How to Make Money Writing: What’s the True Value of Your Book?

I’ve written several books and published a few of them. I’ve had a great deal of success considering my small status as an independent or self-published author. I’ve blown expectations for average book sale out of the water, and managed to find two distinct ways to make an incredible living attached to my being a published author.

Not only that, but I had to learn how to translate that value to the right audience. And that was way harder than writing or editing any novel. I’ve said it before, but it stands to be said again: as an author, you are not an artist; you are an entrepreneur. A small business owner, who most likely has used their own capital to invest in their new enterprise. And that’s a completely different scenario than being “a writer.”

Let’s start by being honest. Does your book bring a value greater than the list price to the consumer? You can’t answer that by saying, “I worked really hard on this and people should want to buy it,” or even, “It’s a great story, of course it will bring value to the reader.” While all of this might be true, how often have you purchased a product because the store owner appeared to have worked really hard to get their shop going? Probably only if you are personal friends with them. Here are some considerations:

This should get you thinking and answering some basic questions about you and your small business. When I started out, I was certain I had the next NY Times Bestseller in my hands. Only it was rejected by 98 different agents, who mainly told me they couldn’t connect with my story. Today, this little book is self-published through my JME Books line, where it has done tremendously well in the market. Were these agents wrong? No, of course not. In fact, they were absolutely correct in their deduction. The book has a tight niche market because of its local geographic connection. If it had been picked up by a traditional press, it would have bombed within the first year and been shelved forever. I’d probably never write another word and be working at drugstore somewhere. Instead, after that first year of bombing, I discovered a beautiful message woven within the pages: BULLYING. This is my book’s unique value. A fantasy adventure novel with dwarves and dragons teaches kids about their part in bullying. Once my value was determined, it was easy to supply a demand. I began to contact schools regarding my anti-bullying program. They readily paid for my appearance and offered pre-order book sales to students (or purchased books for the school directly).

My book hadn’t changed, only the message I had built in was now a focal point to bring value to readers. I even went a step further with creating more value by:

My sales have increased tremendously and I have an income from speaking that I never foresaw in my future. My passion for kids, teaching, and writing have translated to a unique value that only I can provide. So my question to you is: What’s Your Value?

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