The challenge was that authors needed a clear, reliable way to see the status of their books, royalty activity, payments, holds, and any charges against royalties without having to contact the office for every update. As royalty payments and residuals came in at different times, it became important to create a system that could track author accounts accurately, reduce confusion, and provide better transparency.

We solved this by building an Author Portal connected to the Publishing Leads/Author CRM. The admin side allows TruLife Books to manage author records, book status, royalty receipts, payment history, holds, minimum payment thresholds, and charges against royalties. Each author can be added to a portal account and, after logging in, is redirected to the secure author portal at crm.trulifebooks.com where they can view the information connected to their account.

The Author Portal gives former and current authors a self-service place to check what is due, what has been paid, and what is still pending. This reduces administrative follow-up, creates a more professional author experience, and gives TruLife Books a structured system for managing royalty obligations as they are received. In short, the portal turns a manual and potentially confusing process into an organized, transparent, and auditable workflow.