The Social Media Trend Authors Should Be Using Right Now (That Actually Works)

by Women in Publishing Summit | May 5, 2026

This special sponsor blog post is brought to you by the WIP 2026 Premium Sponsor Aimee Ravichandran, Abundantly Social.

Let’s talk about something I’ve been seeing everywhere lately—and honestly, it’s changing the game for authors on social media.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re posting about your book and hearing nothing but crickets, you’re not doing anything wrong. You’re just working off advice that doesn’t fully match how social media works anymore. The truth is, platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook have shifted, and what used to work even a couple of years ago just doesn’t hit the same now.

Here’s the shift I want you to start thinking about: the authors who are growing right now aren’t just promoting their books … they’re starting conversations.

For a long time, authors were told to post about their book, share the link, remind people it’s out, and keep that visibility going. And yes, that still matters—but it can’t be the only thing you’re doing. Social media platforms aren’t designed to reward promotion. They’re designed to reward engagement. So if your post doesn’t give people a reason to respond, comment, or interact, it’s simply not going to get shown to many people.

That’s where this new approach comes in.

Instead of asking yourself, “What can I promote today?” try asking, “What can I talk about with my readers today?”

That one small shift changes everything. It moves you from broadcasting to connecting, and connection is what drives visibility now.

This doesn’t have to be complicated, either. Some of the most effective posts are incredibly simple. Asking your audience what book kept them up too late reading, what their favorite trope is, or what they would ask your main character if they met them—those are the kinds of posts that invite people in. They make your audience feel like part of the conversation instead of just on the receiving end of a message.

And when people start responding, something really important happens. The platform notices. It sees that your content is keeping people engaged, and it starts showing your posts to more people. That’s how your reach grows. That’s how your audience grows. And that’s how your future posts—including the ones where you do promote your book—actually get seen.

This is the part most authors miss. You don’t need to stop promoting your book. You just need to warm up the room first. Think about it like a real conversation. You wouldn’t walk up to someone and immediately ask them to buy something. You’d talk, connect, and build a little rapport. Social media works the same way.

If you’re not sure how to put this into practice, start simple. Aim for a mix of posts that create engagement, offer value, and promote your work. When you lead with connection, your promotional content becomes much more effective because you’re speaking to people who already feel invested in you.

At the end of the day, social media isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room anymore. It’s about being the one people want to talk to.

The authors who are embracing that are the ones building real audiences—and seeing real results.

So next time you go to post, pause for a second and ask yourself: is this something people can respond to?

You might be surprised how much that one question changes everything.

I look forward to helping you tell your story!

Aimee Ravichandran

Owner of Abundantly Social

Aimee Ravichandran has over a decade of experience in social media marketing and public relations, particularly for authors and small businesses. Aimee has helped create over 50 Amazon Best Sellers and has been recognized as one of the Top 10 Innovative Women Changing the Face of Business in 2022. She also co-owns Top Shelf Magazine and has been featured in CIO Today as one of the 10 Most Promising Female CEOs to watch out for.

Visit Abundantly Social

Draft2Digital Fees Explained: What Indie Authors Need to Know

by Women in Publishing Summit | Apr 16, 2026

Written by Alexa Bigwarfe; est read time: 8 mins

What Draft2Digital Fees Mean for You (And What to Do About It)

Draft2Digital announced this week that, for the first time in company history, they’re introducing two new fees: a $20 one-time activation fee for new accounts, and a $12 annual maintenance fee for accounts earning less than $100 per year in net royalties. Understandably, this has caused a lot of concern in the indie author community (for a whole slew of reasons, including the attacks against authors who will be subject to this fee!) so let’s look at it from a purely business breakdown of what’s actually happening, why, and some steps you can take.

The Quick Facts

Straight from D2D’s announcement:

The $20 activation fee applies only to new accounts. If you already have a D2D account, you will not be charged this fee.
The $12 annual maintenance fee kicks in only if your net earnings (what D2D actually pays you, after their commission) total less than $100 over the preceding 12-month period. Earn $100 or more? No fee.
Maintenance fees begin May 14, 2026, based on your individual account anniversary date. D2D has stated they will notify you in advance before any charge.
You can check your billing date by logging in and going to Account → Account Status.

