What’s inside the guide?

• Instead of focusing on secret keywords and algorithm tricks, it focuses on how Amazon actually connects books with readers and the five mistakes authors make that most often prevent that from happening.

Everyone can get this guide free as my thank you gift for subscribing to Author Gold! You’ll get it in your welcome email.

Or, purchase it without subscribing here.

Read more

I’ll show you how I set up the “About Me” on my landing page, and then go into the About the Author page, where the content is more in-depth.

The final updated page is here: www.jensimpsonbooks/about.com

6 things you should include in your page

By the time someone cli…

Read more

If you've ever wondered how to stay motivated to write when inspiration disappears, you're not alone.

Subscribe for more research-based insights to help you write, publish, and market your books!

Subscribe now

The Motivation Myth

Early writers fall into this trap of believing that successful authors are somehow more motivated than the rest of us.

We imagine that professional writers sit down at their desks filled with inspiration and momentum, having discovered the secret sauce of discipline that keeps them productive, while everyone else struggles through periods of doubt, distraction, or creative fatigue.

Over the past few weeks, I noticed myself avoiding projects I genuinely wanted to work on. I had trouble starting a new Post, and my next book still sits unfinished. Nothing was wrong, exactly. I just felt stuck. And the longer it lasted, the more curious I became about what was happening to my motivation.

So (you know me!) I started digging into the research.

What I learned was reassuring. Decades of psychological research suggest that highly productive writers and creatives are not necessarily more motivated than everyone else. Rather, they’ve learned something different about how motivation works. We tend to think motivation comes first and action follows, but the evidence often points in the opposite direction: action creates motivation.

Understanding this has helped me make sense of my own creative slump and pointed me to several research-backed strategies for rebuilding motivation when it starts to fade. That's what I'd like to share with you today.

What Motivation Research Says About Writers

Psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, creators of Self-Determination Theory, found that people are more likely to sustain effort when three needs are met: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. In simple terms, we stay engaged when we feel ownership over our work, believe we can improve, and feel connected to something larger than ourselves.

For writers, this suggests motivation is more likely to manifest when:

• You’re writing a story you genuinely care about.

• You can see evidence that you’re improving.

• You feel connected to readers, a writing community, or a meaningful purpose.

What’s not on this list? Willpower.

Motivation isn’t a character trait. It’s actually a response to conditions.

And me, I had been spending more time thinking about what I should be writing than what I actually wanted to write.

The Power of Small Wins

One of the most influential findings in motivation research comes from Harvard researcher Teresa Amabile. After analyzing nearly 12,000 daily work diary entries, she found that the strongest driver of motivation wasn’t praise, money, or recognition. It was making progress in meaningful work, and even small progress mattered.

This finding is very relevant for writers because we can be quick to dismiss our own progress. We focus on the unfinished novel and overlook the scene we just wrote. We wish we had spent three hours writing and discount the thirty minutes we managed to carve out. Yet Amabile’s research suggests these small wins are exactly what fuel your motivation. Progress creates motivation, not the other way around.

This may explain why unfinished projects can feel so discouraging. We tend to focus on how far we still have to go instead of recognizing how much progress we've already made.

Why Waiting for Motivation Backfires

So if progress creates motivation, what should you do when motivation is already low?

Behavior scientist BJ Fogg argues that when motivation is low, the solution is often not to increase motivation, but to make the task easier. Yet many writers do the opposite. We set bigger goals, demand more discipline, and expect ourselves to push harder.

Research suggests a better approach is to lower the barrier to getting started. Open the manuscript. Write for ten minutes. Revise a single page. The goal is to create momentum by making the first step small enough to take.

How Productive Writers Stay Motivated

When I started researching motivation, I assumed I’d find strategies for generating more of it. Instead, I found something much more reassuring.

Perhaps the difference between struggling writers and productive writers isn't motivation at all. Perhaps productive writers have simply learned how not to wait for it.

So the small wins matter and lowering the barrier to getting started works. Writing a single paragraph, ten focused minutes, or one solved plot problem can have a bigger impact than we realize.

So the next time motivation feels out of reach, try resisting the urge to wait for it. Open the manuscript. Write the paragraph. Take the smallest step to keep the project alive.

And if you’re struggling right now, remember this: you don’t need enough motivation to finish the book. You just need enough to take the next step.

Cheering you on, always,

Jen | Author Gold

Did you know? Author Gold provides personal author coaching on publishing and marketing. Learn more about my services HERE.

May Blooms

This month in Author Gold, the inaugural Author Gold Short Story Award writing contest entries are in our judge’s hands. Our community passed 600 subscribers. The resource library keeps growing. Our conversations are deepening. Writers are finding each other. I see your growth, too!

What’s blooming now started as small seeds months ago.

The theme of this month’s Digest is BLOOM!

I see you, writers.

Here’s what’s inside for May!

• Worth Noting: important updates!

  • Will there be another round of the Short Story Writing Contest?

• Readers’ Favorites: what you might have missed

• What to Read Next: go deeper

• Creator Spotlight: pro ball player turned writer, Jess

• Indie Book of the Month: Wildflower Friends

• What’s Coming Next Month

• Promotions (deals and opportunities)

Author Gold is more than a newsletter.

• We are a community of creatives who believe that by supporting one another, everyone reaches their full potential.

• We believe that every writer has a unique voice and we respect the time and effort behind each story.

• We believe that readers deserve high quality, beautiful books that instill a life-long love of reading.

I promise to show up, be authentic, share quality content, and help you reach your publishing goals.

Subscribe now

• Free Subscribers get: Monthly Digest, weekly articles on book publishing and marketing, and access to our Group Chat.

• Gold Tier Subscribers also get :

  • 1–4 additional in-depth posts each month focused on helping you grow as a writer and author.

  • Full access to the Author Gold Archives with my complete library of strategies, insights, and lessons to help you improve craft, build audience, and grow your author career.

  • Full guest interviews and Q&As with industry professionals sharing practical advice and real experience.

  • Access to every downloadable toolkit and workbook in the Resources Tab.

  • One-on-One Messaging with me for advice and support.

  • Feature opportunities through Author Gold to help spotlight your work and increase discoverability with thousands of readers, including free submission to the Author Gold Short Story Award.

• Founding Members ($200) get:

  • Four personal author-coaching sessions with me, Jen, Author Gold.

  • One-on-One Messaging with me for advice and support.

  • Bonus 1 year of Gold Tier Membership included as my thank you gift.

Worth Noting

We’re now over 600 subscribers! Your support means more than you know, and I’m truly grateful for each of you.

The Writing Contest

My new initiative, the Author Gold Short Story Award, was created to help talented writers gain more visibility and recognition. The winner (and runner ups) will be announced in June!

The authors who submitted stories represent a diverse group of emerging voices, and I’m excited to explore future collaborations and create opportunities to spotlight their talents. If you submitted an entry, you will hear from me. Thank you for your patience as we judge entries.

Will there be another round of submissions? YES! The next round will feature an audio recording with professional voice actor, Charlotte Chiew, as part of the prize package!

If you have a short story (in any genre), consider entering it in the contest!

Click here for more information and contest submission. The next round will open in July.

Group Chat Participation!

Engaging in our Group Chat in the Substack App has benefits. You get more of the content you care about, announcements and opportunities that aren’t emailed out, and you will connect with other talented and supportive creatives.

The Chat is open to all subscribers and features Tuesday Notes “boosts,” Wednesday “challenges,” and other opportunities to get newsletter mentions, restacks, and visibility boosts.

Case in point? This post! Check out these indie authors who deserve some love.

Subscribe now

Got an Idea for Author Gold?

I’d love to hear from you!

Readers’ Favorites in May

If your website feels “pretty, but not converting,” this post is for you. In this reader-favorite guide, I break down the biggest mistakes authors make with their websites and explain how to redesign yours to create emotional connection, grow your newsletter, and turn visitors into readers.

What to Read Next

Just released! If you’re website is not performing the way you hoped, then take this homepage audit. With specific steps and practical guidance for authors of any genre, you can fix homepage problems that most authors overlook.

Creator Spotlight

Pivoting to Your Passion, the Writing Process, and Publishing, with pro-basketball player turned writer Jess!

