*Updated: June 2023
Greetings Beloved,
Over ...
Virtual ministries are a part of the new wave of revival and reformation. Leaders who feel called to empower a certain segment of the world can bring their empowering message to the virtual space. Through the written and spoken word, leaders can create an online communications and media platform, complete with a system of operations, that not only brings their message to millions online; but they can also build a stream of income using book publishing, online classes, and coaching programs to fund their God-given mission.
Within The Felecia Killings Foundation, we have worked with specifically with women leaders who own churches, non-profits, or other charity-based organizations, helping them scale their work in the virtual space.
And in today's lesson, I want to teach you the 9 pillars to help you monetize your virtual ministry, starting now.
And in today's lesson, I want to teach you the 9 pillars to help you monetize your virtual ministry, starting now.
Pillar 1: Your Vision
According to BusinessDictionary.com, a vision is "an aspirational description of what an organization would like to achieve or accomplish in the mid-term or long-term future. It is intended to serve as a clear guide for choosing current and future courses of action."
Another definition follows: "A vision statement for a company or organization focuses on the potential inherent in the company's future, or what they intend to be."
When working with my clients, the first lesson I teach is about identifying the vision God gave them. This vision can be as small or vast as they desire. Some visions are for local reach while others are for a national or international platform.
No matter the size, vision is important.
But before my clients can expect to launch a successful virtual ministry and coaching program, they must clearly articulate their vision so people can eventually run with it.
When constructing your vision statement, consider your aspiration for your virtual ministry. How will your vision solve a problem that transforms lives?
Ask yourself:
These are just simple questions to ask, and your answers will eventually frame the overall structure you have for your virtual ministry.
To give you an example of what I mean, here is the vision for my virtual ministry: "At The Felecia Killings Foundation, our vision is to be the premier educational platform that delivers spiritual and practical training to 10,000,000 leaders with conservative values."
Another definition follows: "A vision statement for a company or organization focuses on the potential inherent in the company's future, or what they intend to be."
When working with my clients, the first lesson I teach is about identifying the vision God gave them. This vision can be as small or vast as they desire. Some visions are for local reach while others are for a national or international platform.
No matter the size, vision is important.
But before my clients can expect to launch a successful virtual ministry and coaching program, they must clearly articulate their vision so people can eventually run with it.
When constructing your vision statement, consider your aspiration for your virtual ministry. How will your vision solve a problem that transforms lives?
Ask yourself:
- Where do I see myself and my work 25 years from now?
- What do I want my legacy to be, even after I leave this earth?
- What is God showing me in terms of the kind of work I must do to help expand His Kingdom power in the earth?
- What is my purpose and how will my work be an extension of it?
These are just simple questions to ask, and your answers will eventually frame the overall structure you have for your virtual ministry.
To give you an example of what I mean, here is the vision for my virtual ministry: "At The Felecia Killings Foundation, our vision is to be the premier educational platform that delivers spiritual and practical training to 10,000,000 leaders with conservative values."
Pillar 2: Your Mission
The second pillar is to clearly identify and articulate the mission of your virtual ministry.
According to BusinessDictionary.com, a mission statement is a "written declaration of an organization's core purpose and focus that normally remains unchanged over time."
It can "serve as a filter to separate what is important from what is not, clearly states which market will be served and how, and communicates a sense of direction to the entire organization."
To discern between the vision and mission statement, think of one as the cause and the other as the effect.
Within your mission statement, include information that will demonstrate how your ministry's goals will empower your readers and future clients. In addition, include quantifiable information to help you pinpoint your target goals throughout your ministry's lifetime.
Here is the mission statement for my virtual ministry: Our mission is to equip 10,000,000 leaders for the work of their ministry while showing them how to become a leading voice on a local, state, or national level. By teaching spiritual and practical principles, our leaders will show their communities how to build social, political, and economic empires based on Kingdom principles.
According to BusinessDictionary.com, a mission statement is a "written declaration of an organization's core purpose and focus that normally remains unchanged over time."
It can "serve as a filter to separate what is important from what is not, clearly states which market will be served and how, and communicates a sense of direction to the entire organization."
To discern between the vision and mission statement, think of one as the cause and the other as the effect.
Within your mission statement, include information that will demonstrate how your ministry's goals will empower your readers and future clients. In addition, include quantifiable information to help you pinpoint your target goals throughout your ministry's lifetime.
Here is the mission statement for my virtual ministry: Our mission is to equip 10,000,000 leaders for the work of their ministry while showing them how to become a leading voice on a local, state, or national level. By teaching spiritual and practical principles, our leaders will show their communities how to build social, political, and economic empires based on Kingdom principles.
Pillar 3: Your Message
Once you have developed your vision and mission statements, it's time to consider the core message God has called you to deliver.
Often times, when authors or ministry leaders enter the publishing world, they aimlessly produce books that do not have a clear focus. Many writers share their stories in a chronological order, thinking this will appeal to readers because the writer's experience was simply traumatic, yet empowering.
But that is not the making of a good book.
Neither is it the making of a successful virtual ministry.
To truly thrive, you must identify a clear message that will serve as the hallmark of your virtual ministry's brand. This message will mark you as the go-to expert on a specific topic; and this message will elevate your platform to the heights in your industry ... when you apply the remaining pillars of this teaching.
Within my virtual ministry, my core message focuses on revival and reformation. More specifically, I teach my audience (the Beloved Tribe) how to build social, political, and economic empires based on Kingdom principles. I packaged this teaching in one of my books, Conscious Black Conservatism. And from there, any content I produce within my virtual ministry extends from this core message.
When thinking about your core message, consider the following questions:
Often times, when authors or ministry leaders enter the publishing world, they aimlessly produce books that do not have a clear focus. Many writers share their stories in a chronological order, thinking this will appeal to readers because the writer's experience was simply traumatic, yet empowering.
But that is not the making of a good book.
Neither is it the making of a successful virtual ministry.
