Austen Rachlis is a writer and filmmaker living in Los Angeles. She recently directed and produced the documentary Naughty Books, which highlighted the ups and downs experienced by self-published authors in the romance genre. Austen is a regular writer for Wondery podcasts American Innovations and Business Wars. She joins me on this episode to talk about her documentary, how the self-publishing industry has changed the publishing industry, and how it has empowered women. Join us for a truly fascinating episode of Mitlin Money Mindset™ — you will not want to miss it!
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…
- How Austen came to film a documentary on the self-published romance industry. [2:15]
- What surprised Austen the most about making the documentary. [4:35]
- How Amazon has changed the self-publishing space. [5:38]
- How this space has empowered Women. [8:10]
- Why as a self-published author, you are the CEO of your own company. [9:50]
- Misconceptions about self-publishing and the romance publishing industry. [11:40]
- Austen’s advice to aspiring authors considering self-publishing. [15:00]
Resources Mentioned
Connect with Austen Rachlis
- Austen Rachlis is a writer and filmmaker living in Los Angeles. Her novel Hacker Mom was a launch title for Amazon’s Kindle Serial initiative. She co-wrote the short film Loop Planes, which was jointly funded and produced by Killer Films and Massify.com. It premiered at SXSW and went on to screen at over 50 festivals worldwide, including Tribeca, The Hamptons Film Festival, and the Rhode Island International Film Festival, where it won the Alternative Spirit Award. She directed and produced the documentary Naughty Books, which is distributed by 1091 Pictures. She is a regular writer for the Wondery podcasts American Innovations and Business Wars. Austen holds a BA from Hampshire College and an MFA from Columbia University’s School of the Arts.
Guests on the Mitlin Money Mindset Show are not affiliated with CWM, LLC, and opinions expressed herein may not be representative CWM, LLC. CWM, LLC is not responsible for the guest’s content linked on this site.
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Lawrence “Larry” Sprung, CFP® is a husband, father, entrepreneur and mental health advocate.
Larry is the author of the Amazon Bestselling book “Financial Planning Made Personal” and the also host of the Mitlin Money Mindset™ a podcast that reminds you to ask yourself “What did you do today that brought you joy?®”
In 2004 he founded Mitlin Financial, Inc. naming the firm memory of Larry’s wife’s grandfather, Mitchell, and his mother, Linda. During his career, Larry has found that a lot of industry terms and concepts can seem confusing to outsiders. That’s why he works with the families he serves to break down complex financial topics into easy-to-understand concepts.
In recognition of Larry’s significant contributions to his profession, he has received quite a few awards. In 2021, Larry was named to the Investopedia 100 Top Advisors in 2021 and was even more humbled to make their Top Ten list for 2022.
Outside the office, one of Larry’s greatest passions is raising awareness for mental health. He spent over 12 years serving on the National Board of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and sits on its financial and investment committees. With his wife, Denise, he has raised more than $1.7 million for the organization through the Keith Milano Memorial Fund. The fund was created in memory of his brother-in-law.
Larry values his family tremendously and his desire to do right by his wife and two sons drives who he is in and out of the office.
