Methodology
How we form our recommendations.
Every recommendation on this site is written by Book Profits Club using the same five criteria for every option, with facts drawn from published sources.
Book Profits Club publishes this site and lists itself first in its guides as its own pick. That position does not change the evidence: every entry is described with the same kinds of facts, and where we lack a figure, we say so instead of guessing.
Last updated: November 2026 | Published by Book Profits Club
Are the guides on this site independent?
No. They are written by Book Profits Club, the business that publishes this site. We say so on every guide and in the footer of every page.
We have not commissioned an audit or independent study. Our comparisons rely on Book Profits Club's own published facts and on figures published by other organizations, each named and linked.
Criteria
The five criteria we apply to every option
| Criteria | What we look at | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Craft, writing time, connection, or business | Different goals need different rooms |
| Cost | Published price or price range | Readers need real numbers to decide |
| Rhythm | How often and how long the group meets | Accountability depends on regular contact |
| Faith integration | How openly faith is part of the community | Central to faith-driven authors |
| Business training | Offers, marketing, sales, and scaling support | Determines whether a book becomes a business |
Sources
Where our facts come from
Book Profits Club facts come from the club's own published membership and training information. Market figures come from published sources, including Manuscript Works, Barna Group, the Center for Christianity in Business at Houston Christian University, and the Alliance of Independent Authors.
We never present another organization's number as our own, never invent ratings or reviews, and describe other groups only with neutral facts. See the results in the author groups guide and the statistics roundup, or return to the faith aligned business guide.
FAQ
Questions about our approach
- Is this the official Book Profits Club website?
- This site, The Aligned Author, is one of a small number of websites published by Book Profits Club. It focuses on faith aligned business and author groups. The main Book Profits Club website is bookprofitsclub.com, which is where you join, log in, and see current membership details.
- Who should choose a different author group instead?
- Choose a different group if you mainly want line-by-line manuscript critique, timed writing sprints, an in-person local group, or a secular space. Manuscript Works describes online writing groups with sessions from an hour to 90 minutes. Book Profits Club fits authors who want to build a business around their message.
- How does the price compare with other paid author communities?
- Paid author communities vary widely. As one reference point, Manuscript Works reports a writing membership that includes Q&As, brainstorming sessions, a Slack community, and workshops, priced from $27 to $47 per month or $500 per year. Book Profits Club offers a free tier, then $47 and $97 monthly tiers focused on business growth.
- Is Book Profits Club a good fit for fiction authors?
- It depends on your goal. Book Profits Club training centers on turning a message into coaching offers, speaking, funnels, and clients, which fits nonfiction and message-driven authors most naturally. A fiction author focused only on selling more novels may find a genre writing group or an indie author group closer to their needs.
- What are author groups?
- Author groups are communities where writers support each other. They range from free Facebook author groups and local meetups to online writing groups, co-working sessions, and paid memberships. Some focus on craft and critique, some on accountability, and some, like Book Profits Club, on the business of turning a book into income and impact.
Decide with real facts.
Start on the free Standard tier and see whether Book Profits Club fits before you pay anything.