To truly thrive, you must identify a clear message that will serve as the hallmark of your virtual ministry's brand. This message will mark you as the go-to expert on a specific topic; and this message will elevate your platform to the heights in your industry ... when you apply the remaining pillars of this teaching.
Within my virtual ministry, my core message focuses on revival and reformation. More specifically, I teach my audience (the Beloved Tribe) how to build social, political, and economic empires based on Kingdom principles. I packaged this teaching in one of my books, Conscious Black Conservatism. And from there, any content I produce within my virtual ministry extends from this core message.
When thinking about your core message, consider the following questions:
- What do I feel God is leading me to address in my industry?
- What do I see as a major issue in my industry?
- What simple, yet empowering message can I bring to this space so lives are changed for the better?
Shop our Exclusive FKF Bullet Journal as a Tool to Help You Organize Your Virtual Ministry
Pillar 4: Your Content Creation Machine
Once you have identified your core message, it's time to create bite-sized content pieces that broadcast it.
In 2016, after receiving instructions to launch my virtual ministry, I created a Facebook group to share my message with women. During my LIVE teachings and social media posts, I began sharing more about the history of American revivals and what God intended to do this next round.
I often shared how God would use the "least of these" to carry out His work in this end-time. He would empower those whom society rejected and elevate them to the highest heights because they have a message for a specific segment in society.
The more I shared these teachings, the more my Facebook group grew. As God began urging me to incorporate politics in my message, my platform expanded exponentially within the conservative space.
The bite-size content I produced on social media drew an audience to my platform whom I never expected. As the people engaged with my material, the social media algorithms boosted my messages into the conservative political space.
At that point, I recognized that my core message was not simply for the women in my Facebook group, but for millions of people who needed to know how to do things God's way to get His results.
In 2016, after receiving instructions to launch my virtual ministry, I created a Facebook group to share my message with women. During my LIVE teachings and social media posts, I began sharing more about the history of American revivals and what God intended to do this next round.
I often shared how God would use the "least of these" to carry out His work in this end-time. He would empower those whom society rejected and elevate them to the highest heights because they have a message for a specific segment in society.
The more I shared these teachings, the more my Facebook group grew. As God began urging me to incorporate politics in my message, my platform expanded exponentially within the conservative space.
The bite-size content I produced on social media drew an audience to my platform whom I never expected. As the people engaged with my material, the social media algorithms boosted my messages into the conservative political space.
At that point, I recognized that my core message was not simply for the women in my Facebook group, but for millions of people who needed to know how to do things God's way to get His results.
Pillar 5: Your Audience, Its Needs, and Additional Content
What you will notice from the previous pillar is the shift that happened in my initial audience. Whereas I expected my core message to only hit a small group of women, God's purpose was to bring my voice to the nation.
As you begin sharing your core message, you will discover the type of audience that is attracted to your message.
Your audience may consist of other women. It may be single mothers. It may be widows.
In my case, it was the entire Conservative Movement.
As you attract your niched audience with your specific message, pay attention to their demographics.
Are they married? Single? Teenagers? Single parents?
Do they work? Own a business? Own a home? Have part-time or full-time job?
More importantly, what are their pain points? What needs do you observe among them?
In my case, I clearly recognized Conservatives' inability to make strong connections with Black voters, who are the most conservative voting bloc in this nation. I noticed how Republicans often used anti-Black messaging to appeal to their audiences, whom they genuinely believe are extremely racist.
As I noticed these patterns, I began crafting long-form content on my website's blog. Each article, ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 words, spoke to these issues and presented a better alternative to the current political talking points. I recognized within my Beloved audience how many could not understand why they were constantly accused of being racist, despite them repeating racist talking points that got them slapped in these political streets.
Through my blog posts, I helped my audience understand Black History, Black Conservatism, and the current Republican Party's push to keep Black voters away. The more I taught Beloveds about the nonsense, the more they rejected the lunacy on the Right. As a result, racial barriers were broken and today we see more White Conservatives and Black voters building a political alliance.
As you identify the type of people God brings to your virtual ministry, understand your bite-sized content will need to take on more depth and insight.
That's where blogging comes into the picture.
Your blog serves as your content marketing machine that produces empowering content to solve your audience's problems. And through this marketing channel, you can seamlessly embed your product (i.e. book) and services (i.e. new coaching program) so potential buyers and clients view you as the go-to expert.
(To help you further understand this concept, consider how I am using this blog post to teach you about establishing your virtual ministry using your authorship.)
As you begin sharing your core message, you will discover the type of audience that is attracted to your message.
Your audience may consist of other women. It may be single mothers. It may be widows.
In my case, it was the entire Conservative Movement.
As you attract your niched audience with your specific message, pay attention to their demographics.
Are they married? Single? Teenagers? Single parents?
Do they work? Own a business? Own a home? Have part-time or full-time job?
More importantly, what are their pain points? What needs do you observe among them?
In my case, I clearly recognized Conservatives' inability to make strong connections with Black voters, who are the most conservative voting bloc in this nation. I noticed how Republicans often used anti-Black messaging to appeal to their audiences, whom they genuinely believe are extremely racist.
As I noticed these patterns, I began crafting long-form content on my website's blog. Each article, ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 words, spoke to these issues and presented a better alternative to the current political talking points. I recognized within my Beloved audience how many could not understand why they were constantly accused of being racist, despite them repeating racist talking points that got them slapped in these political streets.
Through my blog posts, I helped my audience understand Black History, Black Conservatism, and the current Republican Party's push to keep Black voters away. The more I taught Beloveds about the nonsense, the more they rejected the lunacy on the Right. As a result, racial barriers were broken and today we see more White Conservatives and Black voters building a political alliance.
As you identify the type of people God brings to your virtual ministry, understand your bite-sized content will need to take on more depth and insight.
That's where blogging comes into the picture.
Your blog serves as your content marketing machine that produces empowering content to solve your audience's problems. And through this marketing channel, you can seamlessly embed your product (i.e. book) and services (i.e. new coaching program) so potential buyers and clients view you as the go-to expert.
