Your First $1 Will Encourage You
How to Reach There With These Simple Steps
“You can make anything by writing.”
— C.S. Lewis
Most of you have probably already begun earning money online. I hope you have more success this year. But still, if you are new and still confused and don’t know where to start, then this article will help you out.
I won’t tell you how to earn your first $100 in this article.
But I will focus on helping you make that first $1.
Why the first sale?
You must have an account somewhere. KDP? If yes, then have you seen the bold numbers after the dollar sign? There is a reason why almost every marketplace keeps those numbers in bold and right in the center.
Those numbers shining on our dashboard always encourage us to work more. The higher the numbers, the harder we work.
But let’s see how to get that first sale — that first dollar on your dashboard.
My life lessons will help you out.
I first published a story (a novella) on Amazon KDP. I didn’t see the sale for the first week and then decided to quit. It was seven years ago, I guess.
And after some years, it was during the pandemic that I opened my account and saw I had earned almost only $0.33.
I was happy at first. I was working a full-time job, and everyone told me I would never earn money from writing.
I was always told that no writer could ever make a living. They all end up being poor.
Now, the pandemic has proved both a blessing and a curse to me.
I lost my job and started looking for ways to make money online. I wanted to write full-time and didn’t want to wait for a publisher or an agent. I wanted control over my books.
I lived a confused life for many years. Getting attached to one marketplace, forever. We sometimes blame others for our faults. Sometimes jealousy kicks in when others become successful at their jobs.
After all the ups and downs in my life, I finally decided to take the leap.
Whatever happens, will happen. We have no control over the results.
I finally took an online job as a data engineer. And along with this, I started looking for ways I could earn money through writing and designing.
I also started publishing my books on KDP Select. After seeing good sales, which were enough to encourage me to work more, I shifted wide. A bad decision back then, as no one knew me and I had no social media following. And also with the blessing of Amazon, they blocked one of my books.
Why?
I violated some terms and conditions, which they refuse to tell me. The more time goes by, the more rules are being added.
After this incident, I remembered my father telling me not to depend on anyone for money. Whether it’s a person or a system. Earn less, but never allow anyone to drag you through life!
And this one thought from my father made me create more income streams. We never know what will happen in the future.
I won’t say I became rich after that, but yes, I earned enough to pay my bills.
Multiple income streams and enough to live - this should be the first aim when working online.
A time came when I was writing and publishing all day. I used to publish a novella per week. Each time I publish, I see sales. Back then, I didn’t realize or pay much attention to my father’s words.
Secret: “Systems are made that way. They want you to be 100% in, but they can kick you out whenever they want. And never, ever ask why.”
After that incident, I started to take more of my books out of the Amazon Kindle Unlimited program. I started looking for more ways to earn money, which wasn’t possible when I was on Amazon 24 hours a day. As you know, the moment you publish a book in its catalog, you see sales. And become so addicted to it that you don’t want to leave it.
But whatever it is, one thing is sure: those few cents encouraged me to carry on with my writing journey.
I am leaving some stuff here and there. That’s how my emotions are going right now. As you all know, I don’t write for SEO; whatever I write is always from my experience.
So if you are on this writing journey, make sure you always move forward without waiting for anyone.
Keep on writing.
Keep on publishing.
Keep on marketing.
In reality, there is no end.
If you want to know more about making money writing ebooks, then you can check out my book “My Mistakes in Self-Publishing”. Happy Writing Journey!
