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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

#101

Post by lelanthran »

_tom_ wrote: post #46
abdel_nasser wrote: post #32

i 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…

> completely objective. The really sad thing is that people have discovered that "completely objective" doesn't sell very well. Taking an extreme view sells much better, but provides much less useful information.

> The really sad thing is that people have discovered that "completely objective" doesn't sell very well.

"Discovered"? It's always been this way. Controversy sells. If it bleeds, it leads. Etc...

I remember, when first doing academic publications, my supervisor told me controversy sells. It was true then, it's true now, it was probably true when newsletters were printed in cuneiform on stone tables.

Re: I earned $160k in passive income from writing non-fiction books

#102

Post by Copenjin »

techdragon wrote: post #45
achow wrote: post #28

Thank you for helpful tips! Solid advice: Write Short and Concise Books. Instead of writing a 500-page book selling for $50 (which probably few will buy), write a 100-page book and sell it for lesser which greatly increases the number of buyers! ...It fits in Amazon’s price range of $2.99 — $9.99 (gets 70% royalties for ebooks). Anything lesser or more gets 35% royalty. This is for the ebook version. Paperbacks have…

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…”

You can always use the $9.99 books you sell on amazon to upsell the pricier books you sell on your site, problem solved.

Re: I earned $160k in passive income from writing non-fiction books

#103

Post by corobo »

golergka wrote: post #92
instagraham wrote: post #31

> 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.

I'm the same as author in regards to writing music. Unfortunately, it doesn't work with promotion and other stuff, so after 15 years of writing music I released almost nothing and gave close to no listeners. You can't get successful only doing what you love. You'll still have to do a lot of things you hate.

Well you gotta release the stuff for people to listen to it

You can’t get successful keeping it to yourself for sure

Re: I earned $160k in passive income from writing non-fiction books

#104

Post by ohlookabird »

lelanthran wrote: post #86
joeberon wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

>> You aren't built different. > 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. GP probably worded it poorly; yes, we're all built different, but all the successful authors who spoke about their experience all expressed similar struggles. Terry Pratchett said once (can't be bothered to look for the exact quote) t…

Absolutely! Noticing that it usually takes ~20min for me of getting into the groove was a profound revelation for me a few years ago. I noticed a pattern that if keep on powering through those initial 20min, there is a good chance you can continue being productive for a few hours or even the whole day.

Re: I earned $160k in passive income from writing non-fiction books

#107

Post by godfreyantonell »

I'm pulling a late-nighter decommissioning stuff and I stumble across your post. Thank you for the inspiration I needed for a new income stream! Please inbox me I believe we have a few commonalities. Or don't I won't be offended. I needed a little kick in the zen.

Re: I earned $160k in passive income from writing non-fiction books

#108

Post by swatcoder »

lelanthran wrote: post #86
joeberon wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

>> You aren't built different. > 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. GP probably worded it poorly; yes, we're all built different, but all the successful authors who spoke about their experience all expressed similar struggles. Terry Pratchett said once (can't be bothered to look for the exact quote) t…

> all the successful authors who spoke about their experience all expressed similar struggles.

Definitely not true.

Some people really don’t have those sorts of struggles.

It doesn’t mean that those who do need to push themselves shouldn’t write/paint/code/swim/whatever, or that the results of their effort are of any lesser quality, or that they’re not in highly esteemed company.

It just means that people have different processes and motivations and drives, and that there are many paths that lead to comparable accomplishment.

To say otherwise isn’t entirely the encouragement I think you’re trying to offer. It’s denying the reality of other people’s lived experience.

Re: I earned $160k in passive income from writing non-fiction books

#109

Post by coolsunglasses »

instagraham wrote: post #31

> 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.

My experience writing a 1,200 page technical book was similar to xrd's. It was worth it in the end but I'm not doing it again either. Jerry Seinfeld's "Don't break the chain" is good. I did take days off though (on average, 1 a week). I found this book very helpful even though the genre of book was radically different: https://www.amazon.com/2k-10k-Writing-Faster-Better-ebook/dp...

Re: I earned $160k in passive income from writing non-fiction books

#110

Post by canttestthis »

godfreyantonell wrote: post #107

I'm pulling a late-nighter decommissioning stuff and I stumble across your post. Thank you for the inspiration I needed for a new income stream! Please inbox me I believe we have a few commonalities. Or don't I won't be offended. I needed a little kick in the zen.

Not OP but you don't have contact info in your profile
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