Here’s the Truth About Running an Online Writing Business...
How I write, make money, and what it all means
I’m currently feeling the pressures of life. 🫠
So, this week, I thought I’d try something a little different.
Instead of an in-depth breakdown on making money as a writer, I’d love to give you an authentic look into:
What I’m working on
How I’m making money
My plans for the future
I hope it provides some clarity for your own writing journey. And, helps you understand what’s really involved in running a full-time writing business.
Let’s get into it…
What’s got me swamped.
If you’ve been a long-time Writer’s Hub subscriber, or follow me on YouTube, you may know that I started writing on Substack at the beginning of the year.
Truthfully, I thought it could be a nice low-effort side hustle — a way to connect with my YouTube audience while providing additional writing resources.
But, like any platform, playing cat-and-mouse is necessary. 💌🙅♂️
I discovered sending out value-packed articles once or twice a month wasn’t garnering the growth I had hoped for. And, to grow on Substack you need to:
Post Notes
Learn trends
Promote paid subscriptions
So, although I’m still prioritizing value, I’ve begun playing the game.
In addition to making YouTube videos, writing on Medium, scouting brand deals, and communicating with all of you fine people, I’ve been posting Notes and weekly newsletters. Not to mention, preparing to launch my new Writing Dashboard. More on that later.
Although it’s yielding positive results, truthfully, my weekly schedule is about to burst at the seams. And, for the past few months, I’ve been pushing the boundaries of what my brain can handle.
But, it’s all part of my master plan. At least, I hope so…
What’s paying the bills.
Let’s face it, everyone is busy: me, you, and your cousin Margaret.
Because of this, one of the biggest questions I get asked is how to repurpose content across platforms. Although there are a million different ways to do this, here’s my strategy:
2 main platforms (1 for money, 1 for marketing)
1 side hustle (optional)
That’s it.
Although it may be enticing to write, create, and repurpose content on a million different platforms, attention is your biggest online commodity.
The more attention you focus on one platform, the better you will perform. And, the more you try to do, the more fractured your attention becomes. Often, resulting in diminishing returns.
It’s for this reason, my general rule of thumb is to focus 90% of your effort on a maximum of 2 platforms — treating everything else as a side hustle.
Fortunately/unfortunately, I’ve been forced to break this rule. 📝 ✅
Last month, I landed one of my first high-ticket freelance clients: Fiverr. So, for the past few weeks, I’ve been writing sponsored Medium stories to help Fiverr increase its SEO discoverability.
Although the money is great and they’ve been easy to work with, it’s come at a busy time for me. And, with all the added effort I’ve been pouring into Substack, I can feel myself getting stretched too thin.
Which, is one of the main challenges of working for yourself:
Money doesn’t flow steadily. 💰🌊
You work so hard to irrigate multiple income streams. And, when they begin flowing all at once, you find yourself scrambling to catch it all. But, as I’m learning, pushing yourself a little further than advised is sometimes necessary.
It just needs to be met with an exciting counterweight…
What I’m excited about.
If there’s anything I’ve learned about humans, it’s that we are inherently stubborn.
We value freedom above all else. And, will naturally resist anything we feel forced to do. Even with all the incentives in the world, if you’re not excited about something, it will feel like a chore.
It’s for this reason, money is never my main goal. 💰 🧘
As much as money is important, I look at it as a necessary tool for building a fulfilling life. Whenever I lead with passion, I’m much more efficient, get more done, and the money generally takes care of itself.
When I fixate on money, I’m far less productive and feel bogged down.
So, although I’m feeling a little bogged down by my current schedule, one project in particular is keeping my spirits high.
Next week, I’ll be launching a new digital product: the Writing Dashboard. 💻✍️
It’s the exact organizational system I used to build my writing business alongside various full-time and part-time jobs. And, what I currently use to:
Write drafts
Track & set goals
Store & develop ideas
Share and monetize content
I’ve also added guides, trackers, tables, and personalized support to help you achieve your writing goals. And, I’m excited to share it with all of you!
👉 Next week, I’ll be sending out an exclusive discount to Writer’s Hub subscribers. So, if you’re not already, subscribe to take advantage of it. 🎁
This will be the biggest discount available. And, I don’t plan to have any more flash sales after its launch.💡
What I’m working towards.
One of the reasons why I’m so excited to launch the Writing Dashboard is because it’s the culmination of my previous 5-year plan.
Believe it or not, what I’m doing now is not the end goal. 🏁
In fact, it’s really just a starting point. 🛣️
Until now, I’ve been writing online with 2 major goals:
Develop as a writer
Create a sustainable business
I’ve never publicly revealed this, but my overarching goal is to write fiction. More specifically, a series of short stories that are one day adapted into a feature film.
Truthfully, I landed on this goal nearly 10 years ago. But, at the time, I had 2 major issues:
I didn’t have control over my schedule
I didn’t have the technical writing ability to… well, write
So, for the past 7 years, I’ve been writing, developing, and ironing out the kinks of making enough to survive while retaining autonomy over my schedule.
I’m hoping by launching a value-packed product combined with my writing earnings, YouTube content, and everything in between, I’ll be able to finally begin realizing this goal.
My next 5-year plan: 🔮💫
In 5 years from now, my goal is to have published a book of short fictional stories — much like one of my all-time favourite books: Ted Chiangs' “Stories of Your Life and Others”. Which, has been an inspiration of mine for nearly a decade after seeing it adapted into the movie “Arrival”.
What are you up to?
Anyway, that’s as much revealing as I feel comfortable with today. I hope it helps inspire some new ideas for your writing journey.
I’ve told you what I’m up to. What are you up to? 👂💭
It’s always helpful for me to hear what’s going on with you. And, often, sharing your goals acts as the first step to completing them.
Leave a comment to kickstart your next goal.
Happy writing!
Hudson :)
You’re invited to join Writer’s Hub! 💌
Hey, I’m Hudson! I created Writer’s Hub to help you make money as a writer. To have posts just like this one sent directly to you, become a free or paid subscriber. 🙋♂️✍️
This is an encouraging read for me, thank you for writing it. I wanted to ask: Is it possible to focus on Substack, but use Medium and LinkedIN as smaller hubs to promote it?
It's interesting you want to write Fiction, that is what I'm doing...or trying to do. I love reading and writing about Horror short stories.
Good insights into your business plan/strategy as a writer and very insightful tips about how to approach platforms. My takeaway being it's about focusing on quality of the efforts, and a specific reason for using a specific platform, versus the mass approach of hitting lots of different platforms.