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Contents
- 1 Byte & Beak Talk Side Hustles #11: Self-Publishing eBooks – Be the Author of Your Own Side Hustle!
- 2 🎬 Scene Opener: A Typing Frenzy in the Treehouse
- 3 🧠 What Is Self-Publishing?
- 4 💥 Why Self-Publishing is a Killer Side Hustle
- 5 🧐 What Kinds of eBooks Sell?
- 6 💸 How Much Can You Earn?
- 7 🛠️ Step-by-Step: How to Self-Publish Your eBook
- 8 ⚠️ Mistakes to Avoid
- 9 ✍️ Real-Life Author Hustlers
- 10 ✅ Self-Publishing eBook Checklist
- 11 🔁 Scaling the eBook Empire
- 12 🧠 Byte’s Takeaways
- 13 🦉 Beak’s Final Hoot
- 14 📘 Next in the Byte & Beak Side Hustles Series…
Byte & Beak Talk Side Hustles #11: Self-Publishing eBooks – Be the Author of Your Own Side Hustle!
🎬 Scene Opener: A Typing Frenzy in the Treehouse
🦉 Beak: [tap-tap-tap] Byte! BYTE! I’ve done it — 17,000 words in three days!
👨💻 Byte: Whoa. You wrote a whole book?
🦉 Beak: Well… it’s mostly ramblings on worm-tasting techniques. But still — it’s a book!
👨💻 Byte: Beak, do you know you can sell that book? Online? As an eBook?
🦉 Beak: Wait — you mean people PAY to read my inner thoughts?
👨💻 Byte: If they’re packaged, polished, and promoted well — absolutely. Welcome to the side hustle of self-publishing.
🦉 Beak: Feathers fluffed. Let’s turn this into a best-feathering-seller!
🧠 What Is Self-Publishing?
👨💻 Byte: Self-publishing is when you write and publish a book — typically an eBook — without going through a traditional publishing house.
🦉 Beak: So I don’t need an agent, a publisher, or a smoky backroom deal?
👨💻 Byte: Nope. You write it, design the cover, upload it to platforms like Amazon KDP, Gumroad, or Draft2Digital, and bam — it’s available to readers worldwide.
🦉 Beak: And all without leaving my nest? Sign me up!
💥 Why Self-Publishing is a Killer Side Hustle
📈 Evergreen income – Write once, sell forever
🌍 Global reach – Amazon alone covers 13 countries
💰 High royalties – Up to 70% on platforms like KDP
📚 Low cost – Free tools can get you started
🖋 Creative freedom – No gatekeepers
💡 Authority builder – “Author” looks great on a resume… or tree branch
🧐 What Kinds of eBooks Sell?
👨💻 Byte: Fiction or nonfiction, there’s a reader for almost everything — the secret is finding the right niche.
🔥 Hot Fiction Genres
📖 Romance (contemporary, historical, spicy)
🧛 Fantasy & Sci-fi
🕵️ Mystery & Thriller
📚 Young Adult
🐺 Paranormal (yes, werewolves are still hot)
💀 Horror
💡 Lucrative Nonfiction Niches
📘 Self-help & personal development
💼 Entrepreneurship & money
🍳 Cookbooks & nutrition
🧠 Productivity, habits, and time management
🧘 Wellness & mindfulness
🎯 Niche hobbies (woodworking, crochet, birdwatching…)
🦉 Beak: “Worm Recipes for Romantic Evenings” could crush both niches!
👨💻 Byte: That’s disturbingly brilliant.
💸 How Much Can You Earn?
👨💻 Byte: It depends on effort, niche, and marketing, but here’s a taste:
📊 Realistic Royalties
| Platform | Royalty Rate |
|---|---|
| Amazon KDP | 35% or 70% |
| Gumroad | ~90% (minus fees) |
| Draft2Digital | ~60% |
| Payhip | 95% |
Example:
- 1 book @ $9.99 × 500 sales = ~$3,500–4,000 profit
- 5 eBooks earning $300/month = $1,500 passive income
- Series-based fiction authors can earn $50,000+/year
🦉 Beak: And here I thought feathers were the only thing I could monetize!
🛠️ Step-by-Step: How to Self-Publish Your eBook
🟩 Step 1: Pick Your Profitable Topic or Genre
Ask:
- What do I know or love?
- What are people searching for?
- Are there 3+ similar books doing well?
📚 Use tools:
- Amazon’s Best Sellers list
- Google Trends
- Publisher Rocket (for KDP insights)
- Reddit & Facebook Groups
🦉 Beak: “Memoirs of a Midlife Owl” — trend-worthy?
👨💻 Byte: Might be niche, but hey, niche sells!
