How To Write Harlequin Romance Novels And Make Money

Yep, I actually did that – I wrote and self-published 22 romance novellas in simply under two years.

Exercise I recommend it? No. Do I regret it? Absolutely not! One month, I earned just over $4,000. And …

This was just from my romance novellas; not freelance writing projects and not my non-fiction books.

So if y'all want to make money writing romance, it's possible.

Disclaimer: This post contains chapter link(southward), which means the site owner may earn a commission/referral fee — at no extra cost to you — should you make a purchase.

What It Takes to Make Good Money Writing Romance

Money is made in self-publishing by book based on my experience. Why?

Considering every time you put out a new release, you increase your take a chance of finding an audience and making more coin, especially if you enroll your books in Amazon's KDP Select program.

So the more than books yous write and publish, the more y'all tin ostensibly earn. This is what motivates me to keep writing and publishing.

Related Posts:

Self-Publishing Advice: seven Pros & 7 Cons of Amazon's KDP Select Program
Self-Publishing Profits: How Amazon's Algorithm Can Help Yous Sell More than Ebooks

Drawback of Writing & Publishing Books Quickly

The downsides are that you can get burned out and it can be hard to stay motivated.

From the spring of 2013 – when I wrote my starting time romance novella – to the fall of 2016, I wrote and self-published 44 romance novellas.

And then I took almost a year off from writing because I was only burned out and felt bereft of ideas.

At the end of 2017, I picked up writing romance again. Here's my publishing schedule since I started writing romance back in 2013.

How Many Romance Novels/Novellas I've Self-Published

I wrote my outset romance novel in 2013. And then I published…

21 books in 2014
eighteen books in 2015
3 books in 2016
0 in 2017
5 in 2018
five in 2019
5 in 2020
5 in 2021 (so far)

That'southward 63, and I accept iv nether pen names, for a full of 67 published to date. You can view them all on Amazon via my Author Contour.

Romance Author Salary: How Much Y'all Can Earn

Luckily, I have a cache of books, so even years when I don't publish regularly (every iii months or then) — similar in 2019 and 2020 — I nevertheless averaged about $1,100 calendar month in sales.

Equally stated higher up, my best calendar month to date was just over $iv,000.* Most of that came from Amazon; writing romance novels for Kindle.

It took me iv months to attain the $2,000 marker the starting time time – after I started publishing regularly.

I shudder to think where I'd exist if I hadn't stopped publishing and so prolifically.

I'd easily exist earning five figures per month ($10,000+), which is what I'thousand working my way towards at present.

The sky is literally the limit when information technology comes to how much y'all can earn as a self-published romance author, equally the writer in this linked-to post proves.

*Note: In 1 webinar, I said I'd earned $five,000. But, I hadn't separated out my romance earnings from my not-fiction books. So it'south only over $4,000. Only want to be up front end and clear most that.

Romance Readers are Prolific Readers

The one affair I love nigh writing romance is that readers in this niche buy and read lots of books. And, if they like you/your stories, they'll buy almost everything you put out.

The 1 caveat? Yous must stay consequent to the niche yous've chosen.

For case, I write interracial romance novellas more often than not. I've ventured out occasionally, only virtually of my novels and novellas are in this niche.

Acquire How to Brand Money Writing Romance

I've earned as much equally $three,200 in 1 month writing short romance novels and selling them on Amazon (and other outlets). Y'all tin can too! Learn how to:

Properly plot and write a romance novel;
Price your romance novels to sell;
Create covers that sell;
Make a total-time living writing romance (if that'southward what you want); and
So much more.

Diversifying your writing income streams is one of the easiest ways to brand a full-fourth dimension living as a writer. Thanks to advances fabricated in marketplaces like self-publishing and online education, the means to brand money writing are more than diverse than ever.

4 Tips for Writing Romance Novels Fast

FYI, if making money writing romance interests you, here are four tips for how to plough them out fast.

1. Hold yourself to a daily word count

One of the hardest things for me to practise is simply sit downwards and write.

This is considering – as well writing romance — I make money writing in other ways as well.

So, to go effectually this, when I want to produce (ie, am on a time schedule with a book), I concur myself to a daily word count.

It fluctuates – betwixt 1,000 and 3,000 words per day usually.

It actually all depends on what else is on my plate, and how long I desire the book to be.

I've started publishing longer books, because at present nigh of my books are in KDP.

Longer books hateful more page reads, which means more coin.

How to Sell Short Stories on Amazon

Nigh of my romance novellas early in my career were brusk (betwixt 10,000 and 30,000 words usually).

That made it pretty easy to write and cocky-publish 1 per calendar month.

And aye, short romance novels sell — very well actually.

I happen to be a fast writer and a fast typist, and so when I "clear the decks and just write," I can churn out a bunch of words in one twenty-four hours.

But again, now I'm starting to write longer novels — l,000 to 75,000 words. My longest one to date has been over fourscore,000 words (Love at Honeysuckle Inn).

Virtually of mine these days are between 35,000 and fifty,000 words. Again though, I want to piece of work my way to making 75,000 words standard.

2. Create a detailed outline

Some writers can sit down and write without an outline.

I've done it that mode also, but after writing over lx romance novels and novellas, i thing that works for me is to create a detailed outline.

Even when my characters/the story goes "off script," I still take a defined destination (via my outline).

Romance Writing Template

In the romance writing class, I created a "Write-by-Numbers" Romance Writing Template. Information technology helps you "write to done."

One writer in the private Facebook writing grouping (for those in the paid course) said that after getting information technology, she was able to sit down and outline three stories in one weekend.

And that's because the template guides you, helping yous to create a detailed outline. Once you have that, the writing is soooooo much easier.

So … outline, outline, outline. The more detailed your outline is, the easier and quicker information technology volition be to "write to done."

3. Create a thorough character profile

Knowing your characters intimately makes the dialogue menstruation better (and faster); that's one reason I included a Character Contour template in the romance writing course.

4. Don't obsess over it

Many writers obsess over their book, wanting it to be "perfect" before information technology's released. Beyond making the grammar and spelling alphabetic character perfect; perfection doesn't exist in writing.

And then write the best volume you can, make sure information technology'south thoroughly proofed and edited, then publish that sucker and get started on the next i.

If you go on obsessing, writing and rewriting trying make it perfect, you'll never publish.

Done is better than perfect.

Published is meliorate than perfect.

Published brings dollars.

Seeking perfection gets you a large ole goose egg in income. Remember that.

Become Paid to Write Romance Novels: A Tip

You lot don't have to make coin writing and self-publishing your own romance novels; you can ghostwrite them for others.

I come across tons of listings all the time on sites similar Upwork for romance writers.

The pay tin can be crappy, but if you're new, want to exam your writing ability and interest in this niche — AND earn a little greenbacks at the same time — you tin try picking up a few of these gigs to encounter how it goes.

The best road to making money in this niche is to write and self-publish yourself (to Amazon and other outlets) in my opinion.

Merely, I simply wanted you to know that romance writing gigs as a ghostwriter are out at that place also.

Determination

Again, money is fabricated in writing and self-publishing romance novels by volume for most indie authors. And, your best marketing tool is always your next volume.

And so write, edit, proofread, release. Then, rinse and echo. And you lot're on your way.