Small Press Blog

Working on the other stuff

As loyal readers know, I am an advocate of having multiple revenue streams. I know it doesn't sound as romantic as being solely a book publisher, but it certainly helps pay the bills.

I am also an advocate of making sure that all my products whether print or web are of good quality. A recent project that I have been working on is a redesign of my main website on online high schools.

So why a redesign? Here are a few reasons:

1. The site is three years old and looks much the same as it did those three years ago; and
2. There were things that I wanted to do that I could not do with the old design; and
3. I thought I could make more money with the site by doing a redesign.

The new site went live two days ago and it seems to be doing all three of those things. Perhaps. Always hard to know until you are a month or two into it.

So what does a website design have to do with publishing books. I am able to tell that many of the books that I sell come from folks who go to that site and then click through to Amazon. If that is your model, and it is certainly mine, then it makes sense to have a website that attracts folks and that provides a real service.

And that is redesigned upon occasion.

I encourage you to take a look at the new site.

The Successful Publisher

So how do you become a successful independent  or self-publisher? Certainly you need to start with a good idea for a book, but it goes beyond that. I have seen many unsuccessful publishers and many successful ones. The ones who are successful:

• Are in a niche where they have become (or are working to become) a major player. A good example is my online high schools site, but there are so many other possibilities. Take a look at what Michelle Dunn has accomplished writing about how to do collections. Yes, really. How many other books do you think there are on that topic, but consider the economy. It seems like a very viable niche. Also, she has taken that niche and has now branched out into other areas (like marketing).

 

• Have a book that is part of a platform. A book rarely creates a platform; you use the platform to sell the book. Why is it that famous people are regularly approached to write books that are outside of their specialty (cooking, poetry, whatever)? Because they already have an established platform. How do you create a platform? It could be a website. It could be a blog. Whatever it is, the key is to get people to come visit.

 

• Have a website that provides a service. And, oh yeah, you might want to purchase my book while you are there. What kind of service? On my website, I provide listings of online high schools even for schools that don't pay to be listed. I learned this the hard way and initially only had featured schools. Very few listings. As I added more and more free (but reduced text) listings, I got more traffic to my site, but also interest from other schools in being featured.

 

• Provide related services. For a couple of years, I did independent school counseling helping potential students choose the right online college or high school. That also feeds into that whole "creating a platform" thing. You become recognized as somewhat of an expert.

 

• Multiple revenue streams. You rarely can make enough off a book (or two books) to make a living. Yes, there are exceptions, but for most of us that is not a reality. If you have a website (and you had better have a website), you should consider ways to make money with it. Yes, I sell my book there, but I also have Google Adsense, banner ads, and featured listings. If money is down in one area, perhaps it is better in another.

 

• Keep writing books. Remember that one book doesn't get you there. Write another book on the same or a similar topic. Keep working to increase your niche.

So is it really this simple? Certainly not, but it isn't rocket science either. Create a niche, have multiple ways to earn revenue, and keep writing.

 

 

Multiple revenue streams make you successful

And the lack of multiple revenue streams often does just the opposite for self publishers. Look around at peopIe who are doing this successfully and you will discover that to make a decent amount of money you need to diversify.

So how do I make my money? Good question. I

• sell books (always a good idea for a publisher)
• use Google Adsense
• use Amazon Associates
• write and sell articles
• affiliate programs
• blogging
• write books for other publishers (royalties)

I have five websites (BestOnlineHighSchools.com, CollegeAdvocates.com, ThomasNixon.com, SmallPressBlog.com, SelfPubNews.com) and each of those has both Adsense and Amazon Associates. Using just those two programs earns me a couple hundred dollars each month (and growing at a significant pace).

I am most decidedly not at the point where I can support myself publishing books alone. I think I am where many of you are in this regard. My company has published one book, has a second book coming out the beginning of September, and a third by the end of the year. And that is it, I believe, for quite some time. The effort will be in making those three books sell and in earning money related to them.

In tomorrow's blog post, I will point you in the direction of the people who have taught me what I know.

How do you make money?

Tom Nixon Sent Me, part deux

$47.86. That's how much I have made thus far on Tom Nixon Sent Me, an affiliate referral site. To remind readers, I selected companies and products that I have recommended in the past without any money on the line.

So $47.86. Now, it is important to remember that my cost for this site is $0.

Profit = $47.86.

It stays up and gets expanded. When I have time.