Stephanie Chandler on trading the illusion of a traditional deal for real control — and why marketing is a garden, not a gimmick
Zen and the Art of Self Publishing by Janet Margot
Episode notes
Stephanie Chandler, founder of the Nonfiction Authors Association and Authority Publishing, joins the show to unpack why she walked away from traditional publishing after three book deals — and why "control" matters more than authors realize. We dig into why Amazon bestseller campaigns are mostly noise, what actually separates authors who build sustainable careers from those who don't, and why marketing works less like a launch and more like a garden you tend daily. Plus: the real reason nonfiction authors get overwhelmed, what hybrid publishing offers that DIY doesn't, and Stephanie's take on AI-generated book covers (spoiler: hard no).
Keywords
self publishingindie publishingbook marketingnonfiction authors