What’s the Secret to Reaching 600 Million in E-book Sales? [Meteor Shower Maker, Part 1]
Together with wadiz
People Making Waves
Game Changer, Yoo Seong-woo
Who is a Game Changer?
It refers to people who are making waves in partnership with wadiz.
Game Changer shares the heartfelt stories of makers.
Interview Highlights!
- The Moment a Side Hustle Became a Full-Time Career
- Will the E-book Market’s Boom Last?
- How to Start an E-book Side Hustle
▲ Watch the video now
The Moment a Side Hustle Surpasses Your Main Job
Q. Hello, Author Yoo Seong-woo
Please introduce yourself to our maker community.
Hello, I’m Yoo Seong-woo, an e-book expert who helped pioneer the e-book market. I started writing e-books in 2016 and have been making a living from them ever since.
Q. Why did you choose e-books?
Did you always enjoy writing?
It wasn’t so much that I loved writing as that I wrote to make a living. My first job was at a magazine publisher in the provinces. But once I joined the company, I realized that in addition to writing, I also needed sales skills. Since I wasn’t good at that, I quit after six months. After that, I studied for a year to try my hand at being a developer. But I didn’t last long at a software development company either. Eventually, I got a job at an IT magazine publisher. But I ended up leaving that one on my own accord as well.
Q. Why did you decide to leave the IT magazine on your own?
At the time, my monthly salary was just over 1 million won. But the rent for the shared apartment where I was living was around 300,000 to 400,000 won. I had no choice but to take on a side job.
But then, my side income reached 5 million won. Although my income fluctuated after that, I quit my job thinking that it would at least cover my living expenses—as much as my current salary.
Will the E-book Market’s Boom Last?
Q. What was the early e-book market like?
Nowadays, many people are familiar with the concept of an “e-book side hustle,” but back then, no one thought anyone would actually pay money for something like that. At the time, there were only two or three people teaching courses and selling course materials on platforms like talent marketplaces. Seeing this, I realized, “So personal know-how can actually be sold,” which led me to write and sell my first e-book. After compiling this know-how for about two years, I wrote a book on how to create e-books, and I’ve been active in this field ever since.
Q. As you mentioned, “e-book side hustle” is now a term many people are familiar with.
How do you see the future of the e-book market?
I think of e-books as lectures in book form. In other words, they’re a person’s know-how organized into text. That’s why I believe the e-book market will never disappear.
However, the dominant topics for e-books may change. For example, while “Smart Store” is a hot topic now, “YouTube” might be the next big thing. (Of course, there are already many e-books about YouTube.) While the topics will shift like this, I don’t think the e-book market itself will shrink.
Q. So, is it too late to start preparing for e-book funding now?
I don’t think it’s too late. In fact, one common trait among people who’ve earned much more than I have is that they all tried funding. There’s even someone who generated nearly 450 million won in sales on wadiz with an English book. Since funding is a great way to test the waters, if you’re taking on an e-book project, I highly recommend launching a funding campaign as well.
Q. In your e-book courses, you share all your know-how, right?
Have you ever worried that you might be “stealing your own livelihood”?
I did worry about it a little at first. I thought, “If I share this, there will definitely be people who make more money than me—won’t that make me jealous?” But I changed my mindset.
I don’t believe there’s any information in the world that only I know. That’s why I actually think the e-book market needs to grow so that I can continue to make a living from this. It’s actually a good thing for me when more people try their hand at e-books.
How to Start an E-Book Side Hustle
Q. What should people who are new to e-books start with?
First and foremost, I’d advise them to try writing just three pages. Just like with books or lectures, the core content is actually quite short. By building on that foundation and adding examples and embellishments, it becomes a book or a lecture. So, to start, just write about three pages based on the core content.
Q. Is it possible to write perfectly from the very beginning?
First, finish it quickly, and if you get a positive response, then invest more time in it. That’s why it’s important to put in the minimum amount of effort.It shouldn’t take six months or a year to create just one book.After all, you don’t know if it will sell or not, right?
Q. What are your future plans as an author?
I worry about this every single day. Whenever there’s a negative issue related to e-books, I feel like it’s my fault for some reason. But that’s not something I can control.
So I’m fundamentally trying to make sure there are no problems on my end.
Q. Can you give an example?
I’m constantly improving and updating my books. I also create challenges to educate people about e-books and encourage them to create good ones. I’m putting in a lot of effort behind the scenes. (Laughs)
Q. If you could go back in time, what would you tell yourself?
I’d tell myself to start creating e-books sooner. When I first started, I was so busy with work that I kept putting it off. When I think back on those months I spent just agonizing over it, I regret not investing a little time back then to get started sooner. If I had, maybe I would have quit my job a little earlier and been able to accomplish so much more, don’t you think?
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