Author Business Summit 2026: Everything You Need To Know

Your book was never meant to be the finish line — it's the front door to your business. Over 3 days, you'll get the exact playbooks working authors are using right now to turn one book into paying clients, partnerships, speaking gigs, and scalable income. This page covers everything you need to show up ready: what to expect, who's presenting, how to prepare, and exactly when and how to join.

One thing we'll say up front: the magic happens live. Live hot seats, laser coaching, giveaways, and Q&A can't be replayed — so block off the dates now and plan to be in the (virtual) room.

📅 When to join

All times are Eastern Time (ET):

Day 1 — Thursday, August 27: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM ET
Day 2 — Friday, August 28: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM ET
Day 3 — Saturday, August 29: 11:00 AM – 6:30 PM ET

We recommend blocking off all 3 full days. The detailed session-by-session schedule is emailed to ticket holders before the event — watch your inbox.

💻 How to join

Main sessions and live coaching happen on Zoom. Your personal login links and platform details will be emailed to you closer to the event — keep an eye out for emails from selfpublishing.com (and check your spam/promotions folder so nothing slips through).

Join the community before day 1. Our private Event Facebook Group is where attendees network, ask questions, and talk shop before, during, and after the summit. Introduce yourself now — the connections you make here are half the value of the event.

Attending in person? The live experience takes place at Hotel Viata, 320 S Capital of Texas Hwy, West Lake Hills, TX 78746 (Austin area). In-person attendees also get a welcome reception the night before — details arrive by email.

🎤 Who's presenting

This year's faculty is a lineup of operators who've actually built what you're trying to build:

Chandler Bolt — Founder & CEO of selfpublishing.com, 4-time Inc. 5000 company builder, and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree. Chandler is teaching the Millionaire Author Plan and the One Page Profit Plan, plus leading live hot seats.
Jess Ekstrom — Founder of Headbands of Hope and bestselling author. She's breaking down how to land paid speaking engagements and scale multiple businesses to 7 figures.
Aleric Heck — Founder & CEO of AdOutreach, who built the largest YouTube app-review channel and has generated $200M+ in client sales. He's covering video authority and scaling with ads.
Aaron Schafer — VP of Revenue at selfpublishing.com, bestselling author, and speaker. He's teaching offer design, service-based selling, and how to scale a sales team.
Pedro Mattos — Business Development at selfpublishing.com, who has structured $15M+ in partnerships. He's showing you how to build champion partnerships and grow your audience.
Brett Hilker — Head Coach at selfpublishing.com, walking you through step-by-step launch and relaunch systems.
Ali Tugwell — Your emcee! Founder of Punspoken and Amazon #1 bestselling author.

Plus 3 keynote speakers we haven't announced yet — and trust us, you'll want to be live when we do.

🗓️ What to expect each day

Day 1: Launching & marketing your bestselling book. The Millionaire Author Blueprint, the one-page book launch playbook, flawless launch and relaunch systems, video authority and ads, champion partnerships, the 4 P's of scalable offers, and turning readers into customers. The day wraps with the Author Business Success Story Awards and a VIP-only laser coaching Q&A.

Day 2: Building your brand, authority, and business. The One Page Profit Plan (Part 1), landing paid speaking engagements, scaling multiple businesses as a busy parent, service-based selling systems, AI strategies for growth, an inspiration panel of real author businesses, the "Dropout Millionaire" story of scaling from 0 to $75M+, and live hot seats with 4 authors coached on the spot.

Day 3: Scaling your income, impact, and influence. Sales team scaling, identifying your highest-impact metrics, the One Page Profit Plan (Part 2) — your annual roadmap broken into 90-day and 7-day plans — a personal letter-writing session, more live hot seats, and a bonus early-morning Q&A with Chandler and Aaron.

You won't leave with a notebook full of theory. You'll leave with a completed one-page business plan and your next 90 days mapped out.

✅ How to prepare

Block your calendar now for all 3 days (see times above). Treat this like a business investment, not a webinar playing in the background.
Join the Event Facebook Group and introduce yourself — who you are, what your book is about, and what you're building.
Know your numbers. Bring whatever you have: book sales, email list size, current offers, revenue. The One Page Profit Plan sessions are workshops, and you'll get far more out of them with your real numbers in hand.
Come with your #1 question. Laser coaching and hot seats reward attendees who show up knowing exactly what they want to solve.
Test your tech. Make sure Zoom is installed and updated on the device you'll use, and plan for a quiet space with good internet.

🎟️ Ticket tiers at a glance

General Admission — Full live access to all 3 days, the private attendee community, 1 laser coaching session, and the One Page Author Business Plan workbook.
VIP — Everything in General Admission, plus full event recordings, daily laser coaching with Chandler Bolt, VIP-only Day 1 Q&A access, and early access to Strategy Zone coaching appointments.
In-Person (49 seats only) — Everything in VIP, plus 3 days live in Austin, a welcome reception, a networking mixer with the speakers, live hot seat opportunities, a bonus mastermind session, and small-group access to Chandler and the team.

For full tier details and current pricing, visit the Author Business Summit 2026 page.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a virtual event?

It's a hybrid event! The Author Business Summit 2026 is primarily a virtual experience designed to be attended right from your computer, laptop, or mobile device — you can join us live from anywhere in the world. There's also a strictly limited In-Person ticket option capped at just 49 seats for those who want live networking and mastermind sessions in Austin, TX.

Will the event be on Facebook, Zoom, or somewhere else?

The main summit sessions and live coaching take place on Zoom. Your login links and platform details will be emailed to all registrants closer to the event date. Our private Event Facebook Group is your home base for networking and discussion before, during, and after the summit.

Do I need to have published a book already?

No! Many attendees are still writing (or planning) their book. Building your business framework before launch is far more straightforward than retrofitting one afterward — you'll leave knowing exactly what to do when your book goes live.

What if my book launch didn't go the way I hoped?

You're exactly who this event is for. Relaunch strategies are covered in depth, and relaunches frequently outperform original launches.

Will I get recordings if I miss a session?

VIP and In-Person ticket holders receive full event recordings of every session, so you can catch up on your own schedule. General Admission is live-access only — one more reason to show up live!

Can I upgrade my ticket to VIP or In-Person?

Absolutely! Email us: Send an email to support@selfpublishing.com with the subject line "upgrade my ticket" and our team will get you squared away.

⚠️ In-Person tickets are strictly capped at 49 seats with no waitlist, so reach out as early as possible if you want the live Austin experience.

If I can't attend, can I transfer my ticket to someone else?

Tickets are non-transferable to other individuals. Anyone wishing to attend will need to purchase their own ticket. If you're a VIP or In-Person ticket holder and can't make a live session, your ticket includes full event recordings.

Can I use my ticket for a different event later this year?

Yes! If you're unable to attend the Author Business Summit, your ticket can be rolled over and used for our upcoming Full Time Fiction Live event later this year.

Quick details

Event dates: August 27–29, 2026
Times: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM ET (Days 1–2); 11:00 AM – 6:30 PM ET (Day 3)
Platform: Zoom (links emailed to registrants) + private Event Facebook Group
In-person location: Hotel Viata, West Lake Hills, TX (49 seats, no waitlist)
Full details and tickets: Author Business Summit 2026 page

We can't wait to see you there — come ready to build. 🚀