🟩 Step 2: Write the Book
🧠 Nonfiction Structure:
- Hook / Intro
- Clear table of contents
- Actionable chapters
- Summaries or exercises
- Bonus materials (downloads, checklists)
📖 Fiction Blueprint:
- Compelling opening
- Plot arc (setup, conflict, climax, resolution)
- Strong characters
- Consistent voice & pacing
📅 Tools for Writers:
- Google Docs
- Scrivener (advanced)
- Notion or Obsidian
- Grammarly for basic editing
- ChatGPT for outlining, brainstorming, or rewriting sections
🦉 Beak: Can I dictate it while perched on a branch?
👨💻 Byte: Absolutely — try Otter.ai or Voice Typing in Google Docs.
🟩 Step 3: Edit and Polish
👨💻 Byte: Even the best authors use editors.
🔍 Options:
- Self-edit first
- Use ProWritingAid, Grammarly Premium, or Hemingway App
- Hire freelance editors on Upwork or Reedsy
🦉 Beak: What if my editor hates birds?
👨💻 Byte: Then you hire an owl-friendly one. It’s a niche market.
🟩 Step 4: Design a Killer Cover
🎨 Options:
- Canva – Free, simple, templates
- BookBrush – Book-specific design tools
- Fiverr / 99Designs – Hire pros
- MidJourney or DALL·E – AI-generated covers (check license rules!)
💡 Pro Tip: A bad cover = no clicks. Don’t skimp here.
🟩 Step 5: Format for eReaders
Use:
- Reedsy Book Editor
- Atticus.io
- Scrivener
- Calibre (for .epub, .mobi, .pdf)
🦉 Beak: All these tools sound like wizard spells.
👨💻 Byte: They kind of are. Formatting is magic that makes your book… readable.
🟩 Step 6: Publish!
Top Platforms:
- Amazon KDP – Most popular
- Gumroad – Sell directly
- Draft2Digital – Distributes to Apple, B&N, Kobo
- Payhip – Direct-to-customer
- Blurb – For photo books
- Leanpub – For tech & nonfiction
🦉 Beak: So I can go global without leaving the tree?
👨💻 Byte: Welcome to the author life.
🟩 Step 7: Promote Like a Pro
📢 Marketing Tactics:
📨 Email list (start one early!)
📱 Instagram, TikTok, Twitter threads
📺 YouTube videos (book trailers or behind-the-scenes)
📚 BookBub or Goodreads promotions
🎁 Giveaways or free chapters
🤝 Collaborate with influencers or bloggers in your niche
🌟 Collect reviews early
🦉 Beak: Could I go on a virtual book tour?
👨💻 Byte: Yes — and you won’t need to pack a suitcase.
⚠️ Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Publishing without editing
❌ Weak title or bland cover
❌ Not researching your niche
❌ Giving up after low initial sales
❌ No plan to build an audience
❌ Trying to be on every platform before you’re ready
✍️ Real-Life Author Hustlers
- Rachel Hollis – Started self-published, now NYT best-selling author
- Mark Dawson – Earned 7 figures writing thrillers on Amazon
- Joanna Penn – Made a career from nonfiction and teaching self-publishing
- Adam Croft – Sold over 2 million books independently
🦉 Beak: And here I thought “indie author” meant coffee shops and pipe-smoking.
👨💻 Byte: Now it means profit margins and author dashboards.
✅ Self-Publishing eBook Checklist
🟦 Choose a profitable niche
🟦 Write or dictate your draft
🟦 Edit and proofread thoroughly
🟦 Design a professional cover
🟦 Format for Kindle & ePub
🟦 Upload to your chosen platform(s)
🟦 Promote with content & ads
🟦 Collect feedback, reviews, and iterate
🔁 Scaling the eBook Empire
🎯 Series (especially in fiction!)
🎯 Audiobooks (via ACX or Findaway Voices)
🎯 Translations (reach new markets)
🎯 Bundles & box sets
🎯 Combine with courses, coaching, or memberships
🎯 Use books to funnel readers to higher-priced offers
🦉 Beak: So I could write one worm cookbook, then launch a whole culinary owl brand?
👨💻 Byte: You’d be the Gordon Ramsay of the treetop gourmet scene.
🧠 Byte’s Takeaways
✔️ Self-publishing lets you monetize your brain
✔️ Tools and platforms make it accessible to anyone
✔️ You don’t need an agent — just a strategy
✔️ A single eBook can snowball into a digital empire
✔️ This hustle stacks perfectly with blogging, courses, and email lists
🦉 Beak’s Final Hoot
“Here’s the truth: your story, your lessons, your oddly specific expertise — they matter. They could change someone’s life… or at least their Tuesday morning. And they can make you money.”
“Forget waiting for a publisher’s approval. You’re the author, the boss, and the empire-builder now.”
