₦airaland Forum

kayo80:
I plan to become a Billionaire (in dollars) from my writing. And i plan to achieve this by writing constantly. I plan to have a total of 100 books published in the next ten years...I have published 9 books so far. If you like Romance Suspense stories, you can checkout some of my stories here on nairaland by clicking on my profile.

Incline:
Oga, you dey dream. There're many good writers in the western world who aren't billionaires in dollars, but na you in Nigeria go reach? If you want to be a billionaire in dollars you're in the wrong profession, bro, because writing isn't it.

kayo80:
Dream killers...naysayers...They told me about people like you. Just remember this name- kayode odusanya.

Chanchit:
Writing is not at all easy, so if you don't want your effort to be wasted

1, Don't write free stories on NL: I've read many stories on NL and the best stories don't even get to reach front page sometimes, and when it does, it still does not bring a dime to the writer. But shout out to story writers like classcaptain , I know you would be contacted for some of ur stories here on NL soon.

2, Don't publish in a hurry: Take your time to write and proof read, many stories have been stopped half way here on NL cos the writer just couldn't go on with the fiction.


3, Make a name and your book would bring profit: If let's say 2face should publish a book today, which I think he has done already, he would definitely smile to the bank, cos of the name, if 30% of his fans should read it, then it would be a monetized effort.

4, Don't self publish: Just don't try this in Nigeria brother!

I've written 3 stories which I think would be very good for screen play, but I would rather keep it to myself till its ready to come out. And I also keep my diary close to my heart, I won't mind sharing when needs be. But for now, it's a no no. Cos nobody would pay me for my stress.

ClassCaptain:
Bro, one thing one must realized in Life at times is that it is not always about the money...U are into.music and am sure you know more than enough about this...

the passion comes first. then the money follows but at a point,making profit should be among the goals !!!

1) I quite agree with this... My best stories are not on nairaland yet and I have bigger plans for them..But this should not dissuade one from posting stories..It is this story that bring you the exposure, connects you with friends and helpers,help u gain a reasonable fan base and help u market any other thing u want to offer...

I have met someone who singlehandedly gave me 30k for one of my stories here !! You never know who is watching and will bring u to real lime light..

Have also gotten some publishing deals from people but I can call them " Slavery deals '


2) totally agree

3) very true

4) Naijasinglegirl sold 419 copies of her book at 1000 naira each on okadabooks ...She self published it...That shouldn't discourage anybody !!!

LordXaaan:
AkinPhysicist, LordXaaan is back.

Chanchit:
Writing is not at all easy, so if you don't want your effort to be wasted

1, Don't write free stories on NL: I've read many stories on NL and the best stories don't even get to reach front page sometimes, and when it does, it still does not bring a dime to the writer. But shout out to story writers like classcaptain , I know you would be contacted for some of ur stories here on NL soon.

2, Don't publish in a hurry: Take your time to write and proof read, many stories have been stopped half way here on NL cos the writer just couldn't go on with the fiction.


3, Make a name and your book would bring profit: If let's say 2face should publish a book today, which I think he has done already, he would definitely smile to the bank, cos of the name, if 30% of his fans should read it, then it would be a monetized effort.

4, Don't self publish: Just don't try this in Nigeria brother!

I've written 3 stories which I think would be very good for screen play, but I would rather keep it to myself till its ready to come out. And I also keep my diary close to my heart, I won't mind sharing when needs be. But for now, it's a no no. Cos nobody would pay me for my stress.

novelBeast:
What Do You Want To Accomplish With Your Writing?

That's the question I asked myself 2 months ago when I began my recent (and final) personal challenge: to independently publish my entire archive of creative writing and fiction.

Like so many things in life, if you want to accomplish something, a good place to start is by setting goals. A list of things that you can do, that will push you closer to the outcomes you desire.

But in order to identify what those goals are, you have to have some idea of what it is you're trying to accomplish. So I'll ask you again...

What Do YOU Want To Accomplish With Your Writing?

There are no right or wrong answers, it's entirely up to you. You don't even need to share your thought in this thread. Keep them to yourself if that helps.

Is your objective to write and independently publish a book, or a series of books, like me?

Is it to start a business of some kind? An online newspaper or blog, an editing service, copywriting service, ghost writing? Do you want to publish essays and bring awareness to the state of education in your country? Do you want to create content to promote entrepreneurialism in your community? Do you want to encourage people to eat healthier, live better, or report on local or international politics?

What?

What do you want to do with your writing? What are you trying to achieve?

Give yourself time to think about it, then go from there.

Once you have an idea of where you'd like to go, charting your course becomes a little easier.

novelBeast:
Congrats on getting your first book out there. Honestly you've done more than most. There are so many people still waiting to get their ideas in front of people, but never use the resources that are right in front of them. Will all of your work focus on nonfiction and self-improvement? Just curious.

I wrote short self-improvement/personal development books for 4 years, before selling the rights to them last year to focus on improving my fiction. We'll see how well I do in a few months. Also, I will save your author profile to my Amazon account to see how well you're doing by the end of the year. Best of luck, and may your journey be blessed and abundant!

novelBeast:
I agree. It's the same for me. The story I'm working on now involves themes that were once struggles in my own life. Writing helped me through drinking and depression years ago. The more I write, the more I learn about myself.

Do you have a link to your writing online? I'd love to read some of it if you do.

