This is why we automate (so you can wander Scotland guilt-free)

More tools, more workflows, and a price lock before August. Plus, a 3-day intensive to build it all at once.

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☕ So, confession time...

I took last week entirely off. (Gasp, right? Me... unplugging? What is this heresy?)

In my defense, it came on the heels of teaching and networking for two full days at SPS London—where I somehow repeated five sessions in a single day. (Who knew talking about AI and systems could count as cardio?) After that marathon, I hightailed it to hang out with some friends in Milton Keynes, and then the Scottish coast for some blissful quiet, with a quick wander first through Edinburgh where The National Gallery stole my heart all over again.

And here’s the kicker—while I was off ogling Tartan and chasing sea spray, we still managed to publish this month’s issue of Indie Author Magazine, queue up all the socials, and keep everything humming along. Total time? Under two hours. This same beast used to devour four, sometimes five full days of our lives.

Automation, friends. It’s not just a buzzword. It’s exactly why I get to write to you from a cozy café in Oban instead of buried under spreadsheets and scheduling tools.

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🎤 A Few Highlights from SPS London

Alright, back to SPS London—because wow, what a whirlwind. I spent two days deep in the trenches with brilliant indie authors, teaching workshops that ran the gamut from “here’s how to use AI to buy back your time” to “here’s how to build a social media engine that practically runs itself.”

By day two, I’d delivered the same session five times over. (Picture me, fueled by flat whites and sheer adrenaline, waving my hands about automations and dashboards like a caffeinated TED talker. You get the idea.)

But what stood out most weren’t the slides or my ramblings—it was the sea of nodding heads when we dug into why this stuff matters. Authors are drowning in to-dos, from newsletters to launch plans to reader engagement, and so many came up afterward to say, “I didn’t even know half this was possible. I just thought I had to hustle harder.”

Nope. Not on my watch.

SPS was another sharp reminder that we’re not in this to pile on more tasks—we’re here to build systems that give us our time (and sanity) back. So you can write more. Or travel. Or stand in front of The National Gallery’s Monets for an hour without worrying your business will collapse in your absence.

I mean, this is the entire point, right?

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🚀 A New Playground for the Nerdier Among Us

Which brings me to something I’m ridiculously excited about: I’ve officially launched a new “advanced automations” segment right here on Substack. It’s like a newsletter within a newsletter.

And good news (or fair warning, depending on your appetite for tech rabbit holes): you’re already in. I’ve added all subscribers by default, because trying to get people to add themselves to a new section was about as smooth as herding caffeinated squirrels. (If it’s not your jam, you can absolutely opt out in your settings—no hard feelings, promise.)

So what’s different about this new segment?

• The main newsletter (like this one) will keep breaking down tools, how they slot into your author business, and what problems they actually solve.

• The advanced segment is where we’ll roll up our sleeves. Full-on recipes, workflow blueprints, and step-by-step scenarios—like stitching together multiple platforms with agents inside Make.com or letting n8n run entire decision trees for you. Tiny robots with clipboards, basically.

And yes, we’re talking more AI, too. Normally I keep AI and automation in their own lanes, but let’s be honest: the lines are blurring fast. The most powerful systems I’m building these days almost always loop in an AI module—whether it’s drafting content, sorting data, creating social images, or making conditional calls that used to take hours of manual oversight.

That said, you know me—I’ll still flag the ethical bits, note where to tread carefully, and always give you non-AI fallback options when possible. Because smart doesn’t have to mean soulless.

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💡 Why This Matters for You

So here’s the real kicker: this two-pronged approach means you’ll always get exactly what you need—whether that’s simple, no-fuss tools to keep your business running smooth, or next-level workflows that basically operate like a tiny robot army while you’re off living your actual life.

And I’m cranking things up. You’ll start seeing more frequent posts, especially inside the advanced segment, along with video walkthroughs so you can follow along click by click. Because reading is nice, but sometimes you just want to watch it happen on screen and mimic it in real time.

One quick heads up though: when I’m back from my European Chellenanigans in August, the monthly subscription is increasing from $7 to $39. It’s simply a better match for the deep, high-leverage content coming your way. But here’s the good part—if you’re already subscribed (or jump in now), this particular price increase won’t touch you. Your current rate will stay put, even after August.

So whether you’re here to keep your inbox from eating itself, or ready to build some scarily smart systems that handle your marketing while you’re sipping whisky by the sea, you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be—and I couldn’t be happier you’re along for the ride.

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🔍 What’s Coming Next (a.k.a. The Cool Stuff You’ll Get)

So, what’s all this new energy actually look like for you? Here’s the plan — because if you’ve hung around here long enough, you know I’m big on giving you a clear roadmap, not just mystery hype.

In the next 6 weeks, for the main newsletter, you’ll see:
✅ Breakdowns of smart, under-the-radar tools you probably aren’t using yet — but should be.
✅ How to stitch together simple stacks without tech headaches.
✅ Smarter ways to manage newsletters, social, and your backlist so it actually sells books (wild concept, right?).
✅ More honest takes on tools like Zapier, ConvertKit, Airtable, and even old faithful WordPress, but through the lens of author needs, not generic online business fluff.

And for the advanced segment, you’ll get:
⚡ Full-on, copy-this workflow recipes that use Make.com, n8n, and some AI modules to automate your content marketing, reader funnels, and even data analysis. Paid subscribers will be able to download them to import into your own account!
⚡ Play-by-plays on using agents to decide what happens next (not just run rote steps).
⚡ Modular systems that you can scale up or down — like turning a one-off campaign into a rinse-and-repeat machine.
⚡ Plus, advanced dashboard builds so you can see your entire author ecosystem on one screen (because chaos spreadsheets are so 2022).

Oh, and let’s not forget:

• If you’re a paid subscriber, you also get access to most of my library of courses and the private community over at IndieAuthorTraining.com.

• We’ve got nerd-friendly business book club summaries posted there, so you can get the best insights from heavy hitters like Atomic Habits or The Happiness Advantage without reading them cover-to-cover (unless you want to, you beautiful overachiever, you).

• And when I’m back in August, paid founding members will get a weekly live call with me where we tackle your systems 1:1, workshop your workflows, and generally build your author ops together. Yes — you’ll literally have me in your corner, hands-on.

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🎯 Let’s Wrap This Up (and Your Next Big Move)

If you’ve been nodding along thinking “It’s probably time I get serious about all this,” here’s your moment.

Lock in your subscription now before the August price bump and get every advanced workflow post, automation courses, and book club summaries lined up to supercharge your business. Your future schedule (and your sanity) will love you for it.

But if you’re ready to stop patching things together piece by piece — there’s an even faster path.

👉 The Author Business Intensive is a private, in-person, three-day experience where we’ll install your automations, train your copy assistant, and launch a complete system that works behind the scenes while you write. You’ll leave with a bulletproof business strategy, a machine that hums along in the background, and the confidence that you’re building something sustainable — finally.

If that sounds exactly like what you’ve been waiting for, check out all the details at chellehoniker.com/intensive. The first one is in Edinburgh in just a few weeks.