Grow with less guesswork

A smarter way to market, track projects, manage stress, and reach for bigger opportunities.

In this issue of Brighter Business, I’m guiding editors through the storms of unclear next steps, anxious overcommitment, and growth goals that require both stronger systems and bolder action

Don’t forget to check out the featured resources and upcoming learning opportunities.

Thanks for sticking with me as I made the change to split my audience and editor audience.

Please take a moment to answer these two quick poll to shape the Brighter Business monthly newsletter going forward.

Lessons from the messy middle—where passion meets persistence. These reflections come from pouring my heart into this business, serving editors and authors with everything I’ve got, and hustling to grow, learn, and light the way for others doing the same.

Why More Options Are Costing You Action

Simplify. One call to action.

That’s the #1 thing my business coach told me, over and over again, with everything she helped me with.

I resisted it at first.

Because I have a lot to offer. I help editors run better businesses. I help authors write better books. I have free and paid resources, courses, newsletters, webinars, services, free tools—so many ways I can help.

So what did I do?

I put everything everywhere.

• Speaking handouts listed all the options

• Social media posts had several calls to action

• My website homepage lists every way to work with me (still need to streamline that)

Because in my mind, if I show everything, people can choose what they need.

But my coach told me “When everything is an option, nothing gets chosen.” I eventually took that to heart and made changes. But in our 3-month coaching, we didn’t get to my newsletter.

Someone recently gave me a free audit of my Substack, and guess what he said?

Simplify.
One audience. One clear focus.

Cue internal resistance.

Because I like options. I’m multi-passionate and create and help in a lot of ways. I help in a lot of ways. And I know some of my audience benefits from both sides—editing and writing.

But I am not my audience.

And psychology is clear: People take action when the path is obvious, not when it’s overwhelming.

So I’m simplifying.

Instead of housing everything under one umbrella, I’m creating a separate publication: Running Your Editorial Business like a Pro—just for editors.

That means:

• The Shining Beacon will no longer have any content for editors after this issue. It will serve fiction and nonfiction authors only.

• Editors can choose to subscribe to both publications or just the new one (yes, I’ve already been sending this out as a section in the Shining Beacon, but to make it easier for future subscribers to sign up just for that newsletter, it’s a separate publication now)

Editors, if you want to sign up for the Running Your Editorial Business like a Pro monthly publication, fill out the form below, and I will get you subscribed after I set it up.

Lesson for you:

👉 When marketing your services, don’t list everything you can do. Lead with one clear next step. Clients like when it’s easy to say yes rather than making a ton of choices (Weird, I know. I like choices).

Shoot your shot

Old me would never have done this.

New me pitched a guest blog to someone I consider the #1 expert in the industry.

Even typing that sentence feels bold.

I remember reading that her team would respond within two days. It’s been longer than that … so I’m assuming it’s a no (though I’d love an official one).

But here’s the win: I took the shot.

Because that one opportunity could have put my books and editing services in front of a massive, aligned audience.

And after some time has passed or I get the official no, I’ll move to the next person on my list. And the next.

I even posted on LinkedIn that I was doing a guest blog for an A-lister—then clarified it hadn’t happened yet. I led with the outcome I wanted, not the doubt I felt.

And I didn’t stop there.

Today I’m

➜ Pitching a hybrid publisher to get on their editing roster

➜ Taking my one-sheet and books to local libraries to pitch them

All things that feel scary. But no one hands you your dream.

Opportunities come from showing up and putting yourself in rooms (or inboxes) you’re not sure you belong in yet.

Because the right opportunity—the right person—can change everything, but only if you take your shot.

Lesson for you:

👉Growth doesn’t come from waiting to be discovered. It comes from positioning yourself to be found. Pitch the publisher. Reach out to the connection. The “no” doesn’t hurt nearly as much as staying invisible.

You're not salesy and annoying; you're helping

In a recent webinar on marketing nonfiction (though this applies to fiction too), the presenter said something that stopped me in my tracks:

“You’re doing people a disservice by not telling them about your book.”

Oof.

Because if I’m honest, I’ve held back before, not wanting to be pushy and salesy.

But this new way of looking at it helped me break out of that.

