{"id":23022,"date":"2020-05-08T03:00:47","date_gmt":"2020-05-08T10:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?p=23022"},"modified":"2020-05-06T07:16:49","modified_gmt":"2020-05-06T14:16:49","slug":"money-making-projects-an-author-can-pursue-by-keri-kruspe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2020\/05\/08\/money-making-projects-an-author-can-pursue-by-keri-kruspe\/","title":{"rendered":"Money-Making Projects an Author Can Pursue by Keri Kruspe"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Money-Making<\/a>Let\u2019s welcome back monthly columnist Keri Kruspe<\/a> as she shares with us \u201cMoney-Making Projects an Author Can Pursue.\u201d Enjoy!<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

As I pursued my author career, I assumed I could make a living off the sales of my books alone.<\/strong> While I still believe that can be my future, a different fact of life has been creeping up on me. I may have to do other things while I\u2019m waiting to reach (and maintain!) the bestsellers list to replace my secular income.<\/span><\/p>\n

The reason I say this is my novels aren\u2019t paying for the expense I put into the business. While I could stay at my banking job for the next three to five years (an estimated amount of time I\u2019d need to keep working to bring in outside money), I\u2019ve decided to explore other avenues that would be more in line with my chosen passion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finding other streams of income is an excellent idea<\/strong>, especially in today\u2019s environment. Even in \u201cnormal\u201d times, counting on a single source of income can be dangerous.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other Money-Making Projects I Can Pursue<\/b><\/h2>\n

In that spirit, I\u2019ve created a list of endeavors to consider. These aren\u2019t in any order and I\u2019m sure there are opportunities that I missed. If I have, I\u2019d appreciate it if you leave a comment to enlighten the rest of us!<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Editing Opportunities\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

\"Editor\"<\/a>Developmental* <\/strong>– <\/span>Developmental Editing inspects the structures working within your text, such as themes, mythology, diction and tone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Copy*<\/strong> – Copy Editing is the service you need to perfect your text, strengthen your prose, and ensure consistency of style.<\/span><\/p>\n

Proofreading*<\/strong> – Proofreading is the last stage: a thorough check of minor errors in punctuation, spelling, and grammar. A proofreader will not give feedback on topics such as structure or other larger editorial issues, but can put the final polish on your work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Editorial Assessment<\/strong> – An Editorial Assessment is an overall manuscript review, providing feedback on the structure of your book, and characterization, plot, pacing, style, and conflict.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Query Letter Review<\/strong> – A Query Letter Review analyzes the strengths and weaknesses in your agent query proposals. An editor will go through your letter and the first pages of your manuscript and offer advice on how to make them more appealing to agents.<\/span><\/p>\n

*Monies earned can be anywhere from an hourly rate, i.e., $35.00 to $75.00 hr to $3.00 to $7.00 page.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

2. Paid Articles\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

There are article mills out there that will pay writers on many subjects. Some of these sites pay $4-$15 per brief article. This is for folks who have a well-rounded background and can provide a fast turnaround.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Social Media Management<\/b><\/h3>\n

Not all of us are social media savvy and would love to turn this over to someone else to do. This could include answering emails, newsletter\/mailing list set up and maintenance and creating media kits for you as an author or any books\/series you have a need for. From what I can determine, this can be an hourly rate of around $35 to $50. Depends on if you do some mix or matching.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Training\/Courses\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

From what I understand, creating and maintaining a course will generate more money per sale than a book. The idea is to take your non-fiction book, break it up into different lessons so you can delve deeper into your idea. It\u2019s also a great way to share what you know with others on either a one-to-one basis or a set-and-go template you maintain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Audio Books<\/b><\/h3>\n

When I\u2019m all grow\u2019d up\u2026 I wanna put all my books on audio. As Joanna Penn consistently touts, \u201cAudio books are the future.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Podcasting<\/b><\/h3>\n

Something that has grown in leaps and bounds over the last couple of years is podcasting. To do this, I would suggest doing some research on your particular niche. To earn an income from this, you can charge for advertising or ask for contributions, i.e. through Patreon.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

7. Patreon Models\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Speaking of Patreon, did you know they allow readers to sponsor the work of their favorite authors? Through this sponsorship, you can earn a growing income. I had no idea they did that until now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

8. Legal Document Filing\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Do you have a background in legal work? A lot of folks would love to help in filing the required paperwork to open a business. Not to mention court cases, landlord issues, real estate, medical records, and more. Create document packages and templates for others or yourself to fill out.<\/span><\/p>\n

9. Become a Virtual Author Assistant<\/b><\/h3>\n

\"Support\"<\/a>I admit I\u2019ve used a Virtual Assistant to become published. She has a menu I can peruse and pick out things I either can\u2019t or don\u2019t want to do.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For instance, I have a real hard time formatting a paperback. (I don\u2019t have a Mac so I can\u2019t use <\/span>Vellum<\/span><\/a>. I hire her to do it for me and pay her a flat formatting fee.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

More Money-Making Projects To Consider\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

Here are some things you can do under this virtual author assistant umbrella:<\/span><\/p>\n

Consulting, Planning, and Brainstorming Sessions\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Broken into 30 or 60 minutes segments.<\/span><\/p>\n

Organizational and Admin Support\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n