And what a year it’s been. My first priority was of course to establish a decent freelance income, which came surprisingly early. I then had a bit of a lull in summer as I played far too much golf, before realizing that I really needed to pull my finger out rather than simply “getting by”.
That led to the creation of my freelance writing guide, which was launched just a few days ago. It represented the culmination of a simple aim — to establish a sizable alternative income stream before the year came to an end.
Although the guide was officially launched in November, the pre-launch period (in which I offered it at a heavily discounted price) ran from 30th October to 2nd November, which means that all things being well, I made a little bit of money from the guide in October.
What Happened in October?
My usual freelance work and this blog aside, I committed all available time to writing, editing, proofreading, designing and promoting the guide. I was completely out of my depth, but what a valuable learning experience! I know that I could do a much better job if I started work on a new guide tomorrow. Regardless of how well the guide does in the long term, I have learned a great deal.
However, I would be lying if I didn’t say that I hoped to sell a few copies of the guide. In fact, I set a target of selling 20 copies in the pre-launch phase. At $23 a pop, that would bring in a cool $460 and get me some of the way towards my ultimate $3,000 target.
So how did I get on?
Income & Expenditure — October 2012
- Freelance writing:
- Income: $3,913.62
- Expenditure: $30.27
- Profit: $3,883.34
- Websites:
- Income: $5.57
- Expenditure: $9.92
- Profit: -$4.35
- Leaving Work Behind:
- Income: $233.02
- Expenditure: $50.02
- Profit: $183
- Information Products:
- Income: $889.82
- Expenditure: $466.32
- Profit: $423.50
Total profit for October 2012: $4,485.50
First of all, yet another month comfortably above $4,000 is great to see. This is also my second highest earning month after August, when I did a lot more freelance work and also had a good month with Leaving Work Behind.
Speaking of which, October saw a dip in my affiliate earnings for Leaving Work Behind. I’ll be honest — I struggle a bit with affiliate marketing. I have no interest in “milking” you guys for affiliate income, so I only ever recommend products when I consider it “morally correct” to do so (i.e. when the product is relevant and I have used and love it). All I can do on this front is continue to experiment and learn.
However, the highlight is of course the income on my freelance writing guide. In the first two days of my pre-launch phase I sold a total of 41 copies of my guide — more than twice the amount I hoped for during the entire pre-launch. As you might expect, I was pretty happy with this outcome!
What’s in Store for November?
October saw a little dip in my freelance earnings as I was doing less one-off work. My income may recover slightly for November, but I’m not sure at this stage. I’m not particularly bothered either way, as my regular client work at a bare minimum keeps me in a comfortable position.
With the launch of my guide out of the way, my authority site project will become my main focus. November will be a month for content creation only, with link building to start sometime in December, as I revealed in my recent update.
But the most interesting event to look back on in November’s income report will of course be the launch of my freelance writing guide. Based upon how things have unfolded so far, I will have a lot to ponder and report on in November’s report! Until then, stay tuned for project-specific updates during the month.
Oh and on a personal front (and for your amusement), I have decided to grow a mustache for November as part of the Movember movement for raising funds and awareness for men’s health issues. To the right is a photo of me on day 6. If you want to see how it develops through the month, like my Facebook page!
Creative Commons image courtesy of pasukaru76