2020 kicked my butt. Hard core. But I don’t feel alone in that, and I know that many had it harder than me for a variety of reasons. My mantra for 2020: Get back to the basics.
Professionally, I told myself that (student) growth is (student) growth, and it’s okay if this year doesn’t show as much growth as normal. Personally, simply making it through the day was a significant win. In all areas, I had to scale down expectations of what I could physically and mentally accomplish in a day.
Because of that, blogging took a back seat. I didn’t stop writing though; in fact, writing picked up! But it was different.
I had been working on a book, in various ways, for quite a while, but the summer of 2020 made me kick it into high gear. I submitted 15-25-page manuscript proposals to ten different publishers, which led to signing a contract with Routledge Press, an imprint of the international academic publisher Taylor & Francis.
On June 22, 2021, my book, The Ultimate Guide to Selling Your Original World Language Resources is officially out!
This book outlines how to make money on platforms like TeachersPayTeachers.com (TpT), and it is the first book on this topic exclusively written for world language teachers. It includes three main sections:
Section 1: Opening Your Store
This section breaks down the nuances of opening a store. Are you a new seller? Are you thinking about opening an online curriculum store on TeachersPayTeachers.com or another platform? This section is for you! One of the most important chapters covers “imposter syndrome”–that nagging feeling that makes us think we don’t really know what we’re doing and have no business being here–and how to cope with that.
Section 2: Filling Your Store
Online curriculum stores are, largely, a numbers game. The more resources you create and post, the more you will sell, and the more money you will passively earn. (Of course, that doesn’t mean the resources can be crap; they have to be strong.) This section shows tried and true ways to “beef up” your offerings. Think you don’t have much to sell? I would bet that you do! Let me show you what those items are!
Section 3: Growing a Successful Store
Here, I detail a variety of ways to “level up”. Some of what I discuss in this chapter will have other sellers screaming, “You should do that from Day 1,” but I maintain that if we throw too much at new sellers, potential for burnout and giving up is too great. I don’t believe that everything needs to happen Day 1. Some sellers are selling as their full-time job; others use it as a side hustle and hope to make $100/month. These two types of sellers are not the same, and they don’t have to approach their stores as if they are. This chapter gives ideas; when you’re ready to take a bigger step, here’s where to turn.
I know that there are plenty of TpT stores out there that are “fancy”: the teacher-author has clearly put a lot of time, effort, and (likely) money, into creative fonts, images, and layouts. That’s all well and good, but it can deter newcomers from entering the arena. It can scare off teachers who might have great materials and ideas that are good for kids! As attractive as some of those stores may be, it’s not my style, nor is it what I teach in the book.
My approach is simple and, most importantly, highly effective. I maintain that basic tools are the key to a successful TpT (or other online curriculum platform) store. When in the hands of a creative, hard-working, teacher-author, these simple tools create curriculum that can benefit all kids, and there are no geographic boundaries to hold us back. And, excitingly, there’s no limit to the amount of passive income we can make!
Simply by writing this book to help others I suppose I am creating competition for my own curriculum store. Meh. I’m not so much bothered by that. I believe in the power of all of us to produce creative, clear, and valuable curriculum for kids. That’s what it’s about. As long as our resources are original, there is room for everyone, and I’m happy to support colleagues around the world with my book.
