Executive Author Circle

Nine out of ten executives who start a book never finish. If you're a high achiever who gets everything done at work but can't seem to get past chapter five, you're not alone, and it has nothing to do with discipline or intelligence. In fact, the very traits that make you successful might be the ones standing between you and a finished book.

In this episode, I uncover the hidden reasons smart, accomplished leaders get stuck in the middle of their manuscripts. I also share a personal story about the sting of watching a competitor publish first, and why that moment is one you never want to experience with your own book idea.

This conversation is about recognizing the quiet patterns that stall your progress and replacing them with a simple, realistic system that actually gets books finished. You'll learn the mindset shifts that turn a half-written draft into a published book without sacrificing your standards or your sanity.

If your book has been sitting on the back burner for months or even years, this episode is your nudge to pick it back up. Tune in to discover what's really holding you back and how to finally cross the finish line.

Keep writing, keep dreaming, and keep creating. Your book is waiting to be born!

Ready to write your authority-building book? Book a Path to Publishing Discovery Call and take the next step to moving one step closer to writing and publishing your book!

Podcast Resources

Looking for support to self-publish your book? Join me in my Skool Community filled with leaders who are adding “author” to their bio.

Unsure how to turn your idea into your book? Download your Book Clarity Blueprint today!

Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. The content shared by the host, guests, and any affiliates is not intended to substitute for professional legal or financial advice or any professional advice specific to your situation. Always seek the advice of a qualified professional with any questions you may have.

The opinions expressed on the show by the host or guests are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unicorn Publishing Company. Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, guests, and affiliates are not responsible or liable for any decisions made by listeners or actions taken hereto based on the information discussed in this podcast. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge and agree to release Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, affiliates, and guests from any liability.

A ghostwriter telling you not to hire a ghostwriter? You heard that right. In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on something the ghostwriting industry doesn't advertise: not every author needs one. The right choice could save you thousands of dollars and bring you closer to the book you've always wanted to write.

I share an honest look at who is a great fit for a ghostwriter and who is better off writing their own book. Along the way, I talk about the red flags to watch for when hiring help, and a real story of what can happen when the wrong match leaves an author with a book they can't even use.

If you've been wondering whether you have what it takes to write your book yourself, this conversation will help you find your answer. I also share the middle-ground options that give you professional support without handing over the pen, so you can put your budget where it matters most.

Whether you decide to DIY your book or bring in a pro, you'll walk away knowing which path fits your goals, your time, and your voice. Tune in to find out which kind of author you are.

Keep writing, keep dreaming, and keep creating. Your book is waiting to be born!

Ready to write your authority-building book? Book a Path to Publishing Discovery Call and take the next step to moving one step closer to writing and publishing your book!

Podcast Resources

Looking for support to self-publish your book? Join me in my Skool Community filled with leaders who are adding “author” to their bio.

Unsure how to turn your idea into your book? Download your Book Clarity Blueprint today!

Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. The content shared by the host, guests, and any affiliates is not intended to substitute for professional legal or financial advice or any professional advice specific to your situation. Always seek the advice of a qualified professional with any questions you may have.

The opinions expressed on the show by the host or guests are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unicorn Publishing Company. Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, guests, and affiliates are not responsible or liable for any decisions made by listeners or actions taken hereto based on the information discussed in this podcast. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge and agree to release Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, affiliates, and guests from any liability.

Hundreds of thousands of copies sold. Zero dollars earned. It sounds impossible, but it's a story I heard firsthand at a recent conference, and it's exactly why I'm so passionate about this episode's topic. If you're dreaming of becoming an author, the publishing path you choose for your first book can either launch your dreams or quietly crush them.

In this episode, I share why I always recommend that my clients self-publish their first book instead of signing with a hybrid or traditional publisher. I walk through the three reasons behind that advice, each backed by real stories from authors I've met and worked with, and each one a reminder of how much is at stake when you hand your book over to someone else.

