Business Smarts For Authors

Writing a book is just the first step toward building your career as an author—and now it’s time to embrace the business side! The Business Smarts for Authors page is packed with expert advice to help you succeed in every aspect of the publishing business. Learn how to build your author platform, market your books effectively, and avoid common scams or pitfalls in the industry. From tips on working with agents to leveraging marketing tools and forming professional groups, this page has everything you need to grow your writing career and make informed business decisions. These resources will guide you every step of the way, helping you become a successful author and savvy entrepreneur.

The Money-Making Author Mindset: Strategies for Financial Growth and Success for Writers

By Aspiring Writer Academy | March 7, 2023

Mindset is an essential part of building a successful writing career. Without the right mental framework, it is difficult for authors to build a profitable writing career. In our blog post The Money-Making Author Mindset: Strategies for Financial Growth and Success we cover different mindset shifts authors can make to increase book sales and their income.

An Author Website is Your Ultimate Marketing Tool: Here’s Why

By Samantha Panzera | February 27, 2023

In this digital age having a website is a must for authors who want to build their online presence, promote their books, and reach a larger audience. What many authors don’t realize is that an author website can be their ultimate marketing tool. In this article, An Author Website is Your Ultimate Marketing Tool: Here’s Why, we’ll take a look at the key elements of an effective author website. We will cover the benefits of having an author website, what to include in an author website, and tips for designing an effective author website. So, if you’re an author who is ready to take your career to the next level, let’s get started.

How to Handle Negative Book Reviews

By Aspiring Writer Academy | February 9, 2023

One of the hardest parts of being an author is being hit with negative book reviews. Especially as a new author. Negative book reviews can be absolutely devastating. Authors pour their heart and soul into their books, sometimes spending months or years crafting, writing, and polishing up a story and bad reviews can cut deep. In this article, we’ll discuss How to Handle Negative Book Reviews and how to use them as an opportunity to improve and grow as an author.

Biggest Self-Publishing Mistakes New Authors Make

By Samantha Panzera | November 29, 2022

There is a lot to learn about writing and self-publishing. In this blog post, we will cover the Biggest Self-Publishing Mistakes New Authors Make to help you avoid common pitfalls and give your book its best chance of success.

What to Include in Your Author Newsletter

By Samantha Panzera | November 15, 2022

As an author, you have probably heard that you need an email list to market your books. You may have signed up for an email mailing list service and are ready to craft your first newsletter, except while staring at the blank page, you have no idea what to do. What should you write? What do readers want to hear about? In this post, we will help you brainstorm What to Include in Your Author Newsletter.

Why Authors Need an Email Newsletter

By Samantha Panzera | November 1, 2022

As a new author, you may be wondering if you actually need an author newsletter. Why not only use social media and ads? Are email lists truly worth it? In this post, we will cover Why Authors Need an Email Newsletter and how you can utilize your email list to sell more books.

Fiction Writing: Critique Group Etiquette & Warning Signs of a Good Group Gone Bad

By Darlene Panzera | October 24, 2022

Are you looking to join a critique group and wonder if it will be the right fit for you?
Or have you been in a critique group for a while, but doubt whether the feedback is helpful?
Worse, are you a writer who has suddenly found themselves stuck in a toxic critique group due to changes within the group dynamic?
In Fiction Writing: Critique Group Etiquette & Warning Signs of a Good Group Gone Bad, we discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly to help you get the best feedback on your work.

What Authors Need to Know About ISBN Numbers Before Self-Publishing

By Samantha Panzera | October 4, 2022

As a new writer, you may have heard the term ISBN used frequently in the publishing world but you may be wondering, what is it? In our blog post What Authors Need to Know About ISBN Numbers Before Self-Publishing, we will cover exactly what every author needs to know about ISBNs, including why they are used, how much they cost, and where to get one for your books.

Fiction Writing: How to Get a Literary Agent

By Darlene Panzera | August 8, 2022

If you have finished your first novel, you may be thinking about publication and how to acquire a literary agent. But are you truly ready to pitch to an agent? Do you have a website and a thriving social media platform? Have you researched which agents accept manuscripts in your genre? Do you know how to put together a book proposal?
In our post, Fiction Writing: How to Get a Literary Agent, we discuss each step you should take when seeking representation for your finished novel.

How to Spot Publishing Scams & How To Avoid Them

By Samantha Panzera | July 12, 2022

Learning how to navigate the publishing world is hard enough. Then there are the vanity press businesses that pose as publishers, predatory publishing companies, fake literary agents, and other publishing scams running rampant across the internet. Our post, How to Spot Publishing Scams & How To Avoid Them, shows some of the red flags to look out for and ways to avoid falling into the traps these scammers set to ensnare new authors.

5 Common Mistakes New Writers Make

By Darlene Panzera | July 5, 2022

New writers often hold onto various misconceptions when it comes to writing and publishing. How do you know when your work is ready to publish? Do you really need to hire an editor? What expectations are realistic when publishing a first book? Will publishing houses help a new author with promotion? In our post, 5 Common Mistakes New Writers Make, we discuss these topics and more to help you avoid blunders and launch a flourishing writing career.

What is an Author Platform and Why Do Writers Need One?

By Samantha Panzera | October 15, 2021

What is an author platform? Why do you need one? These are questions many authors have when starting out. It is a topic frequently discussed at writing conferences with varying different definitions and opinions. When meeting with agents and editors they may ask you about your author platform. But what Is it exactly? In this article, we go over What is an Author Platform and Why Do Writers Need One?