(To help you further understand this concept, consider how I am using this blog post to teach you about establishing your virtual ministry using your authorship.)
Pillar 6: Your Solution
As you develop a better understanding of your audience, and you recognize their pain points, it's time to present your solution that helps them meet a specific goal.
Packaging that solution will come in the form of your book and coaching program.
As with any offering, you'll want to develop a system that will help your readers and clients achieve a goal. The idea is to simplify the process, although it can be quite challenging to put that together. (A solid virtual ministry coach can help you master this, however.)
Packaging that solution will come in the form of your book and coaching program.
As with any offering, you'll want to develop a system that will help your readers and clients achieve a goal. The idea is to simplify the process, although it can be quite challenging to put that together. (A solid virtual ministry coach can help you master this, however.)
Pillar 7: Your Monetization Strategies via Book Publishing, Online Classes, and Coaching Programs
Once you know how you will package your solution, you must now develop the strategy to sell your product and service. This can come in the form of hosting webinars for your audience, constructing more blog posts, and conducting virtual summits.
Generating your first client may seem challenging, and it is once you're launching a new product or service. But the more you contribute to the virtual market, the more people will come to you as the expert to solve their problems.
What does it mean to create multiple streams of income as an author?
While you may be familiar with this concept, you may not understand how to go about making this a reality for your writerpreneurship; but that’s what this Program will help you learn.
When I created the test course for this Program and asked a few students to participate, many of them were surprised to learn that my advice to them was to stop focusing exclusively on book sales. And as authors, it may seem awkward that our focus should not be on book sales. After all, don’t we all want to sell thousands of books so that we can generate wealth? Of course! But the likelihood of that happening is slim, very slim. In this chapter, I want you to understand why it’s important to change your perspective towards your authorship’s ability to generate wealth. In addition, I want to teach you how to shift your focus from selling books as the primary goal to developing a more effective strategy in terms of gaining wealth through other means as an author. To begin, let me share with you a couple of important stats.
Too often, we as authors feel that the best way to gain wealth through the use of our craft is to sell many books; but in truth, an average author with very few book sales can actually become wealthy, if he or she is willing to put in extra work through other avenues. Just think of how frustrating it can be to create a great work and have only a handful of people actually purchase it, many of whom are your friends.
If you are not equipped to learn how to maximize your financial potential with your books, you can easily allow that discouragement to thwart your future endeavors. And this leads me into three main reasons why you must stop focusing exclusively on book sales, and learn how you make the most from each work you produce.
The number one reason why focusing exclusively on your book sales is harmful to your financial potential is because it is highly unlikely, and nearly impossible, for you as an author to sell thousands of books in order to gain significant wealth. In truth, less than 1% of indie authors actually sell about 10,000 copies. And when you sell books, the most that you will probably earn from each item is $25 as people are not interested in spending more than that for a book. Let’s say that you are capable enough to convince 1,000 people to purchase your $15 book, a task which is truly difficult to accomplish. The most you have made from that one product is $15,000, certainly not enough to keep you living solely off of that project. Therefore, and in order to maintain your commitment to your authorship, it is vital that you consider other methods to help you generate wealth absent from focusing exclusively on your books. Just to inspire you, here is one example that you should consider.
If you are an author who writes books to uplift Christian women in their personal walk with the Lord, consider creating weekly workshops/Bible studies where you teach (from the Word and your book) women how to become…whatever.
Each woman who joins your group can pay a membership fee. You can create an incentive that would encourage the women to bring on others to join the group. When you take this approach, notice that now your focus shifts from simply selling your books to this audience to actually ministering to women, and selling something else that generates an increase. Instead of only earning $15 from each woman just from your book, you are now gaining $50+ from each one on a monthly basis through a membership fee. Keep in mind that other factors have to go into play in order to build trust among the women to keep them coming; nevertheless, the strategy and principle remain effective.
The second important factor to consider is that your books are not the end result, but rather a means to an end. You should see your books as a type of marketing tool or resource for your ideal clients/customers. To your audience, your books signal credibility and reliability; they establish you as an authority figure on a subject. Consider LiyahAmore Publishing and its courses. As the CEO, it is vital that my clients and members trust my expertise. While showing them my resume and degrees is effective, I also add to this trust factor by offering free ebooks, free mini e-courses, and free webinar sessions.
My company’s focus is to develop strong, effective, and successful writerpreneurs who have a positive, uplifting message; therefore, the books and courses that I offer are used to attract the right audience who will eventually hire the company’s services and purchase the paidproducts.
If I focused exclusively on selling my books, I would actually cut off the financial potential for my company.
Here’s the final thought in this: Focusing exclusively on book sales prevents you from seeing the big picture as a writerpreneur, thereby curtailing your potential to gain more attention for your niche. Remember, you are trying to create a solution or provide something unique to people who are interested in the matters you take interest. They will turn to you because you solve a problem that they have. Your books ought to be a type of funnel that drives or converts traffic to other leads, which will generate greater wealth. Let’s say you are a coach, and you want to charge $100/hour for a four-hour monthly session. What good will it do if you spend the majority of your time trying to sell a $10 book to your ideal audience? Why waste that potential and energy on something that will only generate a small profit? Think, rather, about how you can give away that product to ten really interested prospects (a cost to you of about $100), who will then convert into actual coaching clients. In this manner, while you have given away “$100,” you may have converted two out of ten prospects, thereby generating a higher profit of $800 (because you were able to get two clients for your four-hour session). Can you see how this change in perspective works?
As authors, I want to stress the importance of seeing yourself as a productive, successful writerpreneur, one who is able to generate wealth through multiple streams of income. While it is easy to believe that our one book will be the ticket that brings in all the wealth, putting all your “eggs in one basket” can actually harm you and your business. What if no one wants to buy your book? Or what if you can’t afford to spend so much money and time on marketing your book alone? What’s there to do?
