You know what most writers are like, right? The kind who…
- Constantly check their blog analytics, just praying for traffic to skyrocket.
- Hope to make their first $100 on Medium.
- Wish the money they earn is just enough to pay the bills.
Someone once said:
“An unused skill is like a treasure buried in the ground. If you can’t make money from it, either the world is blind, or you haven’t dug deep enough.”
Take a look at yourself now, are you barely using your writing skills?
Maybe a little, but only a tiny bit, which is why the earnings are so pitiful.
Seriously, if you want to unearth the entire treasure, you’ve got to dig deeper.
Because most of the time, the world isn’t blind; you just haven’t been digging hard enough.
So, as a writer, you really should turn your attention to Gumroad.
Because Gumroad doesn’t care about how many views your articles get.
- It values whether you can provide value.
- As long as you deliver genuine substance, people will naturally see your worth—and vice versa.
Making money on Gumroad isn’t complicated at all:
- You need to write something.
- Then organize it and package it.
- Finally, sell it, and the money is yours.
Let’s talk about the specifics. #
What Exactly is Gumroad? #
Gumroad is a platform specifically designed for creators to sell “digital products.”
But don’t get “digital products” confused. It’s not about hiring a programmer to develop some software.
As a writer, you can absolutely sell things like:
- Ebooks
- Various templates
- Practical guides
- Workbooks
- Writing prompts
- Short story collections
- Email scripts (or email templates)
- Journals
You only need to write it once, and then it can keep earning you money, non-stop.
What Can You Actually Sell? #
There’s a wide range of things you can sell on Gumroad, but I’ll just give you a few examples here.
You can turn the following into your Gumroad products:
Problem 1: You’re writing on Medium, and halfway through, you lose your flow, feeling like you can’t go on.
- Product: “50 Writing Prompts to Cure Your Writer’s Block.”
Do you think a writer wouldn’t be willing to spend $4.99 on this?
Problem 2: Many writers want to publish a book but can’t afford the high publishing fees.
- Product: “Self-Publishing Blueprint.”
If this “blueprint” can save them $1,000, they’ll happily fork over $9.99, right?
Problem 3: Sometimes readers don’t have time to browse through your blog. They just want to read all your short stories at once.
- Product: A collection of short stories.
Your loyal readers would definitely be willing to spend $7 on your excellent story collection, wouldn’t they?
Writers encounter all sorts of problems.
If you can turn these problems into a product and solve them, then just wait for the money to roll in.
As long as you solve a problem, someone will always be willing to pay.
How Do Writers Get Paid on Gumroad? #
- First, you create a digital product (e.g., a PDF, DOC file, or ZIP archive).
- Upload it to Gumroad.
- Set a price.
- Share the link (on your Instagram, Medium, YouTube, Substack, blog, or in emails).
- Someone buys it → You receive payment → Gumroad takes a small fee → The rest is yours.
For every sale completed, Gumroad transfers your share to you via PayPal or direct bank transfer.
Why Gumroad Works So Well for Writers #
- First, it’s incredibly simple to use.
- Second, it has no upfront costs; it’s free to join.
Let me tell you something important that most people might not tell you:
“You absolutely don’t need millions of views on Medium or Substack. All you need is to offer something your readers genuinely want, right when they’re reading your work.”
Common Mistakes Writers Make on Gumroad #
- Don’t try to sell shampoo to bald people. Sell what buyers truly need.
- Pricing too low (’$1’ isn’t a business plan).
- If you have no audience at all, don’t expect to sell anything. So, before you sell a product, build a basic email list.
- Don’t ruin your own product with an ugly cover or poorly written product description.
- You can strive for perfection, but don’t expect your first launch to be flawless.
Writers Who Have Succeeded with Gumroad #
There’s a writer named Alex West who made over $200,000 selling Notion templates.
- He’s not some millionaire with a team.
- He’s just an ordinary writer who made a decision: instead of letting his ideas rust in the digital world, he decided to earn a good income from his skills.
Summary: #
If you can write content that:
- Helps others,
- Heals hearts,
- Educates,
- Or entertains—
Then you should absolutely put it on Gumroad and sell it!
You shouldn’t wait for a platform to discover you.
- You need to discover your own value.
Writing for free is fine. But writing for free forever? That’s not the way to go.
If you’re always writing for free, then it’s not your profession, and it won’t pay your bills—it’s just a hobby.
So, if you’ve got real skills, you should come to Gumroad and turn your abilities into actual sales.
That’s all for today.