earn money writing at home

It's great to have a publisher, it really is. They do everything for you - covers, editing, formatting, etc.

But they also take a huge chunk of the profits.

I've been self-publishing my non-fictions books for around eight years now, and seriously, it's not that hard once you know how. The profits from my self-published works outweigh those from my traditionally published books more than ten fold.

And I'm not the only one to say that - a friend of mine recently self-published her novel, and despite going the traditional route, her book has outsold mine more than ten times. And in half the amount of time!

Not only did she sell way more than me, she's earned stacks more dollars than me, and also gets to keep nearly all of it because she isn't handing out royalties/commissions left, right, and center.

Her book is published via Smashwords, and she gets to keep around 75% (yes, you read that right), depending on where it's published.

Her story got me thinking, and I went searching. I found a book that's been written specifically for writers, and covers everything you'd ever need to know about self-publishing your book - fiction or non-fiction.

Click here to read my review of this terrific book about self-publishing on Kindle.

Okay, first things first.

Just about every writer I talk to says writers should specialize. Sorry, I don't agree.

If you want to make money as a writer, you need to be able to do whatever it is your clients want you to do. Here are some of the jobs I've done for money over the years:

Write for magazines
Travel articles for magazines and websites
Write for websites
Write intro's for ebooks
Write closing paragraphs for ebooks
Write exit popups
Rewrite sales pages
Write sales pages from scratch
Edit non-fiction articles and ebooks
Edit fiction
Create websites and/or blogs and fill them with text
Write short stories
Write novels
Write names for products
Write book reviews

There's probably more, but these are just a few off the top of my head.

Can you see a pattern? Nope, and I don't want you to. I can write pretty much anything, except screenplays, and often do. Writing is my sole bread and butter, and I write whatever I need to write to pay my bills.

I hope you'll see the advantages of doing something similar. When you 'specialize' you're literally putting yourself in a corner and limiting your earning income.

Click Here for More Ideas on How to Make Money as a Writer.

Some people believe they can make the decision to become a writer, then jump in and earn money.

Like any job, you need to have the skills, and if you don't have them already, you need to learn them. Even as a multi--published and award-winning writer, I am still taking courses - at least one per year.

Lucky for you I've been where you are now. I've done the hard yakka, and I've "done the time".

There are plenty of books out there for writers. Some are poor, some are mediocre, and a handful are fantastic. Below I've listed a variety of books covering different types of writing. These are all on my highly recommended list.

"Write Where the Money Is" is written by a veteran writer with over 30 years experience. When I began to read this book, I planned to read no more than ten pages in one sitting. At page 70, I had to force myself to stop.

"The Wealthy Writer" has proven to be extremely popular with many writers. It offers a variety of options for earning money as a writer.

"How to Write a Children's Book in 14 Days or Less" - You really can write a children's book in 14 days or less, and Mel McIntyre will shares his 'secrets' with you in this book.

"The Wealthy Web Writer" is a fairly new resource, but has proven to be popular. If you want to earn money writing for the internet, definitely check this out.

"Quick Cash Writing " is great for those people who want to write short articles and earn top dollar.

"Movie in a Month" is a fantastic resource for those who want to write movies and/or screenplays.

"Travel Writing Secrets" is for those writers who want to travel the world and get paid to do so.

"The Ultimate Copywriter" will show you how easy (and lucrative) copywriting can be, when you know how.

As a writer, this is a great source of income.

First, let me explain what PLR is - PLR stands for Private Label Rights.

This basically means you write a series of related articles and sell them as a bundle - usually 6-10 articles.

These articles will be sold to multiple buyers, so you'll write them once and get paid over and over again.

For instance, you could write your series of articles about Christmas Budgeting.

Your headings might be something like this:

Five Ways to Save Money on Christmas Dinner
How to Cut the Costs of Gifts this Christmas
Make Your Own Gift Baskets and Save $'s

Really popular articles around Christmas are those that center around gifts and toys.

For example your bundle may center around:

The Top Ten Toys for Girls
Top Ten Gifts for Teenagers
Gifts for Computer Geeks

There are literally millions of websites all competing for Christmas Traffic and buyers, and sellers of PLR articles will make a killing this and every Christmas. (And Halloween, Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, and just about any major celebration you can think of.)

To be honest, this is not something I've done myself, but I've certainly been thinking about it - a lot. So I'm not the best person to teach you how to do this. But my friend Tiffany Dow has been doing this for many, many years.

She's the Queen of PLR, and has released a step-by-step program teaching how to set up a PLR business that will earn you money for a very long time.

You might be worried the course is expensive. It's not. I was quite shocked when I saw how cheap it is. And I'm sure you will be too.

This is a relatively easy business to set up, and once you know how to go about it, you'll kick yourself for not doing it before. (Or you''ll kick me for not telling you about it!)

Click Here Learn How YOU Can Make Money Writing PLR!

* Never feel you need to give away your writing. It's better to go for a low-paying job, than a non-paying job. Do you know of any other job where you are expected to work for free? Nope, me neither.

* Build your reputation and your brand. Hang around forums, and get your name known. When you've build up your credibility, work will come to you.

* If you are serious about becoming a full-time writer, or even a part-time writer, learn your trade. Read as much as you can, and take action!

Do you have piles of papers on your desk? Is there a stack of receipts shoved into your desk drawer? Do you find yourself looking for a telephone number that you wrote down -- somewhere?

If you suffer from a lack of organization, here are a few suggestions on how to tackle the problem.

It's well-know that having a disorganized work area is counter productive. By getting organized - and staying organized, you will get more work done in way less time.

If you know your way around computers, even a little, you may be familiar with the program Outlook. You can use Outlook to keep track of your emails, your daily schedule, your to-do list, client's telephone numbers and email addresses, and more.

For those that are not as technically advanced, you can still get organized by using old-fashioned paper products. You should have a planner or diary already, but if you don't, get one straight away. There are a large variety of planners available, in just about every shape and size imaginable. Find one that fits your needs and use it to keep track of doctor appointments, school meetings, your work schedule, etc. Set up a client database to keep track of phone numbers, emails, preferences, and other information. You can do this by getting some index cards and a recipe box. (You can buy files specifically for this use, but they are quite expensive compared to the recipe boxes.)

No matter where in the world you live, everyone has to pay taxes. Instead of having a panic attack at the last minute, be prepared and file your receipts etc all year round.

An easy way to keep track of receipts is to get a hanging file folder and 12 manila envelopes. Have one envelope for January, one for February and so on. During the month, throw all your receipts in the corresponding envelope. When the month is over, tally up your receipts and write it on the outside of the envelope. That way, when tax time comes, most of your work will already be done.

By taking a bit of time each day to "take care of the little things" you will stay organized, feel less stressed, and get more work done!