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The Key Idea Behind the Writer's Path · The Daily Writer

• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: Hey my friend, thanks for joining me for today's episode of the Daily Rider Podcast.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: Today's episode is part of a series that we're doing on the writer's path, seven steps to building a writing business.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're just not joining us for this series, I encourage you to go back to the beginning on the June 27th episode in order to get the maximum value out of all the things that we're talking about with this series.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: I was a college professor for many years, so anytime that I'm creating content, I begin with what I call a key idea.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: And anytime that I created class material as a professor, it always started with the main idea of what I wanted to talk about or accomplish in that class session.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: Because the idea being that you can't just go into class willy-nilly or just go in without a plan.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: You've got to have one main thing that you want to accomplish in that class session.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: That's what every good teacher and every good communicator does.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: Now, other people will call this a thesis statement or maybe even a proposition, but I call it a key idea.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: Regardless of whatever you call it, it's a statement or a concept that drives everything else that you're going to do in that container of content.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: Again, whether that's a sermon or a lesson or a course or whatever it is.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: So as we look at the seven steps to building a writing business, there's one central idea, one key idea that ties all of this together.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: So let me give you the key idea, and then I want to break it apart phrase by phrase so that you can see why each of those elements is so important to the writer's path as a whole.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, here's the key idea.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: The writer's path is a sequential, achievable process to help you build a multifaceted, robust writing business based on a growing network and multiple streams of income.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: So let's break this down a bit phrase by phrase.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: First of all, we're talking about a writing business.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: So this is a business based not just on selling the writing itself, but also on products and services based on the writing.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: In other words, writing is the hub of what you do, but it's not everything that you do.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: You write, you create content, and then you create products and services based on that writing.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: Now it's also important that we emphasize the word business.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: I come from the ministry, the church ministry and academic worlds.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: So the idea of making more money was honestly kind of frowned upon to a large degree in those worlds.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: However, money allows you to do more good in the world.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: And the more money that you have, the more good that you can do in the world.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: I just look at it very simply.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I'm not saying I want to be a billionaire.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I do not envy people who have like vast, vast sums or quantities of money, because there does come a point at which I think money becomes a burden rather than a blessing.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: But but in general, if you can grow a business that supports your family and you have extra to give away or to do nice things with or to do much more good in the world, that's a good thing, isn't it?
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, being a writer who can support yourself and your family with the income that you get from your writing is a good thing, as opposed to just always being stressed out and always worried about money.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: Can we all agree that that's a good thing?
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: So sometimes in the in the Christian community and in faith-based circles, money is kind of looked down upon, but I don't look at it that way at all.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: The more that, the more good that you can do in the world and for your family with income, that is a good thing.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: So, first and foremost, we're talking about a writing business.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: Now, second of all, we're talking about a sequential process.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: I'm talking about a step-by-step process, and those steps should be taken more or less in this order.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: Now, as we get into what these seven steps actually are, I want to emphasize that most people don't necessarily do these in this kind of rigid set order.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: But for the most part, I think you'll find it's easier when you think of these more or less in the sequence that I'm going to give them to you.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: Now, we're also talking about not just a sequential process, but an achievable process.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: The truth is that you can do it.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: If you are motivated and committed, you can build a writing business.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: Trust me, if I can do it, you can do it.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to be incredibly talented or, you know, some like crazy gifted, naturally gifted writer.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to work yourself to death and put yourself in the hospital at age, you know, 51.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: You can do this in an achievable time frame and you can do it in your spare time until you can build up, build it up to a part-time or full-time income.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: I promise you, if I can do it, you can do it as well.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: Now, we're talking about a sequential process, an achievable process, but we're also talking about a multifaceted, robust writing business.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: What I mean by that is that your business is not just a book sales, it also consists of other streams of income.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: In addition to possibly doing client work.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: Now, as you probably know, my full-time gig is ghostwriting books for other people.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: But I also have several other income streams like my membership community, my own book sales.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: Uh at times that involves things like teaching and speaking and some a few other things as well, like affiliate income.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: But primarily my day job, quote unquote, is ghostwriting books for other people.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to encourage you to think about doing client work as well because there's a lot of benefits that come from client work.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: What I have found myself is that the things that I learned doing client work, I can then apply those lessons to my own writing.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: And the things that I learned from my own writing and things that surround my writing, like teaching and podcasting and courses, I can then apply what I've learned there to my client work.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: So I like doing both of those things because I think each one builds up the other one.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: Now, a phrase that I use in this key idea is that part of this idea of growing a business is having a growing network.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: This is the big thing that I see a lot of writers missing.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: They don't network, and many writers don't have a desire to network with other people.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: But this is how your business is going to grow primarily.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: I want to help writers network and build key relationships in natural ways based on generosity and adding value to others.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: And I promise you, networking and relationships and collaboration that is a super, super vital part of growing a writing business.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: Then the last part of this key idea, we talk about multiple streams of income.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: Now, again, I mentioned that I do client work and some of you do as well.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: And a lot of writers just focus on doing client work.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: But I really believe that everybody who does just client work should also develop multiple streams of income that does not rely on clients.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: Streams of income like courses, membership communities, your own books, podcast sponsorships, affiliate income, those kinds of things.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: I want you to have more security in your finances.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I also want you to enjoy the benefits of income that come from your own intellectual property as opposed to the intellectual property that belongs to other people, but you have helped to build.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, honestly, again, I love doing client work, uh, but I love doing my own stuff as well.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I the way I look at it is why should you spend all your time and emotional energy building somebody else's content and platform when you could be using part of that to build your own platform and your own intellectual property?
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: So if you only do are doing client work right now, I really want you to think about that long and hard.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: There is a lot of value in building your own thing on the side and watching that grow over time.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: So that is a breakdown of the key idea behind the writer's path.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: And tomorrow I'm going to share with you my story of how I have traveled this pathway myself.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: Here's today's question Do you believe you can achieve success in your writing business?
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: And if so, what does that look like specifically?
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening, and I'll see you tomorrow.