Knol for Writers

I've begun a Google Knol adventure. Gogole's new site, knol.com, has been touted as a rival to Wikipedia as well as article directories such as About.com and Associated Content. Since the site just launched to the public this summer, it really is brand new.

My first knol is about eHow Earnings and links to both an eHow article on passive income and my eHow eBook sales page. It's monetized both by the presence of these links, which lead to sources of income for me, as well as the Adsense ads displayed next to my knol.

I don't expect the knol to earn much, since knol is a new site and according to Google not receiving favortism by their search engines. I imagine eHow will be superior for earnings for some time, as the how-to site has been in existence since 1999 and is highly ranked by search engines. Knol will take time to build up the kind of traffic eHow gets on a daily basis.

Earnings aside, Knol looks like a great place to author content, articles, essays and reviews, and build a presence as a niche authority or a freelance writer.

I wrote a concise guide to Google Knol and earning money with the site; I plan to expand it as I learn more through my writing results with Knol.

Residual Income for July 2008

July was my biggest month so far for eHow earnings, and affiliate sales were good as well. One reader asked me by email if my only writing income is from these sources--the answer is no. I have several freelance writing clients and several editing gigs that keep me busy in addition to writing "for myself" as much as I am able. I don't share my regular writing income because it's just not my style, but I do like to show others how certain residual income streams are producing. I hope it's encouraging and helpful. Here's my newest tally.

July 2008 Residual Income

eHow earnings $500.56
SBI affiliate sales $74
eBook $71.52
Amazon $25.78
Google Adsense $3.20

Total $675.06

These are all true residuals. The links for Amazon books and other affiliate earnings were put up months or even a year ago in one case. I don't have time to promote my eHow articles, so those are also quite passive.

If you aren't focusing on building your residual income streams on the side, I highly recommend that you start today, even if you just write one eHow article. Start simple, and keep it up. Try setting aside 30 minutes or one hour of each day to your own writing that will continue to produce income long after you've left the computer.

Passive Income Report for May and June 2008

I took a minute to total my passive income for the past couple months, and thought I'd share the results here. I really want to encourage you to build up a passive income stream (several streams!) because the reality of earning money for articles you wrote months ago or links you posted last year can really change how you view your work and your approach to earning money.

May 2008

Residuals from my eHow.com articles: $427.13

Affiliate sales:
SBI $74.83
Amazon.com $19.35

Total May passive income: $521.31

June 2008

Residuals from my eHow.com articles: $397.20
Sales of my eHow eBook (after fees): $126.40
Affiliate sales:
Implix affiliate sales $67.90
Amazon.com $22.43

Total June passive income: $613.93

My bank of eHow articles is my biggest passive income generator, followed in June by eBooks and then affiliate sales. I have not marketed my eBook at all, except for posting a link on this site and in my WAHM profile. After I build the sales page and a little campaign around the eBook, I expect to sell quite a few downloads.

The non-Amazon affiliate sales are always a pleasant surprise. Amazon always averages about $20 a month, which is not much but it's a little extra that just comes in without effort. Implix has several software programs, but I've only linked to and sold the eBook Gold program so far.

I wrote my first eHow article less than a year ago, and in January 2008 made my New Year's resolution to build my passive income streams in 2008. In less than eight months, I
consistently earn over $500 a month just in passive income, which is in addition to my paid articles and writing done for clients.

My next goal is to reach $1,000 a month in passive income. As a work at home mom, my time is very limited. The more I can build my passive income streams, the higher my overall income potential. I can't create more hours to work, but I can maximize my earnings by focusing on work that keeps earning money long after I've put down my pen for the day.

I wish you the best success in your own passive income endeavors... get started today!