We recently connected with Susie Schaefer and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Susie, thanks for joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I started in the publishing industry by working with a mentor who taught me the ropes. As I was building my client list, I was working five jobs…yes, you read that right…FIVE jobs. From freelancing to driving rideshare to waiting tables at a steakhouse. It was a constant dance of scheduling, multitasking, and making strategic financial decisions to keep myself afloat.

As my business grew, I was able to let go of the jobs that were no longer a fit, whether that was energetically, or simply a time suck. I gradually raised my pricing structure to create more value around the expertise I provided, focusing on a “white glove” experience for my clients.

While building my publishing business, I also kept my “side gig” of reading tarot cards, but never shared that side of myself with my publishing clients. I painted myself into the box of “shoulds” to conform to what was expected and acceptable. It was only when I embraced my authenticity through sharing that I was a healer with the ability to intuitively channel messages and read tarot cards that my world completely shifted. And it shifted big time, by attracting clients and referral partners who were creative, spiritual, and embraced their authenticity in unique ways.

Before my transformation, the struggle was real. Consistency in my business was sporadic, which I believe reflected my own energy. Like a rollercoaster, I had ups and downs, with an abundance of clients some months, followed by months where I feared I wouldn’t be able to pay the bills. I couldn’t see it then, but looking back, I now understand that hiding my true self behind a mask of bootstrapping and “rubbing some dirt on it” was only creating more self-doubt and resistant energy to receiving what the Universe (God, Source, The Creator, whatever resonates with you) had in store for me.

I simply had to embrace my authenticity and get out of my own way.

Interestingly enough, a colleague of mine, whom I thought was a friend, but turned out to be a frenemy in disguise, was the one who told me that my “woo-woo was the sexy factor” in my business, and what I brought to the table for the world of publishing was so unique and different that it was cool.

What?

Not only had that never occurred to me, but I had spent my entire life hiding my true self from others because I was afraid of being seen for whom I was on the inside.

This insight changed everything. I embarked on a deep dive into my authenticity through more consistent meditation practice, personal readings, and dipping my toe into the water by offering free readings online. Soon, the requests started coming in, and little by little, I gained more confidence in my abilities with the help of some amazing testimonials and feedback that were instrumental to my moving forward.

The next step was to monetize readings on my website, continue to offer free readings as a gesture of gratitude for being a guest on someone’s podcast and use them as a complimentary bonus feature for sales and marketing.

While I actively merged my healing work with my publishing business, more of the right kind of clients consistently showed up (with energy aligned with my own). The connection between publishing and spiritual readings created a ripple effect, which translated into more of the right clients requesting my services. This increase in clients gave me more time for learning and expanding my intuitive gifts and teaching workshops, and eventually led to being asked to read for groups in a variety of settings.

Susie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

After 30 years in corporate America and with a background in human resources, commercial TV, and radio broadcasting, I was facing a divorce that changed everything. Leaving that world behind, I was offered a position as a publishing consultant, where I learned all about the independent publishing industry and how to help authors write and publish a book.

When I branched out on my own and created Finish the Book Publishing, the foundational part of my business was “cause” publishing, which helps the author identify and create a book that featured their mission and purpose. Books that are connected to the idea of “giving back” tend to perform better in the industry, and this gives the author more opportunity to create a stronger brand.

My role as a Book Doula (helping you birth your book) is to guide the author through the entire production phase, from finding the right editors (or sometimes a ghostwriter), working with the book designer and giving feedback, to technical items such as the author’s legal copyright page, securing ISBNs, uploading files to Print-on-Demand platforms, offering marketing advice, and running a bestseller campaign.

Finish the Book Publishing is known for “white glove” service, in that clients always get to meet with me personally, not my staff in the background. Many of my clients ask me to do card readings for them as well. It’s a beautiful blend of intuitive insight and guidance that helps authors heal trauma and release blocks that keep them stuck.

This “special sauce” of publishing and spirituality is what my clients love about working with me, and I’m humbled by the testimonials that come across my desk. It’s the fuel to my passion that keeps me going. Some of these insights from clients and colleagues can be found on my podcast, Finish the Damn Book.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

One of my favorite stories is from a mom whose daughter was drugged in a rideshare and escaped, only to be hit by a car and end up in the ICU. Sixteen hours away, her mom and dad rushed to the hospital to discover that they were unable to legally care for her because she was over the age of 18.

What resulted was a mission to help other parents of college students, in creating legislation requiring healthcare proxies to be part of the college admissions process. This is a great example of how “cause” publishing can create a movement, drive awareness, and change the world we live in.

As authors, we have the ability to speak up, speak out, and share our stories to create community around the common threads of our lives. So many authors think, “No one will care about my story,” but that’s simply untrue. When we share ourselves authentically, we attract those that have similar situations and this creates a ripple effect for humanity.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

My audience on social media all started with my logo, the pineapple. I created my logo because the pineapple represents hospitality, friendship, and welcoming, a nod to my years in the hospitality industry. If you look closely, you’ll see that the squares in the body of the pineapple are actually tiny books that represent helping authors get their stories out into the world.

In the early days of my business, I used the pineapple emoji to sign off on posts and comments. It begged the question, “What’s with the pineapple?” and of course, it opened up the conversation about what the pineapple meant to me and how I work with authors.

Soon, I became known as “the pineapple lady” and the brand took on a life of it’s own. Today, it’s a testament to deeply caring about my clients and creating an experience for them that embodies the aspects of hospitality.

My advice? Create a unique presence on social media that represents you and your brand. This will attract the right community to serve others and build a business that reflects who YOU are.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.finishthebookpublishing.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finishthebookpublishing
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/finishthebookpublishing
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finishthebookpublishing
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@schaefer970
• Other: https://finishthedamnbookpodcast.com/

Image Credits

Cierra Breeze