I have not met a writer who is passionate about their craft
Have you?
This passion can be seen in the dedication & commitment they bring to the table
Passion is very vital for every writer, you actually need it to keep the creative juices flowing
When I coach my students and consult with clients, I am always quick to ask, where is the money?
So you are passionate about a particular topic, you are so sure that your big book idea will impact lives
Awesome! But where is the money?
Passion Without profit will lead to frustrations!
As a writer, you need to answer the where is the money question.
Now, when it comes to opportunities, it is important that you prepare for them
The place of preparation as regards opportunities is important
Lack of preparation will only lead to missed opportunities which equals frustration
Trust me, this is not a place you want to be
How do you prepare for opportunities as a writer?
Get knowledge: you need to go in pursuit of in-depth knowledge
Do not scratch the surface when it comes to this, surface ginger will not sustain you
You need to go deep, treasures are found in the deep.
Sign up for trainings, read books, Watch videos
YouTube is your friend if you cannot afford premium training at the moment
There is absolutely nothing you can not learn on Youtube
I remember years back, I learnt how to make wigs on YouTube
Identify your Niche
The fastest way to lose your way as a writer is to be jack of all trade and master of none
Here is what I mean, you can not be involved in content writing, financial writing, copy writing, script writing all at once
Sure, it is okay to offer a broad range of writing services when you begin.
This helps you delve into different areas, figure out what you are good at and its profitability
But it is imperative you stick with a Niche with the advent of time
Gain Mastery
This cannot be over emphasized, I see this a lot
I call it shiny object syndrome, the need to jump on every new opportunity
That road leads nowhere
You need to identify your Niche, focus and gain mastery in it
Mastery is not complicated
Mastery is often is a result of consistent efforts
Do not be jack of all trade and Master of none
When you identify your Niche, then get to work & gain mastery in it
So what are the Financial Windows of Opportunities for Writers?
As a writer, where is your money?
Let me reiterate that you must of necessity put to practice all that I have listed above for you to be able to take advantage of these opportunities
FREELANCING
Freelancing is a situation where you offer your services & skills on a for hire basis
As a Freelancer, you are not employed by any organization
The good part of this is, you can decide your working hours & choose the clients you work it
Freelancing is a global phenomenon, the world we live is a global village
You can be in any part of the world & freelance for a client that you have never met physically
How do you become a freelancer?
Same process as above
· Go after knowledge
· Identify your Niche
· Gain mastery
Two popular freelancing sites are www.upwork.com and www.fiverr.com
There are opportunities to earn in foreign currency from any of these two platforms by offering your writing skills
START AN OPA
An OPA is simply an Online Publishing Agency
This is an agency that handles the full or part of the process of publishing a book on behalf of a third party for an agreed upon fee
Some of these processes are:
Ghostwriting
Editing Services
Internal Book design/layout
Book Cover designs
ISBN & Book printing
Book Trailers
You might be wondering how one individual can run an OPA
This is the place of outsourcing
You do not have to handle all or any of the above processes personally
Your job is to find competent & reliable hands who can handle these processes for a fee
TRAINING & COACHING SERVICES
As a writer, you possess a unique set of knowledge, skills, experiences & talent.
You can package these into consumable formats and teach others for a fee
You will be amazed at the seemingly little things that you know, that others do not know
You need to identify this knowledge gap and cash in on that while providing value
Package the knowledge into a consumable format & teach other
Coaching is a more focused learning and intensive. As such, the Coach charges more for this service
You can charge anything from $50 to $1000 or even more to coach others
The important thing is, you must gain mastery in your craft to be able to do this
DIGITAL PRODUCTS
This could be
Online Courses
Masterclasses
Webinars
Ebooks
Etc
Your knowledge, experiences, talents & skills as a writer can be packaged into any of these formats & sold for a fee
I am not asking you to do what I do not practice, I have made lots of money from my digital products
My Amazon KDP Online Course for instance has made me 6figure income
Finally, the oga pata pata of them all is
CONSULTING
When you consult with clients & businesses to proffer solution to their area of need based on your knowledge, skills, expertise & experiences
To be able to take advantage of these opportunities, you need to Dream BIG
Your perception of your person and the value you place on your knowledge, skills,expertise and experiences needs to change.
Enough of limiting yourself to someone who just likes to write
As a writer, you can have a journey of impact, income & influence
All you need do is, Dream BIG
As I wrap this up, you can start where you are but do not remain where you are.
I hope you learnt a thing or two?
Please let me know what stood out for you in the comment section
Favour Ajayi
EBook Creation Guru