In this LIVE with , we spoke about our passions and how chasing them can be hard. Here’s what Jess says about it,

“Two people talking about grief, layoffs, slow pivots, writing as a coping mechanism and the cost no one talks about of building something you actually believe in. Jen showed up with a depth I wasn’t expecting, and I ended up sharing things I rarely talk about either.”

One of my favorite things about connecting with writers on Substack is discovering people who are building something very thoughtful, and Jess is one of those creators.

Indie Book of the Month

Featured books are written by indie/self published authors. The only way to get a book promoted here, is for me and my daughter to truly love it!

Wildflower Friends

By Caroline Harpring

Wildflower Friends has become the most-loved coloring book in our house! The illustrations are sweet, inspiring, full of warmth, and immediately captured my daughter’s imagination. She returns to it and asks questions about the flowers. The adults love it, too! My aunt and I both ended up coloring several pages over tea, gossip, and cookies. It’s especially refreshing to find a coloring book filled with genuine artist-drawn illustrations. Every page shows care and creativity.

Caroline Harpring is a professional illustrator creating watercolor artwork inspired by everyday moments in nature. Her work reflects warmth and creativity, inviting both children and adults to see our world with fresh eyes.

Available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Explore all of Caroline’s art here.

What’s Coming Next Month

• I’m quite busy with the Author Gold Short Story Award! The winner will be announced in June, along with short stories to read and enjoy!

• For my Gold Tier subscribers, I’ll continue with videos that show how I’m rebuilding and refining my own author’s marketing funnel - both Substack and Website - so you can level-up your own alongside.

• A couple of exciting expert interviews that I couldn’t get to publish this month… but they are coming! You’ll love them.

Promotions

Get complimentary Gold Tier when you refer subscribers to Author Gold. Use the Referral Link on my Leaderboard Page to ensure your referrals get logged.

Bring a Friend Annual Discount: Its BOGO when you bring a friend. That’s $45 per annual subscription (only $3.75 per month… like buying me a coffee)!

I love coffee, but I can rarely afford it. Consider supporting my work by contributing to my Tip Jar and help me enjoy a rare caffeinated treat! No subscription needed!

Start blooming in publishing by subscribing today

Subscribe now

Comments or Ideas for Author Gold? I’d love to hear from you.

Leave a comment

After writing about reader-focused author websites, I audited my own homepage using research-based marketing principles and UX principles. I wanted to see whether my website was creating the kind of reader experience I hoped it was creating.

Spoiler Alert! It was NOT.

There was no catastrophic problem. Just several very common homepage mistakes that, together, hurt newsletter signups, reader retention, and long-term audience growth far more than most authors realize.

Common Author Website Mistakes

These small friction points weakened the overall reader experience:

• Too many competing buttons

• Unclear messaging

• Weak newsletter positioning

• Too many choices

• Designed around selling books rather than guiding readers into my world.

Most author websites have these exact same problems.

As you read this post, open up your own homepage in another tab and audit it with me in real time.

In this post, I’ll walk you through:

• the exact problems I found on my own homepage

• why those problems hurt reader engagement

• what consumer psychology research says about online behavior

• and the practical changes to create a stronger reader journey.

I’m figuring this out, applying real research, and showing you exactly what I’m learning in practice. You will learn to see and fix problems almost every website has using:

• emotional branding principles

• cognitive load research

• reader journey strategy

• conversion psychology

• and trust-building principles from online marketing research.

Problem #1: Too Many Competing Buttons

How many clickable buttons does your homepage have? Mine had 11. My homepage was asking visitors to:

• subscribe

• visit Amazon

• shop the store

• browse blog posts

• click social media

• explore books

• sign up for updates

…all almost immediately, right on the homepage.

None of these things are bad individually, but the problem is that together, they compete for attention equally.

When readers are presented with too many equally weighted choices, decision fatigue increases and action-taking decreases. They leave without doing anything. This is one reason that strong homepage designs rely heavily on visual hierarchy and intentional attention guidance.

Don’t let people come and choose nothing. Don’t give them several choices. Make them choose one purposeful thing.

What I’m Changing

I’m reducing my homepage to one primary pathway: to join my newsletter.

Everything else becomes secondary. Not deleted.

Remember: your homepage does not need to do everything; it needs to guide someone’s attention intentionally so they choose to do the one thing you want them to do. We will talk about other pages - and how to build them best - in another post!

Reduce the homepage down to:

1. One primary Call To Action (CTA),

2. One emotional hook, and

3. One clear reader pathway.

Squint at your homepage.

Seriously! This exercise is very revealing.

When you blur your eyes slightly:

• what stands out first?

• where does your eye go?

• is there one obvious next step?

• or ten competing ones?

Time to Upgrade?

If this kind of practical, research-informed strategy is helpful for you, that’s exactly what’s inside Gold Tier. Gold Tier helps you grow your audience, strengthen your craft, make smarter decisions, and feel less alone in the publishing world. You’ll get

• Research-informed strategies to grow your audience, strengthen your platform, and make smarter author-career decisions.

• Additional premium posts each month focused on craft, visibility, marketing, and long-term growth.

• Full access to the complete Author Gold archive, including practical frameworks, worksheets, and downloadable resources.

• Direct messaging access with me for personalized guidance, feedback, and support.

• Full interviews and behind-the-scenes conversations with industry professionals and experienced authors.

• Opportunities to increase your visibility through Author Gold features, promotions, and community spotlights.

• Free submission eligibility for the Author Gold Short Story Award.

Subscribe now

Read more

I’ve been redesigning my old author website because it looked pretty but was failing me. People visited and then left. Without subscribing. Without connecting. Without coming back.

I made a mistake that many writers make: I built my website thinking like a writer, not like a reader. And definitely not like someone who understands how attention, trust, and online behavior actually work!

Woops!

The more I dive into marketing psychology, the more I realize how many writers are making the same mistakes… and wondering why there’s no traction on our websites.

So don’t copy what others do. A good author website is more than a bio, storefront, book list, or digital resume.

The Mistake Most Authors Make

Your author newsletter is one of the most important long-term assets you can build as an indie author.

Your website’s primary job is to get the right people to subscribe and stay connected long enough to build trust. Then you sell the books.

But most author websites are basically online résumés with a storefront.

“Here’s my bio. Here are my books. Here’s where to buy them.”

This approach simply does not connect to your reader fast enough. Research on online behavior shows that people make snap emotional judgments within seconds about trust, clarity, relevance, and whether something feels “for them.”

That’s why you’re losing readers.

Good Websites Do Three Things Well

Here’s what good author websites do really well:

1. Reduce confusion: it’s crystal clear what kind of books you write, who they’re for, why they should care, and what to do next.

2. Create an emotional connection: your site should invoke the same feelings readers will get from your books. Cozy, magical, funny, or adventurous… your site should reinforce that feeling immediately through visuals, wording, and tone.

3. Guide attention intentionally: make the next step feel obvious (Hint: the next step should be to sign up to your newsletter or join your community)!

This psychology works whether you write picture books, fantasy, romance, memoir, literary fiction, or nonfiction. Different readers, sure, but the same human behavior.

Why Redesign Matters So Much

Getting people to your website, and getting them to sign up to your email list or author newsletter matters a lot. Social media algorithms change constantly, but email gives you direct access to people who intentionally chose to hear from you.

Email consistently outperforms social media in sales conversions because it creates a more focused, trust-based environment. There’s plenty of literature to back this up, so I won’t belabor the point.

Designing Your Author Website (the right way)

Now let’s dive into the steps to build a better author website based on your reader’s journey.

Here’s the “How-To” that you’ll find in this guide:

• Step 1: Define the Emotional Experience First

• Step 2: Remove Cognitive Load

• Step 3: Give Readers a Reason to Subscribe

• Step 4: Design for Relationship, Not Immediate Sales

This is how you’ll change your page from “interesting” to “I want to stay connected to this author.”

For Gold Tier Subscribers

This is the framework I’m using to redesign my own website. This is not theory, and not bringing you “branding vibes.” This is a practical reader-conversion framework grounded in audience psychology and marketing strategy.

