The road to a successful author career isn’t easy.

You have to overcome an author’s biggest challenges: GETTING VISIBLE and FINDING YOUR READERS.

In today’s over-saturated market, you can't just write a book. You also have to build a profitable brand.

Feeling stuck and overwhelmed? Just don’t know where to start? Trust me. You’re not alone.

(Looking for editing or other author services? Go here.)

Meet Emily and Claire, Own Your Story graduates.

You can achieve dreams you never thought possible.

You can…

• Scroll through social media and see new fans posting photos of your book cover

• Squeal with fangirls shipping your characters.

• Check your email and find an acceptance letter from your dream publisher.

• Find out your story will be featured in your favorite book box, complete with gorgeous swag.

• Sign with that agent you never thought would give you a second glance.

• Learn to do less, but more strategically, so you can enjoy authentic relationships with your readers and still have time to write.

You can do it, girl.

LET ME SHOW YOU HOW. 

OWN YOUR STORY is a comprehensive branding and business course designed for ambitious women authors who are ready to build a profitable author brand and take ownership of their career to bring it to the next level.

OWN YOUR STORY isn’t an info-dump that leaves you more confused and overwhelmed than when you started. It shifts the way you think about your writing and branding, so you make strategic choices and get more momentum with less time and effort. It guides you, step-by-step, through the process of discovering your authentic brand and setting up a simple strategy that attracts readers who will love and invest in your stories.

Part 1 of the course focuses on mindset and branding. You will get clear on your vision for your writing career (no more wasting time and money trying to figure it out), learn to effectively manage your time (goodbye, social media black hole), and develop an authentic author brand so you stand out from the crowd, instead of getting lost in the noise.

Part 2 of the course gives you practical tools to build your writing business. It walks you through setting up systems to naturally and consistently gain new readers, so you’re not constantly struggling to promote your work. You’ll learn to create a marketable book you know will sell (no more crickets, thanks!), make strategic publishing choices so you can avoid common pitfalls, and set up your business back-end to run smoothly, so you can get back to your writing desk.

Let's take a look at the course modules. 

MODULE ONE: Laying the foundation

• Clarify your dreams and goals for meaningful success

• Choose a business module that is both authentic, sustainable, and profitable

• Identify your ideal reader, so you can give them exactly what they want and keep them coming back for more

MODULE TWO: Communicating your brand

• Decide on your genre and unique twist to help you stand out in the market

• Discover emotional keywords that resonate with your audience and motivate them to buy

• Create a visual brand that magnetically attracts your ideal readers by conveying the tone of your stories 

MODULE THREE: Building your platform

• Create a free offer and email sequence that guides future readers from discovering you exist to buying your book

• Learn to leverage social media to help your readers get to know, like, and trust you, so they will want to support you on your journey

• Use step-by-step tutorials to build a website that converts book browsers to buyers and fans

MODULE FOUR: Promoting your product

• Learn to write compelling back cover copy and commission a book cover that sells

• Get the tools for creating dynamic pitches and proposals and weigh the pros and cons of traditional publishing

• Explore the opportunities of indie/self publishing and make an educated decision about if it’s right for you 

MODULE FIVE: Developing your business plan

• Evaluate and make a strategic action plan to maximize your online presence

• Set up your business entity and systems for streamlining taxes, contracts, and product launches

• Create a 90-day action plan and organize accountability so you’re primed for consistent, strategic growth

Investing in yourself and your writing is SCARY.

It means believing in yourself, not the naysayers. It means risking failure, opening yourself up to pursuing your dreams and the life you’ve always dreamed of living.

It means leaping without guarantees, believing in yourself and your passion and your work SO MUCH that you are willing to push through your fear. Does greatness come from anything less? 

Early in my own writing business journey, an extremely successful entrepreneur said she always tries to make decisions based on her goals, not her fears. To choose her actions according to what could go gloriously right, not everything that could go wrong. 

Wise words, right? 

Acting boldly and choosing to pursue your dreams RIGHT NOW (not in a few months, or years, or someday—which really means never) is an investment you won't regret.

How much are you willing to invest to make your dreams come true? 

Enrolling in the self-study OWN YOUR STORY business and branding course is a one-time investment of $1,499, or five monthly payments of $299, for access to course materials for the lifetime of the program. (Contact me at katie@katiephillipscreative.com to arrange a 12-month or custom payment plan). This investment is much less than most college courses, and is custom-designed for you and your needs by a 10+ year veteran of the industry.

Not sure you can do it on your own? Looking for a writing and business mentor to provide personalized feedback every step of the way? You also have the option to add the VIP coaching mentorship package for an extra $499 a month. This includes weekly one-hour coaching calls with me, where I assess your progress and troubleshoot problems to make sure you’re continuing to move forward to achieve your goals and dreams.

But the true investment in this course comes from your heart. It's making time every week to show up for yourself, answer the tough questions, do some soul-searching with your OWN YOUR STORY sisters, and take action on your dreams. 

So, we're back to you. Are you ready to create a stand-out author brand and nurture an authentic community of ideal readers and fans? Will you do what it takes to build a profitable writing business, so you can pursue your passion and tell the stories that really matter? 

(Still have questions? Check out FAQs here.)

Meet our guest experts!

One of the things I love most about the writing community and my authorpreneur journey is learning from others who are a little further down the road. So, I'm thrilled to introduce the industry experts who have shared their knowledge and expertise through OWN YOUR STORY recorded Q&A calls and trainings! 

Do you have a payment plan option?

