How Selling a Book on Amazon Earned Me Enough Money to Travel the World

By Shanda K. Miller

Updated: May 2, 2023

I went from outline to selling a book on amazon in eight months with the help of Self-Publishing School. Four years later, my book is generating an average of $1600 per month in passive income. That's enough extra money to fund a life of travel.

Update: Since first publishing this article, Self-Publishing School is now selfpublishing.com.

In 2021, Shanda K. Miller made her sabbatical permanent after her book sales skyrocketed, and she now travels the world with her husband, Kent. Photo: Shanda K. Miller

How My Dream of Writing a Book Turned into a Self-Publishing Success Story with the Help of Self-Publishing School

First, the Dream of Writing a Book

Since the age of 12, I knew I wanted to write a book and become a published author. Over the years, I let life hold me back, but my dream was always there waiting for me to act.

In 2017, I fulfilled another dream. I began what was supposed to be a three-year sabbatical so my husband and I could travel the world. A year into a life of travel, I decided it was the perfect time to write my book. Although I had the topic, I wasn’t sure how to start.

I was on Natalie Sisson’s email list, the author of Suitcase Entrepreneur. Natalie sent me an email about a free webinar for Self-Publishing School. I signed up right away because the timing of this webinar was perfect. After that webinar, I knew that self-publishing was the way to go and that Self-Publishing School was the way to help me get there.

Shanda K. Miller working on a new book in her outdoor writing space. Photo: Kent Miller

From Outline to Self-Publishing a Book in 8 Months

After signing up for Self-Publishing School, I finished writing the first draft of From Supervisor to Super Leader within three months. Five months after my first draft, I was selling a book on Amazon! Also, I was selling my book on Ingram Spark, where most booksellers go to get wholesale copies of books.

At first, my book sales were low, but increased slowly every month. That first year, my book profit was probably between $300 and $500 per month. Although it wasn’t much, it was enough to pay off the costs of self-publishing and the cost of Self-Publishing School.

From Self-Publishing to Earning Thousands in Passive Income

My book sales skyrocketed two years after self-publishing my book. In one month, my profits increased from an average of $500 per month to an average of $1200 per month. Last year, my average monthly profit was $1600.

Total monthly book sales per month from April 2019 through October 2022. Includes all formats, including print, ebook, and Audio. Source: Shanda K. Miller

As I come upon my fourth-year anniversary of self-publishing my book, I’ve sold over 15,000 copies. I’ve also earned over $40,000 in profits. Looking back, self-publishing and selling my book on Amazon successfully could not have been possible for me without signing up for Self-Publishing School.

I previously mentioned my three-year sabbatical started in 2017. Well, it’s now been five years, and my husband and I are still traveling. Now six months each year, we’re away from home, traveling the world. This also would not have been possible without the passive income generated from selling a book on Amazon.

Get Started by Downloading Your Copy of Published

If you want to write your book and get it self-published, take the first step. Self-Publishing School has agreed to partner with me to give you a free audiobook and ebook bundle of the bestseller, Published. Click the button to fill out the form and have your copies of Published sent via e-mail.

Self-Publishing a Book Doesn’t Have to Be a Pipe Dream

You too, can finally get your book written. If you’ve already written your book, but don’t know where to start to get it published, I have the perfect solution for you. With Self-Publishing School, you too can become a self-published author on your way to selling a book on Amazon. You can then affect thousands of lives with your unique book.

Your Dream of Writing and Publishing a Book Can Come True, and Also Generate Passive Income

Based on my experience, Self-Publishing School is the best self-publishing course out there. It has helped thousands of people write a book that grows their income, their impact, and their business.

Before signing up for Self-Publishing School, I had no clue what was involved with self-publishing a book. There was a lot I didn’t know I needed to know! Hence, there were a ton more details than I would have imagined. However, Self-Publishing School helped me through the entire step-by-step process, from outlining my book to hitting PUBLISH on Amazon.

The Benefits of Self-Publishing School

For me, the benefits of Self-Publishing School included:

  • Accountability—Once I committed to writing my book, signing up for Self-Publishing School immediately took my commitment to a new level. They set me up with a coach and an accountability buddy, who I connected with once a week. This structure of accountability helped me write the first draft within three months.

  • Community—There’s a Facebook mastermind group that became a lifeline for me many times. You can post questions and get feedback, advice, and information from group members who are at different stages of their book project. Often, those who I learned from had the same questions only months earlier.