You can read D2D’s full announcement here: Understanding D2D’s Activation and Maintenance Fees

Why D2D Is Doing This

The short version: bookspam.

Between 2022 and 2025, the number of new titles published annually more than doubled — and the vast majority of that growth has been low-quality, often AI-generated content flooding retail channels. D2D reportedly declines as much as 70% of uploads in a given month.

The problem is that spammers have figured out how to game the system. Instead of uploading 50 books to one account (which gets flagged for review), they open 50 separate accounts and upload one book each. That’s much harder to detect — and it’s been happening at scale.

The fallout has hit all indie authors. Retailers and libraries increasingly struggle to distinguish legitimate indies from spammers, and trust in indie titles has been eroding across the board. D2D’s stated hope is that these modest fees will make the spam-farm model economically unviable without placing a meaningful burden on working authors.

As D2D put it in their announcement: this onslaught from automated content farms threatens reader trust in indie titles, and a modest fee can make a real difference in keeping the platform focused on genuine authors.

What Actions Should You Take?

If you’re actively publishing and earning: Likely nothing. If you’re already clearing $100/year in net royalties through D2D, the maintenance fee won’t apply to you. The $100 threshold translates to roughly $167 in retailer sales, since D2D takes a 15% cut.

If you’re close to the $100 threshold: Now’s the time to shore up your listings. Optimize your blurb, double-check your metadata and categories, make sure your cover clearly signals genre, and take advantage of D2D’s promo newsletter (you have to fill out their promo form to be considered). Strong backmatter—a link to your next book and a newsletter signup—can meaningfully lift sales. (These are all things we teach in our program Book Launch in a Box.)

If you have inactive titles but want to keep the account: You don’t need to close anything. Just unpublish your titles from distribution before your billing date. You can leave the titles themselves sitting in your dashboard, ready to reactivate later. No distribution = no fee.

If you have both a Smashwords and D2D account: The account-merging tool is in beta and expected to go live before May 15. If for any reason it’s not ready in time, D2D has said their support team will waive the duplicate fee for this year — just reach out.

If you want to close your account entirely: Contact D2D customer service directly. Keep in mind that if you ever want a new D2D account later, you’ll pay the $20 activation fee at that point. For most authors, unpublishing titles is the lower-risk option.

How the fee gets charged: The $12 is debited from your D2D Account Ledger— the same place royalties are credited. If your ledger goes negative, you have 30 days to bring it back to zero, either through incoming royalties or by paying via credit card.

Don’t let anyone make you feel badly if you aren’t making this money yet. Selling books is hard work! If you do the work, you’ll get there!

The Bigger Picture

None of us love paying new fees. But the alternative scenarios are worse: per-title upload fees (which some retailers are reportedly considering) would end hobby publishing and make indie publishing from developing nations nearly impossible. A royalty-rate increase would hit every author’s bottom line without actually deterring spammers, since profitable spam operations would stay profitable.

D2D’s approach targets the specific exploit spammers are using—opening dozens of low-volume accounts (okay this is one very valid reason to hate AI)—while leaving legitimate, selling authors untouched. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s a targeted one.

The Real Question: Are Your Wide Books Earning?

Let’s put this in perspective. According to the Alliance of Independent Authors’ 2025 Indie Author Income Survey, the median indie author earns around $13,500 a year —but that number hides a massive gap, with top earners pulling the average up while most authors sit well below it. On D2D specifically, authors typically earn $2.00 to $3.50 per ebook sold at typical price points ($2.99–$4.99), with many reporting monthly earnings anywhere from $200 to $5,000 depending on how well they promote (source: Codex Obscurus, “Draft2Digital Explained for Indie Authors and Publishers,” July 2025).

Here’s what that means for the new fee: to clear D2D’s $100 threshold, you need to sell roughly 30–50 ebooks over the course of a year — which may seem daunting to some of you. If that’s where you’re at, it’s not something to feel badly about, but you do need to work on making sure your books can be found.

Should You Switch to PublishDrive?

