OOPS - I am late with posting this this week....let's keep the progress checkins going! We could all use a little accountability - Including myself ❤️ Read the questions then grab the template at the bottom and make a post 🗒️ 1️⃣ What is **one specific thing** you completed on your book this week? Examples: * Finalized my book topic * Chose my main keyword + category * Wrote 1,200 words * Edited Chapter 1 * Uploaded my manuscript draft 2️⃣ What is the one thing you can commit to finishing by next week? Examples: * Write 2 chapters * Finish book outline * Draft my book description * Collect 10 competitor book screenshots 3️⃣ One blocker - What slowed you down or got in your way this week? This gives you: * Content ideas * Coaching opportunities * Workshop themes * DM conversations for higher-level support 4️⃣ Where are you at right now? 🔥 On track 🟡 Progress but slow 🔴 Stuck 🧠 Overthinking ⏸️ Life happened GRAB THIS TEMPLATE AND MAKE A POST! Drop your update below 👇 (Keep it short — progress > perfection) 1️⃣ **One thing you completed this week:** 2️⃣ **One thing you’re committing to finish next week:** 3️⃣ **Any blocker slowing you down? (optional)** 4️⃣ **Status emoji:** 🔥 🟡 🔴 🧠 ⏸️ I’ll be reviewing these to and helping to move you forward!

**Think In Themes** One of the biggest shifts successful self-published authors make is this: they stop thinking in *single books* and start thinking in *themes*.✨ A theme is the bigger problem your reader is trying to solve. Your first book is just the entry point. From there, you create supporting content that overlaps, deepens, or solves the next logical problem your reader will have. ✨It looks like this... - Book #1 solves the core problem - Book #2 supports it from a different angle - Book #3 goes deeper or more specific ✨ Eventually, books get **bundled** - Two existing books - One new title - New positioning - Same content, new asset This is how authors build **series**, **bundles**, and **long-term income**, instead of starting from scratch every time. 🤔 Think like this: - What does my reader struggle with *before* this book? - What do they still need *after* they finish it? - What related problem keeps showing up? Those answers become future books. You’ll notice in the examples shared (see images) that authors aren’t random. Everything connects. Same reader. Same theme. Different angles. **Your turn:** 1. Write down your first book idea. 2. List 3–5 branch-off ideas that could support the same reader. 3. Circle any two that could eventually be bundled into a new book with a fresh title. This is how you turn one idea into a publishing journey instead of a one-off book.

I’ve been playing with an idea and wanted to think it through... Instead of writing a book solo, I’m considering publishing an anthology—where I choose the topic as the publisher, then invite creators or industry experts to contribute content inside the book. 👉 Contributor Model - I select the topic + overall direction of the book - Reach out to ~6 aligned creators / experts - Each contributor pays $325 to submit their content 💥 They get: - Their work published in a book - Instant elevation + credibility - A way to say they’re a published contributor Contributors would not earn royalties from the book; instead, the primary goal would be to push the book toward bestseller status and use that momentum for visibility and credibility. As the publisher, this model would bring in close to $2k, which could be used to cover the costs of creating, publishing, and promoting the book. 👉 Overall, it feels like a win-win: contributors gain added visibility and authority by having their content featured in a published book, while the publisher maintains full control over the quality, branding, and launch strategy to ensure the strongest possible outcome. Curious if anyone has ever worked this model... Thoughts? Feedback?

Big welcome to all the new authors and future author's here let's take a moment to say hello and give some words of encouragement! @Wendy Harmoniie @Amy Serafin @Dang Thuy @Takoda Ray @Matilda Morril @Val Milian @Robert Villarreal @Tania Vialls @Andrea Maulella @Abbie Emmons - Abbie Emmons is a storyteller, YouTuber, singer, and traveler who writes heartfelt, humorous stories while sipping tea with her dog, Pearl. @Layne Fargo - Layne Fargo writes feminist thrillers. Author of The Favourite, They Never Learn, and Temper, she lives in Chicago with her partner, pets, and books!! @Jay Thomas - I did 30 plus years as an owner of my company. I did work for the C-17 and B-1 (Lancer) for The Boeing company. @Roseanne Espino - I just turned 60 and am on a journey of healing emotionally and physically. I love to craft an I am writing a book. @De Anne Black - Indie Author | Author & Coach | Storyteller building stories and a sustainable writing career @William Leroux - I am William, a 19-year-old student and athlete living in Canada. My goal is to build a better life where I can do all the things I love. @Charli Fels Brand Strategist, Publisher, Book Coach & author, ex-teacher & Digital Pedagogical Consultant. New Chapter! Building a Stationery Brand. @Tortuga Creations - Author of 4 Volumes, full-time worker, App creator of 2 fully running apps with over 130,000 users, just living life being creative, being original.

As @Krista Brea keeps reminding us, research matters before you publish. I spent time there first and I found a niche that I am genuinely excited about. The search volume is massive and the competition is slim. It fits my brand, it makes sense on KDP, and it is something I can move on quickly. So here is the experiment. This weekend, I am publishing a small collection of low content, full color books on KDP. From research to upload. No perfection. Just execution. I will lightly document the process, but the priority is simple: Books published by the end of the weekend. Why I am doing this: - To test speed and decision making - To learn how color printing changes pricing and margins - To see what actually happens when I ship fast instead of waiting Before the weekend starts, I am finishing and scheduling my YouTube content. That is non negotiable. The sprint only works if the weekend is protected. This is not a new routine yet. It is a focused experiment. If it works, I will consider making this a quarterly publishing sprint. If it does not, I will still have real data and real books live. I will share what I learn as I go. Let’s see what focused execution can do. I will keep you posted!