast Movement later in the month. The Zoom meeting details are in the paid section of today’s newsletter.
Paid Subscribers-In today’s newsletter I share my interview with my friend Amanda Paige who filmed a documentary. We talk about:
What that process was (this was her first documentary)
How she pitched to get paid and raised almost $50,000 in a couple of different ways
Her new documentary
The “How to Get Brand Partnership Workshop” that I hosted in June will be available for purchase again starting next Monday, August 14-Friday, August 25, 2023.
In-Person workshop: $97 (Hosted on Saturday, September 9, 2023 at 10:00 am MTN/12:00 pm EST-Ask me questions, etc.
Repurposing Your Skills to Make Money
I love writing and on a recent trip to visit my relatives my uncle asked me if I was still writing. He’d watched me write stories as a little kid. I sheepishly grinned and said “Yes, Uncle Mike-I’m still writing. In fact, I write romances now” In our professional and creative pursuits we will learn new skills or we will lean into refining the skills that we already have and use them in different ways. In my case there are a few skills that I use often in my creative business building:
Loving to talk-My gift for meeting new people and being able to speak with strangers. I apply this gift of making conversation in a number of ways, most notably in creating and designing my podcast content (that I monetize).
Networking-My ability to make connections somewhat effortlessly has made networking so much easier for me.
Writing-I’ve used my writing skills in a few different ways. The most lucrative ways I’ve used my writing skills include:
Freelance writing
Creating a newsletter/email lists
Writing romance novels and selling online
I Rethought My Writing Skills
So…I started writing romance
Right now I’m writing romance novels again. I LOVE writing them. I also truly enjoy reading romances. In fact, weirdly enough, my romance novels have been my most consistent passive income revenue stream. They are written via a pen name, I’ve created a platform for them and I even have a podcast for that pen name. Guess what the pre-roll ad goes to?
My books!
I share a direct link to my backlist of books that I’ve written so that listeners:
Are directed to my work
Can make a purchase
Or, can make a pre-sell purchase (something that I’m currently focused on right now)
You can do this too! With your fiction or non-fiction works.
Your writing doesn’t have to be connected to what you’re primarily known for. I love writing romances and I love the money that I earn with that project.
What skills have you cultivated that you’d like to use in a different way but have been hesitant to do so? Why?
I’m so glad that I sat down that day and wrote that first book. I also write non-fiction books including an upcoming project that I plan on sharing next week.
Just because you are positioned in one space doesn’t mean that everything you work on has to be connected to that initial project.
Make Money With Ebooks
I have a course that I shut down during COVID called “Make Money with Ebooks” that I sold for a few years.
Would you like me to make it available on a limited basis? I thinking for a week or so in September or October. Let me know!
How to Build a Newsletter (Or Email List) that Pays Workshop
One of the best decisions that I’ve ever made in my online business I’ve made twice.
Grew my romance email list to 3,000+ readers
Started Podcasters Getting Paid
Both have made me money and have been relatively simple for me to do once I understood the strategies that create a good newsletter or email list.
Based on feedback I’m developing a workshop called “How to Build a Newsletter that Pays”
Workshop Sign Up
Pre-recorded Self-study workshop-Workshop available after Wednesday, August 16, 2023. Cost: $37 (Sale price)
How to Build a Newsletter (Or Email List) that Pays Workshops Will Cover the Following:
Why EVERYONE needs to be building a list
Naming your newsletter.
Designing your newsletter-What is the point of it and how does it help your subscribers?
How to monetize your free tier.
How to write impactful and engaging newsletters.
How to leverage your podcasting content
Your podcast
Guest appearances
How to leverage in person events to grow your list
How to partner with brands
Thank You
I wanted to say “Thank You” for supporting this project and all of the wonderful feedback that I’ve received. Thank you for subscribing, sharing and a huge thank you to monthly and annual paying subscribers-without you it would be difficult to continue working on this project.
Thinking about becoming a paying subscriber? It’s $5 a month (the cost of a cup of coffee) here’s what you gain access to:
Monthly office hours-in fact, we have office hours today at 3:00 pm MTN/5:00 pm EST-Pick Michelle’s brain, ask questions and get feedback on projects that you’re working on.
Monetization Case studies and a breakdown of what worked and what didn’t as well as lessons learned (Today I’m sharing Amanda Paige’s story and how she filmed an award winning documentary that’s now being shown on PBS as a first time filmmaker)
Additional resources, Meetups with creators and more.
Presenting Sponsor
Podcasting can be so time consuming. Save your time and simplify your process with Swell AI. I’m so excited to be partnering with Swell AI. This tool is the way I like AI to be used:
Generate show notes
Create social media posts
Creates transcripts for PREVIOUSLY RECORDED content!
Swell AI saves you so much time!
Amanda Paige Shares How She Filmed a Documentary
My friend Amanda had a dream to share the town that she’s from. There were a couple of issues though:
She’d never filmed a documentary.
Money
Learn about how she leveraged connections that she mad on Twitter to get her award winning documentary filmed and how she hustled to get it paid. She now runs a non-profit and is in the process of working on her next project.
I LOVE this story.
And her documentary is now being shown on PBS.
