Book excerpt: Do you want to be a more relaxed author? There are plenty of books and tips on writing faster, learning more marketing tactics and strategies, trying to maximize your ranking, hitting the top of the charts, juicing the algorithms, and hacking different ad platforms. While these are all important things — which the authors themselves regularly write and talk about — it's also important to recognize that your author journey is a marathon, and not a sprint. Joanna Penn and Mark Leslie Lefebvre have been in the business long enough to see authors burning out and leaving the writing life because they turned what they love into a hamster wheel of ever more production and marketing tasks they hate. It doesn't have to be this way. This book is a collection of tips on how to be a more relaxed author — and return to the love that brought you to writing in the first place. You will discover: - Why the 'relaxed' author? - You are not alone. Why authors are not relaxed. Part 1: Relaxed Writing - Write what you love - Write at your own pace - Write in a series (if you want to) - Schedule time to fill the creative well and for rest and relaxation - Improve your writing process — but only if it fits with your lifestyle Part 2: Relaxed Publishing - Make empowered publishing choices - Understand persistence, patience, and partnership - Value your work. You create intellectual property assets. - Publish at your own pace - Publish wide (or don’t) - Sell direct to your audience - Don't let piracy and plagiarism derail you - Deal with cancel culture, bad reviews, and haters - Find a community who support your publishing choices Part 3: Relaxed Marketing - Focus on the basics first - Simplify your author brand and website - Simplify and automate your email - Find one form of marketing you enjoy and can sustain for the long term - Put book 1 in a series free or permafree - Choose social media that suits you — or don't use it at all - Advertise in campaigns - Outsource when you can - Embrace who you are. Double down on being human. - Think global, digital, long-term marketing Part 4: Relaxed Business - Do you really want to run an author business? - Create multiple streams of income - Eliminate tasks. Say 'no' more. - Organize and improve your processes - Use tools - Find voices you trust and tune out the rest - Learn about money - Look after your physical and mental health - Keep a long-term mindset If you want to be a more relaxed author, sample or buy today.