Episode 16 – What Being a Strategic Author Really Looks Like – with Darren Finkelstein

Big author ambitions mean very little without a focused plan for the next 12 months. This conversation brings everything back to execution, showing how a commercial author turns ideas into action through clear priorities, detailed targets and a month-by-month strategy.

Andrew Griffiths argues that without a practical plan, most authors stay reactive, bitsy and inconsistent, doing a little here and there without building real momentum. He explores the value of yearly themes, product development, accountability, measurable goals and giving the work real space in the calendar. It is a strong closing reminder that lasting author success comes from treating the year ahead like a serious business opportunity.

Click here to pre-purchase your signed copy of The Business of Being an Author, the companion book to the podcast, due for release on 20 May.

A serious author career is built with long-range thinking, not short bursts of enthusiasm. In this conversation, Andrew Griffiths lays out why a 10-year plan changes everything, giving authors a bigger vision for their books, brand, products, publishing pathways, income goals and long-term impact. Rather than drifting from one title to the next, he argues for a more deliberate approach, one that maps where the business is heading and how it will evolve over time.

It is a powerful reminder that commercial authors do not just write books, they build futures around them, with purpose, structure and a clear sense of where they want it all to lead.

Click here to pre-purchase your signed copy of The Business of Being an Author, the companion book to the podcast, due for release on 20 May.

Relevance is not a nice-to-have, it is survival. This conversation explores why authors cannot afford to stand still while their audience, industry and the world keep moving. Andrew Griffiths argues that books, brands, platforms, products and even ideas must evolve if an author wants to stay commercially alive. He looks at the danger of clinging to old success, the value of refreshing books and thinking, and the discipline of staying deeply connected to readers and clients so the next move remains timely and useful. It is a sharp reminder that long-term author success does not come from past wins, it comes from staying relevant enough to matter now.

Click here to pre-purchase your signed copy of The Business of Being an Author, the companion book to the podcast, due for release on 20 May.

Marketing a book is not a launch-week activity, it is a long game. This conversation explores why so many authors start with energy and then disappear just when the real opportunity begins. Andrew Griffiths argues that long-term success comes from sustained, structured marketing that keeps a book visible, relevant and commercially useful for years, not weeks.

Andrew unpacks the value of simple but smart planning, creative campaigns, collaborations, media, industry-specific angles and the discipline of building routines around promotion. The message is clear, books do not keep selling because they exist, they keep selling because authors stay committed to helping them matter.

Click here to pre-purchase your signed copy of The Business of Being an Author, the companion book to the podcast, due for release on 20 May.

Bulk book sales can become one of the most powerful and overlooked revenue drivers in an author business. Rather than relying on one copy at a time, this approach gets books into many hands at once, through conferences, client gifts, training programs, memberships and corporate initiatives.

Andrew Griffiths explains how serious opportunities often come from simply being organised enough to offer it, quote it and make it easy to buy. He shows why authors need systems, pricing, confidence and a clear sales conversation around bulk orders, because one well-placed deal can generate revenue, expand reach and create far more opportunity than retail sales ever could on their own.

Click here to pre-purchase your signed copy of The Business of Being an Author, the companion book to the podcast, due for release on 20 May.

Media can take an author’s credibility and amplify it at speed. A book opens doors that are far harder to unlock without one, creating opportunities to be seen, heard and trusted on a much bigger stage. In this conversation, Andrew Griffiths unpacks how media builds authority, why authors need to be media ready, and how to turn interviews into long-term assets rather than one-off appearances.

Andrew also highlights the importance of preparation, professionalism and follow-up, showing that the real opportunity is not just getting media once, but becoming someone the media wants to come back to again and again.

Click here to pre-purchase your signed copy of The Business of Being an Author, the companion book to the podcast, due for release on 20 May.

A strong author business is built on people, not just pages. In this conversation, Andrew Griffiths explores why an engaged tribe matters so much, not merely as an audience to sell to, but as a source of support, feedback, research, referrals, relevance and long-term momentum. He challenges the obsession with vanity metrics and makes the case for depth over numbers, arguing that a small, deeply connected community is worth far more than a huge disengaged following. From choosing the right platforms to creating content that genuinely serves, this is a practical and thoughtful look at how authors build the kind of community that helps sustain a real business.

Click here to pre-purchase your signed copy of The Business of Being an Author, the companion book to the podcast, due for release on 20 May.

Smart collaboration can dramatically accelerate an author’s growth, opening doors to new audiences, stronger credibility and fresh commercial opportunities. When approached well, it becomes a powerful way to build community, expand reach and create results that would be far harder to achieve alone. But collaboration also comes with risk. The wrong partner, the wrong fit or the wrong execution can undermine a brand surprisingly quickly.

This conversation explores how to collaborate with purpose, protect your reputation, think win-win and use your existing network more strategically. It is a practical lesson in growing faster by working smarter, with the right people beside you.

