Nicolas Cole
Author and writing entrepreneur sharing creative discipline, self‑improvement, and high‑performance writing systems.
Write Daily, Publish Publicly, Turn Content Into Sellable Capital
My free guide to building a massive online audience: Write: • 300 words per day • Create with your reader Publish: • Practice in public • Double down on what works Expand: • Turn high-performing topics into longer-form pieces • Turn longer-form pieces into Intellectual Capital you can sell
Write a Book in 30 Days: 7 Simple Steps
Want to write your first book by next month? Here's how (in 7 simple steps): I can now write an entire 228-page book in 30 days. After self-publishing 11 books, I developed a simple process. Here's my 7-step framework:
Earn
How to earn a full-time living as a writer in 2026: 1. Start writing online 2. Start ghostwriting on the side 3. Sell a digital product in your niche 4. Upsell clients to get to $10k+ per month 5. Quit your 9-5 job so you...
Consuming Content Steals Minutes From Your Creation
every minute you spend consuming someone else's content is another minute you didn't spend creating something of your own
Turn One Idea Into Seven Daily Posts
In 2025, my little writing business generated $8,000,000. And this 1 strategy made it possible: Lean Writing. It's how I take 1 idea and turn it into 7 different posts — so I can publish every single day without running out of...
Add One Extra Offer, Earn 50% More
5 ways to monetize a paid newsletter beyond subscriptions: 1. Template packs 2. Monthly subscription 3. Paid webinars 4. Low-ticket upsells in welcome emails 5. Quarterly digital product drops Most writers would *easily* take home 50% more money just adding one of these.
Earned $20K/Mo by Sacrificing My Own Writing
When I first started getting paid $20,000/month to ghostwrite for industry leaders, I had a tough time balancing creating client content and working on my own writing. Here's the brutal truth I had to learn the hard way (if I wanted...
Just Publish: Stop Overthinking and Hit Send
How to hit publish: • Hit publish • Hit publish • Hit publish • Hit publish • Hit publish • Hit publish • Hit publish • Hit publish • Hit publish • Hit publish Nothing to it but to do it
Teach Kids Financial Independence Over Outdated College Expectations
I've been saying this for years. My goal is to teach my kids how to be financially self-sufficient by the time they're 18. If they want to use their money to go to college "for the experience," that's their decision. 0%...
We Can't Distinguish Human vs AI Writing, Yet Claim Bias
Terrific example of how, when people say “AI doesn’t have that human touch,” what they’re really saying is they don’t actually know what that means or how it’s reflected in the writing. They just don’t like AI. Humans can’t tell...
Fall in Love with the Process, Stay Consistent
People who chase outcomes rarely stay consistent. People who fall in love with the process are consistent forever.
Say Yes, Focus, Learn—Turn Side Hustles Into Six‑Figure Success
In 10 years, I have created a dozen side hustles that have each unlocked 6-figure income streams for me. Here's my advice: • Work for free • Say YES (to everything) • Choose 1 thing, ignore everything else • Learn from those ahead of you...
Digital Writing: The Undervalued Skill Behind 343K Followers
I've grown my online audience to over 343,000 followers. And it's because of ONE undervalued skill: Digital Writing. But school doesn't teach you how to write & build a massive audience on this platform. So, if you want to grow your own audience, staple...
From Layoff to $200K: Leverage Product Launch Kit
Jack got laid off hours after putting an offer on a house. But today: • He's on track to hit $200K • Works 20-30 hours per week • Takes 1-2 months off each year • Consistently lands $10K-15K deals And he even has this killer Product...
Leaving Comfort Zone Sparked Unplanned Growth
10 years ago, I quit my job with no plan. But I had to do it: My personal growth had plateaued. And the only way I'd become the person I wanted to be was to work on something outside my comfort zone. Otherwise, I'd...
Follow‑up Shows Competence; Ignore First Pitch to Test.
Something I tell writers about the importance of following-up with potential clients: As a business owner, I deliberately don't respond to the first email pitch anyone sends me. Not because I'm not interested—but because I want to see if they'll follow-up. It's...
Jerry Seinfeld’s 5 Writing Secrets for Creative Success
The KING of modern comedy: Jerry Seinfeld. He's received 1 Emmy, 3 Grammy nominations, & even a Guinness World Record. 5 lessons about writing & creativity I learned from him:
Fiction Newsletter Scales to $13k ARR, Targets $100k
My fiction paid newsletter on Substack, Commercial Fiction Club, is up to $13k ARR. Goal is to hit $100k ARR by end of the year. Subscribe here: https://nicolascolefiction.substack.com
False 2‑hour Success Myths Mislead the Next Generation
One of my least-favorite clickbait trends of the past 5 years is big creators claiming "I achieved XYZ only working 2 hours per day." Aside from the fact that it's a blatant lie—every person who says that is a workaholic—it also...
From Failure to Relentless Routine, Success Follows
I failed high school and barely got into college. But I am a maniac. This is my current daily routine: • My day starts at 7am • Calls from 8am to noon • Quick lunch • Deep work until 3pm • Gym • Walk with my wife...
