“It’s Your Summer of Money” Challenge Opportunity #4
Start a Self-Publishing Business
By Rebecca Matter

Can you really make money writing without clients?

Absolutely!

In fact, I’m going to introduce you to two self-labeled recluses who make millions – with no clients at all …

Meet Gary and Merri Scott …

Every year, they make well over six-figures … some years, they break the million-dollar mark. And, they’ve been doing this consistently for the past 20 years!

But here’s the thing …

Gary and Merri’s success comes from one major client – they hire themselves by creating and selling their own products. In other words … they’re Self-Publishers.

You already know how much money you can make writing copy to sell information products for publishers.

But take a minute and think how much more you could make publishing that information yourself!

As a publisher, you can write, compile, or record the information yourself, you can hire writers, or you can reprint information. It’s totally up to you!

Self-Publishing shares many of the same benefits as writing information websites …

You generate a passive income stream on the products you’ve already published, you get to write about something you’re passionate about, and you work entirely for yourself instead of working for clients.

The biggest difference – and this is the reason I chose it for today’s “It’s Your Summer of Money” Challenge – is with the revenue potential.

With self-publishing, the sky’s the limit, and you can make as much as you want. And if you stick with digital information products, the profit margins are huge.

Now earlier this year, Roy Furr interviewed Gary when he profiled this opportunity for AWAI Members.

So today I’m going to walk you through the heart of the opportunity – and answer the main questions you’ll most likely have about it. And then, you can check out that interview here to learn more.

First, let’s first get on the same page about self-publishing …

We’re not talking about self-publishing your novel here. It’s much more than book publishing, although that can be part of it. We’re talking about selling information in any format.

You can publish DVDs, training programs, newsletters, pamphlets, cookbooks, calendars, reports, how-to programs … whatever suits you.

As a publisher, you can write, compile, or record the information yourself … you can hire writers … or you can reprint information. It’s totally up to you.

How much can you make as a self-publisher?

As I told you, the sky’s the limit. In their worst years, Gary and Merri made $300,000 to $400,000. In their best years, they make millions of dollars.

The amount you make really depends on three factors:

1. How much you want to work.
2. How quickly you can up with ideas of what to publish.
3. How fast you can execute those ideas, and turn them into products.

Something to note about Gary and Merri – they’ve never had a large audience to promote to. Their biggest reader list at any one time has been only about 22,000.

And, if you can write copy to sell your own products, it can be incredibly profitable because you get to keep most of the revenue that comes in.

Are there any start-up costs?

Yes, but they’re small. And it’s completely up to you how much you invest.

You’ll need a small investment to build websites, drive traffic, and promote your products. And, if you decide to go beyond digital, another investment will be necessary to produce the printed product.

The good news is that you can make it up quickly if you work fast.

When Gary started his publishing business, he made a 380% return on his initial investment within a month. And it just got better from there.

What kind of qualifications do you need to be a self-publisher?

There are no life experiences and no type of education that you have to have to be a writer.

However, according to Gary, there are two traits that can help make you successful: empathy and a keen sense of observation.

If you can figure out what people need or are concerned about, you’ll be able to publish products that help them, and know that the demand is already there.

One way Gary does this is to read the bestseller lists in USA Today and The New York Times. He says it helps him become aware of what people are thinking, since most books on the bestseller list get there because of word-of-mouth, i.e., one reader telling another reader to buy it because he enjoyed it.

How are self-publishers doing in this economy?

No matter what the economy does, this is one of the biggest growth industries in the world.

We live in an information era, and every day there are vast amounts of new information out there – so much information that it’s hard for people to keep up. Especially in today’s economy!

The result is an ever-increasing need for writers to take in all that data and refine it into material that’s simple, easy-to-comprehend, interesting, and useful.

That’s where you – the self-publisher – come in.

Gary’s self-publishing sales in 2008 were up 39.88% over 2007 sales.

His 2009 sales were up 82.7% over 2008 sales.

Those are numbers I like to see!

What do you need to do to get started?

I asked Gary for the best piece of advice he could give you, if you decide to become a self-publisher. He told me there are two things you need to do …

Number one, write. And don’t worry about what you write or how it comes out. Write it as if you were going to say it. There are no rules, so just write.

Number two is to write as much as you can about things that you love. Try to write from the heart. If you write about things that you’re enthused about, it will come out well.

Can you become a self-publisher simply by taking a course?

I asked Gary this question and thought he put it perfectly.

“No more than going to Harvard can make someone a successful attorney.

“The course … the education … gives you the how-to, your first ideas, and the contacts to get started.

“But then, the business evolutionary cycle takes over.

“An idea leads to enthusiasm. Enthusiasm leads to education. Education leads to action. Action leads to profit or loss … which leads to … more ideas.”

Ultimately, your success will come from dedication and effort.

Of course, no business is without its pitfalls. In fact, Gary has identified 17 of them in publishing. It took him more than a decade of struggle to learn how to avoid them all, but he did it.

And if self-publishing sounds like something you’d be interested in doing, you can take advantage of his 37 years of experience with Self Publishing: Your Complete Business Plan for Creating a Life Without Borders.

Unlike programs that are put together by “experts” who have never actually done what their program promotes, this program is not theoretical. It describes step-by-step how Gary and Merri built a million-dollar, international, self-publishing business in just seven years.

Another interesting thing is that Gary and Merri decided to do the whole business by themselves. Though they have tens of thousands of buyers and have made millions, they still work at home and do not employ a single person.

You’ll be able to do the same – if you wish – because they’ve included everything they did … explained in vivid detail … in the program.

And during the “It’s Your Summer of Money” Challenge special, you can save 50% on Self Publishing: Your Complete Business Plan for Creating a Life Without Borders if you order right now.

Or learn more here …

Check out the other “It’s Your Summer of Money” Challenge opportunities.

Or learn about the Challenge.