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In this episode of Alexa’s Publishing Chat, Alexa reflects on a powerful lesson from The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz—specifically Agreement #3: Do not make assumptions.

What began as a personal development insight quickly became a business revelation.

Alexa walks through 12 assumptions she has made over the past decade as:

• A fiction author
• A nonfiction author
• A children’s book publisher
• A course creator
• A conference host
• A creative entrepreneur
  
  

And she explains how these assumptions cost time, money, energy, and emotional peace. This episode is part tough love, part strategic clarity, and 100% relevant to authors and publishing professionals building real businesses around books.
Key takeaways:

• Agreement #3 from The Four Agreements (“Don’t make assumptions”) applies directly to author marketing, publishing, and creative entrepreneurship.
• Assumptions create false stories, unnecessary conflict, and wasted time—questions create clarity and momentum.
• Don’t assume your audience cares about what you care about; messaging has to match their needs and desires.
• Don’t assume people understand what you do, who your book/product is for, or what it’s about—your cover, title, subtitle, and description must make it obvious.
• Don’t assume people are seeing your content—algorithms filter reach heavily, so repetition and repurposing matter.
• Don’t assume people are reading all your emails—even open rates can be misleading; always re-share links and context.
• Don’t assume subscribers remember who you are—use a nurture sequence (3–6 emails) to welcome, orient, and deliver the “why.”
• Don’t assume support is automatically reciprocal—if you want quid pro quo collaboration, set clear expectations up front.
• Don’t assume you know what people will pay—pricing should reflect market norms and audience readiness; validate with questions and tests.
• Don’t take it personally when people don’t buy or attend—most of the time it’s awareness, timing, or fit (not rejection).
• Don’t assume you’ve reminded people enough—marketing requires many touches over time.
• Don’t rely on friends/family or even ARC teams to follow through—plan your strategy beyond “they said they would.”
• Don’t assume “publish/launch = people will find it”—visibility drops when you stop talking about it; marketing must continue.
• Don’t assume “it didn’t work” means “no one wants it”—analyze, tweak (cover, positioning, copy, audience, timing), and try again.
• Beta programs/early offers (lower-priced or limited) can help you gather feedback, testimonials, and proof before scaling.
• Word-of-mouth is the most powerful marketing lever—reviews, referrals, testimonials, and social proof drive growth for both authors and service providers.
• Build the business backbone: grow your audience, ask better questions, test, refine, and rinse-and-repeat.
  
  

Resources mentioned

• Book: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (Amazon associate)
• Alexa’s Book Club: Self-development book club currently reading The Four Agreements
• Women in Publishing Summit: womeninpublishingsummit.com
• Email: [email protected]
  
  

Publishing and book marketing advice.