This conversation is about protecting what's yours: your work, your income, and your creative vision. Whether your goal is to become a household name or simply to hand out a book that proves your expertise, knowing what you're signing up for makes all the difference.

Your book is your heart and soul on the page, so make sure you're the one holding the keys. Tune in to learn how to start your author journey on your own terms.

Keep writing, keep dreaming, and keep creating. Your book is waiting to be born!

Ready to write your authority-building book? Book a Path to Publishing Discovery Call and take the next step to moving one step closer to writing and publishing your book!

Podcast Resources

Looking for support to self-publish your book? Join me in my Skool Community filled with leaders who are adding “author” to their bio.

Unsure how to turn your idea into your book? Download your Book Clarity Blueprint today!

Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. The content shared by the host, guests, and any affiliates is not intended to substitute for professional legal or financial advice or any professional advice specific to your situation. Always seek the advice of a qualified professional with any questions you may have.

The opinions expressed on the show by the host or guests are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unicorn Publishing Company. Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, guests, and affiliates are not responsible or liable for any decisions made by listeners or actions taken hereto based on the information discussed in this podcast. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge and agree to release Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, affiliates, and guests from any liability.

What if you could market and sell your book without ever worrying about the Amazon algorithm?

Paulette Ensign, a marketing expert whose Tips Products Publishing Agency team has helped thousands of experts worldwide, and who personally sold over two million copies of her tips booklet in several languages without spending a penny on advertising.

Paulette shares her simple formula for writing a tip, starting one sentence with a positive action verb telling the reader what to do, followed by a second sentence explaining why or how. She explains how how-to tips work as a powerful marketing tool, learning tool, and revenue stream all at once, since a collection of fifty-two digestible tips serves as a quick-start "Cliff Notes" that whets the appetite and triggers interest in your full-length book.

The key is placing a free offer near the front and back of your tips product so you capture buyer email addresses and build a relationship inside your ecosystem, none of which relies on an algorithm. She recommends dripping one tip a week across fifty-two weeks as a non-annoying way to stay top of mind, since people buy when they are ready to buy.

We dig into why tips can be better than books for certain learners while still complementing the full book, and how the same fifty-two tip manuscript can be repurposed into audios, card decks, puzzles, and other formats, even in multiple languages.

Paulette also reveals the real money-maker, bulk sales and content licensing, sharing how she once licensed a quarter million copies of her booklet to a catalog company positioned as a gift with purchase. She shares her new self-guided course curriculum covering monetizing tips, elevating Amazon sales, bulk sales, content licensing, and private donor sponsorship.

Keep writing, keep dreaming, and keep creating. Your book is waiting to be born!

Ready to write your authority-building book? Book a Path to Publishing Discovery Call and take the next step to moving one step closer to writing and publishing your book!

Podcast Resources

Looking for support to self-publish your book? Join me in my Skool Community filled with leaders who are adding “author” to their bio.

Unsure how to turn your idea into your book? Download your Book Clarity Blueprint today!

Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. The content shared by the host, guests, and any affiliates is not intended to substitute for professional legal or financial advice or any professional advice specific to your situation. Always seek the advice of a qualified professional with any questions you may have.

The opinions expressed on the show by the host or guests are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unicorn Publishing Company. Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, guests, and affiliates are not responsible or liable for any decisions made by listeners or actions taken hereto based on the information discussed in this podcast. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge and agree to release Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, affiliates, and guests from any liability.

I’m excited to welcome back Lisa Rabey of Nerd Girl Industries, a book distribution expert and librarian, to tackle a topic she gets asked about constantly: how to get your self-published book into libraries.

Lisa explains that while authors may worry about losing sales to free library checkouts, the real benefit is free marketing and promotion. Libraries promote books through end caps, displays, newsletters, and social media, and readers who discover you at the library often go on to buy your backlist, sign up for your newsletter, and follow you online.

