Starting Novelist Careers as Passive Income: Common Mistakes

You sit down to work on the first draft of your book, with big dreams of millions of readers (and sales). You see many inspirational stories of little-known novelists making their debut successful, and you aspire to be one of them. 

Yet, the path of turning a novelist career into a reliable passive income is not that easy, from writing the actual book to planning its release. In this article, we observe some of the biggest mistakes new writers make when dreaming of making a living off their work. 

Can you actually make passive income?

Passive income is not a novel idea: it stems from various people finding ways to generate repeatable income with little to no effort after the initial preparation. For example, you might publish online courses on Udemy and hope to attract readers to your learning material. In other cases, you use Honeygain, which allows you to sell unused internet bandwidth. While creating an online course does require some initial work and late nights, sharing your home’s internet connection doesn’t. Hence, a different level of effort might be required to start earning passive income.

Then there’s the novelist path. Similar to online courses, it takes time, but double or triple it in this case. With enough effort, patience, and knowledge, you can surely earn passive income from the sales of your book (be it mainly online or also physical copies).

Mistakes to avoid as a beginner novelist

We mostly refrain from speaking about specific stylistic choices. Yet, in this list of the potential mistakes novelists make, we do clarify the recommended course of action for expecting the best possible launch for your book. 

Figure out your audience and general demand

You have an idea for a novel: excellent! Now, it’s time to analyze whether you see a demand for such stories in the market. After all, you might be swept away by pursuing a passion project, but you must know what sales potential it has. Then, you can at least control your expectations and establish your target audience. After all, no book is for everyone (with a few exceptions).

Research, research, and research some more

Audience expectations might be higher than you anticipate. So, you are unlikely to get away with inaccurate descriptions, dialogue, or general prose. For example, if your book is set in medieval times or the 1960s, you should properly analyze the trends of that time and accurately depict them. 

Figure out your promotional angle

TikTok (or BookTok) has been one of the biggest places for authors to share their writing journey and attract potential readers early. Yet, you need to figure out your unique selling point: why do people need to buy your book instead of a similar one? This selling point could depend on the tropes you use, characters, or promises you make (such as plot twists or mysteries). 

People do judge a book by its cover

Your prose might be beautiful, but your cover shouldn’t be far from it. Despite many claims, readers do care about book covers: it is one of the first things that attracts readers. Hence, analyze the market for trendy design ideas, see what works, and consult professionals to provide you with some samples. 

An editor is a must

Your book is the realization of your tears and sweat: changing anything can feel like an insult. Thus, you need a pair of objective eyes to judge it without this intimate connection. When looking for editors, pay attention to their experience and what type of books they usually edit. An editor who usually covers horror novels might not be the best to polish a historical romance novel. 

Don’t wait for inspiration

The reason why many writers don’t achieve passive income through their novels is that they do not reach the finish line: publishing their work. It mostly relates to perfectionism and wanting everything to be perfect on their first draft. Furthermore, it means that they wait for inspiration, or when they are actually in the mood to write. You may love writing, but the reality is that you should treat this passion as a job that could eventually pay your bills. If you do not, you’ll always be waiting for the ideal time to write, which could never come.

Final thoughts

Writing is an incredibly creative process, and rushing it may not be the best course of action. However, taking your time is not a luxury that most dedicated writers have. They treat their passion more as a dream and push themselves to write even when they do not feel like it.