This is where the math gets interesting. PublishDrive (another ebook distributor with very wide global distribution) has a Starter plan costs $13.99/month — about $168/year (source: SaaSworthy PublishDrive Pricing, January 2026). That sounds like a lot compared to D2D’s $12 annual fee, but it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison. (You do get your first book for free with PublishDrive, because they recognize it takes time to build a reader base.)

In the longterm, D2D’s real cost isn’t the $12 fee — it’s the 10% commission on every sale. PublishDrive charges a flat subscription, then you keep 100% of net royalties after the retailer’s cut (source: Top Ten Publishers, “PublishDrive Review,” September 2025). That structural difference matters enormously as your sales grow.

Here’s the break-even math for a $4.99 ebook with a 30% retailer cut:

Earning under ~$140/month wide? D2D wins. Their 10% commission stays smaller than PublishDrive’s flat $168/year.
Earning $140–$170/month wide? It’s a wash. Either platform costs roughly the same.
Earning over ~$170/month wide? PublishDrive starts saving you real money. At $500/month, you’d save over $400/year. At $1,000/month, over $1,000/year. Those savings compound as your catalog grows.

So the honest answer: if you’re a high-earning wide author already, PublishDrive is worth a serious look. If you’re still building toward that, D2D remains the better economic fit — and switching platforms won’t fix the underlying sales problem.

Your Action Plan

Whichever platform you land on, the path forward is the same: sell more books. And I don’t say that in judgement. I say that to encourage you to take a look at the reasons WHY your book isn’t selling as well as you’d like. Here’s where to focus:

Audit your metadata today. Your blurb, keywords, categories, and cover do 80% of the discoverability work. If any of those are weak, your book isn’t competing — it’s hiding.
Build a marketing engine, not a launch plan. One-and-done launches don’t sustain wide sales. Ongoing visibility does — newsletter swaps, promo stacks, seasonal price pulses, and consistent reader touchpoints.
Treat D2D’s promo newsletter as free marketing real estate. Fill out the promo form, submit to their promos every time you have a sale, preorder, or permafree — it costs nothing and feeds directly into retailer visibility.
Get help if marketing isn’t your zone of genius. This is exactly what our marketing programs are built for — helping wide authors turn a quiet backlist into a catalog that earns enough to make platform choice a strategic decision, not a defensive one.

If your books that are WIDE aren’t earning, you always have the option of enrolling in KDP Select and only distributing via Amazon. That’s free and through select, you have some options to help you build your reader base.

There’s a lot to unpack here as you try to make decisions. You have to make the choice that suits you best, but a more informed author makes better choices.

Our Book Launch in a Box program teaches all of these things as you prepare your book for market.

We’re currently enrolling and you can save $500 now HERE!

One More Question: What About Kindle Unlimited?

If you’ve been reading this whole post thinking “…or I could just pull out of wide distribution entirely and go all-in on Amazon,” that’s a legitimate path — but it’s a very different decision than switching aggregators.

KDP Select is Amazon’s exclusivity program. Enrolling an ebook in KDP Select means you agree not to sell that ebook anywhere else — not Apple, not Kobo, not Barnes & Noble, not your own website — for 90 days at a time (source: Books.by, “What Is KDP Select?”). In exchange, your book lands in Kindle Unlimited (KU), Amazon’s subscription reading service where subscribers can read unlimited books for a monthly fee.

Authors in KU don’t get paid per sale. They get paid per page read—currently around $0.004 to $0.005 per page, so a 300-page novel read all the way through earns roughly $1.30–$1.50 (source: Books.by; Kindlepreneur, “KDP Select or Not?” November 2025). That’s often less than a direct sale would earn, especially on higher-priced books.