You will learn exactly how to design your site around emotional connection, reduce friction that can turn readers away, and create author newsletter signups that convert.

Time to Upgrade

If you’ve been considering upgrading to Gold Tier, I completely understand. Writers are constantly being sold subscriptions, courses, and secrets to success online. I built Author Gold differently, to give you practical, research-informed guidance (not hype) so you can make smarter decisions, grow your audience intentionally, improve your craft, and feel less alone navigating this industry.

Gold Tier gives you access to the deeper strategy side of Author Gold, including premium articles, downloadable toolkits, industry interviews, direct messaging with me, and opportunities to increase your visibility as an author through features and contests.

• Research-informed strategies to grow your audience, strengthen your platform, and make smarter author-career decisions.

• Additional premium posts each month (like this one) focused on craft, visibility, marketing, and long-term growth.

• Full access to the complete Author Gold archive, including practical frameworks, worksheets, and downloadable resources.

• Direct messaging access with me for personalized guidance, feedback, and support.

• Full interviews and behind-the-scenes conversations with industry professionals and experienced authors.

• Opportunities to increase your visibility through Author Gold features, promotions, and community spotlights.

• Free submission eligibility for the Author Gold Short Story Award.

  Subscribe now

Read more

If you read Tuesday’s post on defining your niche, now this is where we apply it!

In this test for Gold Tier subscribers, you’ll find out how clear your niche really is, with my advice to strengthen areas where it needs work.

What this covers:

• Why do a Niche Test

• The Niche Test

• Scoring and Results

• What to Do with a Low Score

• Inside Look at Author Gold’s Own Niche Test Answers and Scores

Why do a Niche Test

As an author, you know your genre of your work(s). But, this is not the same as your niche. A clear niche means that the right reader instantly understands:

• This is for me.

• This gives me something I want

• This is different from other options.

Use this 10-minute test to see how strong your positioning really is, and identify any specific areas needing improvement.

NOTE: Before you do this test, you’ll want to have your positioning statement/ niche written down (if it’s in your mind, then write it down quickly on a separate paper).

This article gives you a 3-step practical guide to develop exactly what you need to then do this test to see how well you’ve done to identify your niche.

Read more

Did you know? Author Gold provides personal author coaching on publishing and marketing. Learn more about my services HERE.

Happy Indie Author Month!

April has been productive! We explored the practical side of author growth, including positioning, protecting your work, and staying grounded during the writing process.

April also marked an exciting milestone: the launch of the inaugural Author Gold Short Story Award, a skill-based competition to give indie authors more visibility and celebrate outstanding work! It’s the first of what I hope will become many opportunities to spotlight talented writers and help them reach new readers.

I’m really thrilled for this! (more contest details below)!

The theme of this month’s Digest is VISIBILITY.

My favorite interactions this month have been in our Subscriber Group Chat, where I’ve gotten to know you all more, and the books you’ve authored. I found 22 new indie books to read! I had a blast promoting them, too.

I see you, writers.

Here’s what’s inside for April!

• Worth Noting: important updates! Short Story Writing Contest and Group Chat.

• Readers’ Favorites: what you might have missed

• What to Read Next: go deeper

• Creator Spotlight: C.C. Hammond and the Writer’s Mindset

• Indie Book of the Month: Eva and the Best Day Ever

• What’s Coming Next Month tease tease!

• Promotions (deals and opportunities)

Author Gold is more than a newsletter.

• We are a community of creatives who believe that by supporting one another, everyone reaches their full potential.

• We believe that every writer has a unique voice and we respect the time and effort behind each story.

• We believe that readers deserve high quality, beautiful books that instill a life-long love of reading.

I promise to show up, be authentic, share quality content, and help you reach your publishing goals.

• Free Subscribers get: Monthly Digest, weekly articles on book publishing and marketing, and access to our Group Chat.

• Gold Tier Subscribers also get :

  • 1–4 additional in-depth posts each month focused on helping you grow as a writer and author.

  • Full access to the Author Gold Archives with my complete library of strategies, insights, and lessons to help you improve craft, build audience, and grow your author career.

  • Full guest interviews and Q&As with industry professionals sharing practical advice and real experience.

  • Access to every downloadable toolkit and workbook in the Resources Tab.

  • One-on-One Messaging with me for advice and support.

  • Feature opportunities through Author Gold to help spotlight your work and increase discoverability with thousands of readers, including free submission to the Author Gold Short Story Award.

• Founding Members ($200) get:

  • Four personal author-coaching sessions with me, Jen, Author Gold.

  • One-on-One Messaging with me for advice and support.

  • Bonus 1 year of Gold Tier Membership included as my thank you gift.

Subscribe now

Worth Noting

The Short Story Award is OPEN!

We’re now over 550 subscribers and becoming a real, thriving community. Your support means more than you know, and I’m truly grateful for each of you.

I’m honing in on ways to meaningfully support your work. That includes new initiatives like the Author Gold Short Story Award, created to help talented writers gain more visibility and recognition.

The award is also a way for me to discover emerging voices, learn more about what writers in this community are creating, explore future collaborations, and create opportunities to spotlight hidden talent. So in that sense, it’s an opportunity even for writers who don’t take home the prize.

If you have a short story (in any genre), consider entering it in the contest! See the link below for more information and contest submission.

Submission Entry Direct Link:

Submit Short Story Entry

Group Chat Participation!

Subscribers should join our Group Chat in the Substack App. Why? Because engaging helps you get more of the content you care about, announcements and opportunities that aren’t emailed out, and you will connect with other talented and supportive creatives!

The authors featured in the “22 Books to Discover” post came from a Chat where I asked for book recommendations. More Substack writers are also featured in “How to Find Your Niche,” drawing on a Chat thread where we explored our ideal readers’ experiences.

You never know where or how you might get some visibility!

It’s my pleasure.

Subscribe now

Got a question? Message me…

Readers’ Favorites in April

With over 300 reads in its first two weeks and over 25% engagement rate, this was one of the most popular - and important - posts I shared this month. Writers are targeted by offers that sound exciting but can take more than they give. In this post, I break down the common patterns behind fake opportunities, including flattery, exclusivity, promises of exposure, and then the ask for money. My goal is to protect what you are creating. Only say yes to opportunities that are truly worth it for you.

What to Read Next

This is my practical breakdown of why so many writing goals fall apart. Instead of relying on vague or outcome-only goals, I walk you through a simple, research-informed structure using mastery, process, and baseline goals to help writers maintain momentum, even through difficult days.

Creator Spotlight

Letting Go of Perfection, with Author C.C. Hammond

This real-talk conversation with C.C. Hammond discusses what it takes to write sustainably… alongside everything else in our life! We talk about moving past self-doubt, developing a “Writer’s Mindset,” and why progress matters more than perfect conditions or daily consistency.

Indie Book of the Month

Featured books are written by indie/self published authors. The only way to get a book promoted here, is for me and my daughter to truly love it!

Eva and the Best Day Ever

Written by Jen Simpson and Illustrated by Farheen Fatima

I know, this is my own book! But I’d like to share it with you all. It also happens to be my daughter’s favorite book ever, ha ha, so… there’s that!

This story is inspired by my daughter and the imaginative plans she cooked up while planning out her own fourth birthday party. I wanted to capture the excitement that children experience in anticipation of big events. At the heart of the story is the mother-daughter relationship, which models two-way respect and trust. Parents may also relate to our own challenges in guiding our children through inevitable disappointments. In the end, Eva discovers that the best days can be simple and not extravagant.

Get this book on Amazon!

What’s Coming Next Month

tease tease!

• I’ll be busy with the Author Gold Short Story Award! I highly, highly recommend you submit a story before the deadline on May 4th. :)

• For articles, I’m open to ideas… hit me up with your pressing challenges!

• For my Gold Tier subscribers, in addition to some new resources coming out, I’ll continue with videos on “fixing my author funnel.” These videos show how I’m rebuilding and refining my own author’s marketing funnel - both Substack and Website - so you can learn and level-up your own.

• I have some exciting expert interviews lined up! Eek! I don’t want to spill the beans just yet, but I just know you’re going to love them.