You know, over the course of five years, I have seen both successful and non-successful authors. And the ones who have been able to create a lasting self-publishing career are those who know how to effectively market their great works as well as creating multiple streams of income. When I began developing my first published book, I made the assumption that by simply publishing the work and telling others about it, this would lead to a successful author’s career. But it didn’t. In fact, after about 30 days of promoting the book after its launch, the buzz for it decreased. It was until 2016, however, that I realized that so much more needs to go into maintaining excitement and momentum for your works.
To become successful in this venture, you need to develop ways that you can generate an income from different venues. Don’t simply rely on your book, but think about how you can use your book to open other doors of opportunity. And before you can do that, I want you to consider an important element as an author: the purpose for why you do what you do.
The Purpose of Your Book
While you may not be able to see the connection between maintaining excitement over your product and creating multiple streams of income, I can assure you that the connection is real and paramount. But first, you must consider what is the main purpose of your book, because this will help you identify multiple ways that you can generate wealth using that product. Let’s say, for example, that you want to create self-help books for women who are struggling with finances. While you may think that simply writing a book will suffice in helping this audience, you want to think about how your audience would best be affected by your work. After all, the main idea for creating a dynamic authorship is your ability to create a powerful, thoughtful, compelling experience for your readers. If your only focus is to make some money with your book, then you’re missing the point of having a great writing career. Again, what is the purpose for writing the book?
As you begin to transmit that purpose to others, especially to the people to whom it matters mostly, this, in essence, helps build momentum for the launch of your product. And once that day comes when you are ready to publish on your site (or any other online site), then you can expect to see sales coming in from your work. But it can’t stop there.
If your focus is to truly help others with your work, then it is paramount that you come up with ways that you can minister to them by other means, all the while bringing extra income to your ministry. Let me use the same example as I did in the previous paragraph. If you write a book for women who struggle with finances, you can also create an e-course that will give them a series of lessons that walk them through the steps of achieving financial success. In doing this, you not only empower your audience with a different type of experience, but you also create another way for you to earn money using your authorship. This philosophy of creating multiple streams of income actually works for you and your audience because they know they can receive an entire experience, one that extends beyond simply selling a book.
Don’t Focus Only on Book Sales
In the beginning of this chapter, I highlighted some really great points about why you should stop focusing on book sales exclusively, and instead use your books to help you create other types of products or services.
For one, it is very likely that after you have published your books and spent a few weeks marketing them even more, eventually that excitement will dwindle away and people will not feel compelled to get your work. I’ve seen this happen, and it has devastated many newly published authors. They may have witnessed high energy and an engaged audience, but weeks later, no book sales and no more interests. Maybe you have experienced that, and if so, there’s no need to worry or panic. Simply come up with another tool or strategy to help build momentum again. Here’s one way that you can do it: Create another launch for a webinar session that you will host that focuses on one of the main topics of your book. Be sure to invite as many people as would be willing to join—and not simply everyone—and then create a fantastic package for all attendees. You can spend about 90% of your time really engaging with your audience, and 10% of the time hardselling your book. Now, you not only reignited attention for your work, but you also provided another experience for your audience. You may have even connected with new readers, who may become one of your biggest fans. The possibilities are endless, and you want to be sure that you’re not limiting yourself to simply hard-selling a book, which again, can lose its momentum and interest.
My Personal Experience
Surprisingly, not many people in my Network know that I published a book back in 2012. I did it after I had gone through my ordeal with my former employer at a public school. And I wanted to write it as a personal memoir of my experience as well as an opportunity to share my story. Instead of people asking me, “What happened,” I could just tell them to go read the book. After so many weeks of promoting the work—going on virtual tours and interviews—I had sales, which was really great! But after a few months, the book simply dwindled in the sea of many other works. I didn’t maintain the momentum that I could have done, mostly to personal reasons that prevented my full attention. But after four years of the book being on the rack, I began talking about it again in my blog posts.
While I have not found a way to make my published book a part of my multiple-streams-of-income strategy, I have found a way to do it for the other books that I will publish. Rather than simply selling the books, which could generate some income on their own, I decided to include the books in my EWP Course and other courses that I will create. My books serve as a resource within each one, in the same manner that traditional classes have a textbook. And they contain information that is clearly relevant to the material presented in the course’s lessons. In a way, this entire strategy provides multiple ways to generate money because I am packaging them all into one product.
Separately, it may be more challenging to convince someone to buy each item. But as a whole, this provides more value to the buyer and an entirely better experience. And this is what you can also do with your works. Think about how your books can become a part of something bigger, something more impactful, whether as an author’s package or a bible study group or whatever. Be creative, and always keep your audience in mind.
Strategies for Creating Multiple Streams of Income
For non-fiction writers: Each and every successful author is one that has found his or her own niche (specialty) that somehow works with a particular audience. For example, with LiyahAmore Publishing, we have worked primarily with authors who write Christian books. And most of them have been directed towards other women. While this is not a very specific niche, I want to show how authors can take the works that they have or want to create, and use segments of their book to create courses to teach their audience. Let’s say that you’re writing a book about dealing with divorce. Your e-Course could go into more depth about the topic, giving your readers an extensive picture of how to overcome the pains of divorce. You can have group discussions, webinars, writing assignments, and much more. The idea is to dive into your book and give your audience an experience that your book cannot do on its own.
For fiction writers: As a fiction writer, you exercise a unique skill in terms of employing literary devices that help illustrate the story. (I’m using my English degree background, now.) Think about when you were in school and you read various fictional texts in your English class. Now, picture your books in the hands of other students who are using your work to learn about various literary devices. Far-fetched? Not so much. There are a lot of people, particularly high-school and college students, who are looking for ways to enhance their ELA (English Language Arts) skills through virtual tutoring/courses. If you created an e-Course using your fiction book as the source, you could help that particular audience master those skills, granted as long as you understand literary devices yourself.