When KDP Select Makes Sense

KDP Select genuinely works for some authors, but the fit is narrower than the hype suggests. It tends to be the right call when:

You write in a KU-heavy genre. Romance (especially steamy subgenres), paranormal, urban fantasy, litRPG, and fast-paced thrillers dominate KU. Readers in these genres are binge-readers, and KU is where they live. If that’s your genre and audience, page-read income can add up fast.
Your primary audience is in the US and UK. KU’s subscriber base is heavily concentrated in English-speaking markets. If your readers are in Germany, France, or Latin America, wide distribution through Tolino, Vivlio, or Kobo will serve you better (source: Reedsy, “READ THIS Before You Enroll in KDP Select!”).
You publish frequently. KU rewards prolific authors. If you’re releasing 3–6 books a year in a hot genre, the algorithm tailwinds and page-read momentum can compound. If you release one book every two years, you won’t see the same benefit.
You’re testing a new pen name or launching a debut. The 90-day enrollment is reversible. Some authors use KU for a book’s first 90 days to get visibility, then pull out and go wide.

When KDP Select Is the Wrong Choice

KDP Select generally isn’t worth it when:

You write non-fiction, children’s books, or short works. Non-fiction readers tend to skim rather than read cover-to-cover, so page-read payouts are minimal. Short books and children’s books simply don’t have enough pages to generate meaningful income (source: Reedsy, October 2025).
You price books at $5.99 or higher. On a wide sale, you’d earn $4+ per copy. On a KU borrow, you’d earn maybe $2 for a full read. The math gets worse as your price point rises.
You want to build direct reader relationships. Amazon doesn’t share customer data. Every KU read is a reader you can’t email, can’t retarget, and can’t convert into a direct fan. Going wide — especially with direct sales — builds an asset you own (source: Books.by).
You already have momentum wide. Pulling books out of Apple, Kobo, and library systems to chase KU means abandoning reader relationships you’ve already built. The switch is rarely worth it unless wide performance is genuinely poor.
You’re risk-averse about Amazon. Exclusivity means all your eggs in one basket. Amazon can change KU payouts, adjust algorithms, or (in rare cases) terminate accounts. Wide distribution is insurance.

The Honest Bottom Line

KDP Select isn’t a replacement for wide distribution, it’s simply a different strategic bet. Wide authors build slow, diversified readership across multiple platforms and markets. KU authors bet on volume, velocity, and Amazon’s algorithm rewarding frequent releases in hot genres.

Neither is universally better. The right answer depends on your genre, your publishing pace, your market, and your long-term goals. If you’re not sure, the 90-day enrollment gives you an easy way to test—just make sure to turn off auto-renewal before you enroll, so you’re not locked in longer than you intended (source: Books.by).

And either way—KU or wide—the same truth applies: discoverability is the bottleneck, not the platform. A great book with weak marketing will struggle in both ecosystems. A well-marketed book will find its readers wherever you put it.

Alexa Bigwarfe

Founder & CEO of WritePublishSell & the Women in Publishing Summit

Alexa Bigwarfe is a publishing strategist and creator of Book Launch in a Box, where she helps authors simplify their marketing and build launches that actually work. She specializes in turning books into platforms for visibility, partnerships, and revenue through proven, scalable strategies.

The State of Publishing in 2026: What Writers and Industry Professionals Need to Know

by Women in Publishing Summit | Apr 14, 2026

This special sponsor blog post is brought to you by the WIP 2026 Platinum Sponsor Jennifer S. Wilkov, Your Book Is Your Hook.

The publishing industry is changing—and not in subtle ways.

At this year’s Women in Publishing Summit, I had the opportunity to deliver the State of Publishing 2026 keynote to a room filled with writers, authors, editors, publishers, ghostwriters, narrators, marketers, and storytelling professionals.

What became clear—both during the talk and in the conversations afterward—is that many people sense the industry is shifting.

But they’re not always sure how.

Or what those changes mean for their work.

So I want to share a few of the most important insights shaping publishing right now—and what they mean for you.

1. Publishing Is No Longer a Straight Line

For decades, publishing followed a relatively predictable path: Write the book → Find an agent → Get a publisher → Sell books.

That path still exists.

But today, it is only one option within a much broader ecosystem.

Authors now navigate multiple pathways, including:
• traditional publishing
• independent publishing
• hybrid publishing
• creator-driven publishing

And many authors move between these paths over the course of their careers.

This shift changes the fundamental question authors ask.

Instead of:
“How do I get published?”

The more strategic question becomes:
Which publishing path supports the opportunities I want to create?