Lisa also explains that books get pulled from collections based on age, popularity, and circulation numbers, and you have no control over when that happens or what happens to the book afterward. Libraries may donate, sell, recycle, or discard weeded books, and they will not contact you to return them.

She walks through the key tool for pitching: the sell sheet, which should be only one page. Crucially, only include reviews from professional sources like Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, BookPage, or local newspapers and magazines.

Check the library's online catalog for your comp authors to see if the library's community matches your book's audience. If your book spans multiple genres or niches, create two sets of comps to cover both areas.

Keep writing, keep dreaming, and keep creating. Your book is waiting to be born!

Ready to write your authority-building book? Book a Path to Publishing Discovery Call and take the next step to moving one step closer to writing and publishing your book!

Podcast Resources

Looking for support to self-publish your book? Join me in my Skool Community filled with leaders who are adding “author” to their bio.

Unsure how to turn your idea into your book? Download your Book Clarity Blueprint today!

Get 20% off Lisa’s Shop when you use the code HILISA

Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. The content shared by the host, guests, and any affiliates is not intended to substitute for professional legal or financial advice or any professional advice specific to your situation. Always seek the advice of a qualified professional with any questions you may have.

The opinions expressed on the show by the host or guests are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unicorn Publishing Company. Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, guests, and affiliates are not responsible or liable for any decisions made by listeners or actions taken hereto based on the information discussed in this podcast. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge and agree to release Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, affiliates, and guests from any liability.

I’m excited to chat with Julia Zatta, a LinkedIn marketing expert who works with founders, entrepreneurs, and senior leaders to build strong personal brands. Julia has written more than 4,000 LinkedIn posts for clients across tech, wellness, finance, and marketing, and she hosts the podcast LinkedIn for Entrepreneurs. The conversation focuses on how authors can use LinkedIn to market their business books, starting with the foundation Julia insists every client must lay first: an optimized profile.

For authors marketing a book, the very first step is making sure your profile reflects your current offer. Julia stresses that your LinkedIn profile should function like a landing page with a clear value proposition, not a chronological career history. Your headline is the most important piece of copy on the page because it is the first thing people see when you send a connection request, and it determines whether they accept.

Once the profile is set, Julia recommends planning your LinkedIn strategy at least three months before your book launch. One underused tactic is creating LinkedIn events for book launches, which lets you invite up to 250 connections per month directly. Julia also highlights LinkedIn newsletters as an underrated tool: unlike regular posts, newsletters allow external links (like a book purchase link) without being penalized by the algorithm.

For authors starting from scratch with a small network, Julia sees this as an opportunity to build intentionally. Use Sales Navigator, which comes free for the first month with a LinkedIn Premium trial, to send up to 300 targeted connection requests by filtering for industry, location, company size, and recent activity. Julia shares a case study of an author client where they combined LinkedIn events, strategic tagging of publishers and editors, newsletter links, and regular posting to sustain momentum before and after launch.

Keep writing, keep dreaming, and keep creating. Your book is waiting to be born!

Ready to write your authority-building book? Book a Path to Publishing Discovery Call and take the next step to moving one step closer to writing and publishing your book!

Podcast Resources

Looking for support to self-publish your book? Join me in my Skool Community filled with leaders who are adding “author” to their bio.

Unsure how to turn your idea into your book? Download your Book Clarity Blueprint today!

Get 20% off Julia’s LinkedIn visibility sprint!

Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. The content shared by the host, guests, and any affiliates is not intended to substitute for professional legal or financial advice or any professional advice specific to your situation. Always seek the advice of a qualified professional with any questions you may have.

The opinions expressed on the show by the host or guests are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unicorn Publishing Company. Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, guests, and affiliates are not responsible or liable for any decisions made by listeners or actions taken hereto based on the information discussed in this podcast. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge and agree to release Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, affiliates, and guests from any liability.