Promotions

Did you know? Subscriber Referrals can get you free Gold Tier!

• Refer 25 free subscribers to Author Gold, and you get complimentary 6 months Gold Tier as my personal thank you. Use the Referral Link on my Leaderboard Page.

Bring a Friend Annual Discount: Its BOGO when you bring a friend. That’s $45 per annual subscription (only $3.75 per month… like buying me a coffee)!

Support Author Gold without committing to a paid subscription by contributing to my Tip Jar. So buy me a coffee… God knows, I need coffee!

Comments or Ideas for Author Gold? Yes please!

Leave a comment

First I’ll give you the definitions and explain why this topic is so dang important. Then, stick with me through 3 practical steps, and you’ll come out at the end with your niche.

Cheers,

Jen | Author Gold

What “Niche” Actually Means (for writers)

Finding your “niche” is a core component of Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning (STP) , a foundational framework used to identify and reach viable markets (if you need a refresher on why casting a wide net is bad marketing advice, review my article on marketing frameworks here).

In marketing terms, a niche market is “a narrowly defined group of customers with distinct needs, preferences, and willingness to pay.”

And while this definition seems simple, it’s often misinterpreted by writers and (in my humble opinion) very difficult to apply in practice.

Writers overthink their niche: they review countless variable definitions and worry about getting it wrong, or dismiss it entirely and resist being “defined by any niche!”

Why is it important to define your niche?

Defining your specific niche gives your work clarity and direction so the right readers can find it, recognize it, and connect with it.

When you are specific about who your book is for and the experience it offers, you strengthen your discoverability, position yourself better in the competitive marketplace, and make it easier for readers to confidently buy your book.

Short version? You sell more books.

So what is a niche, really, for writers?

I’m reframing the niche definition for writers to make it more practical, less intimidating, and to leverage skills you’ve already honed: your ability to tell a story.

Writer’s niche = a specific reader with a specific desire, and your book delivers the specific experience or transformation they seek.

Three Steps to Defining your Niche

I developed an approach for writers to get at their niche using story telling. I’ve broken it down into 3 steps.

Next, I’ll walk you through each step using real examples from my wonderful subscribers.

Three Steps:

1. Segment the market (= where you play)

2. Target your Ideal Reader Profile ( = your ideal reader)

3. Position with a Unique Value Proposition (= why choose you)

Ready? Let’s go!

Step 1: Segment the Market (Where do you play?)

The first step is to get an idea about what segment of the market you are actually playing in.

No one plays well if they try to cover the whole universe. You need to understand the genre of your work and the demographics of the typical reader within that genre.

For example, are you writing for children, teens, YA, adults? Women or men or both? What are their reading behaviors?

You may have several segments, depending on the scope and breadth or depth of your works, but try to prioritize one primary segment first.

The goal is to narrow the field to real, reachable reader groups.

How to do Step 1:

Identify 1-3 viable segments your work could serve based on existing market categories and reader patterns.

To make it easy, here are the most relevant segmentation variables for authors:

• Genre/category (market-defined, not invented)

• Demographics (age group, reading level)

• Psychographics (interests, values, emotional drivers)

• Behavioral (reading frequency, format preferences, series vs. standalone)

I’ve identified my own two main market segments. Since I’m playing in two very different market segments, I’m sharing one for each. The first one is for my picture books, and the second is for Author Gold.

1. Children’s Picture Books: Children ages 3-6 years. Most are not yet reading on their own, so rely on story narratives read loud for them and looking at the pictures. They like imaginative worlds with distinctive characters who face challenges they can still relate to. They read daily and will come back to the stories they like over and over again.

2. Author Gold Newsletter: Adults who have published, or want to publish, their works in fiction or non-fiction. They’ve put in a lot of work to write, but do not have the publishing experience of self or traditional publishing. They are avid readers and eager to learn, but have read much misinformation or conflicting advice which has affected their confidence and trust.

Now, try your own. Keep it simple, short, and link it back to the segmentation variables listed above.

Step 2: Ideal Reader Profile (Who is Your Ideal Reader)

Now you will zoom in to a single person. This is often where writers struggle. They’ve heard from the marketing and sales gurus to “niche down” to your “ideal customer,” but no one shares how to do that. And besides, your customer is actually your reader.

So let’s reframe this for your Ideal Reader:

And since you are a writer, let’s use those story-telling chops to do this.

How to do Step 2:

In one paragraph, tell me a story about one individual reader.

Close your eyes, and really see them. Make them your main character:

• Who is this person? What are their current problems? What is their desire

• What prompts them to pick your book up and open it?

• Then, when they read your work, what happens to them? How do they feel afterwards, and how do they change or transform?

Here are some wonderful IRP examples from my own writers. Read them and let them inspire you to write your own!

Notice that they aren’t telling you their genre, plot, or even premise of their book. They aren’t talking about themselves either. Notice that they are completed focused on the reader.

• Carrie Scott: My reader is a shy, young woman. She waltzes with poverty daily. Her one escape is to read a few pages that tell of a different world from hers, every evening after work. She usually falls to exhaustion too quickly to even make it the full two pages. Oh, those words, though! They keep her going until the next evening’s moments.

• J. Davis Mallory: My reader is Lia. She is disabled and looking for guidance from those with her disability. She learns it is okay to embrace you disability and to pivot to things that will help you grow instead of the things she can’t do. She learns that she is more than her disability. She realizes that she has merit and can be anything she wants to be as long as she sets her mind to it.

• The Visible Reader: Intellectually curious, The Visible Reader subscriber doesn’t mind sitting with long-form articles or essays in a world that has come to prioritize fast-takes and click bait. Although concerned about the declining readership in this country and wanting to do something about it, they just don’t know what… they had high hopes of raising readers (their own or those under their care), but are finding it much more challenging than they ever imagined. It’s heart-breaking, but in the cracks rest hope, hope for a future where reading remains valued, vital and visible. They want a place where they can honestly explore the challenges while rejoicing in the small reading wins.

• Bill Posner: Elizabeth almost didn’t pick it up. It had been sitting on her nightstand for two weeks… She only opened it because a thunderstorm knocked out the power on a Saturday afternoon and her phone was dead… By the time the power and lights flickered back on, she didn’t notice. She was somewhere in a coastal forest, crouched behind a mossy boulder with Ping and Zippy, holding her breath. She didn’t think of herself as a mystery solver, she was more of a watcher, the kind of kid who noticed things but never said them out loud because she wasn’t sure they mattered. But Zippy wrote everything down. Every small observation, every feeling that didn’t have a word yet, every question that seemed too small to ask. Somewhere around chapter six, Elizabeth reached over to her desk without looking up from the page, pulled a spiral notebook in front of her, and wrote down something she had noticed that day, something she had almost let slip away. She didn’t know why exactly. It just felt like the right thing to do. She was now part of the adventure.

Step 3: Unique Value Proposition - Position your work

Now that you know your market segment and your Ideal Reader, you need to position your work, so they can find it.

What makes positioning difficult for writers is that, in contrast to the creative process, positioning is precise and selective. Writers explore new ideas and new worlds, and readers experience and interpret those in many different ways. It’s open and inclusive. But positioning requires a writer to leave that creative mindset and instead take on a market-facing mindset that forces you to be exclusive.

The other challenge is that many writers confuse a book’s value with what makes it great. But in step 3, you need to focus on what makes your work DIFFERENT.

So let’s reframe positioning for writers.

Positioning = the clearest, most compelling way a reader should understand this book and how does that differ from other available options.

That’s it. You need to explain what makes your book different.

How to do Step 3:

Here’s a simple way to write out a simple Unique Value Proposition for your book:

“I write [type of book] for [specific reader] who want [benefit], delivered through [unique angle], unlike [alternative].”

In the Group Chat, I asked my writers to play a game. I asked them to give me one thing that their writing is, and contrast that with one thing that it is not.

I received many wonderful statements, as you’ll see below. My writers had fun with it!

If I had told them to “state your unique value proposition,” how would they have responded? They may have labored over the “correct” answer. They may have resorted to blurbs about their book’s genre or plot. Or they may not have answered me at all!

Instead, they came up with some great differentiators.

