Write & Publish a Minimalist Ebook
Nomadic Side Hustle Strategy #1
🌍 Welcome to This Week’s Nomadic Side Hustle Strategy
Each weekly strategy is designed to be simple, practical, and doable from anywhere, whether you’re at home, on the road, or planning your next adventure.
Enjoy this week’s breakdown, and remember: consistent focused action is what turns ideas into income.
This post is for paid members of The 50+ Nomad Club only.
✍️ Write & Publish a Minimalist Ebook
Got knowledge, experience, or even just a story you want to share?
Turning that into an ebook is one of the most accessible and location-independent side hustles out there, and when you keep it minimalist, it becomes even more doable.
In an age of constant scrolling and shrinking attention spans, short ebooks (around 50–100 pages) are not just easier to write, they’re exactly what most readers want.
Dan Sullivan, co-founder of Strategic Coach, has long championed the idea of shorter, sharper books. His team discovered that when people read digitally, 80–90% stop after about 100 pages. While some of his better-known co-authored books are longer, he’s deliberately built much of his publishing model around concise, focused reads that can be finished in one sitting.
It makes sense. People are busy. They want useful, relevant content, not fluff.
And for you as the writer, it removes the pressure to create some 300-page masterpiece. Instead, you can:
Pick a focused topic you know well
Create a simple outline
Write 10–15 practical chapters
Format and publish using free tools
Whether you’re sitting in a beach café in Portugal or tucked into a co-working nook in Chiang Mai, you can write, publish, and sell your ebook from anywhere.
You don’t need fancy tech, a big team, or even much time. You just need a clear idea, a willingness to show up consistently, and the courage to hit publish.
🧠 What You’re Really Selling
You’re not just selling words, you’re packaging up useful knowledge, personal insight, or an entertaining perspective in a way that helps or inspires someone else.
A minimalist ebook can offer:
A step-by-step solution to a specific problem
Encouragement or insight for a niche group
A deep dive into a passion or experience others relate to
A simple way to teach something you know
🛠 Skills You’ll Need
Basic writing and grammar
Light research (especially for non-fiction)
A clear structure or outline
Basic formatting and uploading
Optional: marketing or launch planning
💸 Startup Costs
You can start for free, or invest a little to speed things up or polish the final product.
Writing tools (e.g. Google Docs, Grammarly, ChatGPT): $0
Optional Upgrades (Grammarly Pro, ChatGPT Plus): $20-$50
Optional editing (Fiverr, Upwork): $50–$200
Cover design (Canva or freelance): $30–$100
Formatting software (e.g. Draft2Digital, Atticus): $0–$50
Total setup: Anywhere from $0–$300, depending on how DIY you go.
⏰ Time Commitment
Writing: ~1–2 hours/day (can be flexible)
Planning & outlining: 1 - 2 weeks (stop thinking, start doing)
Editing, design, uploading: 1 week (max)
Total timeline: ~1–3 months for your first book
📚 Real-Life Example: I Just Published My First Ebook in June!
If you want proof this is doable, here it is.
In June, I launched my very first ebook on Amazon!
It’s short, practical, and absolutely not perfect — but it’s done, it’s live, and it’s even had a review (thank you, Nikki! 😊).
I wrote the bulk of it while travelling across Fiji in May. I used GPT to help outline and draft the main sections, then added my own stories, tweaks, and edits, often while sitting in the pool or sipping something fruity by the bar.
When I got home, I hired a guy on Upwork to turn it into a Kindle file (KPF), which I uploaded with a cover I created on Canva. That was it. No big team. No dramatic launch. Just small, doable steps.
I’ve still got promo to do. It’s had 4 sales so far! (With no promo! Yippee, I’m super happy with that!) But you know what? You can’t promote what you haven’t created. The win is in getting it done. Then you can always improve, repackage, or relaunch it later.
So if you’ve been thinking, “Maybe I could write something one day…”, let this be your nudge. One day can start today.
🚀 Getting Started in 3 Simple Steps
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