Turning Down a Six-Figure Trad Deal & Building a Sustainable Indie Author Career, ft. Brenna Aubrey (Classic Replay EP#561)

Turning Down a Six-Figure Trad Deal & Building a Sustainable Indie Author Career, ft. Brenna Aubrey (Classic Replay EP#561)

From SPA Girls Podcast by SPA Girls Podcast

July 15, 2026 · 1h 23m · Season 1 · Episode 561

About this episode

Brenna Aubrey discusses her journey from traditional publishing to building a successful indie author career, sharing insights on business decisions and mindset practices.

This week we're revisiting a favourite conversation with USA Today bestselling author Brenna Aubrey — and it's a masterclass in both bold business decisions and long-term career survival. Brenna takes us right back to the beginning: writing sprawling epic fantasy at night while her husband worked the graveyard shift, stumbling into her local RWA chapter, and the shower-thought that became her breakout gamer romance, At Any Price . Then came the moment that made her something of a self-publishing legend — her debut went to auction, two houses landed in a bidding war, and Brenna told her agent there was a third bidder: herself. She walked away from a six-figure, three-book deal to go indie… and made back more than that offer in her first year. Brenna is refreshingly honest about the long fall that can follow a big high, including the online criticism she wasn't prepared for, and walks us through the mindset practices that brought her back (mindfulness, meditation, EFT tapping, gratitude journaling, time in nature, and Becca Syme's strengths work), and why "anxiety lies, depression lies" became a mantra. On the business side, Brenna shares her framework for career longevity…

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