5 Lessons From Earning $5,000 Selling Kindle Books
They’re not what you think
A few years ago I decided to write a Kindle book. I was a success, so I wrote a few more. I wrote and published 8 books before I moved on to other projects. I learned many lessons along the way. Here are the top 5.
Lesson #1 — I could earn money writing even though I’m an average writer
My English teacher described my writing as “average at best”. I don’t have a problem with that, as she was likely right at the time she said it. What I did have a problem with was that she used it as an excuse to bully me in class. A more professional teacher would have helped me to improve my writing.
I was awarded a “C” grade in English Language and a “U” in English Literature. “U” stands for unclassified. It means the mark was so low that it couldn’t be graded. English was not my strong point.
But who cares? I still made around $5,000 from selling 8 books on Kindle.
If you think you’re an average writer, it doesn’t mean that you can’t or shouldn’t write a book if that’s what you want to do.
Many average writers make good money from writing. If you write, you’ll improve. So why not write and publish that book you’ve always been talking about?
Lesson #2 — If it seems like easy money, it’s probably not
My first book earned $500 in month one. I thought writing and selling books was easy. I planned to write another 9. Ten books earning $500 a month each would give me $5,000 a month.
After that, I’d continue writing and publishing, and make mega-bucks.
Well, it didn’t turn out quite like that.
The payments from the first book drifted lower. None of the other books made any worthwhile money. Two of the books didn’t sell any copies at all.
The first book ended up earning around $4,500. The remaining 7 earned around $500 between them.
I sold the rights to all of them. A blogger used them to make blog posts. The books are no more.
Lesson #3 — Experimenting is good
My book-writing period was one of my many experiments in making money online. Many experiments succeeded and many failed.
I would count the Kindle publishing as a minor success based on the money I made. The income was invested in index funds. They grew to around $9,000 to $10,000. I’ve stopped tracking it, but the money is still growing, although it’s now mixed in with other income.
In another way, the experiment was a resounding success. It proved that I could make money from writing. It led me to run a travel blog that ended up earning me $60,000 over 3 years. If I’d never published the Kindle books I might not have started the travel blog. One side hustle that’s a minor success can easily lead to another that is a more major success.
Lesson #4 — I enjoyed writing even though I didn’t think I would
I never enjoyed writing when I was in school. This was most likely due to the attitude of my English teacher. Writing the Kindle books got me to see that writing can be both fun and rewarding.
It’s now led me to publish on this platform. I’ve earned over $6,400 so far in just 9 months. I’m averaging over $700 a month. My best month was just short of $1,700.
I plan to stick around for many years, so my writing and earnings are sure to improve. I look back and thank my Kindle publishing days for this.
Lesson #5 — It’s made me less anxious about what others think
Before I published my first book, I was quite anxious about what others would think of my writing. My English teacher hated my writer, so what if family and friends did as well?
Worse than that, what if strangers left awful 1-star reviews for the whole world to see? I’d have to go into hiding forever.
Fortunately, I plucked up the courage to publish the book. The book got mostly 4 and 5-star reviews, although it did get a 2-star review as well. The 2-star review said that the book was good but the grammar mistakes spoiled it. A fair comment. I made sure I didn’t make the same mistake with future books.
I’m now less anxious in general about what others think in all sorts of situations. The reality is that some people will like what you do, some will dislike what you do, and others won’t care one way or the other. That’s life. We can’t control what others will think and neither should we try to please everyone.
More from me:
Here’s How Much I Earned From Writing 8 Kindle Books
I Earned More From Medium in 7 Months Than Writing 8 Kindle Books
My 5 Side Hustles That Will Earn $8,000 a Month by 31 December 2023
