Author Advantage Live is officially underway, and day 1 kicked off with some serious heat. We got straight into actionable tips for helping you have a 6-figure book launch, think like an online influencer for better marketing, grow a community, and navigate the world of partnerships. We sprinkled in some book cover awards, a healthy serving of dad jokes, and some exclusive VIP coaching with Chandler to keep the day both actionable and entertaining.
Here’s a look back at what we covered on this transformational first day.
Mindset and momentum with the selfpublishing.com team
Authors got to hear a lot of behind-the-scenes training from resident subject matter experts. Taking the stage were people from the C-Suite and Marketing teams to the book coaches our authors engage with daily.
Founder and CEO Chandler Bolt welcomed us with his signature energy and vision. He reminded us that books aren’t just about sharing a message – they’re the start of a movement. It gave authors a chance to understand the “why” that drives our team each day. Aaron Schafer, a member of our selfpublishing.com speaking team, then delivered a vulnerable talk about The Power of Vision, packed with personal anecdotes and a challenge to each one of us to think bigger about our books, author careers, and lives.
Because it’s not just a chance to entertain someone for a moment. It’s a chance to change lives. And it’s a chance to change your business.
As we moved into the more nitty-gritty how-to sessions of the day, we set the tone with a question:
“What are the biggest things you are hoping to learn from this event?”
With that intention set, we got ready to jump in with both feet (and an empty notebook).
Getting the tools to grow from author to authorpreneur
After a short break, Chandler returned to the stage, followed by several members of our coaching team.
- During The Anatomy of a 6-Figure Book Launch: How To Turn Your Book Into A 6 & 7-Figure Revenue-Generating Machine, Chandler broke down several ways to launch a business off the back of your book and see huge returns.
- Ali Tugwell urged us all to embrace being an influencer (because as an author, you are influencing people whether you want to or not, so you might as well be intentional!) and gave us some guidelines to live by in The 4 P’s of Building Your Author Brand.
- We were reminded that the book launch is only the beginning – and that there is no finish line in the land of authorpreneurs – during The Core Pillars of Long-Term Book Marketing by Brett Hilker.
- Karen Pina had the audience frantically taking notes during her talk, How to Effectively Build a Community and Course-Based Business, which was packed with specific tactics, tools, and strategies for growing with – and within – a community.
- Pedro Mattos closed out the actionable sprint of sessions with nearly an hour of value-packed ways to grow your network of supportive peers, affiliates, and partners in Building Your Bench of Engaged Champions.
Greatest hits from the day
There’s always at least one quote that sticks with you long after the speaker leaves the stage.
If we had to pick some of our favorite moments and memorable quotes from the day, it would be these:
The launch is literally just the beginning, and there is no finish line. Once you hit the milestone of selling 1 book every day, you’ll keep going. There are other milestones. And you need to rely on more than short-term random bursts of energy for long-term consistency.
– Brett Hilker
Ali and Michael sharing dad jokes and bookish puns while celebrating our top author success stories from 2024-2025 was a great way to see how we are changing the lives and businesses of normal people each and every day. And opening up nominations for best book cover was a highlight of the day!
And finally, the last session.
Did we end on possibly the best content of the day? Perhaps!
But, then again, the topics discussed during the live laser coaching are always completely determined by our Author Advantage Live attendees. Authors brought their real questions for Chandler, Aaron, and Ali to help them work through in real time. It’s a valuable experience that’s usually reserved for our programs and book coaching sessions.
We’ll keep the details of that one a secret, as it was an exclusive session for VIP attendees only.
Author Advantage Live continues
From strategy to mindset, connection to celebration, Day 1 was packed. And we’re just getting started.
Tomorrow brings even more fire – with sessions on scaling up your author business, multiple one-on-one interviews with bestselling authors, and even more VIP laser coaching.
Each session and breakout is sure to give you hands-on opportunities to take your book and brand to the next level.
Stay tuned. This is where things get really good.