Absolutely! I offer a standard five-month payment plan or a 12-month payment plan, and can arrange custom payment plans as well. I also have a monthly payment plan set up for my high-level VIP mentorship coaching package. See the Investment section for payment details.

What's included in the course? 

The course includes 15+ workbooks, video tutorials, a private discussion group to discuss course materials with other students and alumni, and access to the video vault of Q&A calls with industry experts. Each module includes three weekly lessons, and an implementation week and is designed for a five-month schedule. If you opt to add VIP mentorship coaching to your OYS package, you’ll also have 20 one-hour calls with me every week to discuss your progress and troubleshoot problems. See the Course Modules section for more details about what each module covers. 


I don't have a book out yet. Is this course for me? 

YES! Branding yourself and marketing your books is one of the biggest challenges authors face today, so starting early is always better! Build your brand and tribe now, before your book releases, so you KNOW you'll have readers (and book sales!) when the big day comes. 


What makes your course different from other branding/marketing resources? 

Comprehensive expertise and a step-by-step plan for success. Sure, you can DIY your marketing, patching together a brand from a collection of sources. I took that route myself for several years. But figuring it out on your own can take years longer, and you can easily end up with a platform that’s not cohesive, not to mention unprofessional and ineffective. Most authors quit long before they see success because they’re missing key pieces of the marketing machine.

My goal with this course is to provide a step-by-step strategy that lays a solid foundation for success and builds on each previous element for a comprehensive approach. It’s designed to give you all the tools you need—in the order you need them—and teach you how to make them work together for you.

How many hours a week should I expect to spend on the course? 

The course is designed to be flexible with your schedule, so you can spend as much or as little time as you choose on the coursework. You will get out of the course what you're willing to invest in it. Most authors can expect to spend 2-3 hours a week to complete the workbooks and tutorials on a five-month schedule, as well as participate in the student group. 

Note: You have access to the course materials (including any resources added in subsequent sessions) for the lifetime of the course. So, you can always go back to anything you didn’t get a chance to complete during the five-month course session.
 

 NEED SOMETHING A BIT MORE BITE-SIZED?

My Author Branding Course is a quick, budget-friendly option if you’re needing a starting point for building your brand, but aren’t quite ready for a commitment as intense as the Own Your Story program. For a one-time investment of $249 the course includes a printable, fillable workbook featuring a five-step plan with written and video teaching, contemplation questions, and an action step for each topic. It also includes over a week’s worth of follow-up emails expanding on what you’ve learned and setting you up for success.

The Author Branding Course breaks down your brand into five sections:

• Your Personal Story,

• Your Ideal Reader,

• Your Genre Niche

• Your Authentic Voice

• Your Visual Brand

Get started building your author platform today with this practical, down-to-earth guide to help you

take the next step on your author journey.

Hi, I'm Katie!

I'm a fiction editor and author coach. Also, a lover of all things nerdy, sushi, and chocolate-covered strawberries.

I work with women authors struggling with clarity and confidence to up-level their writing craft and career. I help them refine their writing skills to create engaging stories that grab the attention of readers, editors, and agents, while guiding them to clarify their niche, get visible in a crowded online marketplace, and develop a strategic marketing plan so they can run a profitable writing business.

I bought into the lie early that creative writers can't make money. 

I grew up a voracious reader with parents who encouraged my love of books and taught me to write. I loved creating my own stories and diving into new and fabulous worlds between the pages of books. In high school, I started writing my own stories with a couple close friends. Eventually, I gathered the courage to try writing my own stories (which, of course, I showed only my best friend). But I still didn't think it could be anything more than a hobby. 

That my passion for fiction could only be a hobby, nothing more. For years, I let my fears overrule my dreams.

Yet, I couldn't deny the stories burning inside my heart, waiting to be told. I knew I was meant for so much more. 

I wanted to be my own boss. 

I wanted the time freedom to be there for my friends and family when they needed me most. 

I wanted to encourage and equip women authors to break the creative glass ceiling and create a writing business and life they loved. 

five years ago, I made the decision to launch my own writing business.

I had no money. No idea how to run a business. No clients. Just a passion for writing and determination to find a way to make my dreams a reality. Yet, through hard work, perseverance, and the generosity of a few key people, I began to get clients. I began to grow my business. 

Starting a creative writing business from nothing was the hardest thing I've ever done. So many times I wanted to give up. 

I'd stalled out in my business growth. I'd tried everything to get visible and grow my client base, but kept getting crickets. I knew I had so much more I wanted to offer and accomplish, but I couldn't get there on my own. I needed help from someone who'd traveled that road before me. 

But we were broke newlyweds. My husband had lost his job three months before our wedding, and was working two part-time jobs just to make the bills. How could I spend thousands of dollars on my business? 

I PUSHED THROUGH MY MAJOR FEARS OF INVESTING, AND HIRED A BUSINESS COACH. 

This time last fall, I enrolled in a branding and business group course hosted by respected coach Michelle Knight. Since that time, I've grown my vibrant, engaged community by the hundreds, paid off all our debt, and supported our family financially when my husband began to have severe health problems and was not able to work.

I'm now visible online to my ideal audience. I have a clear business model and marketing strategy. I created an author brand that feels authentic to myself and my values. I've organized my business to give me a lifestyle of freedom and genuine connection with my family, friends, and the author community. My clients have gone on to sign with agents, get publishing contracts, win awards, and create their own dedicated reader fan bases.

Most of all, I've invested in the lives of so many women authorpreneurs who inspire me every day and invite me into their journey to tell the stories that really matter. 

I've made my dream a reality, and so can you. Only you have the power to write a new ending for your story.