Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” speech gets quoted constantly, usually the inspirational part about daring greatly and how the credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena.
But people conveniently forget the first part—the part about the critics.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.”
Roosevelt was talking about politics, but he could have been talking about indie authors.
Everyone Has Opinions Until You Actually Build Something
When I announced I was launching a digital magazine and mentioned accepting unpaid submissions—me, one person, self-funding everything with no investors, no corporate backing—the internet lost its mind.
“Scammer.” “Exploiter.” “Money should flow TO the author!”
Never mind that I’m paying for hosting, design, advertising, and taking time away from my actual income-generating work. Never mind that I’m building something that doesn’t exist yet and won’t have revenue until it does. Never mind that this is how independence works.
You either spend your own money, or you build an audience willing to support your work. That’s it. Those are your options.
But I can cope with the backlash because I realize the people shouting the loudest aren’t the ones building anything. They’re the ones with 200 followers and a free Weebly site, calling anyone who asks for help “exploitative” while they themselves have never risked a dollar or their reputation on a real project. Their own, or anyone else’s.
This is the reality of being indie: everyone supports you until you start succeeding. Then the support turns into jabs, passive aggression, and accusations.
It comes with the territory.
The Arena Is Lonely
We’ve never had more knowledge at our disposal. Craft books, YouTube, courses, mastermind groups. There’s so much out there and yet most indie authors are doing this alone:
Figuring out launch strategy by trial and expensive error
Reinventing wheels because they don’t know who to ask
Second-guessing every decision because there’s no one to reality-check it with
Watching other authors succeed and wondering what they’re missing
Getting dunked on by strangers online whenever they try something new
You’re building a business in public while people who’ve never shipped a product critique your every move. Risking money on ads, covers, and editors while hobbyists tell you you’re “doing it wrong.”
And the whole time, you’re supposed to smile and be grateful for the “exposure.”
This is exhausting.
It’s also inefficient.
The authors who are succeeding are not smarter or more talented. They’re just better connected and better informed. They’re not doing it alone.
Why I Built Signal Builders
I started offering the Novel Launchpad service earlier this year. It’s a custom, one-on-one service where I work with authors to critique their book, help them categorize it for best audience fit and sales, write a blurb that will captivate their target audience, and write a 90-day plan to launch their book. That service is $1,200 per project because that’s what my time and expertise are worth.
That’s a big chunk of change for ONE book. ONE author.
And who’s to say the plan I make for their first book will still be accurate and helpful by the time they launch their second?
What many of these ready-to-publish authors needed was:
Live feedback on their specific projects
A network of other professionals to learn from
Accountability to actually ship instead of endlessly planning
Honest critique from someone with skin in the game
So I built Signal Builders.
It’s not a course you buy and never finish or a Facebook group full of cheerleading and beginner questions.
It’s a professional network for indie authors who are actually in the arena—launching books, building platforms, making sales, taking risks.
That means it’s not for everyone. Only for those who have a book that is (or will shortly be) ready to sell. And you want it to make money.
What You’re Getting
Weekly live office hours where you can ask anything—launch strategy, book positioning, marketing copy, platform building. I’ve worked with dozens of authors through Novel Launchpad and thousands as a developmental editor, not to mention launching multiple series myself. You’re getting that experience for a fraction of consulting rates.
Hot seat manuscript and marketing critiques where I break down what’s working and what’s not in your specific project. Real feedback on real work.
A vetted network of serious professionals who are doing the work, not just talking about it. The $147/month price filters out tire-kickers. You’re connecting with people who share what’s working, hold you accountable, and understand what you’re building.
Applied learning, not theory. We break down successful launches, analyze what’s selling, test strategies, and implement immediately. Every week focuses on something you can use right now.
One thing it isn’t is a collection of abstract advice from someone who’s never shipped a book. This is from someone who runs a multi-revenue-stream business (editing, books, YouTube, newsletter, affiliates) and is launching a novel in January 2026 as real-time proof of concept.
Who This Is For
You’re in the arena if you:
Are actively publishing or preparing to launch (not “someday”)
Treat this like a business, not a hobby
Want honest feedback, not hand-holding
Are willing to share what you’re learning, not just extract value
Want to build sustainable income through strategy, not hope for a breakout hit
If $147/month feels like an expense rather than an investment, this isn’t the right stage yet. But if you see that the knowledge and network could easily generate multiples of that cost, you’re thinking like a Signal Builder.
The Fictional Influence Promotion
Signal Builders closes to all non-paying members on December 1st. I want to extend a 10% benefit to you, my Fictional Influence readers. Most of you are writers, though at various stages of your journey, and I want to make it as easy for you to join as possible.
You are, after all, the ones who tell me about author drama on social media, ask me amazing questions that send me down rabbit holes, and inspire me with your commitment to craft and art.
All writers are artists, but to make it a business, we also have to focus the commerce part of it, which is why I write about platform-building, sustainable creative business, and meeting audiences where they are.
Signal Builders is me doing exactly that.
I’m launching my novel The Twitter Crush in January 2026, and Signal Builders members will see the entire process in real time—the strategy, the numbers, the pivots, the failures. Not as a case study after the fact, but as it happens.
This is skin in the game. I’m not selling you a system I used five years ago and haven’t touched since.
I’m building alongside you.
And yes, I’ll get criticism for it. People will say I’m a scammer, or that I’m exploiting authors, or that I should give this away for free because “community.”
But those people aren’t in the arena.
They’re not spending their own money to build something. They’re not putting their reputation on the line. They’re not serving a community every week while running a business and launching books.
They’re in the stands, critiquing your footwork.
The Credit Belongs to Those in the Arena
Roosevelt’s full quote ends like this:
“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again... who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”
If you’re an indie author, you’re in the arena whether you like it or not.
You’re risking money on every launch. You’re building in public. You’re getting critiqued by people who’ve never shipped anything. You’re figuring it out as you go.
You can keep doing it alone, or you can do it with other people who understand what you’re building.
Signal Builders is for the people in the arena.
What you get: Weekly live office hours, hot seat critiques, professional network, real strategies from real launches. $130/month discounted Fictional Influence rate (locks in forever) or $147/month regular rate after launch.
This is for serious professionals building sustainable author careers. Not a course. Not cheerleading or “mindset” work. This is a network of people doing the work to write and SELL books.
I'm interested in being part of a writer community that shares my values. My block right now is that I'm still in the outlining stage in my current project.
just getting around to listening to this.... stand strong Kristen. I'm not ready for your service yet, still fighting my way through the first draft. (Hard to admit 'publicly' I'm still building my first draft...) But making better progress over the past few months. You inspire me to keep moving forward.