Looking to leverage your message into multiple streams of income?
Coaching for writers, speakers and coaches
I have yet to meet an author who thought his/her publisher did enough marketing or who was satisfied with the royalties received. Most have the fantasy of writing the book, submitting the manuscript, and then sitting in a lawn chair next to the mailbox, waiting on those big checks to show up. The reality of publishing and the source of real income is a quite different picture.
How Much Money Can You Make From Writing A Book?
Jay Conrad Levinson is best known for popularizing the term “guerrilla marketing” in his many books. He comments, “Some people asked me how much I made from my first book. The answer I gave was $10 million. The book itself only paid $35,000 in royalties, but the speaking engagements, spin-off books, newsletters, columns, boot camps, consulting, and wide-open doors resulted in the remaining $9,965,000.”
The first edition of my book 48 Days to the Work You Love was released in 2005. it quickly became a New York Times bestseller and has now sold in excess of 800,000 copies. It continues to do very well and I am thankful for the royalty checks that come in. Other books including No More Dreaded Mondays, Wisdom Meets Passion, and Rudder of the Day have also added to the income I enjoy from book sales. But as I have little control over royalties, I’ve never depended on that income for any real expenses, vacations, or retirement funds. My wife Joanne and I typically have fun guessing the amount before we open that twice-yearly envelope. And then we squeal with delight or groan in fake agony when the dollar amount appears.
Here’s an example of a model where we can project zero dollars from a book itself, but leverage the message for significant income in creative ways.
And yes, this is just an example – your model may include none of these but others that fit you and your direction.
Since the original release of my first book, I have:
- Developed the complete twelve-session 48 Days to the Work You Love seminar which is now being taught by facilitators around the world.
- Created short courses to expand on the core principles – like 5 Days to a Raise, How to Start and Run Your Own Mastermind, The Power of Investing in Yourself, How to Leverage Your Message, 15 Hours a Week to Build Your Profitable Business.
- Added new books, including Wisdom Meets Passion, Rudder of the Day, and No More Dreaded Mondays.
- Developed the 48 Days Coaching Mastery program, having licensed over 350 coaches who teach the 48 Days principles.
- Delivered speeches at conferences like Social Media Marketing World, Podcast Movement, Free the Dream, Igniting Souls, and at The White House Christian Fellowship.
- Been a guest on CBS’ ‘The Early Show,’ MSNBC’s ‘Hardball with Chris Mathews, and the Dave Ramsey Show.
- Supplied related content for periodicals from Christianity Today to Success magazine.
- Hosted Write to the Bank conferences three times a year for other writers.
- Developed the Eaglepreneurs – a 48 member group of high achievers who share ideas and resources – and life.
- Opened the door to the 48 Days Eagles – a vibrant online community of people who are bringing dreams to life.
- Built affiliate relationships with key leaders to cross promote products.
Guess where I’ve made 95% of the money from the content in 48 Days to the Work You Love?
What if you strategically developed products and services around your core concepts and saw the sales of your book as simply a promotional piece to draw people in to the more profitable part of your business?
Seth Godin has been an inspiration for me (and many others) and a stellar example of staying true to your message but allowing people to experience that message in the form they choose.
Do you need a coach to leverage your book or idea?
- Writing a great book isn’t enough anymore. (It’s highly unlikely you’ll meet even modest financial goals by these alone.)
- The options for publishing have increased dramatically. (There are no barriers but even with a big name publisher, you are still responsible for sales.)
- You know your message has enough value to create far more income than what you’re currently receiving. (Even with reasonable sales, $1.50 per book royalties are never going to amount to much.)
- There’s more to building influence than hoping for the next publishing deal. (You can leverage your message by allowing eager learners to experience it in ways they choose.)
Click here to learn more about Maximized Leverage Voila Coaching with Dan
The Big Questions: What could you do to leverage the potential from your book?
What are the things sitting right in front of you that could generate more income than your royalties?
Here I am with New York Times bestselling author Michael Hyatt, discussing with his audience the many ways to leverage your message.
What does Voila coaching with Dan look like?
- Arrive at the The Sanctuary in Franklin, TN on Wednesday evening. (Two nights at the Sanctuary and all meals included.)
- Enjoy dinner with Dan to begin the conversation.
- Thursday is a full day of exploration and planning – interspersed with walking, thinking, and introspection on the property, lunch at the Vanderbilt Legends Country Club and capped off with dinner with Dan and Joanne.
Total experience: $ 7,500
Will this work? Will I really be able to expand my message into multiple streams of income?
I’ll answer that story with an example:
Ted Yoder sabotaged his job as a carpet layer because his frustration was too apparent. His firing put him in a position of either getting another “job” or acting on his desire to play the hammered dulcimer. When he worked with me, we laid out a plan to take his passion and make a profit. He began knocking on nursing home doors to get opportunities to play that strange unknown instrument – yes, even with a wife and five small children to feed.
In 2017, he posted on his YouTube channel a simple backyard video of himself playing the Tears for Fears classic, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, and it hit 71.5 million views online within the first week. Orders are pouring in for his CDs and he can’t fulfill all the requests for concert appearances. It started with a dream, and we worked to create the plan to act.
I grew up on a farm. I understood physical labor and linear income – do something once, drive that corn or soybeans into town and get paid. Today, however, I look for things I can do once and get paid 10,000 times. That’s a much different method of ‘makin a livin.’ My Venn model of multiple streams of income is being used by authors, speakers, coaches, artists, consultants, musicians (like Ted Yoder), and more as a realistic method by which to generate extraordinary income – while doing work they love.
Thank you so much for your hospitality, wisdom and friendship in this process. We prayed at the beginning for breakthroughs and we certainly got them. I guess I could say that you over delivered.
Robert Mallon
I want to thank you for a great time. It was what I was hoping for and needing. I have longed for that mentoring experience as much of my life journey has been a solitary one. You have earned my respect and admiration not just for all of your outstanding public works (48 Days, etc), but for the private investment you have made in me, my future, my family’s future, and the future of the lives I hope to touch. I appreciate the value you bring, your personal commitment, and the ability you have to help me dramatically move my needle in a direct and personal way as you have “been there, done that” in the same areas I am striving to achieve
Greg Jones
Gratitude is one of the words that describes how I feel about my recent visit to work with you. I’m appreciative that you trusted us enough to share so much of your time, resources and energy.
Bill Watkins
I’m so glad I was able to get precious 1:1 time with Dan! I needed to think about the new resources I want to create and how to best help entrepreneurs build their own teams, and this retreat was the perfect opportunity to think Big Vision. It was well worth the investment, and I’m super excited about my launch plans for a new course next year. I’ve got everything mapped out and now it’s about execution! I’m grateful!
Susan Drumm