2. The Book Is No Longer the End Goal

One of the most important shifts in publishing is this:

A book is no longer just a product.

It’s a starting point.

Books today can lead to:
• speaking engagements
• media visibility
• consulting and coaching opportunities
• courses and teaching
• community building
• adaptations for film, television, and streaming

In other words, a book is increasingly viewed as intellectual property.

And when authors begin thinking this way, their approach to publishing changes dramatically.

They stop focusing only on book sales and begin thinking about the ecosystem of opportunities surrounding their work.

3. Audiobooks Are Reshaping Reader Behavior

Audiobooks are now the fastest-growing segment of the publishing industry.

This shift reflects a broader change in how people consume content.

Readers are no longer confined to sitting with a physical book.

They are listening while commuting, exercising, walking, and managing their daily lives.

For many people, listening has become their primary reading experience.

For authors and publishers, this is not just a format shift.

It’s a behavioral shift.

4. Platform Matters More Than Ever

There was a time when publishers were primarily responsible for building an author’s audience.

Today, that expectation has shifted.

Authors are increasingly expected to bring an audience with them.

Platform now includes:
• email lists
• newsletters
• podcasts
• social media communities
• speaking engagements

This doesn’t mean every author needs a massive following.

But it does mean that relationship-building matters more than ever.

5. Niche Audiences Are Driving Success

One of the most common mistakes authors make is trying to write for everyone.

In today’s publishing landscape, specificity often wins.

Books that speak clearly to a defined audience—whether it’s entrepreneurs, healthcare professionals, educators, or another community—tend to create stronger engagement and more loyal readership.

In many cases, niche audiences outperform broad ones.

6. Publishing Is Expanding Beyond the Page

Stories are no longer confined to books.

They are moving across formats and platforms.

Books are increasingly serving as pipelines for:
• films
• streaming series
• podcasts
• documentaries
• global licensing opportunities

As demand for content continues to grow across entertainment platforms, books remain a powerful source of adaptable storytelling.

What This Means Moving Forward

The publishing industry is not shrinking.

It is expanding.

But it is also becoming more complex.

The authors and publishing professionals who thrive in this environment are those who understand both:
• the creative side of storytelling
• and the strategic side of the industry

Because today, success in publishing is not just about writing a great book.

It’s about understanding how that book fits into a larger ecosystem.

A Final Thought

In the midst of all this change, one thing remains constant.

Stories still matter.

They still connect people.
They still shape culture.
They still create meaning.

But the opportunities surrounding those stories have never been greater.

And for those willing to understand the landscape, publishing today offers more possibility than ever before.

If you’re navigating today’s publishing landscape and want a deeper look at where the industry is headed—and what those shifts mean for you—I recently released the Publishing Ecosystem Report 2026, which explores the trends, data, and opportunities shaping the future of publishing. You can explore the report here.

Jennifer S. Wilkov

Founder & CEO of Your Book Is Your Hook

Jennifer S. Wilkov is the founder of Your Book Is Your Hook™, a platform that helps writers, authors, and storytellers bring their ideas to life and position their books for opportunities beyond the page. She is also the creator of the Publishing Ecosystem Report, an annual industry outlook examining the trends, data, and opportunities shaping the future of publishing.

Visit Your Book Is Your Hook

The Many Ways to Use Your Book as Your Hook

by Amy Ayres | Sep 13, 2025

Presented by Platinum Women in Publishing Summit sponsor, Jennifer Wilkov from Your Book is Your Hook

No matter what kind of book you’ve written—nonfiction, fiction, or children’s—your book is more than just words on the page. It’s your hook to spark conversations, create opportunities, and open doors you never imagined.

In this webinar, you’ll discover how to:

Use your book to build your platform and brand.
Attract speaking, media, and collaboration opportunities.
Engage readers, grow your audience, and create lasting connections.
Unlock new ways your book can generate income and impact.

Whether you’re writing to share expertise, tell stories, or inspire young readers, you’ll learn how to turn your book into a powerful tool that continues working for you long after it’s published.

Come explore the many ways your book can be your ultimate hook.

