If I Were a New Author Today, Here’s EXACTLY How I’d Start (The eCommerce Way)

Build Slowly, Quietly, Powerfully... On Your Terms

A Pair of Hands Typing on a Laptop on a Shopify Store For Authors

This is the third post answering Evolet Yvaine’s questions.

A few weeks ago, Evolet asked questions that sparked an entire series. In the first post, I explained If I’m A Serial Fiction Author, Then Why Don’t I Publish My Serials On Substack? In the second, I dove into How And Why I Started Making Merch For My Fiction Readers. But her deeper question kept circling back in my mind because it was bigger than mechanics or platform choices.

She wasn’t just asking about Shopify. She was asking the question every author should be asking in 2025:

“If I’m going to build an author career, how do I build it on my own terms?”

This is my complete answer. If I had to start my entire author journey TODAY, knowing everything I know now about ecommerce, direct sales, AI, and building a “Quiet Empire.”

But first, a caveat:

I need to be honest about who I am naturally, because I don’t want to be like everyone else who believes it’s “my way or the highway” or that every author should do it exactly like me. We are all individuals who build our writing businesses in ways that suit our natural abilities. I’m an 8-1-5 Enneagram, my Fascinate type is Mystique and Innovation, and my Myers-Briggs is INTJ. I’m naturally built for systems building and strategic SEO. It fits the librarian in me really easily—which means what I’m suggesting might not work for someone else who is wired differently.

But Evolet asked what I would do, and I want to let her know if I did this again what I would be looking at. First off, I would follow my own heart and intuition.

Here is the strategic path I would take.

Step One: Build My Identity First (Not My Output)

Most new authors are given a recipe for burnout: write faster, show up everywhere, and mimic what “successful” writers are doing. But you cannot build a sustainable career on top of an identity you haven’t defined. Identity is the infrastructure that holds up your stories, your voice, and your boundaries. Without it, you are just generating noise.

If I were brand new, I would spend my first weeks strictly on self-discovery using frameworks like the Enneagram, CliftonStrengths, and Fascinate Archetypes. This isn’t about taking personality quizzes for fun; it is about business strategy.

Discovering I’m an INTJ with an 8-1-5 enneagram and my Fascinate type is Mystique plus Innovation has completely changed everything for me. Suddenly, I understood why high-energy social media trends drained me. Why I needed long incubation periods between drafts. Why my characters tend to be strategic loners and secret weapons. Why I build storyworlds instead of single standalone books. Why quiet discoverability works better for me than performing on camera.

I’ve learned that my natural strengths and inclinations dictate everything: my book themes, my drafting schedule, my need for rest and incubation between projects, my marketing approach, the types of characters I create, even the platforms where I thrive. When I tried to force myself into marketing strategies that didn’t fit my wiring, I burned out. When I leaned into what my identity revealed about how I naturally operate, everything became easier. I’ve learned that respecting my natural strengths, talents, and superpowers isn’t optional; they are the true engine that powers my long-term sustainability.

Step Two: Use Storyselling & Discoverability for Visibility Instead

The old advice I received was to chase visibility at all costs. But visibility without resonance is useless, and in 2025, visibility without discoverability is temporary. My strategy today would be entirely focused on “Storyselling” (the marketing technique that focuses on the art of telling the story behind your stories to build trust before you ever ask for a sale).

However, there is a technical layer to this that most authors miss. Storyselling is now the foundation of GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization). When you write those deep, reflective blog posts or Substack essays about your themes and your “why,” you aren’t just connecting with humans; you are training the “AI Overview Librarian.” Platforms like Google, Perplexity, and ChatGPT need to know exactly who you are and who you serve.

If I were starting today, I would ignore Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok as primary discoverability strategies. Instead, I would pour my energy into discovery-first platforms like Pinterest, YouTube, and my own blog. These platforms create a long-term digital footprint. My voice would become metadata with soul. By focusing on search rather than social feed noise, I would ensure that when a reader asks an AI for “books about [my specific theme],” I am the answer.

Step Three: Build Discoverability With ONE Identity-Driven Merch Collection

In the eCommerce Author ecosystem, merchandise is not “extra” or “swag.” It is a discoverability engine. I call this the “Honey Pot.”

Most authors make the mistake of slapping a book cover on a t-shirt and calling it a day. That doesn’t work. If I were new, I would create one signature collection based on the identity of my reader. My collection would be the signal to a specific person that belonged in my world before they’ve read a single page.

This approach does two things. First, it creates emotional resonance; the buyer feels seen. Second, it creates a massive SEO advantage. Product pages for specific identity keywords capture search traffic that a book title never could. This is how I would bring people into my ecosystem through a side door, turning shoppers into readers.

Step Four: Build an Identity Funnel, Not a Freebie Funnel

For most of my writing career, I used the “sign up to my list to get your free reads” approach. It’s becoming clearer to me within the last year that the traditional “free book” funnel is extremely flawed. Why? Because it often attracts freebie hunters who have no intention of supporting my writing career. In the eCommerce model, I know collectors and selectors are a much better fit. At this point, it is my goal to replace the free read funnel entirely with a Reader Identity and Deep Immersion Funnel.

The Final Verdict: Start Small But Independent

A new author doesn’t need a massive catalog to start. They just need clarity.

I’ve seen multiple posts by gurus warning newbies and growing authors off of Shopify or any direct sales platform. In my view, they are approaching the eCommerce model from an indie author or even a trad published mindset. You can’t blame them—it’s the mindset they know and understand.

I say to them and their advice: “Bless your heart.”

In my opinion, now is the right time—the best time—to launch an eCommerce storefront, even without a published book. If I were starting today, I would launch my Shopify storefront with just one signature collection, one clear message, and one SEO keyword cluster that defines my niche.

This approach gives you discoverability, authority, identity-based SEO, an AI librarian profile, an independent ecosystem with reliable revenue, and a foundation that grows with you. A tiny Shopify storefront can carry your entire Quiet Empire.

And from there? You build slowly, quietly, powerfully—on your terms.

If this post resonated, consider becoming a paid subscriber to support this work. You’ll instantly unlock my growing library of Quiet Writers Workbooks and PDFs — including The Storyselling Superpower Workbook — designed to help authors build bold, sustainable careers on their own terms. We’re in a quiet rebellion. We rise together.