Monetize Your Writing, part 2
and beyond monetization: what your writing says about you…
Monetize Your Writing
In the last issue we covered five strategies to help you monetize what you write. The key is to offer specific value to a well-defined audience of folks you choose to serve with your written work.
Two more luminaries of online writing worthy of your attention: Dan Koe and Nicolas Cole. Plus, a return engagement from a writer mentioned in our last issue, August Birch.
Dan Koe
I discovered Dan Koe on Twitter. When you follow him on Twitter, he posts numerous insights daily. As do many writer/creators on Twitter, Dan offers free as well as paid offerings. He is full of encouragement and kick-in-the-pants, “let’s get things done” insights. Here is just one insight from a long, value-laden Twitter thread:
“Keep in mind, the money you make is directly proportional to the *solution you build* for a big problem.
“Money should be treated as a reflection of your impact. If you are not making money… chances are you haven’t produced something of value.”
Here’s an example of his no-nonsense encouragement:
“Write content, make friends, build a product or service, and refine your skill set through experience.
“Anything else is procrastination disguised as productivity, especially at the beginning.
“1 hour of leverage-focused work is all you need to build a creative income source.”
For an abundance of free information (as well as paid courses), here is his website…
Nicolas Cole
Nicolas Cole is the author of The Art and Business of Online Writing. In it he shares the nuts and bolts of how he became (and you can become) a prolific and successful digital writer. He’s been writing since he was seventeen years old. And he’s still going strong with insights that can help you write better, publish more, and monetize your writing.
For a plethora of information, here is his website.
—
And a writer mentioned in our last issue…
August Birch
Recently Birch created a five-module paid course titled “Momentum Maker.” I bought it because I have been guilty of spending more time on learning and research than on writing and publishing. His course focuses how you can do what you must do without resorting to brute willpower. It’s loosely based on James Clear’s phenomenal best seller, Atomic Habits, which Birch encourages you to read.
“Momentum is simple. You do the work today. Tomorrow, you do the work again. Next Thursday (you guessed it) you do the work then too. Our success is not determined by our talents. Our success with any project is determined by our momentum.”
In other words, you need a daily process that gets you to finish what you begin… and ship! It can only happen if you use a process that is daily, habit-forming, and productive. It’s your mission, your passion, your work!
“All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger.”
James Clear
—
Finally, beyond monetization, allow me to share a vital insight into the heart and soul of writing…
Ayn Rand, author of The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged, and other fiction and non-fiction works, once taught fiction and non-fiction writing to an informal group of friends. Recently I listened to The Art of Fiction on Audible, based on her course on fiction writing.
As I was driving down a country road, I was suddenly struck by this incredible insight about writing. (I had to pull over to the side of the road so I could write it down):
“The purpose of all art is the objectification of values. The fundamental motive of a writer — by implication of the activity, whether he knows it consciously or not — is to objectify his values, his view of what is important in life….
“To objectify values is to make them real by presenting them in concrete form. For instance, to say “I think courage is good” is not to objectify a value. To present a man who acts bravely, is.
“Why is it important to objectify values?
“Human values are abstractions. Before they can become real to or convince anyone, the concretes have to be given.
“In this sense, every writer is a moral philosopher.”
For me, this brought home what I had long suspected but lacked the words to define.
When you write, your sense of life and your assessment of what’s important comes through no matter what you write.
And specificity is vital to “objectify” your values.
—
Meanwhile…
What’s your biggest challenge as a writer?
—
Ken West is the author of seven books. His latest is Your Ego: It’s Your Salvation, Not Your Original Sin.
