Hello, writer friends! As creatives, we all know the struggle of wanting to make a little extra cash to help fuel our passions. Today's post is all about the many side-hustles you can pursue that don't require you to leave your home for a regular 9-5. Interested? Read on to learn more!
Disclaimer: This post is merely a set of suggestions. There are so many more ways for your to make a little side money. I barely scratch the surface. Some of these websites also have affiliate programs and I get some cool rewards when someone signs up using my link. I do not receive any sort of "commission" for most of these websites, they are just referral.
You have probably heard of this website before, but for those of you who have not: RedBubble is literally the place for independent artists to upload their original artwork and sell on really cool products! Example: You've created some really amazing character art and you want to sell prints. You upload your artwork (for FREE!) and RedBubble puts it on a variety of print products, they take care of all the printing and shipping, you receive royalties for your work! Literally, it's that simple. Yes, there are guidelines and you may have to adjust the size of your work by product, but is not difficult at all.
I, myself, have been using RedBubble for a couple of years now. Yes, it takes time and energy to maintain monthly activity, and you definitely do not become a "bestseller" overnight. But RedBubble is a hotspot for people who are looking to decorate their homes. It is a BIG market for book lovers.
I actually have 2 RedBubble shops. 1 is for my RWR book merch, the other is for my DreamBig/DesignsbyEH brands. I've sold a couple stickers on my merch shop, but my DreamBig brand has more designs (and less attention).
What is a low-content book? Planners, notebooks, coloring and puzzle books. Books that fall under fiction or non-fiction and self-help, are not low-content.
This is a very competitive market, but I believe it is still worth pursuing. I started my low-content books back in 2020, but it wasn't until April 2022 that I started selling them through Amazon.
Websites that allow you to sell low-content books (with guidelines) are Amazon KDP, Barnes & Noble Press, LuluAPI. (Lulu API allows integration with your website and works in similar way to RedBubble in the sense they take care of the printing and the shipping of your product.) There are other print-on-demand websites that allow you to publish low-content books, but these are the ones that will allow you to upload for FREE. If you're interested in some good design websites to create these low-content books, comment below! I will happily put together a list in another post explaining the what I use!
This next one is a threesome, because they all do (pretty much) the same thing. But they are also very different in their own right. So #3 is split into 3 parts.
Patreon offers creators a pathway to receive monthly support from their fans/followership.
"Patreon powers membership businesses for creators by giving them the tools they need to acquire, manage, and energize their paying patrons. With a subscription-style payment model, fans pay their favorite creators a monthly amount of their choice in exchange for exclusive access, extra content, or a closer look into their creative journey." (Quoted from the Patreon "About" page.)
I was once a Patron for an author I adore and I was able to support her every month for a year on her lowest membership tier. I had joined because she was including her members in the creation of her upcoming novel. It was an amazing story and it was exclusive to her subscribers.
Buy Me a Coffee works in similar manner to Patreon, but there are notable differences. They offer creators the membership feature, but they also allow creators to receive donations from their supporters. Hence the phrase "Tip Jar". Literally in the name, supporters can "buy a coffee" for their favorite creative.
I only recently learned of this website through another author. I visited their page and thought "Hey, I can use this, too!" I've been playing around with the features and you might have notices the little pop-up bubble on this very blog. Of course, I've modified it to fit my brand. So, its actually "Buy Me a Book!" instead of "coffee".
4) Etsy
This is very similar to RedBubble, however, Etsy is the best choice when you have a hand-made product (whether it be physical or digital), and you take care of the all the creation and shipping. Also, I think there is a small one-time fee that you pay to verify your account and to ensure your products belong to you, not someone else.
My sister sells digital content through Etsy and I include this because she recommended it to me. I haven't had any product (none ready, at least) to actually sell and try the site out. So I cannot speak on experience with this one.
Similar to Etsy, HOWEVER, this site allows you to list your services and people pay you for those services. You don't need a physical/digital product ready to start there.
I have used this site in the past, but my experience wasn't long enough because I had no experience in any of my "services" and I was jumping ahead of myself. It's been 4 years since I first tried and I closed my account because it was under an alias I no longer use. So I may need to create a new account before I give it another try.
Your Passions for Profits.
What do all of these hustles have in common? They allow YOU to put your passions to work for you and you can profit from them. Please remember, these are suggestions and there are so many more ways for creative people to make extra cash. As I've said, this barely scratches the surface.
What are some side-hustles that you've tried and enjoy? Comment below! I would love to see what you do! Thank you for being here. I hope you have a fantastic creation in the works. Stay safe, stay awesome! See you in the funny papers!
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