The conversation covers the transition from teaching to running a small creative business, the challenges of marketing and pricing as a small business owner, and the experience of starting a small business full-time. It also delves into the background of the guest and her journey to becoming an author coach. The conversation delves into the challenges faced by indie authors, the comparison between traditional and indie publishing, the human element in the publishing industry, and the importance of lifelong learning and authenticity in content creation.

Takeaways

• Transition from teaching to running a small creative business
• Challenges of marketing and pricing as a small business owner The challenges and misconceptions faced by indie authors
• The importance of embracing the human element in content creation

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Background
• 06:22 Challenges of Marketing and Pricing
• 24:36 Challenges of Being a Small Business Owner
• 34:57 Challenges of Indie Authors
• 40:28 Traditional vs. Indie Publishing
• 48:04 The Publishing Industry and Human Element
• 59:48 Lifelong Learning and Authenticity

Kellie Nielsen is an author coach, educator, and the founder of Just Right Words. Kellie spent over two decades as a teacher, working closely with language, learning, and the messy realities of how people actually develop confidence in their writing. These days, she brings that experience into her work as an author coach, supporting writers who want more than vague encouragement or cookie-cutter advice.
Through Just Right Words, Kellie works with emerging and indie authors at all stages — from idea and early drafts through to editing, refinement, and publication — with a strong focus on clarity, craft, and sustainable creative practice. She’s also deeply invested in the indie community, advocating for writers to understand their work not just as art, but as something worth backing, protecting, and building carefully over time.
In this conversation, we’re talking about the shift from teaching to running a small creative business, the skills educators bring into author coaching, the realities of working one-on-one with writers, and what genuine support for the indie community actually looks like — beyond buzzwords and gatekeeping.
Instagram: www.instagram.com/justrightwords/
Website: ​https://justrightwords.com.au/