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Earlier, we wrote a blog post asking the question: Is Self-Publishing a Good Source of Passive Income?

Many new and aspiring authors think they can publish their first book and make a steady stream of passive income. This is usually not the case. It takes a lot of work to market a book, and if the only product you have is that one book, then it’s going to be slow going.

That blog post shares different strategies that will help ensure you make more money from your book, and one of them is to create products and services that are related to your nonfiction book. If you already own a business, this will be obvious to you, but many new authors are not. This article will give you plenty of ideas of products and services you can create to help your readers and make more money from your nonfiction book.

Creating a nonfiction book opens a treasure trove of opportunities beyond the book itself. Whether you’re an author looking to extend your book’s impact, or an entrepreneur brainstorming related products and services, the possibilities are vast.

There may be affiliate links in this blog post, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on these links and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.

Here are 35+ ideas to explore:

Digital Products

  1. Ebooks + Audiobooks – Is your book available in all digital formats? Some people prefer ebooks over print, and many people prefer audiobooks, as they can listen as they do something else, like exercising or driving.
  2. Online Courses – Use a system like ThriveCart Learn to create an online course that walks people through the teachings of your book using structured lessons on the book’s topics. Include videos, audio, and transcripts so people can learn using their preferred method. This is also a good way to add worksheets to make it easier to advance through the materials.
  3. Webinars & Online Workshops – Use Zoom to run live webinars to help people work through the topics in your book via live discussions and learning sessions. You can record the webinars and sell them on your website afterwards.
  4. Downloadable PDFs – Create checklists, templates, or guides that you can offer as a low-priced product.
  5. Guided Meditations – Create paid, downloadable guided meditations to support readers with topics related to your book. Use a system like PayHip to sell them.
  6. Paid podcasts – Create a private podcast link using HelloAudio to share a podcast series that walks readers through the various topics of your book, exploring themes of the book itself and/or interviewing experts. This supplementary material can help readers put your teachings into practice.
  7. Video Tutorials – If your book is techy or teaches something that’s best learned through watching someone do it, create videos to provide step-by-step visual guidance.
  8. Membership Sites – Use systems such as MemberVault to create exclusive content for members. This is a bigger commitment, as you’ll need to release fresh content every month.
  9. Patreon – Use Patreon.com to allow readers to support you via subscription to your content. Again, this is a commitment, as you’ll need to provide new content every single month.
  10. Mobile Apps – Author Rebecca Anuwen has created an app called A Pinch of Magick that relates to her books and her work.

Physical Products

  1. Paperbacks & Hardcovers – Is your book available in all printed formats? Some people prefer printed books, and if your book is a favorite, people may want to invest in a hardcover edition.
  2. Large Print Editions – Remember that many of your readers may be older or visually impaired. Large print editions make your book available to readers who struggle reading small print in standard paperbacks.
  3. Printed Workbooks – Paperback workbooks are a great way to help readers work through the topics featured in your book using complementary exercises. You can also include space for notes. Holly’s If Trees Could Talk workbook is a great example of this.
  4. Journals – Create journals that help people reflect on topics related to your book. For example, Holly has written several books about walking, such as Alone on the South Downs Way. She has also created a series of walking journals to help people reflect on their own journey, such as the South Downs Way Journal.
  5. Planners – If your book is related to taking action or achieving goals around a specific topic, you can create a planner to help people take action. Holly’s book The Year You Want is an example of this.
  6. Special Editions – Once you have an audience for your work, consider creating limited edition covers or offering signed copies. Using a Kickstarter launch is a great way to do this. Joanna Penn did this for her Pilgrimage campaign.
  7. Flashcards – If your book is designed to help people learn and retain information, you can create flashcards to use as quick study aids.
  8. Oracle Cards – Create oracle cards themed around the book. Holly once created cards with business mindset belief statements to go with her business mindset book series.
  9. Posters – Create print-on-demand infographics or inspirational quotes that your readers will enjoy.
  10. Gift Sets & Packages – Bundle your book with extra products that are related. Again, Kickstarter is great for this. Read the book Get Your Book Selling on Kickstarter to learn more.

Services

  1. Consulting – Offer consulting services where you can give personalized advice related to the book’s topic. This is especially great for business books or other professional books.
  2. Speaking Engagements – Give paid talks or keynote speeches at events.
  3. Coaching Sessions – Get certified as a coach (if you aren’t already) and offer one-to-one coaching.
  4. One-to-One Sessions – Perhaps you’re not a coach, but you do offer other types of one-to-one services, such as healing or therapy. You can offer these in relation to your book, like Holly’s plant spirit healing journeys that relate to her book Secrets of Plant Spirit Healing with Mugwort.
  5. Group Coaching & Mentoring – If your topic lends itself more to group work, you can create a group coaching or mentoring program where participants learn from you and from others in the group.
  6. Workshops – Organize in-person events where you take readers on a deep dive into your book’s themes throughout the course of one day. This can help people engage with the work more deeply.
  7. Retreats – Create a weekend or weeklong retreat at a beautiful location and help people work even more deeply with the book’s themes. Events like these can be memorable and transformational.
  8. One-to-One Journeys – Offer personalized adventure retreats, like the Walk with Me coaching experiences that Holly offers.
  9. Online Communities – Open up a paid forum or group for readers to discuss topics. Show up regularly in the group to answer people’s questions and add supplemental materials. You can even run regular live calls from within the group.
  10. Subscription Boxes – Create a regular subscription that includes curated items related to your book’s theme.
  11. Certification Programs – If you want to help people learn to help others using the techniques in your book, you can provide an official certification program. For example, Mark Tyrrell’s book PTSD, Horror in the Mind: The psychology of post-traumatic stress disorder, and the ethical way to lift it leads readers into his Rewind Technique Training.

Expand Your Book

  1. Translations – Get your book translated into other languages to help you reach a wider audience and support more people. This is something we can help with!
  2. Write a spinoff – After Holly wrote her book Workcations, she re-created the book with a spin: Workcations for Writers. Think about how you can adjust your book to a specific audience.
  3. Write a series – Once you’ve found a topic that resonates with your readers, write more books around this subject to help people with more detailed aspects of it.
  4. Create boxed sets – Once you’ve written more books on a theme, you can create boxed sets, like Holly’s boxed set for business mindset books or solo adventures in England.
  5. Ask your readers – This is an important suggestion that many people forget. Hopefully, you’re collecting your readers’ emails through a form on your website. Be sure to ask your readers what they want from you. Is it another book? A new course or workshop? They’ll probably have ideas that never occurred to you.

Each of these products or services not only extends the life of your book but also creates additional revenue streams and marketing opportunities. By diversifying the ways in which your audience can engage with your content, you create more entry points for readers and expand your impact as an author.

Remember to add these products and services to the back of your book, so readers know how they can continue to learn from you and be supported by you.

Need more help?

If you’d like targeted ideas on how you can make more money from your nonfiction book, sign up for a Pick My Brain call. We can help!

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