January 2006.
So where am I with the whole Real Live
Preacher thing? It’s a good question and one that I ask myself quite often.
For you newcomers, here is a short version of
the story so far:
In December of 2002 I launched a blog that I
called “Real Live Preacher.”
This was my first entry. I had no grandiose plans at the
time. I simply wanted to write, and I had an idea that if I had a blog I would
be driven to write. Writers need motivation and I wanted some. It worked. I wrote
hard for two years as an anonymous
blogger. My original salon blog is still online
here.
But things always change, don't they? People in
my church found out about RLP. People in the blog world found out about my
church. And a lot of people started showing up to read what I was writing, which
was scary and thrilling. There was a book and a chance to write for Christian
Century and now a couple of other publications. It was very exciting
up until the time that I started falling apart.
Potential bloggers listen to me now - there is
no way you can anticipate the unholy and wholly consuming way that a blog can
take over your life. I was trying to hold down two jobs, be a good husband and
father, and maintain the juggernaut that was Real Live Preacher. I couldn't do
it, and I couldn't stop doing it. So my body shut down and I became physically
and emotionally unwell. I still am a bit, but getting better. Compulsion is a
part of serious writing; I'm convinced of it. I do not know how to be healthy
with this yet, but I'm working on it.
So I had to make a choice, and I did. I quit my second job
(web design and hosting)
to devote myself to writing and maintaining Real Live Preacher.
It's a risk, but it's my own risk, and I don't ask for sympathy or make
apologies. This is what I want to do, and it seems like a good thing to be
doing. That's the deal.
And now to the state of the blog
address:
In August I put some fairly serious money into
launching this new blog software and began trying to make money as a writer
without losing my soul. That ain't easy, but if it can be done,
I aim to be one who does it. (Pardon the "Texas twang" to that last statement,
but it feels right to say it that way.)
So how does one make money as a writer/blogger?
- See if you can write for a magazine or
in some respectable way that pays. (Not easy and takes time to build a
network)
- See if people will click on a Paypal
button sometimes and just give you money. Like magic.
- Start publishing your own stuff and sell
it in your own network instead of through a publisher. You'll make a few
dollars a copy instead of a few cents a copy.
In case you're wondering, I made a grand total of $3600 on the Eerdmans
book, "RealLivePreacher.com." And this is a book that won the
Independent Publisher's Award for essay/nonfiction in 2005. It's a tough
world out there for writers.
- Try to make your blog into something that
people will enjoy. Include some fun features like chatting and the ability
to send each other messages and the like. Hope that number 4 will entice a
few people to think about number 2.
- Setup some kind of bookstore where you get
a commission on books bought there. Not much money, but every bit counts.
- Never never never never forget your basic
commitment to writing and to the blog. Dance with the one that brung you, as
we say here in the Lone Star State. Write like hell; be brave; take risks;
make people angry sometimes; put yourself and your work out there
and see what happens; write down the bones, as Natalie Goldberg says.
So how has it worked so far?
Well, there is potential, but things aren't
happening as quickly as I had hoped. I make from 200 to 500 dollars a month from
Christian Century for writing and sending them some traffic. The paypal thing
was awesome for the first month (about $3000!) and then nothing, really. That's
kind of the way it goes with Paypal buttons.
The Christmas CD sold about 300 copies. I was
hoping for 1000, but I learned something about what my own network can do. There
was no real publicity for it. And I paid for producing the CD and finished paying
Matt for his work on the blog. That's all good. The Christmas CD has a life of
its own. It will be here next year, along with the
Shepherd story.
The RLP bookstore is just getting started. I
don't really anticipate making much money there. It serves a nice purpose
though.
What does the future hold for RLP?
Unknown at this time. I'm trying to bring my
writing income up to about $2,500 a month from an ever increasing number of
sources. That's ambitious I know, but that amount would justify my brash and perhaps foolhardy dumping of my
web design income and the jump into the world of writing.
I have a few more ideas to try:
- Voluntary
Subscriptions - You may now subscribe to Real Live Preacher. That
means you can let Paypal grab a few dollars a month or a quarter out of your
account to support this blog. There will be a special email list for
subscribers. I'll send these folks more regular emails (if they wish to
receive them) to let them know what's coming up and what's happening behind
the scenes as I try to make this thing fly.
Click here to see the new subscription page.
- Audio Files
-As a way of saying thank you to subscribers who give $5.00 a month or more,
I have begun making audio files of my essays and stories. I'll make them
available along with a podcast for subscribers. I'll include some commentary
and chat at the end of some. And maybe tell some of the stories behind the
essays. (And yes, if you want to drop $60 in a one time payment and get
access to the audio files for a year, that will be fine.)
Click
here for a sample audio file.
- RLP Blogs
- Christian Century will be the first to have a blog here at Real Live
Preacher. They will have the same software that I have and will be listed on
the left menu. I feel that others may be willing to pay for the
opportunity to be dropped into a pretty heavy stream of internet traffic. We'll see where that goes.
I hope you've noticed that I have not abandoned
my first commitment to write as well as I can and to put that writing online
where anyone may read it. It still costs nothing to read Real Live Preacher.
These other things are extra and simply my attempt to find a creative, new way
to make a reasonable living as a writer.
What will happen if it doesn't work? I don't
know. For some reason I feel certain that I shouldn't spend any energy worrying
about that. Today's worries are enough for today, and the future
will bring what it will bring, as it always does.
So that's where things stand right now. I
appreciate your kind affirmation and support these last three years. It's been
a wonderful and very affirming journey so far. And hey, I'm open to suggestions and ideas.
Email me if you have some.
peace,
Gordon Atkinson (rlp)
Click to Subscribe to RLP
