Sharon Woodhouse...

is a publisher, coach, business strategist, and partnership architect with 30+ years building sustainable creative businesses at the intersection of publishing, entrepreneurship, and community.

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What Sets Her Apart

She sees the business opportunities, ecosystems, and strategic partnerships others miss—then activates the conceptual, logistical, and human connections to make them real. Drawing on three decades as a publisher, small business owner, and entrepreneurship advocate, she brings what clients call “a rare combination”: strategic vision, business savvy, and practical wisdom paired with genuine care for the people and projects she works with.

 

What She Does

Through Conspire Creative, Sharon provides strategic coaching, consulting, and project management for authors, publishers, and creative businesses.

Her work focuses on helping published authors build sustainable income beyond book sales, guiding publishers through industry change, developing cross-industry partnerships, and creating innovative business models for creative enterprises.

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She’s known for:

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• Strategic vision that sees the big picture and ecosystem possibilities that others miss

• Street smarts combining publishing expertise with business acumen

• Partnership architecture designing multi-party collaborations where everyone wins

• Practical, actionable strategies based on what actually works in the marketplace

• Genuine advocacy for authors, creative ideas, and bold entrepreneurial choices

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Her Track Record

 

Publishing & Business Building  – Founded Lake Claremont Press in 1994, building it into a beloved Chicago brand that published 500,000+ books across 80 titles and won 30 small press awards over 25 years. Created Everything Goes Media in 2011 to expand into consulting, coaching, partnership development, and strategic publishing projects.

 

Clients Served – Directly worked with hundreds of authors, publishers, businesses, and organizations—and helped tens of thousands more through teaching, group coaching, and writing. Clients span six continents and include authors, publishers, creatives, business owners, thought leaders, scientists, academics, nonprofits, and multi-passionate, multi-hyphenate entrepreneurs across industries.

 

Media Recognition – Sharon’s businesses and the authors she’s championed have been featured in hundreds of outlets including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, CNN, BBC, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, and dozens more national and international media. She was named three times to New City’s “Top 50 Who Really Books in Chicago” list.

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Testimonials: Read what past clients say.

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What She’s Building

 

Beyond the Margins – Author business event series and community building toward annual conference and awards.

 

Storied Hotel Books – Innovative cross-industry partnership model pairing mystery series with luxury hotel experiences

 

Long-term vision – Contributing to Chicago’s literary infrastructure through sustainable creative businesses, reimagined cultural gathering spaces, and new frameworks for author entrepreneurship.

 

Credentials & Training

 

Coaching – Certified Professional Coach through Coach Training Alliance

 

Conflict Resolution – 35+ years studying mediation and conflict resolution through Peace and Global Studies Department of Earlham College, NGOs in Geneva, Rome, and Budapest, the ABA, and Mediate.com

 

Education –

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• M.A. in Communication, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (focus: mediation, difficult conversations, coaching presence)

• Graduate Certificate in Mediation and Negotiation, UWM

• Certificate, Interpersonal Neurobiology, Mindsight Institute

• B.A. in Philosophy, University of Illinois-Chicago

 

How She Works

Sharon has counseled hundreds of authors, publishers, and creative entrepreneurs on setting up shop, running sustainable enterprises, and building holistic businesses—emphasizing customized approaches, strategic planning, creative marketing, win-win partnerships, and entrepreneurial mindset.

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Her approach combines:

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• Excellence and creativity in execution

• Intellectual acuity for working with complex material and top performers

• Warm, generous listening and genuine advocacy

• Results-oriented activation—getting things started and getting things done

• Big picture alignment while attending to details and incremental steps

• Continuous improvement of skills, products, processes, and systems

 

Beyond Business

Sharon is a passionate advocate for entrepreneurship, vibrant urban neighborhoods, historic preservation, public transportation, free speech, science, and civilized civic behavior. 

 

Her most cherished win was co-leading the community effort to save the historic Davis Theater in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood—proving that strategic partnerships and community organizing can preserve cultural assets while building sustainable business models.

 

She lives and works in Chicago's Lakeview’East neighborhood.

 

Connect with Sharon

 

Writing: Follow Sharon’s insights on author entrepreneurship, publishing strategy, and creative business building on Medium and The Profitable Author Substack.

 

Book: The Profitable Author: 1,001 Ways to Build a Business You Love Around Your Books 

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Work Together: Explore coaching, consulting, or upcoming events.

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Contact: Email| LinkedIn