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You’re probably a rich freelance writer with lots of clients and a fat bank account.
You make so much money that even your dog can smell the wealth.
Well, good for you!
Now picture this…
Larry, a 21 year old freelance writer, makes a killing online. He has a few big clients who allow him the opportunity to make about 5 figures every month.
After a whole month of hard work, he finally decides to take a day off. With a bowl of popcorn in his hand, he relaxes on his sofa to watch his favourite movie, “Total Recall”. But something unusual catches his eye.
To the left, he sees a dark figure standing, holding what looks like a long stick in its hand.
To Larry’s despair, it’s not a stick, but a long barrel shot gun pointed straight at him.
The next thing he hears is a loud noise; and to his horror, he feels his skull crack open and a sharp pain in the front of his brain.
In two short months, lots of cash is sucked out of his bank account. Debts and surgery expenses have to be paid.
After 6 months, Larry comes out of comma to a bank account with only 3 figures. Worst of all, a vital part of his brain is damaged.
Larry can no longer read nor write! He has been forcefully retired from freelance writing.
And he is broke!
If he could turn back the hands of time, there’s only one thing Larry could have done to ensure he always had some cash in his account, regardless of what he did or where he was. Unfortunately, many freelance writers, both the successful and struggling, haven’t done this one thing.
The ONE Thing Every Freelance Writer Must Do
Retired government workers are always entitled to one thing – called a pension. Successful private organizations compensate long serving employees with some form of gratification.
When you stop writing, what will you be entitled to?
Many will go broke. And the few successful ones will spend their money… and then go broke!
The truth is bitter, but like it or not, you have to taste it.
Unfortunately, not many freelance writers are financially intelligent. And not many of us make the effort to become so.
With the countless resources and guides on passive income available online, we really need to start thinking of a backup plan, an alternative source of income that can be available to us in sickness, health, in old age or even during relaxation periods.
Just in case you’re wondering what passive income means, here’s how Steve Pavlina of StevePavlina.com defines it;
In other words, it is money you make while you sleep, eat or even write.
So the question is, “how can a freelance writer earn passive income?”
Well, here are a few things people are doing to make this work:
1. Sell E-Courses and E-Books That Increase Your Credibility
After all you write, so this should be pretty easy for you, right?
Wrong!
Freelance writers who just generate any kind of content for any kind of website may not be able to create passive income this way. This is because in order for you to really make money from selling e-courses and e-books, you must target the need of a specific set of people.
In other words, you need to be an expert in a specific area and write e-courses targeting your specific market.
A simple proof of this fact is the interview that Onibalusi had with Linda Formichelli of Renegade writer. According to Linda;
2. Build Passive Income Blogs That Run While You Sleep
Managing one blog is nerve racking, not to mention building more blogs in the name of making more money.
Well, the difference is that with passive income blogs, you only put in one time effort, which yields recurrent income. Of course, this can only happen as long as the blog is up and running.
Your passive income blogs, or minisites as Yuwanda Black of Ink Well Editorial likes to call them, can only succeed if you “write what you enjoy — and what you know”.
According to Yuwanda;
And the good thing about these sites is that you can create as many as you want!
Pretty genius, don’t you think?
You don’t have to be a killer web designer before you can start to create such minisites. With WordPress, everything is possible…well almost :-).
3. Create, Sell and License Apps That Move with The Latest Technology
Just because you’re a freelance writer it doesn’t mean you can’t tap into other niches.
For some weird reason, apps seem to become more popular every day. According to a press release by LightSpeed research;
“Social apps such as Facebook are used most frequently by Smartphone owners with almost three quarters (73%) accessing social networks through apps daily.”
Here’s another cool insight;
“The top three most used kinds of apps on a Smartphone are social networking, news and weather. By comparison, for tablet owners the top three are games, business and finance & banking.”
So, your apps don’t really have to be for social networking alone. You can create just about any app that is viable and that can make you money.
I would check out that press release if I were you.
According to the personal development authority blogger, Steve Pavlina;
Being that you’re a freelance writer, I wouldn’t advise you to stop writing and dive into programming. You don’t have to do it yourself. The magic word here is…
Outsource!
You can think of the idea for an app, let someone else do the work, and then you reap the benefits. However, it’s not always as easy as it sounds (I’m sure you know that already).
Just in case you’re new to the concept of outsourcing; Tim Ferriss of The 4 Hour Work Week can walk you through that.
4. Write Evergreen Content for Revenue Sharing Sites
There are various kinds of such revenue sharing sites. Some pay you based on the number of views your articles get. Others pay depending on the number of views/clicks the ads in your articles receive.
While this may look like a way to get-rich-quick, it isn’t. You’ll need to learn a few content creation skills, especially SEO. If the articles you write aren’t properly optimized for search engines, then forget about generating any passive income from this method.
Some of such revenue sharing sites include Squidoo.com, Helium.com, Hubpages.com and a few other sites. There are people who earn well from such sources. To make this kind of income source work for you, you need to write lots of articles. Lots! Nothing good comes easy.
It’s a good thing Larry doesn’t exist. But if he did, I’m 100% sure that you don’t want to end up like him, do you? I definitely don’t. You won’t be a freelance writer forever. The sooner you come to terms with this truth, the better.
Passive income isn’t just for internet marketers and executives of organizations. And you don’t have to be a rich and successful freelance writer before you start brainstorming possible passive income streams.
You still have the opportunity to take action and change your future reality. Create e-books in your area of expertise, invest in technology or just write some more. Unlike Larry, you now know what to do. So, “what are you going to do about it?”
Your Turn
What do you think about passive income? What other passive income streams do you think should be part of this list? Share your thoughts in the comments.
[This article was a guest post on WritersInCharge.com. View it here: http://www.writersincharge.com/writing-for-money/]
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Lanre Solarin is a professional blogger and founder of RatherSure where he shows service professionals how they can generate leads and attract clients online. Content Marketer, WordPress Lover, Food Eater :D. You can hire Lanre or connect with him on LinkedIn and Google+.