Most new authors don’t realize they’re not just writing a book — they’re building a business. When income dips (because it will), it can feel personal. Sales slow down, ads fluctuate, launches don’t hit the way you hoped… and suddenly your nervous system is in full alarm mode. You start questioning your writing, your genre, your covers, your entire existence as an author. But you can’t think in panic. In panic your lizard brain takes over and you feel like you’re under attack. That’s when, and why, you flail. Before you hit nervous system dysregulation, plan then. Then when you get upset, things go bad, you have tactics you can fall back on, on auto pilot. But sustainable authors don’t react in panic. They build an ecosystem before the overwhelm hits. They understand that publishing income moves in cycles — high months and quiet months — and they plan for both. Instead of scrambling when revenue drops, they already know what their next move is. And you need to think in a cycle. A 12 month cycle works best for this but you can also tackle it in quarters. Here’s what that ecosystem mindset looks like: Review your data → Look at patterns from past months instead of reacting emotionally to one dip. Pre-decide your moves → Know in advance what you’ll do if income drops (ads tweak? promo stack? newsletter push?). Build reserves → Save during strong months so quiet months don’t feel catastrophic. Activate planned promos → Have visibility boosts ready before you’re desperate for them. You don’t have to become “corporate.” You just have to become intentional. The earlier you think ecosystem instead of launch-to-launch survival, the steadier (and saner) your author journey will feel. Planning will help you weather the storm of income whether it’s a KU slide (even if it’s on a forecasted schedule) or something else. Get your strategies in place before this happen and then you can fall back on tactics you know work. You must seperate your work brain from your emotional brain. You must be able to look, and not respond emotionally, to what is happening, what it means, and what to do next.

Check out the calendar for the date and time to this Free Zoom event next Thursday, right after Lunch with Mal! It's for Lee's community but she's graciously allowing it to be open to everyone. Thanks, Lee!!

Watch this video and read the PDF, then come back and comment on what you'll work on to get DONE today. Remember: Perfectionism isn't the goal Being the best isn't the goal Scratching it off on your to-do list is the goal. (Failing and destroying also count as done) So you can be DONE and start the new thing

Welcome! If you are new or haven't introduced yourself before, let's do it here in this thread! All are welcome to answer, whether you are on a paid plan, a free (with other membership plan), or an industry professional!

Unfortunately we forgot to make a recording, but it was truly epic. (And now we're going back to Zoom that makes automatic recordings!) Today we discussed: Negotiating with trad pub for a deal Leveraging Kickstarter, special editions, and direct sale bundles Turning our books into comic books to get a different market share and looping them together with traditional book sales We supported each other Gave each other new ideas And left with an empowered feeling, ready to try new things! If you need a tribe or miss community support, consider joining Storyteller Lab VIP Edition! For $200/month you get full access to Storyteller Lab Get to rub elbows as EQUALS with 6 and 7 figure authors Get access to up to 4 roundtables a month Fast Lane access to Mal's FB Ad Audits Direct support to me and Mal using the 'message/chat' feature. You can upgrade for a month, or two, cancel anytime you want inside of Skool. Need help upgrading? Just ask!