Tag: Self-Publishing

Bartender Writes Statewide Marijuana Guide

What It’s About

After the legalization of marijuana in Colorado, a bartender sees an opportunity to document the state’s trailblazing movement in the form of a book.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

As a self publisher, Johnny wanted his book to stand a little more than the standard CreateSpace way most people choose when they publish on their own. He incorporated his own LLC, Peak 1 Publishing, which cost $500, and used a printing company based in Minnesota to print Weedgalized.

Fun Fact

After making sales to friends who had been hearing about the project, and community members, Johnny now sells 25-30 copies a month to strangers just while bartending—which doesn’t include sales in novelty shops, gift stores, and of course book shops. He’s also been featured on ESPN Talk Radio.

Notes from Chris

Episode 82

Whatever your thoughts on it, medical and recreational cannabis is becoming a massive industry as legalization becomes more common. It’s now legal in one form or another in a number of U.S. states (26 at the time of this writing) and cities, and it’s rolling out like a one-hitter across Canada too.

As with any budding industry, there are many opportunities to make money indirectly from it whether you’re in a state where it’s legal or not. In today’s story, a Colorado bartender does just that and takes advantage of this formerly forbidden freedom to write a statewide marijuana guide.

Like a few of our other side hustlers (See Ep. 11, Ep. 38, & Ep. 65), Johnny decided to self-publish his guide, but he wanted to create something that had a higher quality than what you would he would get with a company like CreateSpace. He ended up creating an LLC of his own and makes $15 on each copy he sells. He’s sold over 2,000 copies so far, and it’s becoming a nice little passive income for him each month.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Weedgalized: Learn more about Johnny and check out the book
  • Bang Printing: The company Johnny used to print his books.

SEE ALSO:

  • State Marijuana Laws Map: International friends: in the event that you’d like to plan a trip to the states and experience this new frontier, here’s a map showing marijuana usage laws for each state

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

Chris Guillebeau

Resources

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Quote of the Day
"It felt surreal to have a book that I wrote in my own two hands. Now that the smoke has cleared (pun intended), I feel lucky and grateful that I was able to complete such an endeavor."
—Johnny Welsh #SideHustleSchool

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Finance Employee Sells 200,000 Self-Published Romance Novels

What It’s About

A woman pulls her family out of debt self-publishing her romance novels

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

When Carey began the task of writing her first book, like most new authors, she made many mistakes. In novel writing there are two types of people: plotters and “pantsers.” At first she was a pantser, as in “fly by the seat of your pants,” and her stories went wherever her imagination was going at the time.

That kind of writing can be freeing for a while, but it’s not necessarily great for readers. Halfway through the first draft, she realized she had no conflict in her story, and anyone who reads fiction knows why this is a big problem—what’s the point of reading a story with no conflict? It took her six months to write that first draft and then another five months working on edits and rewrites before she published it.

Fun Fact

Since that first book came out, she’s sold over 200,000 copies worldwide. Her books have been translated into German, Czech, Spanish, and are also available as audiobooks. Carey is paid monthly royalties from these sales. With Amazon, if her book is priced $2.99 or higher, the royalty is approximately 70%. For ebooks that retail under $2.99, the royalty is closer to 30%.

Since she’s in charge of everything, she can set her own prices. She usually opts for a price of around $3.99, meaning that she earns about $2.80 on every book that’s sold. The income she’s earned has allowed her to pay off some debt that she struggled with before she began publishing. It’s given her the financial freedom to travel and save for the future.

Notes from Chris

Episode 65

If you’re like Carey and are interested in writing a book, you’ll want to learn about the business of publishing—but you should also make sure you’re learning a lot about the structure and art of writing books.

Pay attention to the books you read. Read thoroughly within your genre but also read outside of it. And remember—good writers tend to pull in experience from other fields, just as we see through lots of different Side Hustle stories.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • CareyHeywood.com: If you’d like to learn more about Carey and her books, visit her website!
  • Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing: Carey used Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing for all of her eBook romance novels. You too can self-publish eBooks and paperbacks for free in 5 minutes, and reach millions of readers on Amazon.
  • Smashwords: She also signed up with Smashwords, another service that fed her books to additional ebook retailers like Barnes & Noble and iBooks.
  • Draft2Digital: Another great service that Carey uses to feed her eBooks to other retailers because she feels that their website is more user friendly.

SEE ALSO:

  • The Unconventional Guide to Publishing: In this comprehensive toolkit, you’ll learn how to navigate the publishing industry, especially in regards to getting a traditional book deal
  • Writer’s Digest: A popular resource for writers, celebrating the writing life and what it means to be a writer in today’s publishing environment

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

Chris Guillebeau

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️ Learn More

RELIABLE WEBHOST FOR $2.49/MONTH

Want to build any kind of website for your hustle? If so, you'll need somewhere to host it! This is the reliable company I've used for my past 5 websites. It's cheap, flexible, and you can get support 24 hours a day.

Get your own hosting plan for just $2.49 a month!
Learn More

Quote of the Day
"If you want something done right, sometimes you have to do it yourself."
—Carey Heywood #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Try ShipStation for 60 Days FREE!

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by ShipStation, the #1 choice of online sellers. 📦

To get a 30-day trial AND an additional month free, click the microphone at the top of their page and enter the word HUSTLE.
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Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau