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Owned by Stacey
Stop drifting and build a successful author business with a clear strategy and execution with support from professionals & authors like you.
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10 contributions to P2P Author Business Harbor
9d •
⚓ Welcome to the Author Business Discussion Board!
This space is dedicated to the business side of being an author: marketing, branding, platform building, email lists, launches, revenue streams, productivity, systems, long-term growth, and navigating the realities of running a sustainable author career. Writing the book is only part of the journey. Building a professional author business requires strategy, consistency, and smart decision-making. This board is here to support those conversations. Use this space to: ✔ Ask marketing and business questions ✔ Discuss branding and audience growth ✔ Share wins, launches, and lessons learned ✔ Troubleshoot platform and business challenges ✔ Learn new strategies and tools ✔ Connect with authors building intentional careers To get started, introduce yourself and tell us: 1. What is your biggest author business goal right now? 2. What platform or marketing area are you currently focused on? 3. What business challenge are you hoping to solve this year? We’re glad you’re here. Let’s build stronger author businesses together.
3 likes • 3d
@Bennette Seaman sounds like you have a lot on your plate. I think you are in the right place and should find loads of help here. I suggest starting simple and focus first on setting up your direct sales. Then you can widen your distribution from there. But starting and running a website is a pain. Keep an eye out for our q&a sessions on the calendar and keep plugging g away in the community. I am sure you’ll get the help you need. Thanks for being here.
1 like • 15h
@Bennette Seaman that’s great. Keep us posted. I am always curious about what is working when it comes to ads.
1d •
Huge accomplishment in revision!
Tonight I cut over 10,000 words from my manuscript and moved a gigantic cluster of scenes to their proper place. Though I'll be editing what I moved to just about smithereens, I feel like this has been a glorious end to my day.
1 like • 1d
Celebration Time.... Come On!
1d •
The Big Ask.
I found a painting perfect for my first book cover. It's currently is in a gallery in the midwest but many images exist online. How would I approach them to ask to use it and would it require payment?
2 likes • 1d
You would have to reach out to the artist directly. If they are alive, I have found that artists are open to this idea. You can reach out to the copyright holder to obtain permission to use it. If there isn't a formal channel to do that, you can just email them. I have had original art created for authors for as little as a couple hundred dollars. The trick is getting a high-resolution image that we can "adjust" for the parameters of a cover. So the easiest way to do this is just to reach out and ask. Tell them you're an author who wishes to use their artwork for the cover of your book. Tell them a little about the book so that they understand the scope of the project. I have even had an author reach out to Lara Ingalls's estate for use of a photograph and they granted permission without any payment. So this could be easy.
1d •
Chapter titles with song quotes.
Related to my previous question. The first iteration of my novel had chapters start with quotes from songs and the lyricist's name attributed the next line down. What are the mechanics of that? Do I seek permission from the source or is an attribution enough? I removed them until I found out the legality of it.
1 like • 1d
My general rule of thumb related to music is not to touch song lyrics. Lyrics are heavily guarded. It is an acceptable practice to use a few words sparingly, commonly in an epigraph. I will sometimes tell the author to refer to the song by title only. Titles are not copyrighted. If they are from the same song... you could ask permission from the artist/copyright holder. If the artist is friendly and easily accessible they are usually gracious about using them. If you go through "legal channels" they will often make you pay pretty good money for the use of the song. But that is usually with both music and lyrics combined. It can get complicated. How married are you to the idea?
2d •
Pros Talking Prose - This Week
This week on Pros Talking Prose we discuss how to stay positive when things are difficult. We tackle tackle burnout, doomscrolling, industry panic, AI fearmongering, and the emotional exhaustion many authors are quietly carrying right now. If you aren't already following us on your favorite podcast platform or on YouTube, why not?
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@stacey-smekofske-1526
Stacey runs Edits by Stacey, Print to Pro, and Alibi Syndicate Press, she helps authors adopt an author business mindset. She's also a bit weird.
Active 1h ago
Joined May 5, 2026
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