The presenters also talked about seeding—getting your book into the hands of the right people. Giving away copies strategically. Offering deep discounts. Selling in person and reinvesting those profits into more books. One author did this until he sold 10,000 copies directly in person.

And then there’s the story of Rich Dad Poor Dad—it gained traction because it was placed in a car wash, where the right person picked it up and helped it spread.

That’s when it clicked for me: Don’t shout into the void.Get your book into the right hands.

So at my recent editors conference? I told everyone about my books.

Even people who don’t edit books.

Even people in government or academic editing.

Because maybe they know someone who needs it.

I handed out bookmarks.

I gave free copies to a few strategic people.

And I even worked up the courage to message K.M. Weiland—who then shared my book with her 51.5K followers.

Because if your book is good—truly helpful, meaningful, or impactful—then keeping quiet about it is a missed opportunity for someone who needs it.

Lesson for you:

👉Your expertise only helps people who know you exist. Sharing your services—and the results you create—helps make your value accessible.

Finances: Bookkeeping

If you don’t have expense categories, you’re flying blind.

Before you even start tracking your finances, you need to set up your categories. Listing expense categories helps you analyze your expenses because you can actually see how much you’re spending in each area—advertising, outsourcing, business learning, etc. And if you have multiple income streams (editing, courses, writing), income categories help you see what’s actually bringing in revenue. This is about making smarter business decisions.

📣𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞?

𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 Running Your Editorial Business Like a Pro.

✨ Try this:

Write out your current expense and income categories. If you don’t have any, create 5–10 that reflect your real spending and income streams.

❓ Do you actually know where your money is going each month—or are you guessing?

Running your business. How should I deal with workplace anxiety?

Workplace anxiety affects freelancers, creatives, and business owners too. Denise Cowle shares practical, realistic ways to manage stress before it spirals, helping you protect both your mental energy and your productivity. If work pressure has been feeling heavier lately, this is a grounding read.

✨ Try this:

Create a quick anxiety audit for your workweek:

Write down:

• The tasks or situations that cause you the most stress

• Which are actually urgent vs. which just feel urgent

• One small boundary or system that could reduce that stress

Examples:

• Adding buffer days to deadlines

• Checking email only at set times

• Breaking large edits into smaller milestones

Tracking helps:

Track how long projects actually take you instead of estimating based on optimism. One of the biggest causes of freelance stress is underestimating workload and overcommitting your schedule. Accurate time tracking can reduce anxiety more than productivity hacks ever will. See the Beacon Point featured resource for help with this.

Remember, as a subscriber, you get a 25% discount on any of my courses and webinars (use coupon code CourseSubscribe) and a 15% discount on any of my products (use coupon code ProductsSubscribe).

If you are a founding member, remember to use your special webinar code to get webinars for free.

These are my gifts to you—please keep them just between us!

Beacon Point Resource: Tracking Editorial Projects from Start to Finish, Free for EFA members, $59 for nonmembers

Editing is a cognitively demanding skill, and a convoluted process for your editing projects can cost you both time and focus that would be better put toward working for your clients. This webinar will help you create a clear administrative process from start to finish, tracking key metrics during each stage. Recording these metrics will help you improve your time management, marketing efforts, project quotes, and more.

Networking Studio, $49.99 a quarter or $174.99 annoually

This is a community for editors who want a safe and inclusive environment to learn about and practice networking, who are ready to learn and willing to try new approaches, and who are serious about growing their business.

I maintain a comprehensive spreadsheet of professional development opportunities↗—courses, webinars, and books for editors and writers. Most are always available, though some are offered periodically (check the URLs for current availability).

Below, I highlight time-sensitive professional development opportunities: upcoming one-time events and limited offers.

Getting Editorial Work from Publishers and Book Packagers↗: A 4-week, instructor-led course.

This popular class is meant for editors with some experience who would like to branch out from working primarily with indie authors so they have some steady work. The information and assignments are meant for both copy editors and developmental editors. This class covers:

• how to get the experience you need to be considered for these kinds of projects

• various ways of approaching publishing companies (an irresistible letter of introduction, effective networking, and more)

• the ins-and-outs of working successfully for publishing companies

→ $375, June 8 through July 5 (only time this will be offered in 2026)

If you’re reading this on Substack and aren’t yet a subscriber, check out my About page to learn all the reasons you should subscribe and subscribe below.