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Why Most Authors Fail to Make a Living Writing

Three truths that will make you more successful

Frank McKinley
2 min readJan 6, 2022
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko from Pexels

There are three big reasons why most writers don’t earn enough to go full time.

It Takes a Lot of Work

To succeed online, you have to write a lot.

Every day would be great.

At least write regularly, like two or three days a week.

There are a lot of writers trying to make their mark. If you disappear or your writing gets boring, people will forget you.

You also need to go where readers already gather. Start a blog if you want but know this — it will be a lot harder to get people to read your work. Write on Medium or Vocal. Guest post on your favorite blog. If what you write is valuable, readers will reward you for it.

If you choose online writing, you’ll make more money offering products to your followers:

  • Books
  • Courses
  • Coaching

The more income sources you create, the better your chances of going full-time.

Commitment is Essential

I’ve given up on writing online a few times over the last 10 years.

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Frank McKinley
Frank McKinley

Written by Frank McKinley

I like to figure things out and share what I find. My favorite topics are faith, communication, business, and personal growth. https://skl.sh/2Xp1p8d

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