MY STORY

Hi, I'm Matt

In April 2020, my wife's first book earned $133 in royalties.

Today, her books have generated over $700,000 and sold more than 330,000 copies worldwide.

Here's how we got there—and why I now spend my days helping other authors do the same.

The Worst Timing Imaginable

When COVID hit the UK in March 2020, my video production business collapsed overnight. I couldn't film. I couldn't work. The income stopped.

The timing couldn't have been worse. My wife and I were expecting twin boys in two months.

We had no income and were about to become a family of four.

So I did what any desperate person would do: I looked for another way.

My wife had been writing fiction for years. She'd even signed a traditional publishing deal once, but it fell through six months in (long story). We'd dabbled in self-publishing before, but never committed to it properly.

Now we had no choice.

I dove headfirst into learning everything I could about self-publishing, marketing, and advertising books. My wife focused on finishing her first novel. We worked around the clock.

On April 19th, 2020, we launched her first book on Amazon.

First month's royalties: $133.

We spent $110 on Facebook Ads to get there.

Net profit: $23.

I remember staring at the dashboard wondering if we'd made a terrible mistake.

But We Kept Going

May 2020: $894

June 2020: $1,113

August 2020: $2,938

December 2020: $4,776

October 2021: $11,281 (our first five-figure month)

November 2022: $17,396

We weren't doing anything complicated. No secret hacks. No complex funnels. Just simple advertising systems, consistent testing, and a willingness to learn from what wasn't working.

My wife still writes one book per year—six books and counting. They've sold over 330,000 copies, generated more than $700,000 in royalties, been translated into French, and had the audio rights purchased by a major publisher.

Not bad for a business we started with $10 a day in ad spend.

What I Do Now

These days, I focus on one thing: helping authors hit their first $1,000 month in book royalties - then keep going until it's consistent.

Why $1,000?

Because it's the moment everything changes. It's proof your system works. Proof this isn't a hobby anymore. And once you can hit $1,000, you can hit $2,000. Then $5,000. The first $1,000 is the hardest - after that, you're just scaling what works.

I've spent years figuring out what actually moves the needle - and I've distilled it all into one complete system I'm currently building called Author1K.

Foundations. Audience. Advertising. Everything in the right order.

It also includes something I'm genuinely excited about: AuthorOS.

AuthorOS is an AI mentor I've built myself, trained on everything I know from helping 1,000's of authors. Stuck at midnight wondering if your ad is working? Ask AuthorOS. Need feedback on your blurb? Ask AuthorOS. It's like having me available 24/7.

No complicated theory. No chasing tactics. Just the simple systems that actually work.

Author1K opens to founding members soon. Join the waitlist to get early access and access exclusive founding member pricing:

Join The Author1K Waitlist →

A Business Built Around Life

I live in the British countryside with my wife, our three kids, one blind, lazy dog, and 18 horses across 8 acres (the horses are my wife's lifelong passion).

We built this business around our family, not the other way around.

I work a few focused hours each day. I'm there for school pickups. I don't miss sports days. I take our boys to swimming lessons. We go on bike rides together. When we want to travel, we travel (though we're yet to tackle a plane ride with 5-year old twins and a 3-year old!)

That's the real goal, isn't it? Not just selling books, but building something that gives you freedom. Complete freedom.

If you're an author working toward your first $1,000 month in royalties, I'd love to help you get there.

The best place to start is my FREE 7-day email course: The $1K Author Blueprint:

Your First $1,000/Month in Royalties