Jennifer S. Wilkov is a multi #1 international best-selling award-winning author, producer, an award-winning freelance writer, The Literary Agent Matchmaker™ and a respected book, business and entertainment creative consultant for nearly 20 years. Jennifer was selected as the Top Motivational Speaker, Business Consultant and Best-Selling Author of the Year for 2024 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP). She supports first-time writers and creators and seasoned authors, screenwriters, scriptwriters and playwrights with the essentials to become a bestseller: a great project, a strong platform and a well-polished pitch, presentation and hook for their book, television project, film, or theater project. Her keen eye for stories that sell for both books and in Hollywood is trusted by industry professionals who appreciate her savvy in seeing the many possibilities a subject can lend itself to. www.YourBookIsYourHook.com

The Publishing Professionals Guide to the 2025 Women in Publishing Summit

by Women in Publishing Summit | Feb 10, 2025

For Publishing Professionals

Did you know there’s a track specifically for publishing professionals at the Women in Publishing Summit?

Whether you’re just starting out in the industry or you’re a seasoned pro looking to level up, there’s content for you!

Check out these sessions on launching a publishing or editing business, offering author-assist services, using the Profit First method to make your business successful, and more.

You can also attend the sessions for authors in the genre or category you work in, as they may pique your interest too. And of course, you can’t miss out on the built-in networking sessions! If you’re a marketing specialist, editor, designer, publisher, publishing assistant, or any other type of publishing professional, here’s the full lineup of sessions that will help you grow your business.

The Women in Publishing Summit offers sessions for authors of all levels. We’re bringing together beginner authors, writing experts, and publishing professionals to discuss a range of topics—from genre to crafting plot to working with publishing experts. If you are a beginner author, the following sessions are designed to support you and aspiring authors on your journeys. These sessions will provide valuable insights to enhance your writing life and refine your craft.

Don’t forget to grab your ticket today, so you can participate in these author workshops at the conference and revisit the recorded sessions throughout the year!

Day 1 – Writing/Mindset

The (Hidden) Costs & Challenges of Publishing
Karen Strauss, Hybrid Global Publishing

Publishing a book is an exciting endeavor, but it often comes with unexpected challenges and hidden costs. This workshop dives into the realities of publishing, whether you’re self-publishing or pursuing traditional routes. From understanding financial investments to navigating industry-specific obstacles, attendees will leave with a clearer picture of what it takes to bring their book to life successfully. Karen Strauss is the publisher of Hybrid Global Publishing. Designed to publish books by speakers and entrepreneurs and other indie authors, Hybrid Global is an independent publisher offering author services such as editorial, custom cover and interior design, distribution and marketing. Karen has worked in publishing for more than 30 years with broad experience in all aspects of publishing, sales, marketing, strategic planning, and distribution.

Day 2 – Routes to Publication

Tips for Setting Up Your Publishing House
Fern Brady

In this session, participants will learn the steps to setting up a publishing house. Common mistakes that end up being critical will be discussed and how to avoid these. We will also discuss the pros and cons of seeking a nonprofit designation as a teaching press. Fern Brady is the founder and CEO of Inklings Publishing. She began her professional life as a foreign correspondent, and taught ELAR to 6th graders for 15 years. She has published numerous short stories, two children’s picture books, and a couple of poems. She has returned to the leadership of the Houston Writers Guild, with whom she served as CEO for four years previously, and is a full time teacher.

For Publishers: The Business of Book Cover Design
JuLee Brand

If you are a self-published author or a publisher, JuLee Brand will teach you real-world design and marketing tips to take your covers to the next level. For over thirty years, JuLee Brand’s experience includes being an award-winning graphic designer and over ten years of publishing experience working as an Art Director at Hachette Books Nashville and founding the award-winning W. Brand Publishing, a hybrid boutique publisher specializing in memoirs and fiction where she is publisher and art director/designer.

Day 3 – Marketing & Book Launch

Using Profit First to Keep More Money in Your Business
Brooke Adams Law

This session will cover how to implement the Profit First method in your publishing or coaching business with the aim of keeping more money in your business. Brooke Adams Law is an award-winning author and founder of the Writing Brave movement. Brooke helps creative, intuitive people claim their author identity so that they can start, finish and publish brave books. Through Writing Brave, she offers book coaching and publishing services for folks ready to get their dream books out of their heads and onto paper and give birth to their most empowered creative selves.