  • Course Content & Videos—The course broke up each stage of the writing, editing, and publishing process into steps with how-to instruction and videos. It’s a self-paced course. During the eight months of my journey, Self-Publishing School regularly updated this content. Four years later, I imagine it’s even better than when I went through it.

  • Discounts on Products & Services—Outside of Self-Publishing School, there are tools every self-published author needs for success, from editing software to keyword research. Self-Publishing School partners with these products and services to get discounts for Self-Publishing School students. Often, these are one-time costs for a lifetime of access.

Download Your Copy of Published

The proven path from blank page to 10,000 copies sold. Get the Published audiobook and ebook bundle from Self-Publishing School. Click the button below to fill out the form below and have your copies of Published sent via e-mail.

My Advice for Any Aspiring Writer and Self-Published Author

Signing up for Self-Publishing School made my dream of writing a book and becoming a published author a reality.

My advice for others who are interested in writing a book and being a published author is to just start. If you haven’t started writing yet, start writing. Write every day. You don’t have to wait until you retire, or take a sabbatical, to write your book.

Shanda K. Miller working on book marketing in her Hymer Aktiv camper van. Photo: Kent Miller

If I knew then what I know now, I would’ve written my book while I was still working full-time. All you really need is 30 minutes a day. Eventually, those minutes and days add up and pretty soon, you’ll have your first book draft.

One of the best tips I got from Self-Publishing School was don’t start editing until you’re done with your first draft. Just get the words on the page. Don’t pay attention to spelling or grammar or sentence structure. That can come later, during the editing phase.

Use Self-Publishing School to Write and Self-Publish Your Book in Record Time

If you’re interested in self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, my advice would be to sign up for Self-Publishing School. Looking back, I probably still could’ve written my book and self-published it. However, I estimate it would have taken me over eight months from the outline to publishing on Amazon and Ingram Spark.

The learning curve is huge for self-publishing. I’ve known people who have self-published on their own by learning as they went. However, it took them about two years. I’m guessing that’s probably how long it would’ve taken me, instead of eight months.

Make Passive Income Selling a Book on Amazon

Besides the accomplishments of both writing my book and self-publishing, I’m not sure how successful my book would have been without Self-Publishing School. Within months of self-publishing, I was earning enough from book royalties to pay for the cost of self-publishing. This included the cost of signing up for Self-Publishing School.

Now, I’m earning an average of $1600 per month in passive income (as profit after expenses). I have serious doubts that I would’ve learned on my own how to reach that level of success. So yes, I recommend Self-Publishing School to help you write and self-publish your book. Soon you too will make profits selling a book on amazon.

Most Self-Published Authors Only Sell 250 Copies of Their Book, But That Doesn't Have to Be You

When I began my book project, my biggest goal was to just get it done, to get it written. I had a dream of writing a book. I didn’t think much beyond that goal. Yes, I wanted to write a book that was valuable. I also wanted to at least recoup the costs of my book project. It wasn’t until I learned the ins and outs of marketing that I realized the potential my book could become as a source of passive income for me.

Self-Publishing School helped me realize that potential and gave me the tools to achieve extraordinary sales numbers. I didn’t know anything about marketing before Self-Publishing School. I didn’t even know how to go about learning marketing techniques.

I learned book marketing techniques that set me up for success months before I published my book. Self-Publishing School taught me the importance of having a book launch team and how to create a successful one. I also learned how to find the best keywords for my book to drive organic sales, and how to create Amazon Ads.

My book has now sold over 15,000 copies and has earned me over $40,000 in passive income (as profit).

You too can find the same success with your book as I did with mine. Being a successful published author is attainable, and I’m not the only example.

Three Other Self-Publishing Super Stars

Self-Publishing School has thousands of graduates who have completed their book projects and self-published them. These graduates are now enjoying seeing their books make a difference for thousands of readers. Check out these three super stars:

Mike Acker, who started Self-Publishing School when I did, has published not only one, but 14 books. His books are mostly on public speaking.

Alexis & Justin Black, who wrote a book about their experience as foster kids called Redefining Normal. This book helped them launch a business around helping foster children share their experience and heal.

Hayden Crabtree, the author of a real estate investing book called Skip the Flip, created an online course from his book. The course earns him an average of $26,000 per month.

Don’t wait! Get your copy of Published today

Click the button below to fill out the form and have your copies of Published sent via e-mail.

Disclosure: I only endorse products and services I’ve personally used or come highly recommended by trusted sources. If you end up purchasing a product I mention using one of my referral links, I may get a commission. However, there’s no extra cost to you and you may also get a discount.

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