I started as a freelancer on Upwork, getting clients as a virtual assistant. Then, I started a blog on Wordpress.com to get used to writing and get better in SEO...Once I was confident, I started on Upwork working writing gigs for clients. I kept about 3-4 clients at a time for income. While I was freelancing, I was still writing on my own thinking how I could maximize the subject and started the books, podcast etc. Over time of not giving up, it worked out.