Become a Writer Today

Can affiliate marketing help you earn more money as a writer working online? The answer is yes; affiliate marketing is a fantastic way to grow your income as a writer.

You can create content about the products, services, or tools you use daily. The difference is that you would do this on a niche website about a specific topic or concept rather than about you.

In other words, it's different from writing about something personal or what's happening in your day. That's a mistake that new bloggers often make. They wonder why they're not earning money online because they simply write about their day.

There are a few caveats to affiliate marketing. Firstly, it can be competitive. And secondly, it's usually a good idea only to pick products, services, and tools you use, recommend, and trust yourself.

In other words, you're going to create content about something you rely on and are happy to recommend to others.

This week, I caught up with a niche website expert specializing in affiliate marketing and in-affiliate content. Jamie I.F. of increasing.com runs over ten different websites across many niches. 

He publishes monthly income reports on his website about what's working and not working. He earns five figures a month from his portfolio from affiliate marketing, display advertising, and other monetization methods. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• Janie's framework for affiliate marketing
• Building affiliate websites
• How to capture the attention of your readers

Resources:

Jamie's website

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If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

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Many people say they need a good idea before they can sit down to write their book. But rather than trying to pick one good idea, generating multiple ideas that you can iterate, test, and work on is much more helpful.

You could test them by writing short stories, blog posts, articles, or even creating other types of content.

Then you can use all of this real-world information to decide if it's something that your ideal audience is interested in and if it's also something that you want to write about at length.

This week, I caught up with a creativity expert. Her name is Robin Landa. She is the author of The New Art of Ideas. She's also a distinguished professor who has written and lectured on creativity for years.

In this episode, we discuss:

• the Three G Method
• mentoring aspiring non-fiction writers 
• practical advice for non-fiction writers 
• her specific and impressive writing routine

Resources:

Robin's website

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If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

I'm a big fan of dystopian fiction. George Orwell's 1984 is one of my favorite books of all time, much like many readers. So, I wanted to talk to a dystopian fiction author who understands the conventions of their genre to learn more about their writing process and what it takes to write a book like this. 

I recently caught up with Aaron Gransby, who is a former journalist. A bit like me. However, he's a lot more experienced in the area. He's currently a magazine publisher, and he's written a new dystopian thriller.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why Aaron chose this type of genre for his book
• What the conventions are
• How he approached writing his book
• Using beta readers for their valuable feedback
• And some fantastic takeaways about how to use deadlines 

Resources:

Aaron's website

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If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

Do you want to break into the publishing industry? 

Many authors have questions about how to traditionally publish a book and how to find a literary agent who can help with that process. This week, I caught up with Jeff Herman, who's been working in the industry for 25-plus years.

He runs a literary agency in the United States and has published over 1,000 different books. So, he has a wide variety of experience across different genres or niches.

In this episode, we discuss:

• how to land a literary agent
• and what you should put in your pitch
• the benefits of creating a back catalog of book

Resources: 

Jeff's website

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

Have you created a strategy for your newsletter?

A newsletter is the best way to communicate directly to your readers without relying on Twitter to surface your posts or Google to rank your articles. When you have a newsletter, you don't have to worry about crazy algorithm changes or something happening to posts that you've optimized for search.

I've started several newsletters over the years. Of course, my biggest newsletter is the Become a Writer Today Email List. I'd love it if you could join it. I'll give you a free book of writing prompts if you do. Sign up here.

Once a week, I send weekly updates about the latest writing articles and also writing advice to members of this newsletter. Now that's my strategy; your strategy may differ.

This week I caught up with an expert in newsletter strategy. Her name is Anna Codrea-Rado. She ran one of the most successful Substack newsletters. It's called The Professional Freelancer, which Anna has recently rebranded.

When she's not writing newsletters, Anna advocates for freelance writers in an increasingly challenging industry. She also helps businesses figure out what their newsletter strategy should look like.

I was excited to catch up with Anna because I love hearing about how different creatives and writers use newsletters to communicate directly with their readers.

Anna says, "You need to have a really clear tagline for your newsletter, you need to be really clear on what the problem your newsletter is solving." "Random stuff is not going to cut it."

In this episode, we discuss:

• personal or creative vs. professional newsletters
• how often to send newsletters to readers
• what to include in your newsletter
• and how Anna's newsletter strategy has evolved 

Resources:

Anna's website

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

One of the most impactful books I've read about productivity and time management is the best seller, Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. The book proposes that the average human lifespan is just 4,000 weeks long, which is a blip in the grand scheme of things.

Oliver also writes about how we're just 35 lifetimes separated from the ancient Egyptians.

He uses these types of numbers to put in a framework what it means to try and get more things done and why this is a fool's errand.

