In Part 1, we explored ways to supplement your income through direct writing activities. In Part 2, we look into alternative ways to earn extra money through affiliate marketing, paid reader clubs, physical and digital products, merchandise and e-commerce, and YouTube and multimedia content.

Ever feel like you've rushed past important steps to get through a goal you've set for yourself? Author JR Elrod understands better than most. In this guest blog post, find out what he would do differently next time around the publishing block.

For writers, the book is the order, and publishing is the delivery. We’ll start with your release date and work backward from there, and along the way we’ll line up what you need: your team, writing space, and your supplies.

The last three months of the year are when many of us push hardest to finish a book. They're also full of things we can't plan for, like a sick week or a family emergency that pulls us away from our writing for days. So, before you plan out every day's worth of writing, why not plan for what you can't see coming?

Are you a struggling writer? And when I ask if you are struggling, I mean financially. Let’s face it: as independent authors, we cannot always rely on book royalties alone. Whether you are self-publishing, freelancing, or creating content, writing is a business—not just a hobby.

By JR Elrod Okay folks, listen up. Beth asked me to tell everyone just how easy it was to get my audiobooks developed and produced, so here goes. And just so you know, I use everything I do as a chance to advertise my books, so be aware of that going in. Thanks. Now let's kick this ball on down the road. I own and operate a trucking company. That is the whole reason Frozen Freight: Iron Reach exists in the first place. I did not think I was a writer. Boy, was I wrong. Sorry,

For many writers, the hardest part isn’t about finishing the manuscript. It’s about stepping out and saying, “This is who I am, this is what I write, and this is why readers should pay attention.”

Time management is important when you are a writer, just as it is for any role. To put rest into practice while keeping up with deadlines, you need a system that breaks up your work into manageable focus blocks and built-in breaks.

The legality of a copyright license also establishes authority. While some writers may see the value in AI, others may be less willing to have their work used for this purpose for a number of reasons, ranging from privacy concerns to questions about its ethical practices.

It may seem a little distracting to be an independent writer, but the perks of self-publishing are that you are the one who gets to choose who is in your writing space. So today, I’m introducing you to mine.

Researching is one of the Stages of The Writer’s LifeCycle that writers often dread the most. It doesn’t have the freedom of brainstorming, and it doesn’t feel like real writing at all. It’s easy to put off, easy to tell yourself you’ll get to it later, and easy to avoid because it means facing your competition and wondering if you measure up.

Every morning, I wake up with a brand-new idea that I want to use, and I have to write it down. In this blog, I share a few methods I use and invite you to try one of them out this summer.

The Writer’s LifeCycle is my personal framework for the entire self-publishing journey, giving a specific name and place to every stage a writer goes through. From the first idea all the way to running your book like a business.

Removing Distractions & Unlocking Your Speed If you seem to get distracted by the words on the screen as you write, this one is for you. WHAT IS THE BLIND TYPING TECHNIQUE? If you find yourself constantly staring at a screen, fixing typos, and overthinking your writing, you are killing your momentum. I know this firsthand because I used to do it constantly. In my experience, the visual feedback of a monitor acts as a distraction loop. When you see the words appear, your brain

This blog will help you map out your nonfiction topics and lock down your fiction beats, so you can stop taking one step forward and three steps back.

Word count is one of those things that sounds like a technicality until you realize how much it affects your book. Whether you write nonfiction or fiction, understanding the range for your genre is one of the first things you can do to set yourself up for success.

In a world gone digital, social media is inescapable no matter who you are or what your profession. The internet has consequently become a powerful tool for entrepreneurs everywhere, and writers are no exception to this consistent upward trend, using social media for book promotion, growing their brand, and reaching a targeted audience.

When we write without a filter, our minds naturally move faster than our fingers. We scramble to capture every single idea, ending up with a manuscript where only twenty percent of the content belongs on the page. The remaining eighty percent is information fluff, repetitive loops, and side-tangents that stall the momentum of our book.

Before you choose fonts, select a color palette, or search for images, there is one question that should guide every decision you make about your cover: Is this appropriate for my genre, subgenre, audience, and brand?

Getting your book to the point where it is ready for publication can feel overwhelming, especially when you do not fully understand the process. And I know that feeling firsthand. While I was working with Beth and her team on my own book, I spent weeks reviewing my manuscript’s interior layout, marking up every place I thought needed adjusting.