Can an AI editing tool really replace a professional human editor? With traditional editing costing anywhere from two to five thousand dollars, AI tools promise similar results for a fraction of the price, leaving authors wondering why they should pay for a professional. But that is the wrong choice, because AI cannot replicate what a human editor does, and the wrong decision can damage your content, waste time and money on rewrites, and ultimately harm your reputation.

I share several real client stories illustrating how AI gives flat-out wrong developmental advice, produces amateur-looking books riddled with mistakes, and strips away the expertise and credibility that make your book valuable. Poor editing has a real domino effect, since event coordinators talk to each other and won't hire authors whose books look sloppy or inauthentic, meaning the money you think you're saving actually costs you opportunities and income.

I walk through the common misconceptions on both sides, clarifying what AI editing tools genuinely do well versus where they fall short. The heart of the episode is a strategic editing workflow that uses AI appropriately for first-pass cleanup while reserving developmental editing, line editing, and final proofreading for skilled human editors who understand context, voice, industry nuance, and your target audience.

I also give an important caution that if you plan to pitch a traditional publisher, you cannot use AI at any point, since publishers will pull a contract the moment they discover you’ve used AI in any context of your work.

The bottom line is that AI and human editing serve different purposes, and you should never skip the human editor who protects your quality and your reputation.

Keep writing, keep dreaming, and keep creating. Your book is waiting to be born!

Ready to write your authority-building book? Book a Path to Publishing Discovery Call and take the next step to moving one step closer to writing and publishing your book!

Podcast Resources

Looking for support to self-publish your book? Join me in my Skool Community filled with leaders who are adding “author” to their bio.

Unsure how to turn your idea into your book? Download your Book Clarity Blueprint today!

Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. The content shared by the host, guests, and any affiliates is not intended to substitute for professional legal or financial advice or any professional advice specific to your situation. Always seek the advice of a qualified professional with any questions you may have.

The opinions expressed on the show by the host or guests are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unicorn Publishing Company. Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, guests, and affiliates are not responsible or liable for any decisions made by listeners or actions taken hereto based on the information discussed in this podcast. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge and agree to release Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, affiliates, and guests from any liability.

Sometimes traditional writer's block advice can fail busy professionals. This episode explores how to use AI as an ideation writing partner to move past your writing challenges while maintaining your authentic voice.

For executives, CEOs, and thought leaders, writer's block is especially costly because blocked writing time means lost billable hours, delayed publication timelines, and the frustration that can lead to abandoning a book entirely or watching a competitor publish first.

I discuss why both extremes with AI tend to fail, refusing to use it at all versus letting AI write your content, and how to find the sweet spot using AI purely as an ideation partner rather than a ghostwriter or a replacement for a professional editor.

Remember, copying and pasting AI output erases your voice, invites copyright issues, and produces bland content that readers can sense is inauthentic, so your unique perspective, stories, frameworks, and expertise must always remain the foundation of your book.

Using AI strategically to break through blocks, from overcoming opening paragraph paralysis to generating transitions, exploring multiple angles, and brainstorming chapter titles, always writing the final words in your own voice with the key being to use specific and detailed verbiage in your prompts, re-prompting until you get useful ideas, feeding in your own frameworks and examples, and choosing the content you want to use, then discarding the rest. Writer's block is solvable with the right approach, and when used well, AI enhances rather than erases your voice while you remain the expert.

Keep writing, keep dreaming, and keep creating. Your book is waiting to be born!

Ready to write your authority-building book? Book a Path to Publishing Discovery Call and take the next step to moving one step closer to writing and publishing your book!

Podcast Resources

Looking for support to self-publish your book? Join me in my Skool Community filled with leaders who are adding “author” to their bio.

Unsure how to turn your idea into your book? Download your Book Clarity Blueprint today!

Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. The content shared by the host, guests, and any affiliates is not intended to substitute for professional legal or financial advice or any professional advice specific to your situation. Always seek the advice of a qualified professional with any questions you may have.