Here’s a benefit to selling e-courses: As I previously stated, it can be challenging to generate large book sales simply because the market is inundated with indie authors’ works. While we would all like to believe that our books will fill the top spot on everyone’s lists, the truth is that even people who only sell a couple thousand books barely do so within an effective time frame. Yet, there are plenty of examples of individuals that have done well because they sold courses while also producing books. They taught their audience something, and then used their textbook as another means to enforce the learning process.
Many writers have created courses that range from $500-$1000 each; and yes, people enroll in them because they genuinely want to learn from these authors!
’m in the process of developing plans and ideas for a virtual writing university for anyone who wants to become a freelance writer for businesses and various industries; and each program in the university will run about $5000-$7000. You can very well do the same thing, but it must come once you have truly taken the time to develop your craft and a solid course.
Creating multiple streams of income can also come by speaking and teaching engagements, which you can deliver by creating webinars or seminars where you speak to an audience about your book. I can’t begin to tell you how much I would love to sit and listen to Toni Morrison explain her philosophy and motivation behind the book, The Bluest Eye. It’s one thing to read about one’s interpretation of her work; but to actually hear her speak about it is another thing. I would gladly pay a fee to gain that experience; and you can do the same thing. As your readership grows, you will find that your audience wants to hear from you, not just through your works but from you directly
Think about what you could offer to people if you held a webinar or seminar, and consider how a speaking engagement would help bring you revenue. Typically, the lower spectrum of a speaking engagement can run from $3,000-$5,000 as the going rate…and that’s for ONE engagement! As you establish credibility over time…and time is key…then you will increase your fees because the demand for your presence will be higher. (Keep in mind that these suggestions for fiction writers can also be applied to non-fiction writers.)
Lastly, your books could open speaking and teaching engagements through churches or other community-based organizations. I know a lot of Christian authors who want this route.
They want to get their books into the hands of other church members because they believe it’s an easier market to address. But you can do this for your local assembly as well. Perhaps you have written a book that helps women overcome domestic violence, and you know that there are women in your church who are suffering from this. Your books can help minister directly to them, of course secondary to the Word of God and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. (Never replace them with your books.) You could host a weekly Bible study where you discuss one topic in particular, a topic on which you wrote in your book. One of the things that I will suggest for this type of environment is that you always present your ideas to your Pastor. Don’t usurp his authority or allow your vision to contradict with the vision of the house. That’s disorder and will result in chaos for the church. Instead, submit your ministry to him, and ask him to bless it because God functions in order. If you find that your ideas do not fit within the vision of the house, don’t become offended. Go back to your prayer chambers, and ask the Holy Spirit for direction. If your books are not something that can be of use in your local assembly, then perhaps they are meant for a different audience.
Generating your first client may seem challenging, and it is once you're launching a new product or service. But the more you contribute to the virtual market, the more people will come to you as the expert to solve their problems.
What does it mean to create multiple streams of income as an author?
While you may be familiar with this concept, you may not understand how to go about making this a reality for your writerpreneurship; but that’s what this Program will help you learn.
When I created the test course for this Program and asked a few students to participate, many of them were surprised to learn that my advice to them was to stop focusing exclusively on book sales. And as authors, it may seem awkward that our focus should not be on book sales. After all, don’t we all want to sell thousands of books so that we can generate wealth? Of course! But the likelihood of that happening is slim, very slim. In this chapter, I want you to understand why it’s important to change your perspective towards your authorship’s ability to generate wealth. In addition, I want to teach you how to shift your focus from selling books as the primary goal to developing a more effective strategy in terms of gaining wealth through other means as an author. To begin, let me share with you a couple of important stats.
Too often, we as authors feel that the best way to gain wealth through the use of our craft is to sell many books; but in truth, an average author with very few book sales can actually become wealthy, if he or she is willing to put in extra work through other avenues. Just think of how frustrating it can be to create a great work and have only a handful of people actually purchase it, many of whom are your friends.
If you are not equipped to learn how to maximize your financial potential with your books, you can easily allow that discouragement to thwart your future endeavors. And this leads me into three main reasons why you must stop focusing exclusively on book sales, and learn how you make the most from each work you produce.
The number one reason why focusing exclusively on your book sales is harmful to your financial potential is because it is highly unlikely, and nearly impossible, for you as an author to sell thousands of books in order to gain significant wealth. In truth, less than 1% of indie authors actually sell about 10,000 copies. And when you sell books, the most that you will probably earn from each item is $25 as people are not interested in spending more than that for a book. Let’s say that you are capable enough to convince 1,000 people to purchase your $15 book, a task which is truly difficult to accomplish. The most you have made from that one product is $15,000, certainly not enough to keep you living solely off of that project. Therefore, and in order to maintain your commitment to your authorship, it is vital that you consider other methods to help you generate wealth absent from focusing exclusively on your books. Just to inspire you, here is one example that you should consider.
If you are an author who writes books to uplift Christian women in their personal walk with the Lord, consider creating weekly workshops/Bible studies where you teach (from the Word and your book) women how to become…whatever.
Each woman who joins your group can pay a membership fee. You can create an incentive that would encourage the women to bring on others to join the group. When you take this approach, notice that now your focus shifts from simply selling your books to this audience to actually ministering to women, and selling something else that generates an increase. Instead of only earning $15 from each woman just from your book, you are now gaining $50+ from each one on a monthly basis through a membership fee. Keep in mind that other factors have to go into play in order to build trust among the women to keep them coming; nevertheless, the strategy and principle remain effective.
The second important factor to consider is that your books are not the end result, but rather a means to an end. You should see your books as a type of marketing tool or resource for your ideal clients/customers. To your audience, your books signal credibility and reliability; they establish you as an authority figure on a subject. Consider LiyahAmore Publishing and its courses. As the CEO, it is vital that my clients and members trust my expertise. While showing them my resume and degrees is effective, I also add to this trust factor by offering free ebooks, free mini e-courses, and free webinar sessions.
