The easy asset type mass media NEVER talk about.

And why, since AI arrived, it’s become the easiest one for an ordinary person to own…

Turn on any finance programme. Open any money newsletter. Scroll any investing account.

You’ll hear about property. Stocks. Index funds. Crypto. Gold. Maybe a franchise or two.

What you almost never hear about is the asset I’ve been building since 2012. It helped pay for my family’s relocation to the UK.

It doesn’t need a big pile of capital, years of specialist expertise, or a team of people to get started. And thanks to AI, it’s now easier to create than it has ever been.

Folarin OmoAkin, Founder, RoyaltyOS

13 November 2026 · 4 min read

In this article I’ll cover four things.

1. Why mainstream media focuses on big assets like property and stocks.
2. How intellectual property earns royalties and how Amazon helps you spot demand and reach readers.
3. How AI makes it easier to create a useful book, even without writing experience.
4. What has to happen before a published book earns royalties.

First, why listen to me?

In January 2012 I read a newspaper article about a young novelist selling her own ebooks and earning a living from them. It connected with an idea that had stayed with me since reading Robert Kiyosaki’s CASHFLOW Quadrant. Royalties.

On 12 October 2012 I published my first book. Thirty-three chicken recipes. $2.99. It made $80.

Nothing life-changing, but it showed me that the same book could sell again. So I kept publishing.

When my family relocated to the UK in 2022, the royalties came with us. They covered our relocation, our living costs and my wife’s school fees, over £60,000 in under 18 months.

I still work a salaried job with long hours. This is an asset you can build alongside a full life.

#1. Why mass media only talks about the “big” assets

Traditional assets are attractive. They’re also big business. Mortgages, brokerages, trading apps and fund managers advertise, sponsor and supply stories the media runs.

Look at what each one can ask of you before it pays you a penny.

• Capital. A deposit, a portfolio, stock or premises.
• Expertise. Markets, regulation, tax, valuation and negotiation.
• People. Agents, tenants, staff, suppliers and managers.

#2. The asset hiding in plain sight — intellectual property

Think about how a songwriter earns. They write a song once. When it’s streamed, played on the radio or used in an advert, royalties can flow back to the people who own the rights.

That’s intellectual property, an asset you create rather than buy. Music, films, software, courses, photography and books are all examples.

You need something worth creating and somewhere to sell it.

Amazon helps with both.

Start typing a topic into Amazon’s book search and the suggestions give you clues about what readers are already looking for.

Then, through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), you can publish your book and make it available to readers through Amazon stores around the world.

#3. Why books are now the easiest IP to own

A hit song takes talent and luck. A film usually needs a crew. Software needs development. You don’t need writing experience to create a book asset. AI can help you research what readers need, build an outline and turn your ideas into a first draft.

You choose the problem to solve and review the draft for accuracy and usefulness before you publish. That’s how I keep publishing around a demanding job.

#4. When does a book actually become an asset?

A book becomes an income-producing asset when it earns.

One of my students, Cyril from Poole, wrote a book he was sure would sell. It flopped. We looked at why, and he changed how he chose his next book. That one did far better. His book royalties now reach four figures.

Same person. Same effort. The difference was choosing a book that solves a problem people pay to solve.

The easy way to start

If you take three things from this article, remember these.

1. Traditional assets often take money, expertise and people to get started. A book gives you a way to start on a smaller scale.
2. A book is intellectual property you can create and own. AI can help you get started even if you’ve never written a book.
3. A useful book can earn royalties when it solves a problem readers care about and they can find and buy it.

Whether you learn this from me or somewhere else, I’d encourage you to put book assets on your list.

If you’d like the shortcut, the Royalty Income Workshop is a 120-minute, on-demand session where I walk you through how to choose a book idea, create it with AI and publish it through Amazon KDP. It’s £27, and you can watch it in a few minutes from now.

That’s all.

— Folarin

P.S. You don’t need to quit anything to start. I built mine around a full-time job. Get instant access to the workshop.

Personal and student results are individual examples. Earnings are not guaranteed. Earnings disclaimer