The opinions expressed on the show by the host or guests are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unicorn Publishing Company. Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, guests, and affiliates are not responsible or liable for any decisions made by listeners or actions taken hereto based on the information discussed in this podcast. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge and agree to release Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, affiliates, and guests from any liability.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read a book and asked the author, “Who did you hire for your editor?” only to find out that they hired one or more editors who didn’t do a quality editing job on their business book.

Today, I share the common mistakes I fix after another editor has already worked on my client's book, because it happens far more often than not. I look at a manuscript, and it doesn't appear anyone edited the work or only grammar was corrected. My goal is to help you avoid hiring an editor who won't do a good job, since an unprofessionally edited book does the opposite of what you want and can damage your reputation with reviews calling out mistakes that make your book hard to read.

One of the biggest issues I see is poor communication, where editors don't provide a timeline or updates and simply drop the edited book in the client's lap. My process is transparent from start to finish. Another common problem is weak line editing, where editors leave in fuzzy words like "sort of," "kind of," and "maybe" that weaken your content and make you sound less confident and professional. I also frequently clean up basic spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors that a previous so-called editor missed entirely.

Most editing problems come from hiring the wrong person, often someone without a proven track record, or a person who edits as a side gig rather than full-time. When hiring an editor, make sure they work in your specific genre, edit full-time or are a semi-retired professional, communicate with you promptly within 48 hours, and can provide sample work.

Always ask the key vetting questions, request a free 500-word sample using the same passage for every editor so you can compare, and consider a paid chapter-one sample before committing to your whole book. Avoid editors who claim they do all four types of editing well, since real professionals specialize. The right editor takes your thoughts and ideas and elevates them to a professional level so your reader has an amazing experience.

Keep writing, keep dreaming, and keep creating. Your book is waiting to be born!

Ready to write your authority-building book? Book a Path to Publishing Discovery Call and take the next step to moving one step closer to writing and publishing your book!

Podcast Resources

Looking for support to self-publish your book? Join me in my Skool Community filled with leaders who are adding “author” to their bio.

Unsure how to turn your idea into your book? Download your Book Clarity Blueprint today!

Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. The content shared by the host, guests, and any affiliates is not intended to substitute for professional legal or financial advice or any professional advice specific to your situation. Always seek the advice of a qualified professional with any questions you may have.

The opinions expressed on the show by the host or guests are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unicorn Publishing Company. Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, guests, and affiliates are not responsible or liable for any decisions made by listeners or actions taken hereto based on the information discussed in this podcast. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge and agree to release Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, affiliates, and guests from any liability.

If you've ever searched for help with the inside of your book, you've probably noticed that nobody seems to call book formatting the same term. One person says one name, another uses a completely different term, and before you know it, you're not even sure what service you’re looking for. In this episode, we're clearing up the naming confusion so you know exactly which service you need and the name for that service.

We walk through five different names that people use for book formatting, each with its own emphasis and meaning. Some focus on the technical side, some on the visual craft, and others on the overall design experience. They're often used interchangeably, which creates a lot of unnecessary confusion.

Understanding what each term actually means matters because it affects how you search for help and who you hire. The wrong term can lead you to the wrong service, or leave you unsure whether you're getting the level of care your book really needs.

If you want to know what each name means, how they differ, and which one describes what you're actually looking for, you'll want to listen to the full breakdown in this episode.

Keep writing, keep dreaming, and keep creating. Your book is waiting to be born!

Ready to write your authority-building book? Book a Path to Publishing Discovery Call and take the next step to moving one step closer to writing and publishing your book!

Podcast Resources

Looking for support to self-publish your book? Join me in my Skool Community filled with leaders who are adding “author” to their bio.

Unsure how to turn your idea into your book? Download your Book Clarity Blueprint today!

Ready to take your book idea and create your book framework and outline? Get my latest publication, From Idea to Outline, made for busy professionals who want to setup their book quickly and efficiently.

Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. The content shared by the host, guests, and any affiliates is not intended to substitute for professional legal or financial advice or any professional advice specific