About Chelle Honiker
Caffeinated Automations Consultant – Systems Thinker – Writer – Speaker – Mama – Mimi – Founder
Chelle Honiker is a systems strategist, automation consultant, and advocate for authorpreneurs—those scrappy, talented writers building real businesses around their books. She believes creative work should be supported by smart, sustainable systems, not endless hustle.
As the co-founder and publisher of Indie Author Magazine, Indie Author Tools, and Direct2Readers.com, Chelle leads a team focused on demystifying self-publishing, marketing, and tech for working authors. She also serves as the programming director for Author Nation, a global conference for independent writers, and spearheads Indie Author Training, a marketplace of expert-led courses built for the business side of writing.
With a background in executive operations, tech consulting, and public speaking—including TEDx events—Chelle helps creative professionals build workflows that reduce decision fatigue, automate the repetitive, and make room for the work that matters. Her consulting firm, Athenia Creative Services, has supported authors, startups, and content creators since 1999.
She’s also the mind behind Author Automations, a weekly newsletter and education hub helping authors leverage tools like Zapier, n8n, Airtable, and WordPress to run their creative empires with less friction and more joy.
Whether she’s teaching automation, speaking at conferences, or rebuilding a client’s CRM from the ground up, Chelle is known for making complex systems feel approachable, actionable, and even a little fun.
Based in Austin, Texas—but often found working from a train somewhere in in the world—Chelle drinks a lot of coffee, writes a little fiction, and firmly believes that your creative business should work for you, not the other way around.
Speaking & Training
She’s a regular presence on industry stages, including Author Nation, Self Publishing Formula Live, and The BookFest, where she recently delivered a keynote on the transformative power of storytelling. Whether she’s leading a breakout session or stepping up to the main stage, Chelle brings a grounded, insightful approach that resonates with both new and seasoned creatives.
Event organizers appreciate her ability to meet audiences where they are—translating complex topics like automation, AI, and direct sales into practical strategies that inspire action. Her talks are content-rich, refreshingly jargon-free, and tailored to empower authors to take the next step in their business journey.
From Chatting to Co-Pilots: How Automation Grew a Brain (and Got a Promotion)
(Current situation: I’m in Aruba for a week-long Mastermind Retreat, writing this poolside. We live and work in magical times, friends.) Let’s call it: Automation
The Selling Direct Series, Part 3: This Is Where Most Authors Drop the Ball
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash 🎉 Ding! You made a sale. 💡 But if your current post-purchase strategy is “hope they remember me,” let’s
📦 The Selling Direct Series, Part 2
Let’s talk bundles. Not the kind you swaddle or the kind that come with bonus fries. I’m talking book bundles—those delicious multi-book offers that drive
📦 The Selling Direct Series, Part 1: Why It’s Time to Ditch the Middleman (Sometimes)
Let me guess. You’ve got links to your books on every storefront imaginable—Amazon, Apple, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, probably even that one Swedish platform no
📬 Your Inbox is Not a To-Do List (Here’s What to Do Instead)
Photo by Stephen Phillips – Hostreviews.co.uk on Unsplash Let’s talk about email. Specifically, let’s talk about how to stop your inbox from hijacking your entire
🔗 One Link (Shortener) to Rule Them All (And You Actually Own It)
You know that feeling when you have a book to promote, and suddenly you’re drowning in links? Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Google