5 New Products You Can Spin Out of Your Books
Writing a series of successful books is already lucrative in itself, and is sometimes enough for many writers who are just in it for the chance to earn money for their passion. However, if you want to maximize your talent and career, there are other products you can spin out of a book. Here are 5 of the best ones:
1. T-shirts and mugs
This is a safe choice. Anything can be used as an inspiration for a T-shirt and mug merchandising line: images, words, names, slogans, or whatever else people want to brandish. If your book has a memorable line in it or a really catchy title, slap that on a t-shirt and sell it. Producing the shirt itself is also easy as there are DIY kits available on the market, as well as printing services that will do everything in exchange for a cut of the profits.
2. Graphic novel
With the success of comic book movies these past few years, the public has once again started to embrace the comic book medium. It’s no longer exclusively associated with superhero franchises, as even classic literary works like The Little Prince and A Midsummer Night’s Dream get adapted into graphic novels; If your book is fiction or story-based, you can target an entirely new demographic just by adapting it into sequential art format. If you don’t have the artistic skill to do it, the Internet has made it easy to hire artists through various freelancing sites.
3. Audiobooks
There are a lot of people who prefer audiobooks to written ones. Some of them out of necessity, such as people with disabilities, while others prefer them due to convenience, such as people who prefer to consume literary works by listening while driving to work, or while shedding some pounds on a treadmill. If you have decent oratory skills, you can do it yourself — all you need is a microphone and recording software. But if you don’t, you can easily hire freelancers over the Internet to do the narration.
4. Online quizzes and games
If you have some skill with a programming language, even if only enough to create online quizzes, you can create games and online apps based around your books. They won’t be profitable (as there’s not a huge market for rudimentary applications based on non-famous books, if at all) but they will serve as great promotional tools. Ever wondered why big studios with popular franchises still release web browser games and apps? Because people love free games and they’re a great way of engaging fans. Build one based on your book and watch the traffic flow.
5. A movie
It used to be that getting a book turned into movie is pretty much out of a writer’s hands. A movie studio should be interested first and they have to make the first move. Alternatively, the author’s agent could shop it around. But chances of this happening to a non-famous author are the equivalent of winning the lottery. The Internet, again, changed all of that. With crowdfunding services like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, you can find your own team of interested people and then pitch the movie to the world; let people who are interested fund the making of your book’s movie adaptation. This may be the hardest spin off to pull off, but it’s also the most rewarding in terms of personal achievement and monetary compensation.
Editor’s Note: This article was first published on e-Books India (the former name of Writing Tips Oasis) in January 2015.
Hiten Vyas is the Founder and Managing Editor of Writing Tips Oasis.
Originally published at Writing Tips Oasis.
