I liked how the author gave an example of how they learned enough of a topic to write a beginner’s book on it. I’ve heard before that you don’t necessarily need to be an expert in something to write about it but it’s always better to understand the details.
I earned $160k in passive income from writing non-fiction books
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Re: I earned $160k in passive income from writing non-fiction books
#62> I wake up daily excited to write. When work is a dread, or when something unhappy pops up, some writing will always bring in positive energy into me. I don’t dread writing. In fact, I can’t stop myself from writing! I fear we are built different.
See also where Brandon Sanderson's (an author) guilty pleasure and stress reliever is writing more (in the form of things he wasn't intending to write)
Re: I earned $160k in passive income from writing non-fiction books
#63This sounds like one of those "earn thousands selling custom t-shirts" tutorials:
- the market is over saturated
- you have to work continuously to output something
- you are very lucky if you have a breakthrough
Re: I earned $160k in passive income from writing non-fiction books
#64i am really interested in history and i have spent a lot of time looking for a good book on a certain topic or time period and sometimes not finding anything. it turns out that its really hard to find books that are completely objective, well researched and also written well. there is a scarcity of these kinds of books especially for modern history. and so the idea struck me that maybe i ought to write a short histor…
Is it even possible to write a completely objective book about history?
Not a good one. Objective history book would be a timeline. To add another thing interesting (eg cause and effect) is to make decisions and introduce bias.
Re: I earned $160k in passive income from writing non-fiction books
#65I wish people wrote less
Re: I earned $160k in passive income from writing non-fiction books
#66I wish people wrote less
Why? It seems writing this is the only which complex thoughts can be formulated and be passed down through the generations.
Re: I earned $160k in passive income from writing non-fiction books
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes. Passive income can initially take work to build the income source. Most people consider rent to be passive income, yet people don't just magically own houses, they more often than not work to buy them.
Anyone that thinks renting houses is passive income has never done it. Repairs, collections, advertising, evictions, etc.
...which are things you do every now and then, unlike a job, where you have to be there 5/7 days for a number of hours ?
Re: I earned $160k in passive income from writing non-fiction books
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
That explains why the entire market for depth content at a higher price has basically collapsed… what a shitty deal. Want to charge more than $10… that’s a pretty nice book you have there… shame if something happened to your royalties…”
I guess one should split to Part I, Part II, ...
Or sell the intro for 9$ and provide a link to the tome inside the book to your own payment processor.
Re: I earned $160k in passive income from writing non-fiction books
#69Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is it even possible to write a completely objective book about history?
Not a good one. Objective history book would be a timeline. To add another thing interesting (eg cause and effect) is to make decisions and introduce bias.
Even a timeline would be subjective as the author would have to chose what to include.
Re: I earned $160k in passive income from writing non-fiction books
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wrote a book for O'Reilly. It was grueling and I really struggled with it. The only thing that worked was following the Jerry Seinfeld "Don't break the chain" rule: promise yourself you will write every day, and mark it on your calendar each time you do, and never let there be a gap. It doesn't matter from where you start. If you do this, you'll accomplish more than you ever thought you could. You aren't built diff…
Yes they are built different: one person has no struggles writing and actively loves it, cannot stop doing it; the other finds it effortful and painful. Those two people will have vastly different experiences writing the book. The former will gain energy and feel great, the latter will feel pressured and depressed. We are not all the same, we are all built different, don’t ignore this reality
That doesn't invalidate GP's comment.
Even if you struggle, having a little commitment every day helps building habits and actually relieves the struggle (because a habit creates familiarity and ease).
The "we're all different" part plays a role in how long it takes to adapt and bind to this new/building habit.