Why Most Writing Advice Fails You and How to Quit the Right Things

You don’t need a bigger platform to test a new idea. You need five samples and the nerve to ask a question you’re embarrassed you don’t already know the answer to. Monster romance author Natalie Starkoss joins me to talk about building worlds out of gargoyles and genetically altered hybrids, and the business lesson that came out of nowhere. How sourcing her own candles, keyrings, and custom bookmarks changed what happened at her book table, and lifted her profit at a single event by 23 percent. We get into where to actually source this stuff when you’re starting from zero, the supplier mistake that almost put her off trying again, and why the thing sitting next to your book might matter more than the book itself.

You’ve finished your manuscript, and now there’s a pile of decisions waiting for you. The editor. The cover. The price. Kindle Unlimited or wide. The launch. Ask about any of them in a Facebook group and you’ll get three confident answers, and none of them were built for your book. In this episode, I talk about why that keeps happening, the Kindle Unlimited decision I got wrong with my first books, and the one thing to work out before you make any of these calls. In this episode: - Why so much publishing advice contradicts itself, even when everyone giving it is right -What happened when I put my first books in Kindle Unlimited, and why I pulled them out - How the same manuscript can need a different cover, price and launch depending on what you want it to do - The question to ask about every decision in your pile, from the editor to the launch Free training: Learn how to set a clear goal for your book, and which decision to make first, in my free one-hour training, The 3 Decisions That Turn a Finished Manuscript Into a Career. It runs live every month. You’ll leave knowing what you want this book to do and which question to answer first. Grab your seat at serenadepublishing.com/training ✍️ Writers: Want help building a real writing career?Join my free weekly email for tips on writing, publishing, and growing your readership.→ www.serenadepublishing.com— — — — — — — — — —👋 About This ChannelHi, I’m Sarah Williams. I help writers turn their books into sustainable careers.Here we talk about:• writing and finishing books• publishing and the book industry• author marketing• building a long-term writing careerWhether you're writing your first book or already publishing, you're welcome here.— — — — — — — — — —🚀 Ready to go deeper?✦ The Author CEO – for writers ready to treat their books like a real business ✦ Author Retreats – immersive strategy and writing retreatsLearn more:www.serenadepublishing.com— — — — — — — — — —📌 Connect With MeInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/serenadepublishingTikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@serenadepublishing

You finished the manuscript, so why does "am I ready" still feel impossible to answer? This episode breaks down hobby thinking versus business thinking, three things you can check about your own manuscript today, the unspoken fear of picking the wrong editor or cover designer, and why watching someone else publish a rougher book than yours isn't a talent problem.

Ever posted about a book event everywhere you could think of, only to have someone tell you afterward they had no idea it was even happening? Lauren and Alana from Book World know that feeling well, which is why they are building a directory made just for book events so nobody misses one again. In this episode, I sit down with the two friends behind Book World, the magazine that started as a newsletter between two people who could not stop talking about books and has grown into a full glossy publication now on its ninth issue. We talk about how their friendship became a business, what it actually takes to put a magazine like this together, some of the authors and narrators they have interviewed along the way, and the two brand new platforms they are building right now, including a bookish events app and a redesigned website built around their own book club and author release calendar. Bookworld link: https://bookworld.club/ Training link: serenadepublishing.com/training ✍️ Writers: Want help building a real writing career?Join my free weekly email for tips on writing, publishing, and growing your readership.→ www.serenadepublishing.com— — — — — — — — — —👋 About This ChannelHi, I’m Sarah Williams. I help writers turn their books into sustainable careers.Here we talk about:• writing and finishing books• publishing and the book industry• author marketing• building a long-term writing careerWhether you're writing your first book or already publishing, you're welcome here.— — — — — — — — — —🚀 Ready to go deeper?✦ The Author CEO – for writers ready to treat their books like a real business ✦ Author Retreats – immersive strategy and writing retreatsLearn more:www.serenadepublishing.com— — — — — — — — — —📌 Connect With MeInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/serenadepublishingTikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@serenadepublishing

You can publish a book for next to nothing. Uploading to Amazon is free. A premade cover can cost $40. Canva will get you a passable template in an afternoon. None of that means you have an author business. In this episode of The Write Podcast, Sarah Williams breaks down what it actually costs to build a real, sustainable author business, not just publish a book. She covers what overhead actually means for an author (editing, cover design, running ads properly, business admin), why wearing every hat yourself has a hidden cost paid in time instead of money, and why the biggest investment most authors skip isn't financial at all. If you're an indie author, a self-published writer, or an author trying to build an actual career from your books, and you've ever wondered why some writers build real businesses while others stall out, this episode names the real difference. It's not talent. It's whether you're running this like the business it is. Ready to stop guessing and start making these decisions in the right order? Register for the free live training, The 3 Decisions That Turn a Finished Manuscript Into a Career (Most Authors Get the Order Wrong), at serenadepublishing.com/training — — — — — — — — — —