How Nicolas Cole Built a $6 Million-a-Year Writing Business — 8 Hard Truths

Nicolas Cole is a master of online writing and digital marketing. After writing consistently for a year on Quora, he transitioned to Medium and was a top writer there. Eventually he shifted to Twitter where he established his own brand. Today, he sells a course on Ghostwriting, is the co-founder of Ship 30 for 30 with Dickie Bush and also authored 20+ books.

Together, his businesses generate over $6 million in annual revenue — but it took him a decade of disciplined, consistent writing to get there. There are no shortcuts. Stop looking for them if you were.

Packed with actionable advice, this video will help you build a sustainable online writing business, whether you’re just starting out or looking to level up.

Work Twice As Hard As Everyone Else

This one hits hard. Cole says, passionate people spend 30 to 50 hours per week in honing their craft.

If you have only one or two hours a day to hone your skills, you will have to be okay with slow growth. Or, find a way to gradually increase the time you put in. Because you are competing with people like Cole, who still spend six to eight hours a day writing.

Become A World Class Marketer

If you are an aspiring fiction writer, focus on publishing your next book immediately. But if you want to succeeed as a non-fiction writer, you better become a badass marketer.

He mentions top non-fiction authors — Tony Robbins, Ryan Holiday, and James Clear, all of whom have built businesses around their books.

Haven’t you seen mediocre books with good marketing outperform great books with poor marketing?

Making Money as a Writer Doesn’t Have to Be So Hard

Why do most authors stay broke? One reason is that the cost of books are capped. You spend an year or two writing and publishing a book and once a reader buys it, that’s the end of the transaction usually.

That’s one solid reason to build a business as a writer according to Cole. Because you can earn thousands of dollars creating a course, templates, coaching or consulting services around your brand.

Success As a Writer is a Multi-Decade Game

Anyone can write for a day. Most people can write for a month. But few people can sustain for an year or more. Imagine how many can keep writing for decades?

The barrier to enter the world of online writng is low. What matters is, can you stay the course?

If you’re serious about your new journey, be prepared to burn the bridges to your past and persist. In most cases, persistance beats talent.

Write More to Earn More

This is a brutal truth. Imagine your favorite film star. Are all of their movies a hit? No. So why do you expect everything you write to go viral or make millions?

He is surprised, how stuff he wrote on a whim has caught fire and some that he painfully spent hours researching, and perfecting every word was a flop.

The lesson? Hard or easy. Keep at it. That’s it.

Reading Does Not Make You A Better Writer, Writing Does

This is THE hard core truth. Watching workout videos won’t make you fit, and reading about writing won’t make you a better writer.

This hits home for many of us, especially those who think reading about how to write well, is time well-spent. It is not unless you do it. It’s just “productive procrastination.”

Even today, the amount of time he spends writing always exceeds the amount of time he spends reading.

Write, Promote and They Will Come

“There Is No Such Thing As Good Or Bad Writing, Only Effective Or Ineffective Writing”

Pin this on your desk somewhere. Your favorite author isn’t always someone else’s favorite, and that’s okay. People seek different things in writing.

So write for your audience, and readers who like your voice will find you. Of course you have to market it to the world.

Self-Reflection is Key

Ask yourself — What’s working? Why something isn’t? How can I fix it? Self reflect and improvise.

Here’s a powerful mindset shift from him. “ If JK Rowling can make billions of dollars from Harry Potter there’s no reason I can’t make a 100 million… there is always a reason why you are stuck and it is your responsibility to figure out what it is and put in the hours and put in the time and put in the effort to acquire the new
skill and move on to the next level…”

If you’re not growing like you want to, start questioning your results.

So there, I thought this video really had the juice many new writers and creators would be interested to hear about.

Want to watch this video so you can gather your own insights? Here you go…

I write about mastering mindset, creative writing and marketing. Sometimes I also write about women issues, parenting and self-help ideas I find helpful and interesting every week to help me and you become a better version of ourselves.
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