What It's About
A state government administrator helps families tell their life stories, bringing in $387,000 in 2020.
Words of Wisdom
Jeffrey says when a project doesn’t work out, ask yourself what parts of it you can relaunch as something new. Everything you create is an asset that can be used elsewhere. And remember to keep at it — the more you do anything, the better you’ll get at it. Keep creating, keep selling, and something will start to stick.
Fun Fact
The first Kindle e-books appeared on Amazon in 2007. That year, there were 88,000 e-books available. [Source]
Notes from Chris
Episode 1830
Jeffrey Mason was filled with regret. His father suffered from Alzheimer’s, and his memory slipped away more each day. Jeffrey felt he’d missed his chance to learn more about his dad’s life and experiences. The two men used to have weekly calls and frequent visits, but they had drifted apart over the years. In April 2018, Jeffrey was feeling particularly sad and ended up writing a long list of over 200 questions—the things he’d like to ask his dad about. Jeffrey knew some of his father’s ambitions, his problems, and his successes, but a lot was missing. Writing that list reminded him of something. The previous February, he’d ordered a book for his girlfriend called The Couple’s Bucket List. When it arrived, he found it was simply a lined journal with no writing in it. Kind of disappointing! Jeffrey believed he could do better. He already knew a bit about self-publishing from listening to podcasts and reading articles. He was confident he had the skills to create a better bucket list, or at least something like that. Jeffrey turned that list of questions he wanted to ask his father into a book that he self-published through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing platform. He designed the cover himself using free Canva software and put his book out into the world. It didn’t cost him a cent. Unfortunately, the first version of the book didn’t sell well. So Jeffrey relaunched in February 2019 with a new cover and a new title: Dad, I Want to Hear Your Story. That did the trick and Jeffrey earned $2,400 that month. His earnings jumped to $5,400 in June thanks to Father’s Day, and then he made another $2,100 in July. Soon after, Jeffrey started getting emails from readers asking if he had a version of his book for mothers or grandparents. Taking the cue, he self-published three more books in July 2019. In total, he earned $52,000 that year from his four books. Stay-at-home shopping during the pandemic led to a huge year of book sales the following year. What kind of numbers are we talking about? Jeffrey made $387,000 in 2020. Sales have dipped a bit since then, but he’s still earning an average of $20,000 each month. The business is now a family affair. Jeffrey’s mom runs his Facebook page, and his oldest daughter handles all other social media. He’s currently looking at how to turn the concept of his books into a podcast, a YouTube channel, and a course. These ideas are in the development phase and will launch this year. What started as a way to cope with his regret has become Jeffrey’s full-time work and even his mission. He wants to keep encouraging people to learn their loved ones’ life stories.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- Get one of Jeffrey's books and learn more about your your family at his website, HearYourStory.com.
- Layoff Leads Journalist to Build Kindle eBook Empire: Cracking the code of Kindle self-publishing, this former journalist earns up to $7,000 month publishing niche eBooks.
- Software Engineer Sells 64,000 “Anne of Green Gables” eBooks:Dissatisfied with the quality of some public domain ebooks, a software engineer ends up creating a portfolio of his own. The business goes on to earn six figures in passive income.
- Kids’ Books Prove To Be More Than Child’s Play: When an uncle responds to a family tragedy by creating a children's book, he weaves a story that’s inspiring for both kids and adults.
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