Author Myne Witman Tells How Her Blog Makes Money

Today I’d like to welcome author and blogger extraordinaire Myne Whitman. Her  educational and entertaining blog has become a money maker. (I made sure to take notes during this interview.)

NP: Please tell us a little about yourself.

MW: Myne Whitman is a pseudonym, I was born Nkem Okotcha and that is what has been translated loosely from my first language, Igbo, to English. I have lived in three countries Nigeria where I was born as well as the United States where I currently live with my husband, and Britain where I spent several years in between. These countries all play a role in who I am today. But the most important aspects of my background can be found in the thousands of books I’ve read.

NP: How long have you been writing?

MW: I’ve always loved reading and writing, exploring one’s thoughts and engaging with others on their’s as well. I started writing in my early teens. I was struggling with the transition between primary and secondary school and not being a tomboy or spending a lot of time outdoors playing anymore. Writing about young girls having adventures and doing the things I missed doing helped me at this point. I will however say I really started writing when romance became a big part of my life in my late teens, I wrote the dreams I had of healthy relationships between my heroines and the men of their dreams.

NP: When did you start blogging?

MW: I started blogging in 2009 after I got married and moved to the States. I had just started writing again and a writing partner suggested getting feedback from an audience that would more easily identify with my stories than an American would. I was also hoping to get the attention of a publisher or movie-maker.

NP: At what point did you start making money from blogging?

MW: That was in late 2011. I applied to the Blogher Network and was accepted. It has been growing since then.

NP: Does blogging sustain you financially or do you have another job?

MW: I don’t have another job. My husband is our family’s main earner, but what I do earn through blogging and my books is now enough to do most of what I need to do personally.

NP: Now tell us your secret, how did you start making money from blogging?

MW: LOL… there is no secret. It’s all about having the content that people like and promoting your site. By 2011 when I converted my blog to a business, I had self-published two of my books, and the online promotion that made them Amazon bestsellers had also catapulted my blog to winning the Nigerian Blog of the Year in 2010, and increased the traffic almost 10times. These things are easily verifiable and advertisers send me emails asking for me to promote their business or products.

NP: Your titles hook me to your blog posts. How do you come up with such catchy titles?

MW: Thank you. I guess it’s the mind of a writer. It also helps to check out what others who’ve been there before you do, and those you look up to. My best mentors are writers who are also in the Blogher Network, Linda Ikeji and Bellanaija.

NP: What’s next on the horizon for you?

MW: My best friend will say I’m building an online media empire, lol. I just want to keep writing, growing a community with a thirst for stories with a Nigerian and African bias whether online or book published and create a platform to promote others. I hope to grow a viable business with this model.

NP: Before you go, please give an analogy of what writing is for you.

MW: Writing for me is that link that binds us together, sharing stories, building communities, finding identity.

Thank you so much for being on my blog, Myne. Here is some information about her romance novel. Check out her blog, you will not be disappointed.

Contact information:

Blog: http://www.romancemeetslife.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Myne_Whitman

A Love Rekindled Blurb 
When Efe Sagay receives a transfer to the branch of a prestigious hotel chain in the Nigerian capital, she accepts it, happy to return home to family after years in the United States. Also, Nigeria is a big place, right? There should be nothing about her new city, Abuja, to remind her of the heartbreak of her relationship with ex-fiancé, Kevwe Mukoro.

However, Efe is facing Kevwe across an office seven months later, swamped by emotions she’d thought were dead. When Kevwe claims he’s never stopped loving her, and asks why she abandoned him, Efe stomps off, incensed. It was the other way around! 

But they are unable to stay away from each other, and buried desire flares. Ultimately, passion is no match for the bitter memories of broken promises. Efe and Kevwe have to resolve the traumatic events of the past before love can be rekindled.

Buy link: Amazon

A Heart to Mend blurb
Gladys moves to live with an estranged aunt in Lagos and to continue her search for a job. Before long she lands the job of her dreams with the foremost oil company in the city and makes several new friends. She also gradually resolves the mystery of why her aunt previously cut all ties with their family. But the best part about her new life is meeting Edward Bestman. 

Edward is good-looking, super rich but emotionally scarred. Gladys gets him to see that she loves him and that together they can surmount all their differences. However, when they return from a romantic trip abroad, they find that some unnamed people are about to take over his business empire. Edward's past has come back to haunt both of them as Gladys is enmeshed in the loss of several million shares of the Bestman Group. 

Who are the people close to Edward who want to betray him and destroy his happiness with Gladys? Will Edward overcome his fear of love and commitment and put his trust in Gladys?

Buy Link: Amazon