My company’s focus is to develop strong, effective, and successful writerpreneurs who have a positive, uplifting message; therefore, the books and courses that I offer are used to attract the right audience who will eventually hire the company’s services and purchase the paidproducts.
If I focused exclusively on selling my books, I would actually cut off the financial potential for my company.
Here’s the final thought in this: Focusing exclusively on book sales prevents you from seeing the big picture as a writerpreneur, thereby curtailing your potential to gain more attention for your niche. Remember, you are trying to create a solution or provide something unique to people who are interested in the matters you take interest. They will turn to you because you solve a problem that they have. Your books ought to be a type of funnel that drives or converts traffic to other leads, which will generate greater wealth. Let’s say you are a coach, and you want to charge $100/hour for a four-hour monthly session. What good will it do if you spend the majority of your time trying to sell a $10 book to your ideal audience? Why waste that potential and energy on something that will only generate a small profit? Think, rather, about how you can give away that product to ten really interested prospects (a cost to you of about $100), who will then convert into actual coaching clients. In this manner, while you have given away “$100,” you may have converted two out of ten prospects, thereby generating a higher profit of $800 (because you were able to get two clients for your four-hour session). Can you see how this change in perspective works?
As authors, I want to stress the importance of seeing yourself as a productive, successful writerpreneur, one who is able to generate wealth through multiple streams of income. While it is easy to believe that our one book will be the ticket that brings in all the wealth, putting all your “eggs in one basket” can actually harm you and your business. What if no one wants to buy your book? Or what if you can’t afford to spend so much money and time on marketing your book alone? What’s there to do?
You know, over the course of five years, I have seen both successful and non-successful authors. And the ones who have been able to create a lasting self-publishing career are those who know how to effectively market their great works as well as creating multiple streams of income. When I began developing my first published book, I made the assumption that by simply publishing the work and telling others about it, this would lead to a successful author’s career. But it didn’t. In fact, after about 30 days of promoting the book after its launch, the buzz for it decreased. It was until 2016, however, that I realized that so much more needs to go into maintaining excitement and momentum for your works.
To become successful in this venture, you need to develop ways that you can generate an income from different venues. Don’t simply rely on your book, but think about how you can use your book to open other doors of opportunity. And before you can do that, I want you to consider an important element as an author: the purpose for why you do what you do.
The Purpose of Your Book
While you may not be able to see the connection between maintaining excitement over your product and creating multiple streams of income, I can assure you that the connection is real and paramount. But first, you must consider what is the main purpose of your book, because this will help you identify multiple ways that you can generate wealth using that product. Let’s say, for example, that you want to create self-help books for women who are struggling with finances. While you may think that simply writing a book will suffice in helping this audience, you want to think about how your audience would best be affected by your work. After all, the main idea for creating a dynamic authorship is your ability to create a powerful, thoughtful, compelling experience for your readers. If your only focus is to make some money with your book, then you’re missing the point of having a great writing career. Again, what is the purpose for writing the book?
As you begin to transmit that purpose to others, especially to the people to whom it matters mostly, this, in essence, helps build momentum for the launch of your product. And once that day comes when you are ready to publish on your site (or any other online site), then you can expect to see sales coming in from your work. But it can’t stop there.
If your focus is to truly help others with your work, then it is paramount that you come up with ways that you can minister to them by other means, all the while bringing extra income to your ministry. Let me use the same example as I did in the previous paragraph. If you write a book for women who struggle with finances, you can also create an e-course that will give them a series of lessons that walk them through the steps of achieving financial success. In doing this, you not only empower your audience with a different type of experience, but you also create another way for you to earn money using your authorship. This philosophy of creating multiple streams of income actually works for you and your audience because they know they can receive an entire experience, one that extends beyond simply selling a book.
Don’t Focus Only on Book Sales
In the beginning of this chapter, I highlighted some really great points about why you should stop focusing on book sales exclusively, and instead use your books to help you create other types of products or services.
For one, it is very likely that after you have published your books and spent a few weeks marketing them even more, eventually that excitement will dwindle away and people will not feel compelled to get your work. I’ve seen this happen, and it has devastated many newly published authors. They may have witnessed high energy and an engaged audience, but weeks later, no book sales and no more interests. Maybe you have experienced that, and if so, there’s no need to worry or panic. Simply come up with another tool or strategy to help build momentum again. Here’s one way that you can do it: Create another launch for a webinar session that you will host that focuses on one of the main topics of your book. Be sure to invite as many people as would be willing to join—and not simply everyone—and then create a fantastic package for all attendees. You can spend about 90% of your time really engaging with your audience, and 10% of the time hardselling your book. Now, you not only reignited attention for your work, but you also provided another experience for your audience. You may have even connected with new readers, who may become one of your biggest fans. The possibilities are endless, and you want to be sure that you’re not limiting yourself to simply hard-selling a book, which again, can lose its momentum and interest.
My Personal Experience
Surprisingly, not many people in my Network know that I published a book back in 2012. I did it after I had gone through my ordeal with my former employer at a public school. And I wanted to write it as a personal memoir of my experience as well as an opportunity to share my story. Instead of people asking me, “What happened,” I could just tell them to go read the book. After so many weeks of promoting the work—going on virtual tours and interviews—I had sales, which was really great! But after a few months, the book simply dwindled in the sea of many other works. I didn’t maintain the momentum that I could have done, mostly to personal reasons that prevented my full attention. But after four years of the book being on the rack, I began talking about it again in my blog posts.
While I have not found a way to make my published book a part of my multiple-streams-of-income strategy, I have found a way to do it for the other books that I will publish. Rather than simply selling the books, which could generate some income on their own, I decided to include the books in my EWP Course and other courses that I will create. My books serve as a resource within each one, in the same manner that traditional classes have a textbook. And they contain information that is clearly relevant to the material presented in the course’s lessons. In a way, this entire strategy provides multiple ways to generate money because I am packaging them all into one product.
