Six Figure Author: I Spent 10 Years Learning What Doesn't Work. Here's What Does

26 books. $35K in debt. $100/month. Then one pivot set her on a path to becoming a six figure author. S. Usher Evans spent 10 years learning what doesn't work in self-publishing so she could finally figure out what does. In this episode, she breaks down the book marketing strategy, Amazon ads approach, and genre research that turned her writing career around — and what she looks for when an indie author tells her their books aren't selling. If you're self-publishing and wondering why your books aren't gaining traction, this conversation will change how you think about everything from your cover design to your ad spend to your entire publishing strategy. We talk about: → The #1 thing she'd tell new writers before they even start writing → Why "write what you want" is bad business advice → How she runs Amazon and Facebook ads profitably → The cover mistake she sees almost every struggling author make → Why her best series took off and her award-winning series flopped → How she writes 7-8 books a year in 4 hours a day → And LOTS more 0:00 — Intro 1:44 — The #1 thing new writers need to do first 5:50 — The ONE time she followed genre rules (and made six figures) 8:22 — How she blew up her life to become a writer 11:16 — From $100/month to $2,000 overnight 14:22 — Was it luck or strategy? 27:47 — Why niching down matters more than you think 34:14 — The spreadsheet that runs her entire business 50:46 — The cover mistake that's killing your sales 1:03:34 — How to run Amazon ads without burning money Find S. Usher Evans: https://susherevans.com/ Follow Pint and Portal on your favorite podcast app: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/prof... Check out our latest deals and offerings to help you grow your author business and to help support the show: https://www.pintandportal.com/deals 📚 Like our Friends at Publisher Rocket https://publisherrocket.cartknox.com/... Join over 117,000+ serious authors using Publisher Rocket to sell more books. Publisher Rocket has a vast array of tools including: ✅ Keyword Search - Uncover hidden gems and profitable keywords to maximize your book's visibility ✅ Category Search - Dive deep into Amazon's 19,000+ categories and find the perfect fit for your book ✅ Competition Analyzer - Peek behind the curtain and discover your rivals' sales, rankings, and strategies ✅ Amazon Keywords Generator - Save hours of tedious research with thousands of auto-generated keywords Find out more at: https://publisherrocket.cartknox.com/... And 💰 WISE -- https://wise.prf.hn/l/RlANJvG/ Make your money work worldwide, for less. Send, spend and get paid — 40 currencies, all at your fingertips. ⁠Sign up for Wise⁠ and get your first international transfer (up to $800 CAD or ~$550 USD) FREE. https://wise.prf.hn/l/RlANJvG/ --- ----- Media Credits Theme Song: Commercial Rock by StudioKolomna (⁠⁠Envato License⁠⁠)Background Music: Soft Chill Background by sonicscope (⁠⁠Envato License⁠⁠)Stock Video: Licensed via ⁠⁠Envato⁠⁠ Affiliate Disclosure: Some links may be affiliate links. Using them costs you nothing extra and helps support the show. © Herman Steuernagel The Pint & Portal Podcast