A Conversation with Temper Thompson

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Who is Temper Thompson?
He is the 19-year-old Kindle publishing expert & internet marketer that has been taking the market on at the surprise to a lot of bystanders.

I have had the benefit of visiting with him over the last few days and am seriously inspired by this young and unassuming man!

Let me tell you a little about him…

As an early teen, he wanted to make his own money so he could buy things like video games without having to constantly ask his parents for money. He Googled “how to make money online” and reaped the benefits of affiliate marketing for a bit, until that specific avenue ceased to be an option.

At the age of fourteen, Temper Thompson found himself looking again online for an idea and articles of Kindle book publishing intrigued him. As a person interested in making money, he knew he had to have a product that sold — so he tested, tried, and tested again. He would put out five different books at a time, all on different subjects/genre. He waited a bit to see which was the strongest performer and then continued to add books in that same market. This was a pattern he tested and repeated as he slowly increased his skills.

Jump to the seventeen-year-old Temper Thompson, and we see a young man driving a Mercedes E Class vehicle to his high school, that he paid for. If you don’t know anything about cars, I will tell you that it retails for approximately $60,000.

One year later, as a graduating Senior, he had published a little over 200 books.

Mind blowing.

Now, he is nineteen and teaching others how to replicate his path to success while taking his “magic formula” and exponentially applying his efforts.

Let’s jump into our conversation:

Temper, what are your thoughts on quantity vs quality of your books?

When I am testing things out, I go for quantity. After I see what is selling, then I produce more quality items in that niche. When I am testing I just want to get it out there, knowing I can go back later and bring the quick release books up to a better quality.

So, you are in high school and starting to make real money. What did your parents think?

I didn’t really tell them. I think that they were relieved that I wasn’t always asking for money. I occasionally mentioned it but they didn’t really understand what I was talking about. Then my Dad saw on Facebook the article written about me for Inc. magazine. I think it was kind of a shock to them.

When you are working on a book, what is the most important part of it to you?

The cover. If you don’t have a great cover, they will pass by your book and click on the next one.

So, they really DO judge a book by its cover! (we laughed) When focusing on the story, what are you most concerned about?

The grammar. It is the number one thing that people will complain about. They will stop reading and often leave a bad review. I mean, you can go back in and fix it, but then you have to try to get people back to trying your book. If you are in Kindle Unlimited, you don’t want to lose those “pages read” off that title.

So you have a great cover, your grammar is spot on, what next?

Marketing. You have to have a description that draws them in and then use the keywords to make sure your title is on the first page when readers search for the topic your book is about. Amazon helps you with that and gives you seven options to use. If you have a great cover and are on that first page, you should really do well. You also need reviews, so I ask the reader in the back of each book : If you liked this book, please leave a review on Amazon. I always say “if you LIKED this book” because I don’t want a review shared if they didn’t like it.

So you market for free, can list your title for free, and even make a free cover through Amazon? That means literally no overhead and you can start making a profit instantly, right?

You might pay someone to make your cover or editing your work (for grammar) before you upload it.

Where would you find someone to do that?

I use Fiverr.com

Let’s go back to your actual books for a minute, how did you publish over two hundred books in four years? When did you find the time to write them all?

I didn’t write them all, I hired ghost writers. After learning what sold, I wanted to really focus on those areas and by outsourcing the writing, I could increase the amount of books I published. I found other people who were successful and tried to apply what I learned from them.

So, you tried a few different things, tested the market, and are now trying to exponentially submit content to increase your income from what you gleamed from other like-minded individuals.

Yes. I still put out “test books” but am trying to really increase my online library and make a consistent income.

What about college? Is that something you see in your future?

Not at this moment, but I am keeping my options open.

How does it feel to be a role model for teenagers?

Really? I don’t see it.

You certainly are! You found a way to make real money when most teens are mowing lawns or babysitting. You taught yourself marketing with trial and error and connecting with like minded individuals, created a viable business model and applied yourself. You got through high school without drinking, doing drugs or getting into trouble AND you are very humble about your success. You just talked at a high school here to encourage other teens to “just do it” and get their ideas out there.

Wow, when you put it that way…. I just have never been the kind of person to tell everyone what I am doing. I would answer them if they were really interested but never went around talking about it.

Trust me: from a parent’s point of view: you are someone we would want our kids to emulate. You have a solid work ethic. Keep doing what you are and enjoy the ride.

Who can blame him? He is consistently selling over $30,000 a month and, after expenses, netting about $20,000. Multiply that by twelve months and you have a teenager making almost a quarter of a million dollars a year. He has a great head on his shoulders and is just a pretty darned nice guy.

If you are interested in learning more, he, and a panel of young writers will be in Waunakee this weekend for the First Writer’s Workshop . My own Miss Sarah is one of the speakers!