Selling Your Books Directly to Your Customer from Your Website
Diane Windsor

Publishers will learn all about selling books directly to customers from Diane Windsor, who founded Motina Books Publishing in 2016, with the goal of helping women and mothers bring their work into the world. Diane Windsor founded Motina Books Publishing in 2016, with the goal of helping women and mothers bring their work into the world. She is passionate about helping her authors find creative ways of marketing and selling their books.

The 3 Secrets to Unlocking Your PR Superpowers
Lilian Sue

Lilian Sue will provide the top three tips to help publishers learn how to harness the power of PR to position their publishing houses, authors, and services the right way to build trust and credibility. You’ll walk away from this session with all the tools and resources you need to do this while saving time and energy. As a PR coach and publicist, Lilian empowers authors to unlock the superpower inside their stories in order to gain the confidence to push past limiting beliefs and build strong relationships with their ideal readers, developing trust and credibility by harnessing the power of PR.

Day 4 – Business Growth

Creating Business from the Gaps in Publishing
Panel with Linda Ruggeri, Pam Sheppard, Tara Whitaker, Neva Talladen, and Brittany Dowdle

The publishing industry employs a vast number of professional freelancers. There are many non-traditional business opportunities for editors that are not specifically about editing. How can you identify those? Which ones make sense for you? What if it doesn’t work out? In this panel you’ll meet five different editors who have built their editing business on more than copyediting and proofreading. Come join us with an open and curious mind to discover what opportunities might be out there for you.

Launching Your Freelance Editing Business
Miranda Darrow

Freelance editor and corporate attorney Miranda Darrow will provide a toolkit of soup to nuts for starting a freelance editing business, from setting up a business (including legal entities, taxes, and contracts), getting the education and resources you need, selecting editing services to offer, identifying your ideal clients, networking with other freelance editors, and knowing how and when to expand your business. Miranda Darrow is an award-winning author who writes the Concise Fiction Academy series of short writing craft books for fiction authors. She combines her experience as a freelance editor and her skills from her day job as a corporate attorney to give an executive summary of complex writing topics.

Royalties for Publishing Houses
Boni Wagner-Stafford

This workshop equips publishers with essential tools for effective royalty management, focusing on the interplay between legal agreements, financial transparency, and efficient reporting. Attendees will learn to streamline royalty processes by aligning agreements with standardized terms, understanding the royalty ecosystem, and managing distributor and retailer reports. Boni Wagner-Stafford is co-founder of Ingenium Books, a hybrid publisher of outstanding nonfiction. As a publisher, Boni also offers author coaching to nonfiction authors. As an award-winning former Canadian journalist, Boni covered politics, government, social and economic policy, health care, organized crime, and more.

Ready to Uplevel Your Publishing House?
Michelle Vandepas

In this session, Michelle Vandepas will cover the essentials when it comes to marketing, distribution, and coaching for publishers, including how to distinguish between the publisher’s responsibilities and the author’s. Michelle Vandepas is a seasoned book publisher and coach with over 25 years of experience in the industry. As the co-founder and CEO of GracePoint Publishing, she has helped countless entrepreneurs, coaches, and purpose-driven individuals transform their ideas into impactful books and courses. Often referred to as the “book whisperer,” Michelle combines her deep industry knowledge with a fun, engaging mentoring style that inspires her clients to unlock their creative potential.

How to Create a Reliable Income Stream by Offering Author-Assist Services
Patricia Marshall

Patricia Marshall will provide a step-by-step plan for editors, designers, and authors who want to set up a small publishing business of any scale. Patricia Marshall is the owner of Luminare Press, a company started in 2010 to help authors with the process of independent publishing. She has a thorough knowledge of the bookmaking process and a passion for non-fiction book editing, as well as a strong desire to help authors produce a polished, professional book.

We are so excited to offer these wonderful training sessions to professionals in the publishing industry, as well as provide the opportunity for networking with authors who are looking for your services!

Get your ticket now!