Parenting and publishing may seem like two very different worlds...but any self-published author knows that writing, editing, and launching a book can feel a lot like raising a child. There’s trial and error, sleepless nights, and a constant mix of doubt and determination. The lessons I learned while raising my six children now guide the way I coach writers inside Seven Figure Author Career Program.

Here are six lessons motherhood taught me that changed not just my life as a mom, but my journey as an author and mentor.

1. People Who Don’t Believe in Your Potential Won’t Help You Reach It

When my oldest child, who has autism, was in public school, he was about to enter second grade and still couldn’t read. I pulled him out and started homeschooling. Within three months, he was reading. Within six, he was caught up. Within a year, he was reading at a high-school level.

The same thing happens in publishing. Some people simply don’t see your potential. That doesn’t mean you don’t have ...

Why Finding the Right Editor Matters

For self-published authors, hiring an editor can be one of the most important (and most confusing) parts of the publishing journey. Editing is more than just fixing typos. It’s about shaping your story, and strengthening your brand, ensuring your book meets the expectations of readers in your genre.

Our author coach Rebecca Hamilton explains that “editing is one of the few areas where even talented authors struggle, because you’re trusting someone else to see what you can’t see in your own work.”

The truth is, the wrong editor can make your writing cleaner but your book weaker, while the right one can elevate both your craft and your career.

What to Consider Before Hiring an Editor

Before signing any contract, ask yourself these essential questions:

• What type of editing do I actually need? Developmental editing, line editing, and proofreading serve very different purposes.

• Do they specialize in my genre? An editor who understands roma

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You pour your heart into every book. You’ve taken courses, joined promo groups, tested ads, posted endlessly on social media, yet your royalties barely move. Meanwhile, you watch other authors scale to five and six figures and think, “What are they doing that I’m not?”

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. After coaching over 500 authors to national bestseller lists and helping hundreds more cross the six- and seven-figure mark, author coach Rebecca Hamilton has identified one common thread behind almost every stalled author career:

You don’t know what you don’t know.

It’s not laziness, or lack of talent. It’s that most authors simply don’t realize which questions they should be asking to unlock the next level of growth.

We call this the Author Blind Spot, and it’s the single biggest barrier keeping talented writers from becoming thriving business owners. If you’ve ever felt like:

• You’re doing “everything right” but sales still don’t stick

• You’re drowning in conf

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You don’t need to start off rich to build a successful author career.

Many bestselling authors begin with nothing, and some with even less. Our founder, Rebecca Hamilton , started her adult life homeless. Today, she’s not only a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, but also a coach who has helped hundreds of writers grow from $0 to six- and seven-figure incomes.

Her story proves what we’ve seen again and again: you can start your author career with nothing. But while you can begin at $0, staying there will eventually hold you back.

If your goal is to scale into a profitable career, you’ll need to understand the paths available, and which one actually works consistently.

The 3 Paths Authors Take From $0 to Success

While every author’s story is unique, when it comes to going from nothing to a sustainable income, we see three main approaches.

1. Traditional Publishing

This is the path where you pay nothing upfront. The publisher covers your editing, cover design, a...

When it comes to Facebook Ads, most author training focuses on setup, such as targeting, ad copy, images, and getting the lowest Cost Per Click. Those things matter, but they’re only half the story.

What most authors miss, and what can make or break the success of your campaigns, is something we call the Delayed Buyer Effect.

This is the single most overlooked factor that causes authors to shut off ads too early, and miss out on profits they could have had if they understood how buyers really behave.

What Is the Delayed Buyer Effect?

The Delayed Buyer Effect happens when a reader sees your ad, wants your book, but doesn’t immediately purchase. Or when they download through Kindle Unlimited but wait weeks before actually reading.

For authors, this delay skews how we measure ad success. Your early metrics might look like you’re “losing money,” when in reality, readers are just lagging behind in their buying or reading behavior.

We’ve seen this in multiple case studies from Six and ...