I'm a former productivity nerd. I still like testing the latest productivity software and dipping in and out of the occasional book about productivity. I even wrote a column for Forbes several years ago, all about this exact topic.

These days, I think less about productivity and getting more done than I think about the right things or creative projects to work on.

In this book, Oliver proposes many different questions and ways that all types of people — including creatives and writers — can figure out what they want to work on and what they should just let slip.

It's a thought-provoking book if you've ever wondered how you're spending your time or if you've been obsessed with productivity, efficiency, and getting things done.

It's also a fantastically written non-fiction book that resonates with people from all industries.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Whether you should commit to a writing or research system
• The Zettelkasten method
• Oliver's approach to research
• Using a newsletter to interact with your audience
• Working as a columnist for a busy newspaper
• Olivers next project

Resources:

Oliver's Website

What Is The Best Zettelkasten Software?

11 Creative Rules For Creator Economy Workers

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

I'm a big science fiction reader. I also like to watch a lot of science fiction on television. But I have little interest in writing science fiction because it's the type of genre that I like to read when I want to switch off.

The best science fiction or speculative fiction books always have a big idea behind them. They have topics they want to tackle and often explain how these things may change our world for the better or worse.

I love learning from speculative science fiction authors because it's great to hear how they approach big ideas and turn them into a piece of work that readers can enjoy.

That's what this week's guest has done. His name is Gary Bengier, and he is the author of the award-winning speculative fiction or cross-fiction book, Unfettered Journey.

I was fascinated to catch up with Gary because he had another career before he became a science fiction author. He was the CFO for eBay back in the late 1990s. It's fascinating to talk to somebody who had a corporate career but secretly wanted to become a writer and an author.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Gary funded his dream career
• Lessons from the corporate world
• The importance of measuring your output as a writer
• Practical tips for hitting deadlines

Resources:

Gary's Website

What Is Hard Science Fiction? Top 10 Examples

Best Science Fiction Authors of All Time: 9 Writers To Read

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

It's good that you want to become a successful writer, but what tips should you know if you're a beginner? 

In this episode, I will share 35 tips to help you become a better writer. These are the tips I wish I'd known when I started my writing career before earning a living from writing online.

These tips have helped me; they've helped successful authors and can help you too.

Resources:

The Become a Writer Today Website

35 Effective Writing Tips For Taking Charge Of Your Prose

How to Get A Job In Writing: 9 Top Tips

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

Do you need a book coach? If so, what should you expect from a book coach, and how can they help you become a successful author? 

Writing can be a lonely process. Sometimes you'll come up with an idea for a book and wonder, is it any good? You might ask a friend or a family member, or a colleague. The result can be conflicting feedback, and it can be difficult to know if this type of feedback is worth listening to.

This is where a book coach can help.

This week, I caught up with Jennie Nash. She is a professional book coach. She also teaches other writers and authors how to become book coaches.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What to expect from a book coach
• How a book coach fits into the writing process
• How a book coach facilitates critical analysis
• An example of a successful author working with a book coach

Resources:

Jennie's Website

The 5 Biggest Myths About Writing a Book – Debunked

Writing Your First Book: 10 Painful Truths

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

Balancing writing fiction and nonfiction, can you do it? What about writing across genres? Should you pick one genre or take on multiple genres for your books?

A couple of years ago, I worked with a marketing executive for Become a Writer Today, and he asked me what I liked to write.

I explained that I wrote a series of books about the craft of writing, a couple of books about creativity, and some short stories back in the day.

I'd also recently written a book called I Can't Believe I'm a Dad.

I asked him which of these projects he could help me promote. He said, "the writing books" because they connected to my business.

When I asked about I Can't Believe I'm a Dad, a passion project I wrote that I really wanted people to read, he said, "Bryan, you need to stay in your lane. You need to pick one genre and stick to it."

What he said struck a chord with me. At first, I wondered if he was right.

But here's the thing about writing and creative work — while it's OK to write something that pays the bills, sometimes you need to write something because it's a story you want to tell or a message you want to get out into the world.

So if you're writing something outside of your genre or niche, don't necessarily worry about sales or the result. Write it because you love it and because you enjoy the process.

The divergence between creative and nonfiction work is a theme for this week's podcast episode. I recently caught up with Jessie Kwak. She's a science fiction author. She also writes supernatural thrillers and is a ghostwriter and former copywriter.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How copywriting helped Jessie get a break in professional writing
• Her career as a ghostwriter
• Why Jessie chose to write fiction and nonfiction
• How she balances two completely different types of writing
• What her typical daily writing routine looks like
• The challenges that freelance writers face when they go out on their own for the first time

Resources:

Website: http://www.jessiekwak.com/

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!