How I Built My Business From Nothing as a Full Time Author & Creative Entrepreneur // Most people on the internet only talk about their business when they reach massive goals like hitting six figures, but today I wanted to do something a little different. I'm here to tell you how I built my five-figure business that has allowed me to replace my corporate job. I'm able to stay home every day with my daughter, give her my undivided attention, and work in small pockets of time. None of this happened overnight. In fact, most of it happened in the past couple of years with many long work nights. Today's video is to re-introduce myself and take a look back on how I built my business from the ground up and also celebrate how far I've come.
→Get the 2025 Writing Planner on Amazon:
Color Edition:
B&W Edition:
2025 Planner (no writing content):
→Shop my merch that just released:
→Book Cover Design Courses:
→Book Formatting Course (print & ebook formatting):
→Writing Stickers:
→Newsletter:
→Hiking YouTube Channel:
PLANNERS – – – – – – – – – –
→My Writing Planner:
→My Novel Outline Planner:
→My Book Launch Planner:
NON-FICTION BOOKS – – – – – – – – – –
→How Your Book Sells Itself:
→Grow Your Author Platform:
→Book Sales That Multiply:
→Secrets to Selling Books on Social Media:
→Plan a Profitable Book Launch:
FICTION BOOKS – – – – – – – – – –
→Meet Me at the Summit:
→Let the Rubble Fall:
→The Trail to You & Me:
→Essence:
→I am Mercy:
→She's Not Here:
→Mr. Moon's Big Move:
FIND ME ONLINE- – – – – – – – – –
Social Media: @mandilynnwrites
→Stone Ridge Stickers:
→The Book Launch Planner:
MY FAVORITE TOOLS- – – – – – – – – –
→Find KDP keywords and categories, PublisherRocket:
→eBook Formatting, Kotobee Author:
→Social media graphics, Canva:
→Music in videos, Epidemic Sound:
→Email software, ConvertKit:
Mandi Lynn published her first novel when she was seventeen. The author of multiple books, Mandi spends her days continuing to write and creating YouTube videos to help other writers achieve their dreams of seeing their books published. Mandi is the owner of Stone Ridge Books, a company that works to help authors bring their books to life through cover design and digital book marketing. She is also the creator of The Book Launch Planner, a planner designed to help authors publish and market their books. When she’s not creating, you can find Mandi exploring her backyard or getting lost in the woods.
#writingcommunity #novelwriting
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links. By purchasing a linked product or service, Mandi Lynn will receive a small commission at no additional fee to you.
Your 2025 planner looks super! You’ve done so much since the start of your career! I remember when you went to Washington DC to meet a famous author and then there was the Writer’s Cruise! You are a true success!
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing your journey. Love your honesty
Thanks for watching!
You deserve success, Mardi Lynn. You have put so much into your career. I wish I had half the energy you have but I am old now.
Thank you so much
I have followed you since the beginning of your journey and I continue to do so, for you are such an inspiration.
Ah! Thaat makes me so happy!
That’s amazing you’ve been doing this since 2011 Mandi. Congratulations and thank you for helping us along the way. You were in my beginning group of 5 self publishing author’s I found when researching and learning people’s journeys as a self published author. You have been extremely helpful. Stay well 🙂
Love to hear the videos have been helpful!
Thanks for sharing your journey
very encouraging thanks for sharing
I’m very envious of your success, but you’re a very driven and creative person and you deserve every bit of success! You worked hard for it and you created so many things to fuel your business. I’m in a pickle as an author because I don’t want to create a YT channel bc I love my anonymity, and I’m not so savvy to create courses or craft books. So I’m sort of stuck with being a writer with one stream of income.
There’s something about this channel that really speaks to me, even though I’m a 41 year old non-fiction author who has never read anything romantic, or even had a romantic thought. Lol. I often snap out of procrastinating by popping on a Mandi Lynn video which seems to put me in the right mental state to start working. Your work ethic (which you have had since high school? wow) seems to be contagious.
Same! I think it’s her honesty personality ❤
Congrats for reaching this milestone, Mandi.🦋🎉😊👏Love your merch designs too, especially the procrastination club sweatshirt. I have a long way to go, but I do at least have a detailed plan in advance for me to make this transition. Hopefully, I finally reach it someday in the future, especially the more stories and books I release.
I’m a newbie indie author, just published my first book, and your videos have helped me lot throughout the process. Thank you! 💜 I hope I am one day as successful as you, or at least a fraction. 😄
Wow! That’s great. I just joined her channel here. I Published independently too through an Indie company for the past 5 years now. What’s your debut all about?
@patriciawolfauthor My debut novel is a superhero origin story told from multiple POVs. It’s mostly focused on found family and both romantic relationships and relationships with family. It’s the beginning of a series. And it’s titled The Masks: Our Origins.
What are your books about? Five years of publishing with an independent publisher, it sounds like you’re a seasoned author. Must have a good handle on the process so far.
@authorpaytonbalog Thank you! I’m thrilled to share that my books are all based on crime thrillers, with a particular focus on my ongoing series, DS Walker’s series. So far, I’ve written three novels in the series, and the third one was published in September. It’s been great to see such positive feedback, with 1450 copies sold so far.
@patriciawolfauthor Sounds fascinating and exciting. Crime thrillers, and three books in your ongoing series. Congrats on the 1450 copies sold, amazing!
@authorpaytonbalog Thank you! 💕. My team deserves all the credit for their assistance.
I just found your videos and I am so happy I did, the 2025 Writing Planner is so cute I just added it to my cart 🥰🥰
Hope you enjoy it!
Congratulations this has always been mhy fream I have one published book sort of a memoir and two journals Im working on a fourth book butI need to get back into it. Great video.
I am so proud of you!🎉 Literally started watching you when I started self publishing in 2017. And I’ve seen you grow and it’s so encouraging
I appreciate this video filled with self promotion. I plan to get the 2025 planner.
Thank you for sharing….I will be looking to writing a first series of short stories this sounds great!
You are a such an inspiration thank you!
You’re keeping things real and genuinely helping others. You deserve many more views and subs. I subbed 😊
Im proud of you fellow author 😊😊😊
Your novel She’s not here is actually on my reading list 😅