Great AI Prompts Transform Writers’ Digital Business
Recently, I helped 100+ writers leverage AI to scale their digital writing business. Here's the difference between a bad and a great AI Prompt:
Clients Only Want Results, Not Your Social Proof
I built my entire ghostwriting agency, 300+ clients, millions of dollars in revenue, with ZERO testimonials. This is something beginners have a very hard time wrapping their heads around. • Clients do not care about social proof. • Clients do not care if...
AI's Shortcut Threatens Deep Skill Development
I've been thinking about the impact of AI a lot. And you might not like all my opinions: 1. AI is a NUANCED tool. And unfortunately, most people can't hold 2 opposing ideas in their head at the same time. 2. The more...
Relax, Be Present—The Journey Is All That Matters
If I could give my 20-year-old self one piece of advice, it would be to relax. Enjoy the journey. You don't need to push so hard. It will all work out. Wherever you think you need to get to is...
12 Lessons That Could Have Fast‑
In November, my little writing business crossed $20,000,000 in lifetime sales. It took us over 5 years to reach this milestone. But we could have gotten here a whole lot faster with everything we know now. Here are 12 of the biggest lessons...
Per‑word Pay Undervalues Writers and Their Work
Many freelance writers get paid between $0.02 to $0.10 per word. This is a terrible way to make money writing because word count is a poor measure of value. Here's why:
Prioritize One Fix: Master Focus Amid Business Chaos
Entrepreneurship is the daily challenge of realizing there are 100 things broken inside your business, but you can only fix 1 at a time, which means building the skill of applying focused effort wherever it matters most without getting distracted...
Treat Writing Like a Sport: 9 Mental Fitness Habits
I'm not a "genius" writer. But over the last 10 years, I have: • Published 11 books • Written thousands of articles • Built multiple 7-figure writing businesses The secret? I treat my writing like a mental sport. I use these 9 habits to stay...
Outline First, Write a Book in 30 Days
The secret to writing a 60,000-word book: (It took me 5 years to figure this out) Outlining. This is how I write an entire book in 30 days. Here's how to outline your first book in the next 35 minutes:
Discover How Writers Earn: New Career Paths Book
My new book, Writer Career Paths, comes out March 24th! You can pre-order the eBook or print on Amazon. I've read hundreds of books on the subject of writing. But this is a book I've never been able to find—explaining the "different...
9 Hard Truth
I'm 35. And over the last decade, I have: • Self-published 11 books • Wrote thousands of articles • Generated $20,000,000 from my writing And in this time, I've faced these 9 uncomfortable truths:
Hard Seasons Become Future Pride and Success
The most taxing life chapters yield the most long-term nostalgia. The harder something is, the more you'll appreciate it later. So reframe whatever you "hate" right now as something you will love & cherish later. For me: Building my $180K/month ghostwriting agency...
Spot AI-Generated LinkedIn Posts with 10 Red Flags
Most LinkedIn creators use AI to write their content. How do I know? Because I see the same "AI Fingerprints" ruining what they're trying to say. Here are the 10 biggest AI Red Flags to look out for:
AI Speeds Learning, but May Erode Critical Thinking
Something I’m thinking about more and more each day: Will the next generation of workers learn faster by using AI? Or will learning actually become harder because passable outputs are becoming easier to create without effort? New tech is amazing, but...
LinkedIn Ghostwriting: Massive Untapped Market for 2026
At 26, I quit my minimum-wage copywriting job. 18 months later? I was generating $180k/month ghostwriting for industry leaders. But if I was starting over in 2026, I'd become a LinkedIn Ghostwriter. Why? Because it has 1.15 billion users. And less than 1% are posting...
Custom GPT Boosts Writers, Not Replaces Top Talent
Here's more proof that AI won't replace the top 50% in their field. Look at this email I just got. For context: I spent 6-7 hours building a custom GPT inside my ChatGPT account to help writers create: • Higher-quality ghostwritten content • More accurately...
Paid $35K for Clarity: 5 Key Growth Priorities
I paid Alex Hormozi's team $35,000 to help me scale to $1,000,000. And I just got back from their workshop in Vegas. For the better part of 2 years now, we've been stuck trying to hit this goal. But I emerged with...
From Zero to $10K: Readers Choose Next Steps
My Commercial Fiction Club newsletter, where I'm documenting the journey from $0 as a new fiction author, is about to hit $10,000/year. This isn't bad, but I'm still figuring out what readers want most from me. Drop a comment—what do you want...
AI Skill Demand Surges, Reshaping the Job Market
I just saw new data that has me VERY worried. Job listings are asking for: • AI fluency (up 580%) • Technical AI skills (up 60%) • Any AI-related skill (up 650%) (These are increases compared to 2 years ago.) So, what does this mean?
Stick With It: Try the Third Rep Rule
Every time I start something new, I follow a simple framework. It's called The Third Rep Rule. Give it a try if you always quit something new: