A common misconception as an author is that your income comes from your royalties alone. There reality is that authors have a lot of different opportunities to earn money. When you become an author because of the time and energy you have invested you're often seen as an expert so this concept creates many new opportunities for you. Here are ideas for ways you can make money as an author. 

1. E-Books – Many authors create eBooks off of their original book. They may do short stories or even use other topics their audience is interested in to create appealing e-books. With tools like Canva e-books are easier now than ever to make.
2. Workbooks – This is a great tool to use in addition to your book because it helps your audience especially when you pair it with your book. Also a neat fact is that workbooks are seen to have a higher perceived value, which means people are willing to spend more on them. Workbooks are awesome because they have less words and often are relatively easy to create.
3. Professional Speaking – Professional speakers can earn thousands of dollars, plus have all of their travel expenses paid. This is a powerful market opportunity for authors because now you will be seen as an expert in your field. Consider what companies or events you can speak to.
4.  Webinars –  This is much like professional speaking engagements, but maximizes technology. This is a great way to virtually connect with people all over the world and become seen as well as show your book off. Also if you're new to the speaking scene this is a great place to begin.
5. Online Courses – This is my favorite way as an author to gain traction and income. Training courses are all the rave right now. Plus the biggest benefit is they can be delivered in numerous ways. If you don’t yet have a big audience, consider teaching a course with Udemy. You can also create your own course using thinkfic, kajabi or teachable. They are pretty user friendly. I personally have used thinkific to create courses based on on feedback I have received from my readers based on things they desire to have support with. 
6. Membership Program – This is where you can create content for your audience to receive on a regularly basis. The material can be presented in many formats (video, audio, written, templates etc.). This membership helps your audience so they can continue to get support and insight from you. This is a great way to continue to showcase your expertise.
7. Coaching or consulting- If you have a topic that people need support with you can consider coaching or consulting them for a fee. For example my first book is on productivity hacks and I spent years coaching on productivity and time management. This was a great way to bring in additional revenue. Consider the topic of your book and how you can coach and support others with it.

Writing a book has by far been the BEST decision I have ever made. Not for income alone, but really for my ability to increase my impact. I have been able to use my creativity in fun ways to show up for my ideal readers and I love it. This is why I wanted to share some additional ideas with you as well. Note that these are just some ideas, but you can use your creative ideas and implement those as well. You will be surprised to see how many opportunities  you will have as an author.If you're looking for support to get started writing your book I have great news for you. I created a totally FREE author jump-start tool kit. You're not going to want to miss it.

Get your author jump start kit here!