This guest post is by Jeff Goins of Goins, Writer.
Writers have this horrible tendency to hoard their work.
They stash half-written manuscripts in drawers and never let them see the light of day. They write a blog but only share it with friends and family. They publish a book and charge money for it.
Wait a second — do you mean to say you shouldn’t charge money for your writing? That’s what I’m saying… sort of.
Let me clarify: You shouldn’t charge for your best work. Give it away for free — and watch the money roll in. Does that sound contradictory? It’s not.
Your two choices
A writer who wants to support herself has two choices: a) the short-term profiteering route, or b) the long-term generosity route.
The first will earn you some quick bucks but also burn a lot of bridges. The second will take a lot of time but also teach you how to wait for the best things.
Most beginning writers operate from a scarcity mentality. They are afraid of failure, so once they publish something they pinch pennies and try to to get what little they think they deserve.
Why? Because they’re afraid. Which is the last thing an artist should be.
Three reasons to be generous
Here are three reasons why you should consider giving your best work away for free:
1. It will build your audience.
Jon Morrow, one of the web’s leading experts on blogging, says if you want to earn subscribers you should create something worth charging money for and give it away. This will cause you to stand out in a world full of noise.
2. It will earn respect and loyalty.
For a year, I wrote a blog and never tried to sell a thing. My subscribers grew from 100 people to 1000 to more than 10,000. When people started asking me to stop giving stuff away so they could pay me for something, I knew I had done my job.
3. It will make you money… eventually.
A new author’s greatest challenge isn’t how to make a quick buck; it’s how to overcome anonymity. People buy books based on personal recommendations, so if you’re virtually unknown, the best thing you can do is get your work into the hands of future fans.
This is why Seth Godin was able to give away a million copies of Unleashing the Ideavirus and turn around and sell another million (the book, by the way, is still free and still sells).
So what do you say? How about you create something amazing and give it away?
By the way, you can grab my eBook, You Are A Writer, for free until Monday at midnight on Amazon. If you miss getting it for free, you can grab it here for only $3.99.
Jeff Goins is a writer, idea guy, and difference-maker. He lives in Nashville with his wife, newborn son, and dog. You can connect with him on his blog or follow him on Twitter.…
Anonymous says
June 24, 2012 at 2:21 pmVery profound! You are 100% right! Thanks for the insight!
Jeff Goins says
June 24, 2012 at 2:55 pmthanks, and you’re welcome!
Chichi says
June 24, 2012 at 2:46 pmCompletely agree. I’ve only just discovered Jeff this weekend. Have read the ebook ‘cover to cover’ totally inspired.
Jeff Goins says
June 24, 2012 at 2:55 pmawesome! thanks for reading.
Wild Bill Kerr says
June 24, 2012 at 3:03 pmJeff did your family see your vision when you started out? How did you convince them you were not wasting your time before the money started to come in?
Jeff Goins says
June 24, 2012 at 4:26 pmmy wife? well, she’s always believed in me, but frankly, it hasn’t been easy. a lot of early mornings. i had to show her i was serious about my passion before any compensation came in. and that meant not cheating time with her, but making time elsewhere.
Katharine says
June 24, 2012 at 3:04 pmYes! I just finished explaining this to family and friends who can’t understand why I’ve set up my “free days” with KDPS… Thanks for the encouragement!
Jeff Goins says
June 24, 2012 at 4:27 pmthis is something you have show after the fact, i’m sure.
William says
June 24, 2012 at 3:51 pmSo true! I’m blessed enough to have two projects near and dear to my heart. The fantasy novel will probably get traditional publication. But my comic book is a labor of love. I’m going to be giving away the first 8 pages at DragonCon. Maybe even this year!
Jeff Goins says
June 24, 2012 at 4:27 pmawesome.
{darlene} says
June 24, 2012 at 3:58 pmSo glad to see you here at Allume, Jeff. Thanks for sharing with the great team of Allume bloggers! Excellent post. This surely captures what is so priceless about blogging for any business person who desires to build.
{darlene} – @fieldstonehilldesign.com
Jeff Goins says
June 24, 2012 at 4:25 pmit’s fun!
Jolene @ The Alabaster Jar says
June 24, 2012 at 4:02 pmGreat points! After all, is is really our work to begin with? The Lord is the one who has given us the message, the skills, and giftings….perhaps our lives should always flow out and pour into others so they can see our Savior. Loved your message!
Jeff Goins says
June 24, 2012 at 4:25 pmwell said. a gift is meant to be given away.
Diane | An Extraordinary Day says
June 24, 2012 at 4:32 pmJeff, I’ve only recently started blogging. It’s the beginning of a crazy dream fulfilled. What’s crazier…I never thought of myself as a writer….and I never scored well in writing or English classes in college. But, I’ve spent many years editing and producing newsletters full of other people’s words. Through that I decided that I wanted to write and share my thoughts. Thank you for so freely and generously sharing your thoughts and inspirations. I look forward to learning and honing my new craft with your ‘free’ book.
God bless.
Jeff Goins says
June 26, 2012 at 4:44 pmenjoy it, Diane!
Tami @ ThisMomsDelight.com says
June 24, 2012 at 6:20 pmI have so much I want to write about, but I’m afraid that nobody will be interested. Maybe I should just write my heart out and see where it leads me.
Jeff Goins says
June 26, 2012 at 4:45 pmTami, that’s all you can do.
Christian SuperMom says
June 26, 2012 at 10:09 amGood to know! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! 🙂
Jeff Goins says
June 26, 2012 at 4:45 pmmy pleasure…