Runnymede-on-Thames (it’s almost London)
February 3-4, 2018
What is this conference about? Do you want to take things to the next level? Is your hard work not getting you where you need to go? That’s why we’re here – how can your writing make you money.
“I’ve talked in the past about how I wanted to create an income of $50k a year by having a backlist of 20 books. I came up with this number because I noticed after the first few days of selling my first book, I was averaging about $7.50 a day in income. At that number ($7.50 a day for each of the 20 books) I’d make $54k. You only need $36k to enjoy a very nice retirement in Cabo San Lucas. That was my goal.” Michael Anderle
Michael started the Facebook group of that name in March of 2016. People trickled in slowly, and then faster they came. People left and new people arrived. Everyone contributed in some way, but always, the premise was that there was more than one way up the mountain.
And 20booksto50k was born. It’s not that you write 20 books and make $50,000. It’s not that you have to publish a book a month. It’s not about any must-do things beside one – YOU HAVE TO FIND READERS WILLING TO PAY FOR YOUR STORIES.
That’s it. That’s what it’s all about. A billion readers in English and you need five of them every day to buy each of your $2.99 books. And you can retire to Cabo San Lucas. Self publishing is a mountain with a plateau at $50k. But the mountain is infinitely high and there are an infinite number of ways to climb it.
What this group has accomplished is nothing short of amazing. I was one of the first 50 people to join the 20Books group in March of last year. I didn’t know anything, but I listened and asked questions, and I shared what did and didn’t work for me. I worked hard to learn the business of writing.
The higher you climb up the mountain, the greater the demands on your time. The more you write, the easier it is to write, but then the more you commit to. The more you give back in other ways.
20Booksto50k conferences are one way where many of the most successful indie authors can give back, while still learning new things. They have their agendas, but the overall belief is that we can continue climbing the mountain, no matter where we are on our journey. Sometimes we can make more money by controlling costs, sometimes we need to spend more money to reach that next level. ROI. KDP. Wide. NLs. All that stuff and more. Pick and choose what will work for you. It’s a smorgasbord, not a set recipe for success.
And everyone’s definition of success is different. Know what yours is before you start on your author journey.
A rising tide floats all boats. Indies supporting indies. We are all authors first (well, 99% of us are, anyway), and we write books. We tell stories. Are we getting better with each one? Do that – implement your continuous improvement process to get better. We want you to sell more this month than you did last month.
Are you a hobby author or a professional? Professionals get paid for their work. That’s what 20booksto50k is about – you have to average $7.50/book/day. That’s it.
And so much more. It starts with the first word and you keep writing. You have to set the hook with a great cover, a blurb that is an advertisement for your book, not a synopsis. As an author, YOU are responsible for your own success.
No one else. Only you. How you manage your business is up to you. Surrounding yourself with great people is a good start. But at the end of the day, it’s you, alone with your computer, writing the words. It’s lonely, but you don’t have to be alone.
What a wealth of knowledge that Michael Anderle and the 20booksto50k premise brings, and you can access it all for free, but you have to invest the time.
The author business is hard. Not everyone can handle a full-time writing career. Nothing will be handed to you. I’ve worked 70-80 hours a week for the past two years! One hundred and four weeks’ worth of that. Because it is the most rewarding work I’ve ever done. I tell stories, and people like my stories. Each book is better than the last. I get great feedback. I listen. I improve. I am learning to market because I want 100,000 readers waiting for my next book.
Going full-time may be your goal. Can you get there? Only you can know that. Even if it’s only one book a year. John Grisham started that way, and he does okay for himself. Find quality people to give you feedback and work hard at the right things. Whether full-time or part-time, know your personal definition of success, and stay on your path to achieve it.
You work alone, but you are not alone.
In London, we have a variety of guest speakers who will touch on topics that matter to self-published authors. Listen closely and ask good questions. We have long breaks built in because mingling and talking with your peers is one of the primary draws of this show. Watch, listen, and engage.
Are you ready to climb to the next level?
20Books London – a 20Booksto50k educational and networking event