Beyond the Margins: Build a Profitable Author Business Hello everyone, this is Kristoffer. You don’t know me yet, but I met Sharon over a year ago and, as a fellow Chicagoan, I’ve had the pleasure of working with her ever since. For the last few months, that’s meant helping assemble these newsletter editions. Now, I am excited to introduce myself as Conspire Creative’s new newsletter writer! I look forward to continuing to help Sharon guide authors toward building their own sustainable...
16 days ago • 3 min read
Beyond the Margins: Build a Profitable Author Business Hello Authors, Make your business decidely you. It's easy for authors to feel like they should be what their audience wants them to be, without realizing that there’s an audience for who they already are. That is, one strong basis for creating a sustainable business is doubling down on, leaning into, your differences instead of sanding them away. Building an author business is challenging, but when you approach it strategically, it can...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Beyond the Margins: Build a Profitable Author Business Hello Author Friends, Author businesses are tough because they are living, changing, growing things. Strategies fail, what works for one author may not work for another, and bad advice is often mixed in with the good. Do I rework a failing strategy or abandon it completely? How do I make an event uniquely “mine”? (Look out for next edition’s article list for more on this!) What can I take from the most successful? That’s what this edition...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Beyond the Margins: Build a Profitable Author Business Hello Author Friends, We don't necessarily like to grapple with them, but like any worthwhile venture, building an author business comes with hard lessons. Business is full of them. And after years and years of working with authors trying to make a living from their writing and build sustainable careers and enterprises brick by brick, I’ve noticed certain recurring pitfalls, whether from misunderstanding or habit. These obstacles rarely...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Beyond the Margins: Build a Profitable Author Business Hello Author Friends, Yes, business can seem tricky, but the reality is often less complicated than it may first seem. You may have heard me say it before, but it bears repeating: Business is not as hard as writing a book, and you've done that! There can be many moving pieces to running a business—especially a sustainable one—and the learning curve may be steeper than you wish. But don't make it more complicated than it is or needs to be....
3 months ago • 3 min read
Beyond the Margins: Build a Profitable Author Business Hello Chicago Authors, I’m involved in an exciting event in Lincoln Square this Thursday, May 14, and I hope you’ll join us! Conspire Creative, the Chicago Writers Association, and the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame are co-hosting a free event with a Chicago startup that’s genuinely changing how writers work—and I think you’ll want to see this for yourself and weigh in.The Craft vs. Tools Debate: Better Stories Through Software? Thursday,...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Beyond the Margins: Build a Profitable Author Business Hello Author Friends, This month is devoted to May and future events. Part of my mission with Beyond the Margins is to combine a little bit of author business knowledge with mutual author support, brainstorming, coaching, and networking in a range of virtual and in-person, free and paid, creative and energizing events. Take a look at what's coming in May...and beyond. Free Virtual Power Hours Thursday, May 14, 1pm–2pm CT: You’re an...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Beyond the Margins Build a profitable author business April 17, 2026 Hello authors, As authors, you know how to write. You like writing, talking about it, imagining what's down the line…On the other hand, there's selling and marketing. It can feel unnatural, forced, and transactional—exactly the opposite of the care and passion you bring to your craft. But sales and self-promotion don't have to feel crass or inauthentic. Instead, approach both as extensions of who you already are: share what...
4 months ago • 3 min read
Beyond the Margins presents Experience-Driven Marketing: Creative Events & Partnerships That Work for You with Author David Jay Collins Business Know-How + Author Community Support Why did I invite David to lead one of our Power Hours? Because every time I saw him on Instagram (or in my neighborhood) he was doing something fresh and creative! Why should yout not miss this one? Because I've seen his slides and heard his info and you are guaranteed to be inspired and learn something (I did!)....
4 months ago • 1 min read