Penpreneur How to Make Six Figures Writing One Thing a Month

by Scott P. Scheper

How to make six figures writing one thing a month. A guide on how to turn your writing into profit.

Genres: Business

230 pages, Paperback

Reviews

[Peter Goutis]

This book is appropriately rated at 3.5 stars. Thats would I would rate it, if half stars were an option.

The first 3/4 of the book tells of Scott's journey on how he got to what he decided was the best income strategy for writers in the modern era. And it's all very interesting and well written to this point.

The last 1/4 of the book, he briefly describes his method of attracting readers and making them lifelong customers. The problem I have here, he doesn't go into depth here at all really. He says that he can't just tell us how to do it because he had to figure it out on his own. And there are always course corrections thst only he is smart enough to figure out. And then only he was smart enough to turn a high percentage of visitors into subscribers.

It just felt like a bait and switch on that last 1/4. He was using the methods he hinted at the entire time to try and get us to use his other services. After reading the whole book, there was no reveal. There was tons of buildup for his method. And he never fully explains it.

It just felt dirty.

I do agree with a lot of what he says. And I think there is a way to make his method work that doesn't feel like a bait and switch.

[Thomas]

Penpreneur gives the game away with it's title: it's a cheap and easy on-ramp to a far more manipulative easy-money-scheme ecosystem that filters out all but the most credulous of participants (i.e., anyone who'd think Penpreneur was a good title, let alone one indicative of a writer worth their salt). The book even explicitly cops to this, trusting that those not filtered out by the knowledge that they're being sold a bill of goods will be all the more willing applicants to the author's publishing platform and vaguely cult-y lifestyle brand. Appeals to anti-a.i. sentiment ring hollow given how simpatico this kind of scheme is with generative a.i. slop, and extended quotes from other self-help gurus prove the "One Book Theory" from If Books Could Kill remains undefeated.

Any self-help book designed to be read in a single sitting is trying to use that easy sense of accomplishment to start you down a path where you spend more money on whatever else the author's selling. The first real step to success is to respect yourself enough to not buy in.

[Stuart Haining]

7/10 4% Having read other reviews which weren’t always exactly glowing I approached this free book (post paid) with gratitude and a measure of trepidation. Turns out to be written in a chummy style, easy to read and grasp and by half way I could get most of the concept. Is every secret revealed, No, but that’s the point, it’s a tripwire low cost gift designed to get readers to want to learn more and buy paid-for services - and honestly what’s wrong with that?

Do I believe all the stories and numbers revealed - not 100%, but isn’t that the art of story telling. Will I follow through, maybe. I’d already got two new business ideas that might easily be adapted into this format and could keep me busy every month in my silver years!

In short - worth a read.

[Dave Reads]

I'm fascinated by anyone who makes a living as a writer. That's why I was interested in Scott Scheper's book, "Penpreneur." But I should have paid more attention to the subtitle " How to Make Six Figures Writing One Thing A Month." He shares his story and his method for building a business that largely depends on loyal followers to pay him $96 a month to read the one thing he writes each month.

He suggests that people write something that they can sell for a low price, which can be an entry point into a larger sales process. His book was only $4.95, and now I get daily (yes, daily) to sign up for that monthly newsletter.

His book had a few interesting kernels of information about his writing routine. He favors writing by hand, rather than on a computer. He organizes his ideas on index cards. He refers to AI as "CrapGPT."

The book never tells the reader how to replicate his success, other than by buying his products. Oh, and he's willing to consult you too.

[Cheryl Aparicio]

I appreciate the idea behind creating an analog knowledge funnel and learning about how Scott P. Scheper arrived at the concept and developed his approach. The book gives you insight into what an analog funnel is and hints at the different pieces you need to create one.

However, I was expecting more instruction on how to actually build it. There isn’t a step-by-step process that walks you through creating the funnel yourself. The book explains the concept and gives you an idea of what is needed, but it leaves out the actual “how.”

In some ways, the book leaves you wanting to seek out the author’s help to create your own funnel. The author offers a more hands-on service where he teaches you how to build it step by step, with an investment of around $10,000 if you are selected.

Overall, I found the concept interesting and thought-provoking, but I would have appreciated more practical, step-by-step guidance for readers who want to implement the system on their own.

[Matthew Gilman]

Scott decided to take the low road instead of figuring out his biggest mistakes in self publishing. As someone who has published over 30 books on Amazon I can tell him that publishing 2 books with no marketing, YouTube, social media, interviews, etc. then crying because your sales on day 1 are not what you expected is a good way to ensure future failure. The subscription model is nothing new but it is something that people are becoming increasingly pissed off about. I will not be following Scott's advice and I highly doubt he is making the kind of money he claims he is.