Separately, it may be more challenging to convince someone to buy each item. But as a whole, this provides more value to the buyer and an entirely better experience. And this is what you can also do with your works. Think about how your books can become a part of something bigger, something more impactful, whether as an author’s package or a bible study group or whatever. Be creative, and always keep your audience in mind.
Strategies for Creating Multiple Streams of Income
For non-fiction writers: Each and every successful author is one that has found his or her own niche (specialty) that somehow works with a particular audience. For example, with LiyahAmore Publishing, we have worked primarily with authors who write Christian books. And most of them have been directed towards other women. While this is not a very specific niche, I want to show how authors can take the works that they have or want to create, and use segments of their book to create courses to teach their audience. Let’s say that you’re writing a book about dealing with divorce. Your e-Course could go into more depth about the topic, giving your readers an extensive picture of how to overcome the pains of divorce. You can have group discussions, webinars, writing assignments, and much more. The idea is to dive into your book and give your audience an experience that your book cannot do on its own.
For fiction writers: As a fiction writer, you exercise a unique skill in terms of employing literary devices that help illustrate the story. (I’m using my English degree background, now.) Think about when you were in school and you read various fictional texts in your English class. Now, picture your books in the hands of other students who are using your work to learn about various literary devices. Far-fetched? Not so much. There are a lot of people, particularly high-school and college students, who are looking for ways to enhance their ELA (English Language Arts) skills through virtual tutoring/courses. If you created an e-Course using your fiction book as the source, you could help that particular audience master those skills, granted as long as you understand literary devices yourself.
Here’s a benefit to selling e-courses: As I previously stated, it can be challenging to generate large book sales simply because the market is inundated with indie authors’ works. While we would all like to believe that our books will fill the top spot on everyone’s lists, the truth is that even people who only sell a couple thousand books barely do so within an effective time frame. Yet, there are plenty of examples of individuals that have done well because they sold courses while also producing books. They taught their audience something, and then used their textbook as another means to enforce the learning process.
Many writers have created courses that range from $500-$1000 each; and yes, people enroll in them because they genuinely want to learn from these authors!
’m in the process of developing plans and ideas for a virtual writing university for anyone who wants to become a freelance writer for businesses and various industries; and each program in the university will run about $5000-$7000. You can very well do the same thing, but it must come once you have truly taken the time to develop your craft and a solid course.
Creating multiple streams of income can also come by speaking and teaching engagements, which you can deliver by creating webinars or seminars where you speak to an audience about your book. I can’t begin to tell you how much I would love to sit and listen to Toni Morrison explain her philosophy and motivation behind the book, The Bluest Eye. It’s one thing to read about one’s interpretation of her work; but to actually hear her speak about it is another thing. I would gladly pay a fee to gain that experience; and you can do the same thing. As your readership grows, you will find that your audience wants to hear from you, not just through your works but from you directly
Think about what you could offer to people if you held a webinar or seminar, and consider how a speaking engagement would help bring you revenue. Typically, the lower spectrum of a speaking engagement can run from $3,000-$5,000 as the going rate…and that’s for ONE engagement! As you establish credibility over time…and time is key…then you will increase your fees because the demand for your presence will be higher. (Keep in mind that these suggestions for fiction writers can also be applied to non-fiction writers.)
Lastly, your books could open speaking and teaching engagements through churches or other community-based organizations. I know a lot of Christian authors who want this route.
They want to get their books into the hands of other church members because they believe it’s an easier market to address. But you can do this for your local assembly as well. Perhaps you have written a book that helps women overcome domestic violence, and you know that there are women in your church who are suffering from this. Your books can help minister directly to them, of course secondary to the Word of God and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. (Never replace them with your books.) You could host a weekly Bible study where you discuss one topic in particular, a topic on which you wrote in your book. One of the things that I will suggest for this type of environment is that you always present your ideas to your Pastor. Don’t usurp his authority or allow your vision to contradict with the vision of the house. That’s disorder and will result in chaos for the church. Instead, submit your ministry to him, and ask him to bless it because God functions in order. If you find that your ideas do not fit within the vision of the house, don’t become offended. Go back to your prayer chambers, and ask the Holy Spirit for direction. If your books are not something that can be of use in your local assembly, then perhaps they are meant for a different audience.
Pillar 8: Your Network
Your virtual ministry's rise will largely depend on your ability to network effectively with the influencers and key decision makers in your niche.
The more content you produce on a consistent basis, like blog posts or videos, the more you establish credibility and authority on your given topic and message. This inevitably attracts other leaders, who will want to partner with you.
I have seen this play out repeatedly within my virtual ministry over the last four years. My content has been the vehicle I used, which put me in connection with politicians, FOX media personalities, and more.
The connections or networks you build right now will be a crucial element of your success long-term.
The more content you produce on a consistent basis, like blog posts or videos, the more you establish credibility and authority on your given topic and message. This inevitably attracts other leaders, who will want to partner with you.
I have seen this play out repeatedly within my virtual ministry over the last four years. My content has been the vehicle I used, which put me in connection with politicians, FOX media personalities, and more.
The connections or networks you build right now will be a crucial element of your success long-term.
Pillar 9: Your System of Operations
Once you have laid the foundation for your virtual ministry, you must then create your system of operations so it runs smoothly.
This includes creating a virtual ministry routine and work schedule; developing your sales funnel to receive ongoing buyers and clients; and much more!
Beloved, now that you have a better idea of what's necessary to take your authorship to the next level, it's time to get to work. And here's how you can advance your training, starting now.
This includes creating a virtual ministry routine and work schedule; developing your sales funnel to receive ongoing buyers and clients; and much more!
Beloved, now that you have a better idea of what's necessary to take your authorship to the next level, it's time to get to work. And here's how you can advance your training, starting now.
At The Felecia Killings Foundation, we know how vital women are to the Kingdom of God.
We understand their role and position, and we empower them to function fully in their grace so their lives are changed for the better.
But often times, women encounter traumatic hardships that destroy their confidence, self-worth, and future calling. From domestically violent relationships to sexual assaults, some women struggle to rebuild their lives once they've been violated.
