Why a Brick-by-Brick Approach Pays Off
WELCOME to Thrifty Tips For Authors -
A Brick-By-Brick Guide to 7 Figure Income to Building Your Author Brand Strategy
No matter if you're a newbie author or are multi-published, self-publishing is hard! Are you:
- Overwhelmed?
- Feeling out of control?
- Totally lost in a sea of information?
- Not sure if you're spending money on things that matter?
- Tired of spending money to make money?
- Hoping you don't goof and lose advertising or social media access?
- Trying to stay up on the latest publishing trends before they change...again?
Does this woman look like you (except maybe you're in pajamas or sweats?)
You've written a book (or two or many) and that's amazing! But it's all still an overwhelming challenge.
I can totally relate. I've been there!
It's time to create your author action plan, one that we'll make together with little to no cost that provides ways to grow your income to 7 figures. After this class you'll feel empowered in your author career knowing you can handle the craziness of self-publishing. It's time to get off that tightrope and take your power back!
THE BRICK-BY-BRICK PLAN: Every author needs a strong author foundation. Which house will hold up better to the latest whims of publishing? Which will still stand if an ad account is shut down? Which will allow you to work confidently in growing your revenue?
As we work through this course together, brick-by-brick, you'll identify where you can swap out the straw for enduring bricks that will only grow your author brand strategy (aka- your author house). Just like a real custom home, every author will have a different plan and a different final product, but remember, every house has to have a solid foundation.
We'll make one that's just right for you so you can stress less and succeed more.
This is FOMO free! There's no fear of missing out on what other authors are up to because you can do the latest shiny promotion or tackle the coolest app, but know that you're not relying on either alone for your success. You can always venture out for a little fun, but know your house will always be there.
By the end of the course, you'll have the tools to build your own strong foundation. I'll show you how, brick by brick.
What's the saying? But wait, there's more!
You'll even have the concepts and know-how of power-packed additional bricks that can take books you've already written and nudge your income to four, five, six and even seven figures!
Do these sound familiar to you?
- You write romance? That's not real writing. (cue laughing)
- Don't stop. Write more books!
- Write faster! / Why are you writing so often?
- Write them hotter! / You'll end up in the erotica dungeon if you keep that up!
- Pay for ads! / How can you afford all those ads?
- Have hot men on the cover! / Don't have hot men on the cover!
- Send more newsletters to keep up with your readers! / Don't burn out your readers' inboxes!
- Give a book away! / Why are you giving away your hard earned work?
- Your book's too long! / Your book's too short!
- Show off your author name on your book! / Don't be so obvious. Your author name is too big on your book.
Just like you, I've heard all these, too. Maybe one side, or both sides of the same challenge. I've heard these comments and more when it comes to my publishing. I felt like I couldn't win. If I stepped left, I was supposed to go right. If I went right, someone else told me to go left. GAH!
Oh, it wasn't easy. Many times I decided it wasn't worth the effort. Family and friends thought my 'hobby' was amusing. Amusing! I felt lonely and isolated. Sometimes even shamed. I kept being distracted by what other authors were doing. What I thought I should be doing. The only thing that didn't fail was my ability to juggle on a tight rope on a unicycle.
This is exactly what I went through.
I went from $650 in 2015 to 7 figures by 2020. Not just with one pen name, but two. At that beginning, I published a book every 28 days to stay up in the algorithm on Amazon (yes, back in the day a book, even wide, was more visible in this 4-week window). I relied solely on my new release income. Then...
BAM! In 2017, my Facebook ad account shut down. I had to quickly figure out how to promote my books and to grow my brand without that tool. There was no TikTok, no author stores to sell your own books. Facebook was KING (or QUEEN) when it came to reaching readers.
I had to focus on what I could do, not what I couldn't any longer. I couldn't control Facebook. I could control the things I owned. My books. My website. My newsletter. A reader magnet. Bonus content. I honed my author branding so readers recognized my books. I tweaked my words so those same readers knew what to expect from my stories, my publishing timeline and more.
The only thing of value from the list above is: WRITE MORE BOOKS!
So I did. A lot. As I said, within five years, I went from five figures to seven figures WITHOUT paid ads.
Seeing earnings AND expenses is really important. And paying for and being in an author's course, you want to be reassured she didn't spend hundreds of thousands to make 7 figures. I won't say I make 7 figures without telling you how much I spent to get there.
In 2000, my expenses were 8% of my earnings. In 2021, it was 9%. In 2022, it was 6%. So for every $100 I earned, I kept $94. I made over a million dollars each year... and because my expenses were so low, KEPT over a million dollars.
This entire process I set up and implemented on not one, but two pen names. You can too!
Let's start building. Together!
Remember that author house I mentioned? Ditch the straw for sturdy base of your author strategy. It's time to take the top off this author house and start with the foundation! Let's begin building brick by brick.