[joeax]

My 0.000002 BTC: I've tried several side projects over the years, a productivity SaaS app, a dating site, monetizing an open source project. I eventually gave up on those and wrote a sci-fi novel that generated a sizable income stream for a while.

I will say that it's a crowded space and eventually your income will peter out unless you spend big on advertising. But if you say, crank out one novel per year, you could potentially achieve economies of scale and generate a sizable (salary-replacing) income stream.

[jammygit]

I never thought I’d read a software developer recommending writing as the path to riches.

Could you share more about getting your book published? I’ve written 1.5 novels but never tried to get anything published. What was the process like?

[joeax]

I self-published on Amazon. I got inspired by an author friend who had like 20 books on Amazon and quit his job to write full-time.

Steps I took:

- research the science for my story

- write an outline of my novel

- read a book on how to write a compelling story, for me it was "Writing the Breakout Novel" by Donald Maass

- write the novel

- edit the novel iteratively, hiring an editor if necessary (strongly recommended for most people)

- send out copies to friends and family for feedback

- convert to Word doc to an epub file

- hire a cover designer

- publish on Amazon

- run ads on BookBuB, Facebook, Amazon