This is not God's purpose for His daughters.
Therefore, at The Foundation, we purpose to help these women transform from the inside out. We empower them to blossom in their calling as they build social, political, and economic empires in this new decade based on Kingdom principles.
At The Foundation, a part of our vision is to be the premier training ground for women leaders who want to manifest their greatness, no matter their hard story.
Our mission is to build a network of 1,000,000 women leaders nationwide with an exclusive, premium experience that supports each one as they fulfill God's purpose for their lives.
We accomplish this mission by providing advanced training solutions through our weekly virtual Bible studies, our weekly group coaching sessions, and our one-to-one business school.
Led by Coach Felecia Killings, our clients and members receive lessons that teach them:
Today, we invite you to learn how you can join our work and get started in your training and development.
But often times, women encounter traumatic hardships that destroy their confidence, self-worth, and future calling. From domestically violent relationships to sexual assaults, some women struggle to rebuild their lives once they've been violated.
This is not God's purpose for His daughters.
Therefore, at The Foundation, we purpose to help these women transform from the inside out. We empower them to blossom in their calling as they build social, political, and economic empires in this new decade based on Kingdom principles.
At The Foundation, a part of our vision is to be the premier training ground for women leaders who want to manifest their greatness, no matter their hard story.
Our mission is to build a network of 1,000,000 women leaders nationwide with an exclusive, premium experience that supports each one as they fulfill God's purpose for their lives.
We accomplish this mission by providing advanced training solutions through our weekly virtual Bible studies, our weekly group coaching sessions, and our one-to-one business school.
Led by Coach Felecia Killings, our clients and members receive lessons that teach them:
- How to fight for their healing while possessing it for a lifetime;
- How to know the Holy Spirit intimately so He empowers them for great success;
- How to build healthy relationships and strong social empires;
- How to strengthen themselves as mothers while caring for their children;
- How to strengthen themselves as wives while submitting to their husbands;
- How to balance their lives as business women, ministry leaders, wives, and mothers;
- And how to build online businesses or virtual ministries that bring deliverance to thousands more!
Today, we invite you to learn how you can join our work and get started in your training and development.
Ladies, Learn How to Build an Online Business or Virtual Ministry. Become a Published Author. Launch an Award-Winning Coaching Program. And Become a Top-Tier Thought Leader Whose Message Reaches Millions Online Each Year. Our 12-Month Coaching Program Will Show You How.
My Beloved Women’s Ministry and Business School is the #1 coaching program that provides a proven, step-by-step process to help women become top-tier Thought Leaders who reach millions of people online each year.
Graduates of the program learn how to monetize their platform by becoming published authors, award-winning coaches, and motivational speakers using the virtual space. In addition, they learn how to implement Coach Felecia's proven formula for developing an addictive content creation machine (via blogging and podcasting) that elevates their platform to the top in their industries.
My Beloved Women’s Ministry and Business School is geared towards women leaders who have an empowering story and message. It is especially useful for women coaches and ministry leaders who desire to become motivational, inspirational, and spiritual authors.
Our 12-month business school includes online group coaching sessions and virtual Bible studies that provide our members the spiritual and practical training needed to manifest their God-given calling.
Our business school also provides one-to-one weekly Zoom sessions with Coach Felecia where she teaches clients the science of building a powerful, profitable online business and virtual ministry.
During the 12-month online training, you will learn:
By the end of the program, you will be:
Tuition for My Beloved Women’s Ministry and Business School is $15,000 and can be paid upfront. However, if you wish to make payments, sign up for our 52-week payment plan ($300/week). Your payments include lifetime access to over 100 lessons; 52 one-to-one Zoom coaching sessions; 52 group coaching sessions and virtual Bible studies; and book publishing, editing, and marketing services for a full year (a $100,000+ value). (Each woman is invited to renew her contract annually.)
To learn more about our online school, schedule a FREE 20-minute consultation with Coach Felecia today to gain more insight.
We look forward to working with you.
Graduates of the program learn how to monetize their platform by becoming published authors, award-winning coaches, and motivational speakers using the virtual space. In addition, they learn how to implement Coach Felecia's proven formula for developing an addictive content creation machine (via blogging and podcasting) that elevates their platform to the top in their industries.
My Beloved Women’s Ministry and Business School is geared towards women leaders who have an empowering story and message. It is especially useful for women coaches and ministry leaders who desire to become motivational, inspirational, and spiritual authors.
Our 12-month business school includes online group coaching sessions and virtual Bible studies that provide our members the spiritual and practical training needed to manifest their God-given calling.
Our business school also provides one-to-one weekly Zoom sessions with Coach Felecia where she teaches clients the science of building a powerful, profitable online business and virtual ministry.
During the 12-month online training, you will learn:
- How to lay the foundation for your online business and virtual ministry using the written and spoken word
- How to construct books each year and build a new content creation system to scale your virtual ministry or online business within a 52-week time period
- How to self-publish your books using Kindle Publishing Services and/or your own website
- How to become a top-tier Thought Leader in your industry's niche
- And how to create a coaching program and membership site that helps scale your current platform
By the end of the program, you will be:
- A published author
- An online coach
- An online business owner or virtual ministry leader
- A motivational speaker who joins our rank of women leaders for our annual virtual summits
- And an affiliate influencer who will gain access to our growing network of top-tier Thought Leaders
Tuition for My Beloved Women’s Ministry and Business School is $15,000 and can be paid upfront. However, if you wish to make payments, sign up for our 52-week payment plan ($300/week). Your payments include lifetime access to over 100 lessons; 52 one-to-one Zoom coaching sessions; 52 group coaching sessions and virtual Bible studies; and book publishing, editing, and marketing services for a full year (a $100,000+ value). (Each woman is invited to renew her contract annually.)
To learn more about our online school, schedule a FREE 20-minute consultation with Coach Felecia today to gain more insight.
We look forward to working with you.
