If you want to write, first find your niche, find the thing or things you are most interested in and knowledgeable about, be it motorcycles, plants, or backwoods camping and write. There is a need for writing on every topic under the sun. When I first started writing, I knew how to write essays and I taught myself to write short stories. I had a passion for nonfiction, describing things like stigma, bullying, hospitalizations, and other things surrounding mental health. I wrote every day, and soon, my book, titled “Through the Withering Storm” was finished.

An old friend knew an editor. After polishing the manuscript, I self-published. I prefer using Amazon/Kindle Direct Publishing. The key is getting the format and the cover worked out, then author copies are around $5 each with shipping. I set the price of my first book at $20. Most bookstores charge around 45% for selling your books. It is great to sell books directly, but bookstores can be a lifeline for an author and you need to leave room for some profit.

Look for organizations where you can learn about and market your writing as I did when I approached The Schizophrenia Society. They were great about letting me bring books to sell during presentations. When selling books like this, a credit card acceptor from www.squareup.com  is worth every penny. A website where your readers can land is also necessary. Mine is at:  www.edmontonwriter.com

Partnering with The Schizophrenia Society was life changing. I learned so much about my illness, making my next nonfiction book much easier to write. Not long after I published “Through the Withering Storm” I wrote a second memoir titled “Inching Back to Sane” and in total over 10 years published 13 books, including poetry, short stories, and young adult Novels. I still set up tables at bookstores and conferences. The trick when a customer browses is, be friendly, informative, respectful, and don’t worry if they decide not to buy. This is when a snazzy cover does the work for you.

An excellent way of generating sales is contacting remote libraries, both public ones and in high schools. I found small towns to be kind, generous and they always paid on time. Some of them booked me to give a talk about my illness to their patrons. Always mention (in person and on your website) that you can do public speaking. If you can’t, join Toastmasters, which will teach you how.

With all my efforts, I have been able to increase my income from $18,000 per year to $40,000 and I no longer work a back-breaking labour job. I sell 5-10 books a week, but there are many possible income streams when you are an author. I now teach creative writing for $50 an hour, and I have also branched out to write freelance journalism articles, and I never look back.

Finally, focus on what you are an expert on and read voraciously, do online searches, network with other enthusiasts, and watch documentaries on the subject. Connect with fellow writers. Constantly educate yourself. Get the Writer’s Market from the library and comb through it for magazines and book publishers in your niche and scan through information on sending pitches. Brainstorm, invent new ways of writing about your field, and sign up for newsletters that list calls for pitches like sonia.weiser@oppsoftheweek.com Attend conferences that focus on your chosen field. Make yourself an expert. But above all, write!

Write every day. Work on one page or one chapter a day and you will get there. Most universities and public libraries have “Writers in Residence” who will help you crystallize your ideas, put them on paper and get them published, for free. A conventional publisher is best but remember there is sometimes more freedom in self-publishing. I guarantee when you get your first shipment of your books and open it, your life will change forever.

 Bio: Leif Gregersen is a book and magazine writer with a mental health blog at: www.edmontonwriter.com  He has written and published over 50 articles which are listed at  https://muckrack.com/leif-gregersen . Leif has also written and published three memoirs of his lived experience with mental illness and can be contacted at leif.n.gregersen@gmail.com  Twitter/X handle: @533viking303  / Instagram: gregersen.leif