Hello Author Friends, You've worked hard all year. Writing. Book marketing. Book selling. Website finessing. Email list growing. Event hawking. Pushing yourself to your creative limits. We'd like to reward you with some year-end author bonuses that will keep you on track, solidify and grow your author business in 2026 and beyond. LEARN & PRACTICE First, read this and prepare to implement: Schedule These Seven Moves Soon to Start or Re-Energize Your Author Business for 2026: One baby step at a...
13 days ago • 2 min read
Hello Author Friends, Here’s what I hear all the time: “I’ll launch that new service after the holidays.” “I can’t focus on my author business with all this political chaos.” “Life got in the way—I’ll get back to writing and marketing when things settle down.” But here’s the thing about things: they never settle down. There’s always a holiday around the corner, breaking news that feels urgent, some life event demanding attention. If you wait for the perfect calm to make business decisions,...
25 days ago • 2 min read
Hello Author Friends, My message today is: Don't slow down because of end-of-the-year busy-ness or because you think you didn't plan far enough ahead for ideal holiday promotions. About 25% of all book sales occur in November and December. People are actively spending money buying books as gifts AND for themselves; don't miss out on your cut of the action. LEARN & PRACTICE Some lighthearted holiday marketing tips: Authors, Time to Send Out Your Holiday Photo Cards to Bookstores and Other...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hello Author Friends, My message today is: Don't forget the power of building momentum for your book marketing and author businesses through daily outreach and "doing 5 things a day." LEARN & PRACTICE Learn all about author outreach and get support for your outreach challenges at next week's free, one-hour Zoom call: Trick or Treat: Author Outreach and Connection Edition You're invited to a free Halloween-themed power hour for authors. RSVP today! Thursday, October 30, 2025, 1pm – 2pm CT...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hello Author Friends, My message today is: Plan ahead for what you want 2026 to be for your author business. Business. Not craft, not career, not life. What should your author business be next year to be the proper support for you author goals and larger author vision? What sort of author business foundation can help you reach the most readers and serve them with your distinct flavor of wordsmithing, emotion-stirring, entertainment, education, inspiration, enrichment, edification? Whatever it...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hello Author Friends, Imagine two futures come early February 2026... Future A — A future in which you have spent the past three months accelerating your author business Future B — A future in which you didn’t do anything different in the previous three months than you've always done If Future A is looking good to you, I invite you to consider joining my new program: From Published to Profitable: The Author’s Business Accelerator Start 2026 moving from published author to profitable...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Hello Author Friends, My message today is...do not lose steam for 2025 as we enter Quarter IV. There are still three months left for promoting and selling your book/s and building and refining your author business. LEARN & PRACTICE My challenge for you is to make at least one BIG sale before the end of the year, to learn about volume sales and make one happen for you and your book/s. Get a taste of how this could work for you on an ongoing basis. Remember the proven outreach formula. Read...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Hello Author Friends, Welcome to all the new subscribers who came this way from the Printers Row Lit Fest in Chicago a couple weekends back! First Things First Here are a few things to know right off (and these apply to those of you long on this list, too). All authors, aspiring or established, are welcome to sign up for a free 30-minute, no-strings, no-pressure strategy call. Pick a time on my calendar here. I invite everyone to subscribe to my Substack: The Profitable Author / An Author...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Hello Author Friends, If you'll be at Chicago's Printers Row Lit Fest this weekend, stop by and say hi! I'll be selling and talking about The Profitable Author: 1,001 Ways to Build a Business You Love Around Your Books from the Society of Midland Authors Booth, Tent NN. That's the westernmost booth on Polk Street, just east of the stage. Come by and sign up for a free 30-minute strategy session and ask me your most vexing author business and book marketing questions. What's challenging you...
3 months ago • 1 min read