Self-publishing
Self-published ebooks
You are the publisher. The store takes a cut; you keep the rest, and all of the work.
No book requiredUncapped
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Catalogue
The streams
34 ways writers have been known to turn the skill into money — from the contract you hope for to the invoice you can send on Thursday.
Every categoryBooks & rightsSelf-publishingAppearancesTeaching & coachingCommissioned writingDigital & audienceCollecting, prizes & grantsAdjacent skills
16 streams
Self-publishing
Print-on-demand
A paperback that does not exist until somebody orders it — and a margin you can live with.
No book requiredSolid ceiling
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Self-publishing
Kindle Unlimited and subscription reading
Paid by the page-read rather than the purchase — a library card with a royalty pool.
No book requiredUncappedLess obvious
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Self-publishing
Direct sales from your own shop
The customer pays you. You keep the customer.
Needs an audienceUncappedLess obvious
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Self-publishing
Crowdfunding a book
Readers pay to bring the book into existence, in advance, in public.
Needs an audienceSolid ceilingLess obvious
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Teaching & coaching
Workshops and masterclasses
A day, a room, a tightly designed session, and an invoice that does not wait for a royalty period.
No book requiredSolid ceilingLess obvious
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Commissioned writing
Copywriting
Words that sell someone else's thing, billed by the day or the job, often at a rate literature cannot match.
No book requiredUncappedLess obvious
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Commissioned writing
Journalism and articles
A byline, a deadline, a word-rate, and a public place to think out loud.
No book requiredSolid ceiling
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Commissioned writing
Scriptwriting for screen, radio and stage
Dialogue, format, and a different set of doors: commissioners, producers, and the writers' room.
No book requiredUncappedLess obvious
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Commissioned writing
Content, technical and business writing
Clarity for hire: white papers, help pages, reports, internal comms, the unglamorous backbone of the web.
No book requiredSolid ceilingLess obvious
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Digital & audience
YouTube from your writing
The research, the voice, the world of the book — performed to a camera, funded by ads, sponsors, and trust.
Needs an audienceUncappedLess obvious
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Digital & audience
Paid newsletters and subscriptions
A letter, a regular cadence, and readers who pay to keep receiving it.
Needs an audienceUncappedLess obvious
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Digital & audience
Online courses
A workshop that sleeps. Record it once, sell it while you write the next book.
Needs an audienceUncappedLess obvious
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Digital & audience
Podcasts and patronage
A show, a listener who returns, and a mix of ads, members, and live dates.
Needs an audienceUncappedLess obvious
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Collecting, prizes & grants
Competitions and prizes
A long shot with a deadline, an entry fee, and — rarely — a cheque and a headline.
No book requiredSolid ceiling
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Collecting, prizes & grants
Grants, bursaries and residencies
Time and money, awarded, so that the next book can exist.
No book requiredSolid ceilingLess obvious
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