The vast majority of writers view a royalty contract as a chance to become the next John Grisham, with chances of success similar to winning the lottery.  We think, if we keep trying hard enough and submitting enough manuscripts, one day we may just hit the big time. This has been the mindset of authors for centuries.  Charles Dickens, a genius at his craft, wrote a letter to his friend because he was incensed at the royalty check he had just received.  He was counting on £1000, but the check was just over £250.  Does that sound familiar?

Thanks to new technology available on the Internet, those days can be over for you. If you have great information that people need, you can make a living spreading your wisdom around the globe.

It's time to stop being royalty dependent and realize that the book is simply an introduction, a giant business card, and not the actual product that will make us a living. Why should we settle for less than a dollar a book when we can create information products with less time and effort and make hundreds or thousands from a single product?

Here are 7 ways that you can make it happen for you.

1. Create an information product that you can offer for sale: a 12 lesson mini-course, a 30-lesson audio postcard course, a seminar series on CD, or a host of other items.

2. Create a small information product to give away as a bonus or incentive.  This could be something like a free report, or audio of a seminar that you put on CD.

3.  Take a copy of your book and create 300- to 600-word articles by scanning the pages of the book and pull out nuggets that can be edited into article format. Create 25 articles in this manner and post them on article directories online with a link at the bottom to receive your free report or CD.

4. Collect the names and e-mail addresses of everyone who receives a free report.

5. Set up an online survey. Invite your mailing list members to submit their questions about your topic.

6. Have a friend, colleague, or a professional interview you via teleseminar using the questions you've collected from the survey. During the teleseminar, sell your larger item to those who want to know more about your area of expertise.

7. Repeat this process at least every two months.

When you create a sales page for each of your information products, these items remain online.  You can still profit from them for years to come.  Invite your colleagues to promote your products in exchange for a sales commission of up to 50%.

As you continue creating information products within your field and hold teleseminars explaining them, you will build your reputation as an expert and continually grow your mailing list.  In as little as a year, it's very possible that you could quit your day job and spend your time helping people learn about the topic of your passion. It's systematic, progressive, and workable…with a much greater opportunity for real success than hovering around your mailbox hoping to win the lottery.