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Welcome to Season 7 of The Book Marketing Action Podcast with Becky Robinson, where we give you information you can immediately implement to increase your influence and market your books more successfully.
In the first episode of Season 7, Becky is joined by Sharon Woodhouse—publisher, coach, consultant, business strategist, and award-winning author—to explore what it means to run a profitable, sustainable author business. Sharon shares multiple lessons including how to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset, prioritize consistent outreach, and diversify your income streams. From speaking gigs to partnerships, this episode is filled with practical, repeatable strategies for authors who want to move beyond book sales and achieve lasting success.
Key Points From This Episode:
[01:44] Sharon starts by sharing about herself and her business, Conspire Creative.
[03:43] Sharon reveals how her consulting and coaching work inspired her book, The Profitable Author.
[06:26] Discover which lesson from The Profitable Author Sharon has personally relied on the most.
[08:08] Sharon explains what an entrepreneurial mindset actually looks like in practice for authors and the lessons she often repeats.
[09:27] In her book, Sharon outlines 15 different income streams for authors, and she shares several examples of how they have been impactful in driving revenue.
[13:17] (AD) Learn about Weaving Influence Press—Weaving Influence’s marketing-first approach to hybrid publishing.
[14:13] Sharon elaborates on how partnerships are an impactful income stream for authors.
[16:21] Sharon shares how Substack has helped her grow the reach of her book and her business.
[17:29] How can authors choose the right business model for them, especially with so many income streams and platforms to choose from? Sharon reveals how she helps authors navigate the overwhelm.
Action Steps:
- Consider how much time you are spending reaching out for opportunities related to your book and your work. How can Sharon’s insights inspire you to be more consistent with your outreach to create the results you want?
- If Sharon’s ideas and teachings resonate with you, consider these opportunities to learn more or connect directly with her:
- Subscribe to her Substack
- Attend one of her free Zoom events, Beyond the Margins
- Sign up for her program, The Author’s Business Accelerator
Resources:
- Get a copy of Sharon’s book, The Profitable Author.
- Follow Sharon on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Key Quotes:
I realized that I actually had a specialty, and it was entrepreneurship for authors and publishers, and why an entrepreneurial mindset is the best way to get what you want. —Sharon Woodhouse
I’ve found about seven things that I’ve seen people do that really help build businesses, and one of them is consistency of action. —Sharon Woodhouse
I wasn’t selling as many books as I expected, but my business was booming. —Sharon Woodhouse
It’s better to give away your expertise in the form of a book in order to build the rest of your business. —Sharon Woodhouse
To build a business that works for you, you have to test what works for you. —Sharon Woodhouse
The entrepreneurial mindset involves exploration, experimenting, testing. —Sharon Woodhouse
I don’t know anyone with a successful author business who doesn’t do events at least some of the time. —Sharon Woodhouse
It is so much easier to sell 100 books to one customer than to sell one book to 100 separate customers. —Sharon Woodhouse
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