Reading time: ~3 empire-building minutes 🏰
Welcome back to the Weekly Book Business Brief—your weekly shot of strategy, tools, and real talk for authors building a book-based business.
This week I'm hosting a special in-person Empire Builders Mastermind session here in Nashville. Normally, October is a virtual meeting but sometimes ya just gotta get together and strategize, right? Right!
Speaking of EBM, its been hanging out at the bottom of this newsletter for the past several weeks. This week it gets the whole issue, because applications for the Class of 2027 close November 1st, and for those of you who have talked to me about it, or been thinking about it behind your keyboard, now's the time to decide!
🏰 THE ROOM YOU'RE IN
Your book opens doors, but what happens after the door opens depends a whole lot on who's on your bench. Said another way, who is standing beside you, cheering you on? Who is helping you craft your strategy? Who is helping you see around corners to get the most juice for the squeeze and avoid making costly mistakes?
I know, it's a lot to consider.
Most of the authors I meet are working incredibly hard—and doing it alone. Writing their books alone (yes, I know that's how it is usually done). Marketing in a vacuum, taking the advice of "book marketing coaches" with one or three books to their credit. And, making pricing decisions on the fly without strategic insight.
Look, if being successful was solely dependent on desire and caffeine alone, every author-empire builder would be sleeping on a cushy mattress on a frame of gold bars. But this is hardly the case, right?
Effort isn't the problem. Desire isn't what's missing. What is missing is being in a room of people a few steps ahead (or at your same level) who will look at what you're doing and say, "Raise your price." "That's a course, not a journal." "You're overthinking this—launch it." Led by someone who is miles ahead, who has "been there, done that" and is willing to spill the tea.
I've got such a room, and it's me—I'm the one spilling the tea. I believe success isn't a secret, it's a system. If you don't have one, it's a great time to consider putting one in place.
Why consider a mastermind, specifically this one? Because one insightful conversation can save you years of "hit-and-miss." One strategy session can catapult you into the next stratosphere. One connection can establish a collaboration or generate an idea that without it might never have occurred. Having a year of them, at least one a month, can frankly change your whole trajectory.
The Class of 2027 is kicking off the third week of December. Learn more here and if you want to talk with me to see if we're the right fit, schedule some time here.
🎯 ACTION ITEM: MAP YOUR INCOME STREAMS
Grab 15 minutes and a blank page. Write your book's title at the top. Underneath, list every way that book could make you money: speaking, coaching or consulting, a course, a workshop, bulk sales, licensing, a group program of your own.
Now circle the one you keep saying you'll get to "someday." That's the one that would change your year—and the one we can tackle, together, inside EBM.
👑 Who should join the EMPIRE BUILDERS MASTERMIND: CLASS OF 2027?
The Empire Builders Mastermind is for action-takers who are ready to scale beyond six figures and build multiple income streams from their expertise (with regular nap time, evenings and weekends of rest, and vacations included).
Here's a sneak peak into what's inside:
- An intimate group of just 8 members
- Our in-person kickoff retreat, December 17–19, 2026, in a really (really) cool space
- Monthly two-hour virtual mastermind meetings
- One-on-one coaching sessions with me
- Two in-person events in Nashville
- Optional weekly virtual meetups
- Access to me via text, Voxer, and email all year long
Here's what Alice Sullivan, ghostwriter and developmental editor, had to say: "The first year I joined, my income increased by 17%. The second year, it increased 90%!"
Applications close November 1st, or as soon as all 8 seats are filled—whichever comes first.
👉 Get all the details and apply at HonoreeCorder.com/empire
Not sure if it's the right fit? Hit reply and tell me what you circled for your income stream. I'll be happy to tell you if EBM is the right next step for you.
Have a wonderful week mapping your streams, and I'll see you next Tuesday!
