If there was a precedent everyone should look up to when it comes to being a rags-to-riches story, the world-renowned British author J.K. Rowling should be top of that list. Who wouldn’t admire her success?
Her Harry Potter book series sold 500 million copies, becoming the world’s best-selling book series in the entire history of man. Plus, it’s not only that. The movies based on the boy wizard, a total of eight films, have earned a total of $7.7 billion, a gargantuan number as opposed to the $1.2 billion budget spent on these films.
But best of all, who would believe such a successful author was so poor before she was living on benefits? Her writings were not considered worth printing. Yes, she was rejected by publishing houses a dozen times. Her seven-year journey since she conceptualized Harry Potter in 1990 was filled with sorrow — the death of her mother, relative poverty, divorced mother.
But she persevered. J.K. Rowling became the first billionaire author of the planet (though she rarely admits to it).
The good news is you can follow in her footsteps; use your talent to carve your success. If you’re not too sure how to get it done, learn some ways you can use and make your first million dollars in the process.
Launch a Personal Blog
For sure, it’s not for everyone. But if you want to entertain or help others, blogging can be a good way to earn yourself a million. You may think that’s a long shot. But a handful of people have done it. Some even start blogging as a hobby.
That’s what Michelle Schroeder-Gardner did. She never thought her blog could be the cash machine that it is today. To boot, she just started it all as a hobby. But her first $100 changed all that.
First up, she made money via affiliate marketing. Then, finding the audience, she created content that made all the difference: a course entitled Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. It was a hit and, by 2017, became her first million dollar-year.
Publish a Book
Well, we don’t need to elaborate on how much an author can earn writing books. J. K. Rowling just showed us that. She’s not just a millionaire; she’s a certified billionaire, richer than the Queen of England. It’s just that according to Forbes, the British legendary writer gives so much to charity her value in dollars has dipped.
The good news is you need not knock on publisher doors to get the funding you need as Ms. Rowling did. With the right experts by your side, you can self-publish a book. The advantage is you don’t get the hassle, but you can get all the glory.
Create a Viral App
If you have coding skills, why not? Don’t doubt for a minute that it’s possible. A case in point is Dong Nguyen.
In 2014, one app caught the world by storm, Flappy Bird. It was so addictive parents were angry their kids are putting all their time in the game and sometimes even destroying phones. Indeed, it was the most popular game app of the year, according to Google’s data. Surprisingly, Flappy Bird is a young Vietnamese developer’s creation. What’s more, he made it all in just three days.
The app may be free, but Nguyen said he ran a tiny mobile ad banner on top of the game that generated him $50,000 a day. That means he only needs 20 days to get to his first million, which he did. But that’s the end of the story. After making the app available in a month, Nguyen pulled the game from the iOS App Store. His reason was it made his simple life too complicated.
That can be a lesson in priorities for everyone. While Nguyen may have reached his million-dollar payday goal, it came with a host of negative things. For one, messages from mothers and fathers who found his app too disruptive occupy his smartphone. Plus, he can’t go out without people recognizing him. Worse, the press came to his house to interview him. In short, it made his life a mess.
Launch a YouTube Channel
For this one, you need no developer skills. But just like writing a book, you need to tell a good story. Making a million from YouTube is no walk in the park, however. Even with millions of views, it’s no assurance you can have such a hefty paycheck. But it’s possible.
YouTuber PewDiePie is one of those lucky hard-working ones. It is reported he made a whopping $12 million in just one year doing YouTube videos.
Well, if it’s any consolation, a nine-year-old kid reviewing toys made $1 million on his YouTube channel, which has more than 1 million subscribers. Come to think of it, with all the time the pandemic affords you, why not? It’s definitely not a bad use of your time.
If J.K. Rowling found her inspiration for Harry Potter while riding a train, you can find yours while riding out the pandemic.