Note: this week is a super short article from me. I’m away on holiday with my brother, and I also happened to get food poisoning 😅. This seemed like a good week to test out a short article. I’d love your feedback on it!
So many of us think small.
We’re scared to put our real ideas out into the world, because they feel too risky.
We believe we’re not good enough at [INSERT TOPIC] to make them work.
So instead of dreaming big, we play it safe.
We follow the “factory model” of indie publishing: story in, story out.
It’s not easy, but it’s predictable. It feels safe.
But you have the right to forge your own path.
I’ve helped authors invent entirely new genres, launch communities they never imagined, partner with manufacturers to build physical products, and create brand-new ways of telling stories.
And guess what?
That didn’t take years.
Most of the time, the radical shifts happened in just weeks.
It’s beautiful.
Watching authors expand into their vision is one of the most gratifying things in the world.
And it’s proof that we are all capable of far more than we think.
So many of us are just writing to sell. The next book, and the next, and the next.
I challenge you to dream bigger.
Where do you want to be in 10 years?
Let’s reverse engineer that vision, starting now.
Write to win.
Not just the algorithm. Not just a paycheck.
Write to win your life back. Your creative power. Your future.
We all start not knowing what we’re doing. Even now, most of us are still improvising along the way 😂.
But I believe in you.
I believe in what you’re capable of.
And I believe you can win anything you put your mind to.
Together, we are boundless.
And your future is boundless too.
For paid subscribers of Author Sidekick Plus, you can access the latest workshop, Author Strategy Masterclass, below 👇
Author Strategy Masterclass: April’s Sidekick Plus Workshop
This workshop was a ton of fun! The first half, I cover all things Author Strategy. At the 1:05:00 mark, we then shift to working through the strategy of the authors who were live at the workshop. This is the best part of the workshop!
As a reminder, live recordings of Author Sidekick Plus workshops happen on the fourth Friday of every month at 5 pm ET.
Summary of the Author Strategy Masterclass (For folks who don’t have time to watch it all 😆)
In this Author Strategy Masterclass, I focused on why building a unique strategy matters now more than ever. With content creation becoming easier and more affordable, the real advantage is in how you think, not just what you make.
I broke the session down into three core areas to help you craft a long-term plan that feels good and gets results:
Identifying growth bottlenecks
Building a moat around your business
Choosing tactics that actually move the needle
Strategy is not just for people with fancy job titles or huge budgets. It is a skill anyone can learn and enjoy.
On the Personal Side:
I shared some of my early mistakes in book marketing, mainly trying to copy other authors’ tactics without thinking about whether they fit me or my readers. Spoiler: it did not work. Burnout and poor results often come from chasing someone else’s playbook instead of designing your own.
The good news? Strategy becomes way more fun (and effective) when you focus on your strengths, your passions, and the people you genuinely want to serve.
On Making a Long-Term Bet:
One of the most powerful shifts you can make is to commit to one long-term strategy and line everything else up behind it. Whether it is dominating a genre (like Aleron Kong as the “Father of American LitRPG”), building deep fandoms through events (like Kevin J. Anderson), or leveraging TikTok (like AP Beswick), long-term focus beats scattered effort every time.
On Sustainability:
Publishing follows a power law. A few authors earn most of the income. Surviving long enough to become one of those few requires sustainability across finances, energy, and relationships.
My advice: Plan as if it is going to take 10 years. Make sure your strategy does not burn you out before you get there.
On Bottlenecks and Moats:
We dug into the two biggest strategy levers:
Bottlenecks: What is your biggest constraint right now? Not enough new readers? Low trust? Weak monetization? Fix this first.
Moats: How are you making your author business defensible? Your books are not your moat. Your relationships, your audience, and your brand loyalty are.
When you fix bottlenecks and strengthen your moat at the same time, that is when momentum compounds.
On Marketing Strategy:
Strategy is simple but not easy. Find the bottleneck. Build the moat. Choose the right tactics. I introduced the Author Marketing Styles Quiz to help you find the tactics that fit your superpowers.
And that’s it for this one! I’ll see you all this week for another episode of the Beyond the Book Podcast and I’ll *officially* be releasing the Author Marketing Superpowers Quiz.
In the meantime, don’t forget…
Together we are boundless,
Michael Evans
The Author Sidekick