Notice how each is unique in their own way.

• Kevin Chung: My work explores all aspects of creativity, not just what’s trendy or cool.

• Stephen Thomas: Not another there-and-back-again story -- it’s the creation of a whole lost world.

• Dr. Cort: My work is insightful and supportive - it’s not judgmental or critical.

Now it’s your turn to give it try.

Closing

You may have thought of a niche as a constraint.

Now you can see the niche as the foundation of effective positioning and sustainable growth.

Once you go through the 3 steps, you’re now in a position to define your niche with real clarity.

Writer’s niche = a specific reader with a specific desire, and your book delivers the specific experience or transformation they seek.

You’re giving your prospective readers a promise about what they can get out of reading your book in an engrossing way (story-telling) that invites them into your world without any sales language.

That’s very enticing and will convert better than shouting, “Buy my Book!” and “My Book is on Sale Now!”

Later this week I’ll show paid subscribers a simple test to see whether your niche is actually clear, or just sounds that way.

See below for my own personal example for Author Gold:

If you’re reading this, I hope you will check out one of the authors in this list. Give them some love. We are all out here trying to get seen…. you may just LOVE what they have to offer!

Leave a comment

On Thursday, I’ll share my 10-Minute Author Niche Test. This resource for paid subscribers will show you how clear your niche really is, and get practice steps for strengthening any areas that need work.

Is it time to upgrade? See what Gold Tier perks await!

Subscribe now

With my thanks,

Jen

Author Gold

Got a Short Story? Want more reader visibility?

SUBMISSION WINDOW IS OPEN NOW UNTIL MAY 4th!

As my special thanks for your support and membership, I’m please to offer you a free entry to the inaugural Author Gold Short Story Award!

To submit your short story to the contest for free, please use this link below. Please only submit ONE entry using this link.

Submit your FREE Entry HERE

This link is already active NOW, so you have early bird submissi…

Read more

The window is open!

This is a writing contest for writers who are serious about getting published.

If you’ve been sitting on a story, this is your moment to put it in front of a real editorial process.

What makes this contest BETTER:
• Blind judging using a professional editorial rubric and experienced guest judge
• Winners get published and promoted to thousands
• Built specifically for emerging authors with real publication potential

I want to help you get visibility, and I take notice when I read talent. This is just the beginning!

Quick snapshot:

• 1,000–7,000 words

• Any genre short story

• $5 entry fee (covers contest costs)

• Deadline: May 4th 11:59pm Eastern (or when we hit 150 entries - whichever comes first)

• Prize: $50 Cash + personal coaching session ($50 value) + 1-year Author Gold subscription ($90 value) + publication and promotion in Author Gold (invaluable!)

👉 Learn More and Submit your Story to the Contest Here:

If you’ve been thinking about upgrading…

👉 Gold Tier members get their first entry FREE.

This is honestly the best time to upgrade. You’ll immediately get your contest submission covered, plus you get everything inside Author Gold’s Gold Tier!

Subscribe now

• 1–4 special in-depth posts each month focused on helping you grow as a writer and author.

• Full access to the Author Gold Archives with my complete library of strategies, insights, and lessons to help you improve craft, build audience, and grow your author career.

• Full guest interviews and Q&As with industry professionals sharing practical advice and real experience.

• Access to every downloadable toolkit and workbook in the Resources Tab.

• One-on-One Messaging with me for advice and support.

• Feature opportunities through Author Gold to help spotlight your work and increase discoverability with thousands of readers, including free submission to the Author Gold Short Story Award.

Why I am Hosting this Contest

I created this because there aren’t enough real opportunities for undiscovered writers to get visibility.

This is one of them.

And spots will fill.

If you’re ready to take your writing seriously, I cannot wait to read your story.

Jen
Author Gold

PS: Gold Tier Members, you will receive a separate welcome email with specific instructions to submit your free entry!

Get more from Author Gold in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

Get the app

Read more

The Intro Blurb: “Children’s adventure stories featuring relatable characters navigating emotions and life challenges. My books help families build emotional confidence and bond together!”

The newsletter website theme will be next.

And then the Welcome page needs to be fixed, to reflect our new Introduction blurb as well!

Get more from Author Gold in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

Get the app

Read more

Read more

I cannot even count anymore how many times a message like this has come to my email or my DMs. And at some point, you’re going to get a message like this, too. So I’m writing this post so you can assess opportunities that come to you.

The message is any iteration of this:

“I’m so glad I found your work. I loved it. I’ve chosen you for this opportunity.”

You feel a pang of excitement. You’re listening. You’re imagining a future where [insert dream scenario here]…

Oh, but one small thing, there’s just a small fee. A required package. A small step to secure the opportunity.

These messages follow certain patterns that some of you will recognize. You may be vigorously nodding your head at everything I’m about to say in this post.

I pay attention to these patterns because I care about this community. I care about the writers who are building something with integrity, and I do not want to see your momentum redirected into something that takes more than it gives.

So, here are my 10 RED FLAGS to avoid getting taken advantage of.

Not every opportunity is a problem, but many are, and all need to be verified.

I have to preface this post by stating that some opportunities are wonderful. They are real, legit, and will help you go far. But we aren’t discussing those in this post. We are talking about how to spot FAKE ones. They come out of nowhere and sound like this:

“We discovered your work…”
“You’ve been selected…”
“We’d love to feature you…”

These messages feel real because we want them to be real. These messages tap into something what you want: to be seen, to be chosen, to be told this is going somewhere.

Many of these so-called “opportunities” aren’t opportunities at all. They’re sales funnels.

I’m going to state this again, so it really lands.

These are usually SALES FUNNELS.

Say it with me: “It’s a Sales Funnel."

Can you see how passionate I am about this yet??

The Pattern Behind Most Fake Opportunities

Before we get into specific red flags, you need to understand that there is a formula. Why is that? Because they learned this formula from others who use the formula. We can thank growth and marketing gurus for that (and poorly taught Marketing 101 sales courses).

1. Flattery (“You’re talented / special / ready”)

2. Positioning (“This is exclusive / curated / selective”)

3. Promise (“Exposure / growth / visibility”)

4. Paywall (“Secure your spot”)

If you remember nothing else, remember this:

If the end result is that you pay them and not that your readers actually find you = it’s not an opportunity.

Subscribe now

10 Red Flags Every Indie Author Should Know

1. You Were “Selected”… Without Even Applying

If you didn’t submit your work, enter a contest, or pitch yourself, where did they select you from? This is mass outreach pretending to be personal recognition.

What it really means:
They’re sending the same message to hundreds (or thousands) of authors.

2. You Have to Pay to Participate

There’s nothing inherently wrong with paying for services. Self publishing authors need to pay for plenty of services. Services like editing and cover design… maybe even ads (one day) or a membership. The difference is that these are services you choose. They also serve a specific purpose that adds a clear value to you. But paying to access some vague opportunity? What??? NO!!!!!!

Watch for:

• Paid anthologies

• “Feature” spots or showcases

• Award entry fees that lead to guaranteed wins

• Required “marketing packages”

What it really means:
If the opportunity disappears when you don’t pay, it was never an opportunity.

3. The Promise Is Big, But the Details Are Vague

“Massive exposure.”
“Reach thousands of readers.”
“Grow your author brand.”

Sounds great. Means nothing. Instead, ask yourself what’s missing here. Ask:

• Where will your work actually appear?

• Who is the audience?

• What results have past authors measurably seen?

The real opportunities will be specific. Fake ones stay vague.

What this really means:
They are making vague offers so that your imagination fills in the gaps.

4. There’s No Verifiable Track Record

You should be able to answer, within minutes:

• Who has done this before?

• Can I find those authors?

• Did it help them?

If all you see are:

• Generic testimonials

• No names you recognize

• No concrete examples

You don’t have to blindly trust their testimonials. If I’m ever going to support the use of GenAI, here it is! Go Google the heck out of them. Ask ChatGPT. Just please do not simply take them at their word.

What this really means:

They aren’t focused on outcomes for you; they are focused on marketing to you.

5. Urgency

“Only 10 spots left.”
“Deadline tonight.”
“Final call.”

Urgency is a tool. The urgency is coming from design, not from demand. They are lying to you. Of course there are more than 10 spots left. That deadline? It is not tonight. Creating urgency is Marketing 101.

What it really means:

They want to push you past hesitation before you can research or think critically. Legitimate opportunities don’t collapse if you take a day to decide.

6. They Give Lavish Praise, That Leads to a Pitch

This one is subtle and unfortunately, very effective. It works because they are directly targeting writers’ biggest self-doubts:

• “Why isn’t my work getting noticed?”

• “Am I good enough?”

• “Will I ever get just one break?”

They compliment your work, your voice, or your potential. And then… they introduce a paid offer!

Ta-dah! (cue me rolling my eyes).

What this really means:

They don’t want you evaluating the opportunity, they want you responding to the feeling it creates. The praise is part of the funnel.

7. Awards Where Everyone Wins (If They Pay)

These can look incredibly legitimate on the surface. They are offering you badges, titles, or “Best of” listings. But these are pay-to-play and there are no transparent judging criteria.

These exist to sell validation, and not to recognize excellence.

What it really means:

This is a sales funnel to get your information. The badge is the entry, and now you’re in their email lists.

8. “Exposure” Is the Main Selling Point

Exposure is one of the most overused - and almost never defined - promises in the indie author world. You need to ask one simple question:

Exposure to whom?

This promise is actually meaningless if:

• The audience is not made up of your actual readers

• Engagement is low or nonexistent

• There is no clear path back to you or your book(s).

Your name might be mentioned, and sure, your book might be listed. But if a reader has no easy, compelling way to find you again, nothing really happened!! No connection was built. No momentum was created. No sales for you.

What it really means:

This is a sales tactic dressed up as a pretty outcome. They are tempting you with the idea of being seen without delivering what actually matters. What matters is being read, remembered, and returned to.

9. You Can’t Clearly See Your Return

Before you spend money, there should be a clear line between what you’re paying for and what it is meant to help you do.

Ask if this will likely help you to do a specific thing:

• Sell more books?

• Grow my email list?

• Reach a defined audience of readers?

It’s OK if it’s not perfect, or they cannot guarantee it. What is NOT OK, is when their language is not clear and sounds like:

“It could help…”
“It might lead to…”
“It’s good for visibility…”

Since nothing is clear, then it cannot really be measured. Again, you are left filling in the outcome yourself. They are letting your own imagination do the work for them.

What it really means is this.

They do not define the value for you, because they rely on you to define it for them based on your own hopes. And hope is a powerful thing to sell.

10. You are Giving Up More Than You Get

Some “opportunities” come with terms that go completely against your own interest. Read contracts carefully. No contract? Run for the hills! In the contract, please watch out for:

• No royalties, or unclear payment structures.

• Rights to your work that are too broad or long-lasting.

• Language that allows them to use your work indefinitely.

• No clear way to opt out or reclaim your rights.

• Vague or missing details about how your work will be used.

Don’t give someone the right to use your work, distribute it, or profit from it without clear compensation or limits. This is especially common with anthologies, features, and “exposure” opportunities. It can seem like a low risk thing, where you are contributing a piece and getting your name out there.

What it really means:

They want to keep the rights and long-term benefits. And once those rights are given away, they can be difficult or impossible to take back.

Final Remarks:

There are real opportunities out there. But they will look different.

• They’re specific.

• They’re transparent.

• They don’t rely on pressure.

• And they don’t need to convince you you’re special in order to sell you something that has real value.

When an opportunity is presented to you, always ask:

• Is this specific and verifiable?

• Do I understand exactly what I’m getting?

• Would I still want this if there were no flattery attached?

• Does this connect me to real readers, or just to the person selling it?

I hope this list helps you to identify those red flags and steer clear of bad opportunities that cost you money and/or rights.

With care,

Jen | Author Gold

Got great advice for other writers? Please share it in the Comments below!

Leave a comment

This is a curated list of books written by Author Gold’s writers across fiction, nonfiction, fantasy, memoir, children’s literature, and beyond.

Some are thrilling, some are soulful, some are playful… and all deserve to be discovered and on your reading list!

Browse by genre below, and find your next book to love!

I highlight work from writers across genres, especially voices you won’t see everywhere else. If you enjoy discovering books early, connecting with authors directly, and getting insights into the publishing world, subscribing to Author Gold means you won’t miss what’s coming next.

Subscribe now

Scroll to the end to learn more about these talented writers!

Thrillers, Speculative & Dark Satire

• Hell in Paradise by Taylor Ashley & Michael Bowen
  Thriller
  Set in the deceptively peaceful Inlet Point, Florida, this thriller blends murder, greed, betrayal, and sharp humor as a grifter’s deadly schemes collide with a tight-knit island community.
  👉 Buy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G25NJM4J/

• Flight of the Windwalker by L.T. Noble
  Science Fiction
  In a dark future Earth, fugitive Jin Falen’s chance encounter with a pregnant Kastalyna pulls him into a fight against forces bent on global domination.
  👉 Buy: https://store.bookbaby.com/book/flight-of-the-windwalker

• A Kiss Too Late: And Other Stories by Chris Kalaboukis
  Dystopian / Suspense Short Stories
  From AI revelations to ancient devices that promise the future, these stories explore knowledge, power, and the consequences of choice.
  👉 Buy: https://thinkfuture.substack.com/p/books

• Classified Report: Prime Evil by Walter Winkwink
  Satirical Fiction
  A razor-sharp satire on convenience culture, corporate power, and a fulfillment center conspiracy that may—or may not—be entirely human.
  👉 Buy: https://a.co/d/0e5QqEiP

Fantasy

• Blue Moon (Fated Book 1) by Kate Tremillis

  Fantasy

  A dark force threatens three sisters of Fate in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, who maintain order by carefully orchestrating every mortal life.

  👉 Buy: https://a.co/d/01dTD215

Romance, Relationships & Feel-Good Fiction

• Tacos and True Love by Chris Candie
  Romance
  A rule-following NYC food critic meets an Austin food truck chef determined to break every rule - and her heart!
  👉 Buy: https://a.co/d/03bWTRab

• Holiday Face-Off by Chris Cox
  MM Hockey Romance
  A fake-boyfriend holiday deal between Eli and André spirals into something much more complicated and heartfelt.
  👉 Buy: https://a.co/d/0besKeVm

• Whispers of Echo Canyon by Marylee Pangman
  Inspirational Fiction
  Five women in a near-future desert community find friendship, purpose, and second chances in the next chapter of life.
  👉 Buy: https://a.co/d/0fIB8vg5

Memoir & Personal Growth

• A Life of Creative Purpose by T.H. Meyer
  Nonfiction
  A blend of personal journey and practical strategy to help readers uncover their calling and remove invisible barriers.
  👉 Buy: https://a.co/d/02K1oMzP

• Joyful Creating by Kate Tremills
  Nonfiction
  A gentle, soulful guide for creatives feeling burned out or disconnected from their spark.
  👉 Buy: https://a.co/d/0012DxVg

• Keep Going by Arthur Kayser
  Nonfiction
  A meditation on persistence - not speed - through fatigue, detours, and quiet returns.
  👉 Buy: https://a.co/d/02TVLrRP

  ---

  Quick question for readers:
  Which of these genres do you want more of? Thrillers, romance, fantasy, nonfiction, children’s?

  Leave a comment

  ---

  

• Who We Meet Along the Way by Brandon Tosti
  Memoir
  Stories of hardship, wisdom, and found family from Kentucky to the Rockies.

  Has an Audiobook version!
  👉 Buy: https://a.co/d/0beEOJRx

• Bright Lights & Long Nights by Brandon Tosti
  Memoir / Sports
  An inside look at 18 years in the sports industry chasing the dream job - from empty arenas to buzzer-beater finales.
  👉 Buy: https://a.co/d/0errWKeg

Culture & Practical Guides

• A Tapestry of Colours 1 with C.C. Hammond (contributor)
  Short Story Anthology
  Stories from Asia exploring the shared human spirit across cultures and generations.
  👉 Buy: https://epigrambookshop.sg/products/a-tapestry-of-colours-1

• The Diamond Pyramid by Timothy Brice
  Nonfiction / Sports Policy
  A sharp argument for reforming American baseball through open systems, fairness, and accountability.
  👉 Buy: https://a.co/d/0fbRVlsK

  

• The Writer’s Guide to a Rural Life by Alley Hart
  Nonfiction / Writing Craft
  A rich blend of history, how-tos, humor, and lived experience for writing authentic rural settings.
  👉 Buy: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-writers-guide-to-rural-life-alley-hart/1147127285

• Zipping It Up by Irene Gabelnick
  Health & Lifestyle
  Simple habits and recipes to lose five pounds - and keep it off - for life.
  👉 Buy: https://a.co/d/0iNsKf4D4

YA, Children’s & Middle Grade

• Rapid City Summer by Connie Richardson
  Young Adult
  A heartfelt coming-of-age story about resilience, identity, and belonging in the American West.
  👉 Buy: https://a.co/d/01b3kvXn

• The Lighthouse Legacy by Bill Posner
  Middle Grade Mystery
  Three young detectives unravel a century-old disappearance tied to a lighthouse keeper’s daughter.
  👉 Buy: https://bposnerpublishing.com/books/series/ping-and-zippy-adventure-series/l8pw20

• Eva and the Best Day Ever by Jen Simpson
  Children’s Picture Book
  A joyful story about imagination, patience, and birthday dreams coming true.
  👉 Buy: https://a.co/d/0hawAgxU

• Possibilities by Cindy Boudroux (illus. Caroline Harpring)
  Children’s Picture Book
  A celebration of difference and the limitless potential within special needs individuals.
  👉 Buy: https://a.co/d/0em2ysJw

Art & Creative Play

• Wildflower Friends Coloring Book by Caroline Harpring
  Art / Coloring
  Meet 25 wildflowers with unique personalities, each paired with an inspiring quote.
  👉 Buy: https://artistic-caroline.squarespace.com/shop/wildflower-friends-coloring-book

If You’re New Here

One more thing for writers

If you enjoyed discovering new voices here, you might also be interested in something coming soon.

I’m preparing a short story competition through Author Gold, designed to spotlight emerging writers and original storytelling across genres!

👉 You can learn more and get details here!

If you’ve ever thought about submitting your work (or know someone who should) this is a great place to start.

Meet the Authors

Many of the authors featured here also write on Substack. If you’d like to read more from them, you can find their publications below:

• - Life is always a rewrite

• - Connie Richardson Writes

• - Artistic Letters

• C.C. Hammond -

• - Faith & Fringe

• - Noble Tales

• - Porch Talks

• Timothy Brice -

• Walter Winkwink -

• - Nomads 50+, ThinkFuture, AIDaily

• - Joyful Creating

• Alley Hart -

• - Knowing Yourself Through Fiction

• Irene Gabelnick -

• - Famous When Dead

• Jen Simpson

Still want more read? Here are two, perfect for aspiring and new authors, writing through real life!

- Jen
Author Gold

If you enjoyed this list, I’d love to know: what book would you add?
Please share one recommendation and why you love it.

Leave a comment

C.C. Hammond writes Writing on the Side on Substack, where she focuses on what it actually takes to build a writing practice that fits into a full life. Perfect routines and ideal conditions are a dream for most writers. Most of us need a writing practice that holds up over time and through all our other responsibilities.

In our conversation, C.C. shares how she moved from self-doubt to completing multiple full-length manuscripts, what she means by the “Writer’s Mindset,” and how writers can keep going even when writing isn’t the priority every day.

Real talk! Let’s go!

Join C.C. Hammond’s newsletter at Writing on the Side!

Welcome to Author Gold, C.C. Hammond!

What was happening in your own writing life when you started Writing on the Side? And who does it serve?

I launched my Substack on Jan 1st this year and like many who start out, I didn’t have a clear strategy. I knew I wanted to write about where mental health and writing collide. There are strategies I’ve learned, and I can debunk myths about writers as tortured depressives or overachieving geniuses.

Then I came across Substack growth content that asked, what problem do you know how to solve? I kept returning to how I overcame self doubt as a younger writer. For a long time I thought I could never write anything long; that I didn’t have the ability to scope something out as big as a novel, but now I’ve written a full-length (over 50k word) manuscript four times. And been proud of two of them. So, I realized what I know how to do and who I can speak to about it: that writer waiting in the wings, struggling to make her novel come true.

You talk about the “Writer’s Mindset” as something distinct. What exactly is it?

The “Writer’s Mindset” is one of growth and one that prioritizes progress, truth-telling, improvement, and creation over an editor’s or a publisher’s mindset.

The Mindset is about telling yourself, “I want to write. I write because I’m a writer with a story to tell.”

One thing I learned from participating in National Novel Writing Month in my twenties and just making all kinds of mistakes as a young writer, is that what keeps you going is not recognition or an idea of greatness, it’s the love of doing and growing and getting better. And when you eventually get to a finished product, you make people feel things with your writing.

To be clear, there are plenty of days I do not belly up to my keyboard with a sunny disposition, excited about my word count. I actually refer to writing as a “curse” in some of my posts. But it’s a curse I joyfully accept, if that makes sense!

What does the “Writer’s Mindset” look like in daily life for someone writing alongside their other responsibilities?

I believe in separating the Mindset from the tactics. In many ways, the tactics are the easy part. Instead of saying, “I have to write every day at 5am so I can become a great novelist or become the next [hot name here],” it’s about “I know in my heart that I’m a writer. I believe I am meant to write. So I write when I can, as much as I can, often. And I surround myself and connect with other likeminded people.”

What beliefs about writing did you have to learn (or unlearn) in order to make this Mindset sustainable?

Writing is one of many of my hats that I wear, and it cannot - and does not - take priority every single day. The truth about a productive writing life, for me, is similar to being good at anything: it craves balance and a humble yet open attitude toward growth.

I think about writing and my work every day. But I’m also a parent, a wife, a grad student, an adult child to my parents, etc. So some days writing takes a backseat, and that’s okay. That’s not failure or lack of rigor, that’s life!

Practically, that means I see writing as a practice more than an identity. I try to write more days than not, and acknowledge that not every day is going to yield glittering output. It’s okay to make mediocre things sometimes!

What does your daily writing practice actually look like right now?

I’m not working on a first draft at the moment, but I’m planning to start my next novel in May. Right now, I am probably sitting down for true writing/editing sessions around 3x per week (excluding days I’m writing grad school papers and Blackboard posts!). Because my grad student schedule is reasonably flexible, I’m usually writing in the late morning. However, most of my writing life, I was an 8pm writer, usually writing for 45 minutes to-an hour at a stretch. Also, I like to write on my couch. I’m very rarely a desk writer. My husband judges me for my poor ergonomics. :)

When other responsibilities compete for attention, how do you decide what gets your best creative energy and what gets set aside?

I don’t have a hard and fast formula. A lot of it is by gut. I have a 5 year old son, so if he’s sick or has a surprise school cancellation, writing is usually off the table until he’s asleep, and that’s an easy decision to make, because he is my priority right now.

With the heaviness of the past couple of years in the United States, I also take days off when a news cycle is hitting particularly hard. Last year I got laid off from my job shortly after the inauguration and did not write for close to a month. I came back to my book when I was ready.

I fully believe in prioritizing rest when you need it. I’ve written about how I did not read or write for almost the entirety of 2020; I see that now as a trauma response. And I don’t judge those times; they just are what they are. They don’t make me less of a writer. It’s just… being a person.

Once in a while, I take the rest days to think about how my character would deal with whatever I’m dealing with. Play out some scenarios in my head. Those days are helpful, I think.

What are the biggest challenges writers on the side are facing right now?

Traditional publishing is not hospitable right now to new writers and that’s obviously an understatement. That doesn’t mean I think anyone should discount it entirely (I am not), but it is discouraging when considering the massive amount of effort required for completing a manuscript and querying it, and the fact that the publishing industry seems to only want to onboard people who can market themselves.

I think it’s also pushing would-be authors to forsake their story truth for what’s trendy or publishable, leading to burnout or manuscript abandonment in the long term.

