In this 2-volume book, I introduce a practical path: building a Shopify store, running a dropshipping business designed specifically for creative professionals, & using it as a total e-commerce solution for your own products, too.
I wrote this book after decades of working as a technologist, teaching e-commerce as an MBA elective, & mentoring thousands of writers who asked me the same question: How can I create sustainable income without losing focus on my creative craft?
Dropshipping doesn't bring instant wealth but is a proven model for selling products online without holding inventory. The difference is in execution, which I will guide like I do for my paying clients. Most books recycle shallow tutorials. I offer a richer, more comprehensive framework grounded in e-commerce principles, creator values, & real-world practice.
What makes this book different?
I see you as a relatable creator. Your skills in storytelling, branding, & building communities give you a natural advantage in e-commerce. I show you how to use them. Besides, in volume 3, I will show you how to market and sell your products using the powerful shopify.
The story of e-commerce from the early 2000s to now, with insights from my tech career building online stores, teaching MBA students, running my WooCommerce bookstore before moving my 50+ digital/audio books to Shopify.
Why Shopify has become the most accessible platform for creators, how it differs from WooCommerce, Amazon FBA, & other systems.
What dropshipping is & what it is not. Learn the principles, best practices, and common pitfalls before you spend a single dollar.
How to set up your Shopify store step by step, from domain & design to payments, shipping, and customer policies based on my experience.
Why a soft launch matters. Test your store with small groups to avoid wasted marketing budgets & credibility risks.
Organic traffic strategies using Substack, Patreon, Medium, Vocal Media, Kit, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Quora, and LinkedIn that creators use & trust.
Paid traffic experiments using Facebook, TikTok, and Google as learning labs, not gambles.
Analytics & scaling to grow responsibly with data instead of guesswork.
Advanced growth models: private labeling, inventory management, subscriptions, & partnerships that evolve your store into a brand.
Customer service & reputation management, where empathy & responsiveness turn one-time buyers into long-term advocates.
Each chapter combines clear explanations, industry best practices, practical takeaways, key pitfalls to avoid, and real-world examples. I also include screenshots of my relevant Shopify shop, so you can see what the implementation looks like in practice.
The goal of this book is not to pull you away from your creative path but to strengthen it. Passive income through e-commerce frees you from constant financial worry, giving you more time/energy to focus on writing your next book, building your Substack, or growing your startup. You will walk away with:
A complete roadmap from setup to scaling.
Lessons drawn from both successes & failures.
Ethical & sustainable strategies tailored to creators.
This book contains no hype, no fluff, no empty promises. I offer a clear, credible, creator-focused path to turning your skills, principles, and values into lasting financial stability.
If you are ready to stop relying on unpredictable royalties or client fees, instead, build a business asset that complements your creativity, this book will be your next step toward achieving your goals with my guidance.
Dr. Mehmet Yildiz is a cognitive scientist, postdoctoral researcher, and seasoned technologist who has worked as a Distinguished Enterprise Architect certified by The Open Group on multi-billion-dollar projects until 2021. With over 45 years of experience in the IT and healthcare industries, he has led complex enterprise projects for large corporate organizations, including IBM, Siemens, and Microsoft. His focus is on cutting-edge technology and science-based solutions for health and wellness.
He is a seasoned writer and the author of multiple books on technology, health, science, and content development, combining decades of experience in science, technology, enterprise architecture, and corporate business leadership. With an academic, research, innovation, and invention background, Dr. Yildiz has made significant contributions to content creation, marketing, strategy, and digital innovation.
As the chief editor and owner of 18 prominent publications on Medium, he has built a thriving community of over 38,000 writers, supporting them in their creative journeys. His expertise extends to Medium and Substack, where he continues cultivating a large, engaged community, guiding writers to discover their unique voices, grow their audiences, and develop sustainable newsletter-based businesses.
In addition to his publications on Medium, he owns multiple publications on Substack: one focused on health and wellness, another on technology, and a third on content marketing strategy, which has garnered over 256,000 subscribers. In his recent book Substack Mastery and Advanced Substack Toolkit, Dr. Yildiz distilled decades of knowledge into actionable insights, offering writers, book authors, and content startups practical strategies to succeed in today’s competitive digital landscape.
You can connect with the author on several platforms linked to his website, digitalmehmet.com.