The $1 Million Author Who Didn’t Know How To Write

The $1 Million Author Who Didn’t Know How To Write

Deanna Cooper Gillingham is a registered nurse who was recently interviewed on the SPI Podcast 🎙️

10 years ago, Deanna was going through a divorce and was in a tough financial spot. She started listening to business podcasts, including Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income, for inspiration.

When she heard how Pat earned $3000/month from an exam study guide, she realized she could do something similar for the nurse certification exam she needed to take 💡

So Deanna decided to create the book she wished existed. She wrote blog posts and built an email list while writing the book over the course of a year.

🙈 She had to battle a lot of self-doubt along the way…

…most people who wrote books had so many initials after their names. I had RN, that was it. So I didn’t have all the initials after my name.

I didn’t think anybody was going to listen to me and I didn’t know how to write… I honestly could not figure out how to write a sentence. I actually had to take a course to figure out how to write again.

She persevered and eventually self-published the book on Amazon, then promoted it to her small but targeted audience 🎯

Deanna says…..

That first book is now in its third edition and [it] has earned us… after Amazon takes their cut… over a million dollars.

Yes: over $1 million in profit from that one book 🤯

From an author who said…

I didn’t think anybody was going to listen to me and I didn’t know how to write

A good reminder there not to take self-doubt too seriously.

Deanna has since expanded into online courses, coaching programs, a podcast and speaking gigs.

But her initial business idea is one worth considering yourself…

✅ Creating a resource to help people pass a professional certification exam.

Is there an exam like that in an industry or niche you’re familiar with? 🤔

Remember: you don’t need to be an expert to create a helpful resource for such an exam. 

Like Deanna, you can put in the work to research your topic and create something genuinely useful.

Or, you could collaborate with someone who has the expertise. Get them to provide the tips and tricks while you handle the editing, publishing, promotion, etc.

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