5 ways to make money in your sleep

1.Sell stock content

Credit: Nicolas Alejandro – Flickr

Websites, advertisers, self-publishers and app creators all need secondary content, from images to music, video and sound effects. If you spend your spare time snapping, sketching or singing anyway, this could be the route for you.

How it works: You upload your work to several library sites for users to browse, pick and pay for. Royalties are typically low so you’ll need to build up a bank of work before it starts paying off. It’s also worth checking what’s trending or is always in demand and submit on those themes.

You don’t need to be a pro to get successful with stock: niche ideas are in just as much demand as flawless execution. Think photos, logos, jingles, stickers, icons, buttons, banners and beeps. The sky’s the limit!

Try these on for size

Shutterstock: photos, video, illustrations, music

iStock: photos, video, illustrations, audio

Dreamstime, Fotolia, Picfair: photos

Patternbank: fabric designs

LINE: emoji, stickers

Dafont, MyFonts: typography

Envato: everything from graphics to web themes and music

While not as simple as using a stock site, you can also sell music and sound FX through iTunes and Soundcloud, and anything else through your own site/store.

Some sites ask you to submit your best samples before they’ll accept you as a contributor. If one says no, try the others – there are loads of paying stock sites out there.

2.Write an eBook

2. Credit: Kate Ter 
   With eBooks predicted to outsell print books by 2018, if you’ve a passion for publishing then digital has to be worth a punt.
   Your secret stash of short stories is a great place to start – but if you’re in it for the money rather than the Pulitzer, see what’s selling and work back from there. Check the best-seller lists but don’t fixate on fiction. There’s a chart for everything from politics to poker so, if there’s a topic you know (perhaps something related to your studies?),Click hear 
   Credit: Jason Howie – Flickr
   The question isn’t whether you’ll make a million (… unlikely), but whether you need to be a coding ninja. The surprising answer is: nope.
   If you’ve got a functional app in mind (i.e., it ‘does something’, or extends built-in messaging, camera or system tools) you’ll need to talk some kind of computer lingo – or find someone who does and split your profits! Until then, MIT’s free browser-based App Inventor lets you drag and drop ‘building blocks’ instead of churning out code.
   If games are your thing, it’s possible to create professional apps – from Sonic-style endless runners to Angry Birds physics puzzles – with next to no coding. You’ll need to get your hands on a ‘game engine’: a bit of kit that helps you design, develop and deploy apps right from your desktop. There are several out there including Unity, which is free, is drag-drop friendly and supports multi-platform publishing (build once and launch to IOS, Android and PC at the same time – a must if you want to maximise potential sales)....

Affiliate marketing

Credit: Moyan Brenn – Flickr

Want your own internetz store, but don’t have anything to sell? Start a site that plugs products and businesses on other sites for a cut of the sale instead.

How it works: You add special tracking links on your own website or blog, or pop ‘em out through social media. If someone follows your link – and buys the item – you get a referral fee. You don’t need to faff about with storage and shipping as the stores take care of that themselves.Click hear 

Print-on-demand products

Credit: 55Laney69 – Flickr

From t-shirts to baby bibs, there are scores of stores that sell customisable gear and gadgets: the opportunity lies in selling your inspiration to other customers.

One of the best-known marketplaces is CafePress, which sells just about anything that has a blank surface. Whoever you go with, sign up for a seller’s account (to sell via the store) or a shop account (to sell from your own site).

You then upload your best illustrations, photos or jokes, and pick which products can be customized with your art. If someone buys an item from your range, you get a cut of the sale – without having to manufacture, stock or ship anything. You don’t even need any ideas of your own: if you’re fresh out of inspiration, you can list other people’s custom products for a referral fee instead.

Top tip: go for cute or funny images, logos and quotes that work on multiple products, from pens to pet accessories toClick hear