The Profitable Author is a roadmap and guide for turning writing into a real business by exploring mindset, marketing, sales, and income streams to help authors turn book sales into a career path. Why was this an important book for you to write?

I started writing the articles in this book as a way for me to find closure (!) in publishing and consider my post-publishing career path. It was the pandemic, I was closing down my primary publishing company (a traditional indie press) after 25 years, and I was using some of my spare time to process and dump everything I had learned into articles on Medium. At some point I realized I had a specialty that was different from others I knew in the book world, and not only that, it was something I was passionate about: Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship as the best path for most authors to reach their author goals―big and small, financial and non-financial. And, entrepreneurship as a path to “the good life,” eudaimonia as the Greeks called it―human flourishing.

What is a common misconception you feel people have about successful authors?

That success is one thing and looks the same for everyone

What are some key ideas authors should focus on to turn their published book into a multistream income opportunity?

Two things. First, start by shifting from “I’m an author who wrote a book” to “I’m a business owner who uses my books and authorship as foundational assets.” Your book proves your expertise and gives you credibility (true for fiction as well as nonfiction), but the money comes from what you build around it—volume sales, creative sales, sponsorships and other partnerships, speaking engagements, workshops, coaching, consulting, courses, licensing your content, creating tools or resources, and more. The authors I’ve worked with who build sustainable income don’t just sell more books; they leverage their books to sell higher-value services, events, and additional products.

Another perspective change is understanding that a business can be built on your distinctive combination of expertise, experience, preferences, and personality—not just the content of your book or books. Look for unexpected angles and partnerships. Maybe your thriller becomes the foundation for corporate training on crisis management. Maybe your cookbook leads to culinary tours or restaurant consulting. The most successful author businesses I’ve seen come from people who stop asking “How do I sell more books?” and start asking “What problems can I solve for people who would value what I know?” 

And…if you really want to sell more books, it’s time to start thinking, who needs 2  or 3 copies of this book? Then, who needs 5–10? Then, who needs 50–100? Then, who needs 500, 1,000, 5,000 copies? Challenge yourself to keep thinking bigger…and to keep challenging yourself.

What is one thing that you hope readers take away from The Profitable Author?

First and foremost that it is POSSIBLE for them to build a business they love around their books, authorship, expertise, experiences. And, not possible “in theory.” Possible for them. Others have done it and they can too. I like to take that one step further and emphasize: Others who are smarter—and let’s face it—dumber than you. Others who are richer and who are poorer. Others who are better connected and less connected than you. Others who are more talented—and again, true fact, less talented than you, brilliant reader.

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