Hi!

This is another test newsletter. Sorry to spam your inboxes! I'm new at this, so I'm trying to get the feel for everything.

So, for this newsletter, I will be talking about the various tools that I'm going to be using to set up my business as a working writer. These tools count as passive and/or active incomes that a writer can use.

Incomes

KDP or Kindle Direct Publishing: This is where I'd primarily be getting my income through ebook and paperback sales. Amazon has great distribution since people can download an ebook to their phone or Kindle even when they're driving down the highway at 70 miles an hour.

IngramSpark: This service will primarily be in charge of paperback and hardback sales that go "wide", which means beyond Amazon. I've heard they have problems with customer service, but they're the best quality when it comes to hardbacks. Amazon and Draft2Digital don't do hardbacks, unfortunately.

Draft2Digital: This service is awesome. They are called an "aggregator", which means they aggregate different publishing outlets into one service so you don't have to keep track of everything. The sales I get from D2D are primarily ebooks that go "wide", for example to B&N, Apple, Kobo, etc.

ACX: This is Amazon's audiobook-creation service. Essentially, it's Audible. Up until recently, it was the 100-lb gorilla for audiobooks, but there exist competing services like Findaway Voices who are up and coming and provide good quality audiobooks to authors.

Website Sales: There are great website-creation and hosting services out there that allow you to create a website and turn it into a storefront for your books and other things (like care packages). Some of those services include Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress.

In-Person & Speaking Events: I'm not a huge public speaker, as you may know, but there are events that are willing to pay an influencer or published author to speak at their events.

YouTube (Google Adsense): Specifically, ads that people watch on your YouTube videos will actually give you some money. Not a whole lot, mind you, but a little. And if millions of people watch your video, that little bit can add up to a lot.

Patreon: This service is a way for your audience to become patrons and monetarily support you as an artist or creative. This is in return for some "premium" content that you give only to them. There are other similar services out there like Buy Me A Coffee and Ko-Fi that offer similar (if not better) services.

Merch Sales: There are services out there you can use to put up your merchandising front like Teespring. They're basically websites that you can use to sell shirts, clothes, etc. with your logo or art printed on them.

Affiliate Income: Many influencers promote affiliates that they care about, be it merchandise, charity, or Amazon itself. These affiliates give you links you can use on your social media, and you get money depending on how many people click on them.

Courses: Many writers are now creating and selling their own writing courses. I've seen some on Udemy or Coursera, but they just as easily use YouTube and keep them private behind a Patreon paywall.

Thanks for sticking with me to the end!