Ogashub:
These days poor/broke people writes on how to become a millonaire in 1 week and same people still halk the books themselves.... Why didn't their book work for them

novelBeast:
This response will be long, but only because I want to share some thoughts with future readers, just in case.

Writing is easy to start. You just do it. However, it's not an easy concentration to maintain. It takes time. Like any line of work, it has to be done repeatedly and consistently before it becomes effective. That being said, I don't believe in the concept of wasted effort when it comes to writing.

Don't write free stories on NL:

Some writers want to be compensated for everything they created. Whether that means getting a book deal, receiving monetary compensation for their work, tons of views, or whatever. They want to write a piece today, and have something come out of it other than sharing the work itself. I don't mind sharing my work online, be it here or another site, because most often what I'm looking for is the feedback from readers about the piece.

When I read the work of writers on Nairaland, I don't see it as wasted, because they are getting feedback. When people respond, whether it's positive or negative, you can use those comments (some of them) to help you improve your work. You have to listen to every individual comment, but if 10 people comment on your story, and 7 of those 10 bring up the same interest or issue, then that's something to look into. If each person leaves a different response, weigh them to see how you feel about it, and if you disagree, move on.

Just because someone comments on a piece doesn't mean you have to change your work to sit their interests. Start trying to appease everyone and I can guarantee that you'll never create anything worth publishing.

many stories have been stopped half way here on NL cos the writer just couldn't go on with the fiction.

There could be a number of reasons why this is so. Could be because the story was too difficult to manage, they lost interest, they no longer had a device to access the website and continue, I don't know. Many times, I've found that it's not just the story they've stopped, but have stopped posting to NL completely.

However, if it were me, and I were publishing a story here or anywhere else, I would start by committing to a routine that would allow me to continue writing. Maybe publish a piece of the story once every few days, or even once a week. Something that would allow me to keep readers engaged at regular intervals. Whether or not it will work for anyone else, I cannot say, but it's where I would start, then adjust from there, depending on how things go.

But as to why people quit halfway through a story, the only way I can offer possibly solutions for that, would be to know why the writing stopped in the first place, unfortunately.

Make a name and your book would bring profit:

It is almost impossible to make a name for your book, or your work in general, without someone having been pre-exposed to your writing. Which is why I said I don't believe in the notion of wasted effort.

If you have an idea, put it out there and see how people respond to it. If they respond favorably, then you know you're onto something. If they respond negatively, then you know you've got some work to do to improve. Only by exposing people to your work, will you ever gain a reputation. I'm not saying you have to share all of your stories on NL or anywhere else, I'm just saying you have to give people an opportunity to read your work, to determine whether or not they like it. Whether it's among your peers in a creative writing course, at a writer's conference or workshop, submitting it to a publishing agent or magazine for publication, or sharing it among the members of your church.

Once you know what people respond to, you can leverage that knowledge to begin improving and strengthening your writing, and eventually, begin to build a name for yourself and your work.

It doesn't have to be the novel you're working on. It could be a story you've pulled from the top of your head on your way home from work.

The decision is yours. But if you want to build an audience, you must first give them something to consume. And the more they fall in love with your work, the stronger your reputation becomes.

Don't self publish: Just don't try this in Nigeria brother!

I've read this a lot, but I've never read any reason as to why someone shouldn't. Is it because self-publishers are scammers and they steal your work? Or is it because the pay is very little?

There's nothing wrong with self-publishing (in general) however, you do have to be cautious of where you self-publish. I've read the terms of a few self-publishing sites that tell writers they must surrender the rights to their work for a short period of time. Which is something I do not agree with in any capacity. A writer should always retain the rights to their work.

But as far as self-publishing in Nigeria, I don't know. I'll have to look into it and find out why people say it's a dead end.

novelBeast:
It's definitely how I started. I've kept a journal for many years, but before that, I wrote stories. I tried to have a book published when I was 15, but never did. But I never stopped writing stories. I loved it too much. And now, years later, I have a ton of writing that I can put to use for both fun and profit. So I agree, you don't need a purpose to start writing, but if you intend to do anything with it, you need an area of concentration to help you fine tune your craft to make the most of that opportunity.

novelBeast:
I'm curious, but why do you think you're unable to write? A lot of times, I've found that people who struggle to write, are also struggling with things internally. A fear, depression, unhappiness of some kind, stress, or even anxiety. They have so many other concerns that they can't focus on anything else. Even something like writing or reading.

But if it's not stress, then perhaps right now isn't your time. You cannot give the world what is not inside you, so maybe this is the Universe's way of telling you to wait, grow some more, and try again later.

novelBeast:
Cool. Though I've sold the rights to most of my work, if I come across anything I've not sold or don't intend to use, I will send it your way. Maybe you can put it to use in some way.

novelBeast:
I don't have any of my fiction online yet. I'm still in the process of building the two websites where I'll feature it. Once they are complete, I'll begin publishing and sharing content. In the meantime, I will share a few things on NL until they are ready.

As for your story, I enjoyed it. It plays on very real emotions and thoughts concerning love. Something everyone can relate to in one way or another. Especially the part where you say:

"HE was scary not because he'll hurt me, at least not physically but because it hurts. No it stings! It stings AND hurts, like my heart was being pierced by many tiny knives. Just that in this case the knives were his words. "

Love and commitment are very real fears for lots of people. For different reasons, but still, it's the same fear. One I used to know very well. Perhaps that's why I liked it so much. Because it reminded me of my former self.

Have you, or will you, continue the story? Or leave it as is for people to wonder and think about?