Since I’m all about book coaching now, I’ve recently been making friends and sharing knowledge with others in the industry. This week, I heard two fellow book coaches talking about what you can earn from your book. And the differences in these conversations blew my mind.

I don’t want to tell you the first woman’s real name, so let’s call her Agent Baddie.

Agent Baddie’s sales video popped up on my MacBook. She was sitting at her large, mahogany desk edged in gold-leaf, dressed in a lush fur coat, with a writerly beret perched upon her perfectly blown-out hair. She wore deep red lipstick.

“Do you want to make an extra ten to thirty thousand dollars a month? If not, you should leave now. I only want to talk to people who are interested in making an extra ten to thirty thousand dollars a month,” she said into the camera. 

Well, that’s me out. I don’t care about money, I thought. 

Just kidding. Me love me some cash. I kept watching.

She said that although she couldn’t offer any guarantees, all her authors make that kind of money from their books every month.

And if I wasn’t ready to make that kind of cash, I shouldn’t waste her time because everyone in the world—plus the dudettes on the International Space Station—wants to work with her.

This isn’t a guarantee... BUT

I’m being a bit facetious. Agent Baddie had no sense of humor, and she didn’t joke about the women on the International Space Station.

She did, however, imply that those numbers were guaranteed, BUT only if you worked with her, as no one else knew as much as she did. And only if you were suitably grateful that she deemed you worthy of being in her presence.

Then she sat back, stroked her white cat, and cackled. At least, that’s what I imagine happened when the camera stopped rolling.

Can you make that money?

It is possible to make $10-$30k from a book.

If you’re writing non-fiction, there are two main avenues for this. You can, for example, sell 1,252+ copies at $7.99 a pop. Or, more commonly, you can use your book as a lead magnet to sell three one-on-one or group services at $3,500 each.

(Technically, that moolah comes from delivering services, not books, but if the client found you after hearing about your book and decided they trusted you because of what they read, I think we can attribute that to the book.)

Will every non-fiction author make that kind of money?

No.

But if Agent Baddie only works with hustlers who have their business shit together, it’s easy to imagine a one hundred percent success rate.

I still didn’t like the dead fox draped around her shoulders, and I hated the implication that authors were incapable of success without her. But the numbers were, at least, viable.

Roll up, roll up, book coach number two

I will tell you the other woman’s name. It’s Jennie Nash, and she’s a book coach with a multi-six figure business under her belt.

Through her webinar, she spoke to me from her living room—not a lair. She also said she couldn’t guarantee anything. Then, she said it again. And again.

She repeated that she had no way of knowing if a publisher would buy your story or what kind of hours you’d work to hustle up business from your book.

Jennie did know something else, though.

In writing their books, her authors discovered their voices. They found the courage to speak up and finally say what they felt inside. They left their imprint on the world, and they were immensely proud of themselves for doing so.

It’s wasn’t easy. They worked for every ounce of pride they got. They earned that shit. And it was incredibly valuable.

As I sat watching Jennie’s webinar, I found myself nodding along like a bobblehead doll on crack. Yes-yes-yes-yes-yes.

Whatever happens when you’re done writing, the real value is in speaking up, fulfilling a dream, and living without regrets. 

“What a loada crap”

“Um-hm, yeah, that’s nice n’all Liz, but pride don’t pay no bills,” you’re saying right now. Am I right?

 

You’re right.

If you need cash now, writing a book is not the fastest path there. No one—including Agent Baddie—can guarantee any income from a book.

But if you want to:

  • Speak up and be heard

  • Leave your mark on this world

  • Be proud, knowing you won’t reach the end of your life and regret never taking on the challenge

Then writing a book might be the highest-earning action you take in this life. 

What do you think?

Shoot me an email and let me know what you think. I’d love to hear what this brings up for you.

P.S. A business coach might say I shouldn’t share Jennie Nash’s website with you because we offer similar services. But writing a book is intimate work, and you need a coach you jive with. If that’s not me, that’s okay (she says, as she sulks on the sofa eating Rolo ice cream straight from the tub).

Seriously, though: I encourage you to check out all the book coaches you want until you find someone you love.

P.P.S. I’m super-lovable. Just sayin’. Click here to read about the work I love doing.