Click here to pre-purchase your signed copy of The Business of Being an Author, the companion book to the podcast, due for release on 20 May.

Andrew Griffiths makes a blunt point, books do not change businesses by being written, they change businesses by being used. He argues that leverage is the holy grail of commercial authorship, the discipline of getting a book into the right hands, opening the right doors and turning credibility into opportunity. From sending books to media hosts and decision-makers to using a title long after launch day, he shows that the real power of a book lies in its ongoing use, not its one-off release.

This is a sharp call for authors to stop waiting, stop hoping and start leveraging their books with purpose, consistency and intent. Andrew believes that to be truly successful as a commercial author, leveraging needs to become a philosophy not an item on a to do list. 

Click here to pre-purchase your signed copy of The Business of Being an Author, the companion book to the podcast, due for release on 20 May.

Andrew Griffiths makes it clear that a successful author business is never built on book sales alone. A book may open the door, but real commercial success comes from what sits behind it, coaching, workshops, masterclasses, speaking, programs and other offers that turn reader interest into real income. He unpacks the power of smart product architecture, showing why authors need a clear pathway for clients to follow rather than a random mix of offers.

This is a practical look at how a book becomes a seed for something much bigger, a business model designed to grow credibility, deepen engagement and create meaningful commercial opportunity.

Click here to pre-purchase your signed copy of The Business of Being an Author, the companion book to the podcast, due for release on 20 May.

A great book is only part of the equation, Andrew Griffiths argues, the author behind it must look the part as well. He makes the case that a world-class author brand is built through far more than a logo. It shows up in the website, the images, the social presence, the testimonials, the collaborations, the product offering, and even in how an author behaves when nobody is watching. Every touchpoint either builds trust or quietly erodes it.

This is a sharp reminder that media, readers, clients and collaborators are always doing a risk assessment, and a strong brand helps tip that decision firmly in your favour. The book creates the opportunity, but the author brand increases the changes of the opportunity being realised. 

Click here to pre-purchase your signed copy of The Business of Being an Author, the companion book to the podcast, due for release on 20 May.

Andrew Griffiths makes a simple but game-changing point, a book should never sit on the edge of a business like an afterthought. It should be treated as a serious commercial product, with systems, budgets, targets and a clear role to play. He unpacks why professional packaging matters, why every book sent should feel like an experience, and why authors must stop behaving like hobbyists if they want real results. From pricing and dispatch to marketing and revenue planning, this is a practical shift from casual effort to commercial discipline. It is a sharp reminder that books do not build businesses by accident, they do it by design.

Click here to pre-purchase your signed copy of The Business of Being an Author, the companion book to the podcast, due for release on 20 May.

Andrew Griffiths strips away the romanticism of authorship and replaces it with something far more powerful, commercial intent. He argues that successful authors do not dabble, drift or treat their books like hobbies. They think strategically, plan deliberately and act with the discipline of business owners. From yearly themes and 12-month plans to product development, accountability and bold revenue targets, he makes the case for a more serious approach to author success. Even consider on of his most powerful concepts, a 10 year publishing strategy.

This is a call to stop being reactive, stop playing small and start building your author business strategically not haphazardly. For any author wanting to build momentum, structure and lasting results, this is a sharp mindset reset. Think like a commercial author and you’re well on the way to becoming one.

Click here to pre-purchase your signed copy of The Business of Being an Author, the companion book to the podcast, due for release on 20 May.

A book is not just something an author publishes, it is something a business is built on. International bestselling author, Andrew Griffiths makes the case that if a book lacks substance, structure, polish or credibility, it cannot do the heavy lifting commercially. Sharp ideas, strong editing, smart design and genuine differentiation all matter because.

A poor quality book is never going to create the same opportunities as a worldclass book. Andrew pulls apart what makes a book look and feel worldclass, and where too many authors cut corners, why “good enough” is never really good enough if the goal is influence, clients and credibility. It is a blunt, practical reminder that the book has to earn the right to open doors and our job as authors is to write and publish the absolute best book possible.

Click here to pre-purchase your signed copy of The Business of Being an Author, the companion book to the podcast, due for release on 20 May.

Andrew Griffiths never planned to become an author, yet one practical business book changed everything. What began as simple marketing fact sheets for cash-strapped small business owners became the foundation of a global author career, opening doors to speaking, media, credibility, and commercial opportunity.

This sharp conversation draws a clear line between writing a book and building a business with one. It explores the mindset of the commercial author, the realities of leverage, the trap of post-publish drift, and why a book must be treated as a serious business asset. Smart, candid, and full of honest perspective, it resets the author game for both new and experienced authors alike.

Click here to pre-purchase your signed copy of The Business of Being an Author, the companion book to the podcast, due for release on 20 May.