It’s also really regrettable the amount of pressure and the power dynamics at play right now in the white collar workspace, so I think for those of us writing on the side with laptop jobs, it’s a little harder than it used to be. Carving out time is harder now than it was just 5 years ago.

It’s going to be interesting to see where this all takes us!

In your experience, what do writers on the side worry about too much?

Questioning things like, Is this the “right” book for me to be writing right now? Is this publishable/marketable? Is my title/niche good enough? It’s not that these aren’t valid questions, but they only enhance the paralysis that is antithetical to the manuscript drafting phase.

It is also completely valid to write a novel for practice. I could write an entire post on this!

What other challenges do writers underestimate?

Going it alone is extremely hard and most people don’t realize that. It’s natural to want to keep your book a secret until it’s ready for eyeballs, but I very much discourage this. Writing can become lonely! But it does not have to be.

At the minimum, tell one person you’re writing a novel. Your partner, your best friend, your therapist. One person you can confide in and trust not to bug you about a timeline while also encouraging you not to abandon it (a very fine line to walk, but needed).

This is also why a virtual writers group is in the works for Writing on the Side, but I honestly cannot say enough about how vital it is to find people in real life, offline, who you can meet up with, talk shop, and share your works in progress.

How can writers tell when something is a genuine constraint in their life, as opposed to an expectation about how writing should be like?

There’s finding the time to write, and then there’s the belief that it’s worthwhile. If you are working three jobs as a single parent of six, you might not have time to write. I’ll buy that. But the vast majority of us are not in that boat, and can find time to write, regularly.

The belief is the hard part, and what I would start with. If you believe it’s worthwhile and can put your effort into the doing while shelving the outcome, you will find the time.

There was a time when you could not write a sentence. Like physically. We all start somewhere. Commit to the growth. If you commit to growth, you more or less become unstoppable. I believe that.

With a debut forthcoming and another novel underway, what do you expect to change about your writing life in 2026?

One big change is that I’m going to upgrade to a novel writing software! I have been writing in Google Docs and it’s time to level up! I think this will be a big positive change.

This whole proselytizing about writing is still very new for me! Before, it was very much like giving pep talks to my two writing besties. Now, I’m doing it to an audience of over 90 people. And I hope that number keeps growing.

So, I think I’m going to learn a lot about what resonates about my philosophy and tactics.

What advice has mattered most to you, and what advice do you think writers would be better off ignoring?

I don’t like the advice, “Write for yourself.” I see what the phrase is getting at, but it’s a little flat. The stakes should involve other people, but not “the Man” of the publishing world, if you get my drift.

I prefer the phrase, “Write the book you want to see in the world.” It speaks to your cultivated taste as a reader, and our taste and our gut instincts are really what makes us who we are as writers. The rest is just time and work. If you enjoy the story you’re putting down, if you believe it and the words and the people feel real to you, I think you’re likely onto something.

What is one last piece of advice you’d give those writing on the side?

Be gentle with yourselves. The world is a harsh and taxing place, especially for writers. Most of us are stretched thin, so the fact that you want to put more on your plate says positive things about your ambition, your capacity for ideas and imagination.

Remember that you are more than your drafts, you are more than what you get on a page in a day. If you can be gentle and kind to yourself as a writer, you’re more likely to keep showing up to make your work the best it can be.

Join C.C. Hammond at Writing on the Side!

Like what you’ve read here? Join me, Jen, at Author Gold and get the confidence and clarity to publish and market your books, while staying true to your voice, values and rights.

Subscribe now

What resonates with you? If you’ve ever struggled with finding time, balancing responsibilities, or suffered self-doubt as a writer, would you share your story with us?

Leave a comment

• I will finish a draft.

• I will write every day.

• I will start querying.

At first, it works.

You open your manuscript, you’re writing, and words come with some ease. A few sessions in you feel good, and you think, “This is going to work!”

But then you hit a snag. Maybe it’s a scene where your writing stalls out. You review. It isn’t quite right, so you adjust a paragraph and reread it again. Nope. So again you rewrite it. But it still isn’t right.

Your days are also demanding. My own life revolves around solo-parenting my kids, working on my business, and serving my existing clients.

So you have activities to prioritize and errands to run, too. And every day that passes, you have less focus for writing than you planned. Some days you miss writing entirely, and as time goes on, your goal remains unfulfilled.

If you haven’t suffered this challenge, maybe this article isn’t for you. Or maybe you’ve just been lucky. But if you’re like me, this scenario may look all too familiar.

So what happened? Research shows this about how the goal was designed in the first place.

Goal-Setting is a Science.

Goal-setting frameworks have been widely studied in psychology. Decades of studies have proven that setting specific and challenging goals lead to higher performance than vague goals.

The first problem with the goals stated above is that they are too vague, forcing your brain to make more decisions and draining your energy. Clarity reduces decision fatigue, which research shows can stall writers.

So instead of “write more,” a clearer, measurable goal such as “write 500 words four times a week” gives your brain something concrete to act on.

That helps at the start. But it still does not fully explain why the goal falls apart when it gets difficult.

Why Outcome-based Goals Fall Apart for Writers

Psychology research also shows that goals tied only to outcomes lose their effectiveness under strain. People disengage more quickly when progress slows or the feedback is negative. Writers experience this as avoidance, self-doubt, or long gaps between writing sessions.

Many common writing goals are based on an outcome. Finish the novel. Get published.

While these matter because they give direction and meaning to your work, they also depend on factors you cannot fully control. Drafts can take longer than expected. Publishing timelines move slowly and often unpredictably.

What Supports Persistence Over Time

Performance vs Mastery

Let’s take a very common outcome based writing goal: finish a draft.

You could approach it with a performance focus. You sit down to prove you can do it. Each writing session carries with it some weight: the writing needs to go well and the pages need to get done (and done well). Research shows that when it does not go well, it’s harder for the writer to continue because the work is not where they want/hoped it would be. They may start to feel doubt or justify skipping a session.

Alternatively, you can approach the same goal with a mastery focus. With mastery, you focus on improving your skill rather than proving your ability. Some days the writing goes slow, for example, when a complex scene takes longer to write. While the goal is still to finish, each session counts as progress because you are building the skills the draft requires.

Combining Goal Types to Sustain Effort

Research across motivation and behavior points to a combination of goal types that sustain effort. This approach is used successfully in many fields, not just for setting personal writing goals.

1. Process goals are the first layer. These define the action itself. Sit down and write for a set period. Revise one scene. Outline the next chapter. Process goals reduce the mental load required to begin. They should be immediate, time-bound, and easy to track.

2. Mastery goals add a second layer. Focus on improving a specific aspect of your writing. Strengthen your dialogue, clarify a main character’s motivation, or tighten sentence structure. This keeps your attention on growth, which supports engagement even when your output feels slow.

3. Monitoring and Adjustment. Research on Self-Regulation Theory shows that sustaining long-term goals requires tracking progress and adjusting effort based on energy, time, and circumstances. Writers scale effort up and down, but keep momentum.

   Do you see why I get frustrated when I see the growth gurus only talk about consistency as a goal? “Just show up” “Keep going” and “Power through” are not sustainable goals. It misleads writers. - Author Gold

What this means for your writing

A simple goal-setting structure that holds up

Together mastery, process, and baseline goals keep your skills growing and your writing consistent even when you hit tough days.

Try this three-layer approach to setting your writing goals.

1. Mastery Goal – Focus on developing skill as you work. Example: improve dialogue, tighten scenes, or clarify character arcs.

2. Process Goal – Commit to a measurable consistent action. Example: write three sessions per week or revise one scene at a time.

3. Baseline Goal – Define the minimum for hard days. Example: open the document and write one sentence or read one paragraph. Even a minimal action preserves your habits and movement toward your goal.

What do you think about goal setting? Drop your thoughts below. I’d love to hear from you!

Leave a comment

Please share with your friends and followers.

Share

I drew these sketches for a potential book illustration contract.

This was my first ever gorilla! I started with a layer for the initial sketch using the circle/cross method to frame the face. Gorilla fore head and chin are much bigger/longer than a human. Once I was happy with initial proportions, I created a new layer to finish the line work on top of…

Read more