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Beyond the Margins: Author Entrepreneurship Beyond the Page

Authors, Do You Think In Terms of Profit or Expenses?

Published 4 days ago • 2 min read

Beyond the Margins: Build a Profitable Author Business

Dear Authors,

We run businesses. But when we spend day after day working in them, we can lose sight of the obvious opportunities for improvement — like staring at the same draft for the umpteenth time and no longer seeing what needs fixing.

We’re halfway through the year, which makes this a good time to step back and look at your business with fresh eyes and ask, “how does my business actually make a profit?”

Below are a few picks from the archives. From foundational business know-how — useful as a learning resource for beginners and a reminder for veterans alike — to ultra-specific tips and ideas.

  1. A ground-up picture of the “business” in “author business”:
    ​Author Business Foundations Cheat Sheet​
  2. Let income drive expenses and you’re guaranteed profit:
    ​Let Your Author Business Move at the Speed of Cash​
  3. Profit is partly about making money, but mostly about keeping it:
    ​Manage Your Money for the Next Level of Author Success​
  4. Sharon’s guide after 25 years of filing a Schedule C herself:
    ​Filing Schedule C and Writing Off Expenses for Your Author Business​
  5. 30+ expenses worth the time, effort, and cost:
    ​Spending to Earn: Identify author expenses that directly generate income​

Free Virtual Power Hours

Our free monthly Zoom calls are designed for you to make more money as an author and create/refine your author business model.

Each call is one hour and combines a little bit of author business education with a lot of community support and brainstorming, personalized to your questions and challenges.

  • September 17: Positioning Yourself in the World of AI: The Human Preference Economy​
    AI doesn’t make meaning or imagine—but we do. Sharon will lead an open discussion on the “Human Preference Economy,” its three main pillars, and the “micropreneur moment.” Together, we’ll brainstorm solutions to your questions and challenges in this era of AI and algorithms.
    ​
  • October: Author Business Bingo
    (Details and event link TBD)

The Profitable Author in the Spotlight

Recently, Kaleene Robertson over at Windy City Reviews reviewed Sharon's book, The Profitable Author. You can find the review here: https://www.windycityreviews.org/book-reviews/the-profitable-author. A brief passage I particularly enjoyed (emphasis mine):

I closed the book feeling less like I'd been handed a manual and more like I'd been believed in. With Sharon in your corner, the profitable author life isn't reserved for the few. It's built, deliberately and unglamorously, by the people willing to roll up their sleeves and claim it.

If you haven't heard of Windy City Reviews, they are a service by the Chicago Writers Association that writes free book reviews to help local authors find their footing in our busy market.

Their reviews are precise and punchy; they do amazing work. Check them out if you haven't already!

Thank you, Beks Roen

​Beks Roen was our presenter for yesterday's free monthly Zoom Power Hours. Thanks again, Beks, for giving our event attendees insight into how to reach young audiences in our digitally-saturated world.

⸻
All the best,
Kristoffer

Kristoffer Balintona, Content Specialist, Conspire Creative

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Beyond the Margins: Author Entrepreneurship Beyond the Page

by Sharon Woodhouse, Conspire Creative

Beyond the Margins is a twice-monthly newsletter helping authors create enterprises they love around their books, expertise, and experience. It combines 25+ years of indie publishing and author coaching into practical business insights, strategic guidance, and a community of author entrepreneurs.

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