Business

Women: How to Find a Publisher For Your Book

Published

5 years ago

June 28, 2021

Adriana Monique Alvarez has created a new framework for female authors prepared to pioneer their path in book publishing, redefining the traditional publishing model in a revolutionary way that offers a path to financial freedom for thousands of women.

The Wall Street Journal best-selling author and business coach has established a dynamic new publishing style where women deliver their message through books as part of an immersive business model.

“Finding a publisher is much easier than you think. It is right in front of you – look in the mirror,” she says.

Traditional publishing models are obsolete, says Alvarez, dominated by men in an industry that has failed to adapt to changing social environments. “Mainstream publishing houses dump on self-publishing. They called it ‘vanity publishing’ to create a negative impression. Through self-publishing, I have learned how to marry the savvy digital world and business to books that promote practical solutions within the relevant marketplace.”

Her company, AMA Publishing has developed boutique methods that create generational wealth through high-impact, high-earning publishing businesses. With six successful books under her belt, Alvarez has walked the walk. Her methods position books that transform writers into entrepreneurs by springboarding readership to other services and financial freedom.

“Turning a book into a business has worked for men such as Robert Kiyosaki who built a $100 million seminar industry from his Rich Dad, Poor Dad. It’s time for women to tell their stories without waiting for an invitation to succeed.”

Turning dreams into reality for women

Alvarez took her sharp intellect to deconstruct the publishing industry for her business consultancy clients who talked about authoring books of their own. “I had heard these dreams for long enough, and I just said, ‘well, for crying out loud. I guess you’re not going to do it’. So I researched the industry and found niche gaps and open invitations for inspired entrepreneurs to fill.” She knew she had to make the first move. “I started a publishing house for my books and grew it from there. It was a steep learning curve,” she says.

As a world-leading business consultant and veteran of 12 years of building educational modalities, she brought all of her experience to bear when tailoring her boutique publishing curriculum. “My specialty is to take well-organized ideas and promote them through a book,” she says. Her company links books about alternative healing, food, lifestyle, business coaching, therapy, and a range of other professions to the services provided by the author. “A book bestows gravitas on the writer, so I see an expert that is the foundation of a profitable business. Books can lead to podcasts, high-end coaching, and public speaking engagements. My clients are not content to leave the stage to the likes of Tony Robbins.”

Alvarez, who has mentored more than 2500 women, has witnessed her graduates make $100,000 to $500,000 in their publishing companies. Some AMA alumni have netted $75,000 from a book’s launch and then earned monthly revenues from $8,000-$30,000. Traditional book publishing usually projects that most first-time authors will make about $10,000 – in total.

In two years, she has championed 150 women to become best-selling authors. Today her company represents only writers who are ready to achieve bestseller status with The Wall Street Journal. However, she streams new talent to associated successful publishing houses led by her proteges.

Forging a new path

By taking control and running your own book publishing company, Alvarez believes that writers and entrepreneurs can bypass the stumbling blocks thrown up by traditional publishing. “I teach people how to set up and run a publishing business,” she says. “There are so many women who want to tell their story. They just need someone to come along and show them how it’s done; this is what you can do, and here is the next step.”

The way forward is to avoid the well-worn path to an agent and publisher; “After you pitch your book and get rejection after rejection, you will be convinced that you’re not good enough, and you’ll move on with your life. Old school publishing is largely a negative process for new writers, but you have to tell yourself, ‘yes, I am worthy’, and skirt the traditional system, and make your presence known to us.”

Her graduates embrace ambitious millennials who are on track to running a seven-figure business. Others include women making a career jump, and some that want to leave a legacy for their children. From young to old, she teaches them how to get published.

However, getting a book onto the shelves and out through Amazon is just one aspect of creating a business. “Reaching the number one position on Amazon can be taught, but that is not the point of writing a book.” She says that harnessing communities and self-exploration are essential to writing, researching, and editing. “My clients often find answers to philosophical questions including why they are doing what they do, what values they hold, what they stand for and who they are by going through the vigorous process of writing.”

An author also creates a solid community of people interested in what they are doing and their journey. “This community helps the author to grow and to sell their products or services,” she says.

Ordinary people with extraordinary stories

Alvarez believes that her students are ordinary people with extraordinary stories to tell. She has also survived through catastrophe, having endured the stillbirth of her daughter Nina while living in Albania.

“Having success and optimism is one part of the picture that also reaches into grief, pain, and loss. The method that I teach is a deep process and has an emotional impact on women as they explore past experiences that may include trauma, violence, and loss. If I had not swum in deep waters, I don’t think I could teach the course,” she says.

Alvarez released her latest book, How to Create a Six-Figure Publishing Business in June 2021. Then, in July, she will launch The Younger Self Letters – How Successful Leaders Turn Trials into Triumphs. Both books are already bestsellers on Amazon, giving further inspiration to a broad audience of women for whom she holds the key to a new path in publishing success.

Business

Inside the $4.3B Quarter: What’s Fueling Black Banx’s Record Revenues

Published

12 hours ago

January 16, 2026

Matthew Wiles

Every quarter brings fresh headlines in fintech, but few make the kind of impact achieved by Black Banx in Q2 2025. The Toronto-based global digital banking group, founded by Michael Gastauer, reported an extraordinary USD 4.3 billion in revenue and a record USD 1.6 billion in pre-tax profit, while improving its cost-to-income ratio to 63%.

These results not only highlight the company’s operational efficiency but also mark a pivotal moment in its journey from challenger to global leader. The big question is: what’s fueling such impressive financial performance?

Customer Growth as the Core Driver

One of the clearest engines of revenue growth is Black Banx’s expanding customer base. By Q2 2025, the platform had reached 84 million clients worldwide, up from 69 million at the end of 2024. This 15 million net gain in six months demonstrates both the attractiveness of its services and the scalability of its model.

Unlike traditional banks, which rely heavily on branch expansion, Black Banx leverages digital-first onboarding that allows customers to open accounts within minutes using just a smartphone. This approach is especially effective in regions underserved by legacy institutions, where access to affordable financial tools is in high demand.

More customers don’t just mean higher transaction volumes—they generate a compounding effect where network size, brand trust, and service adoption reinforce one another.

Real-Time Payments and Cross-Border Solutions

A major contributor to Q2 revenues is the platform’s real-time payments infrastructure. Black Banx enables instant cross-border transfers across its 28 supported fiat currencies and multiple cryptocurrencies, helping both individuals and businesses bypass the traditional bottlenecks of international banking.

For freelancers, SMEs, and multinational clients, this means faster liquidity, reduced foreign exchange costs, and simplified global operations. The demand for real-time financial services is growing rapidly—Juniper Research projects global real-time payments turnover to hit USD 58 trillion by 2028—and Black Banx is strategically positioned to capture a significant share of this market.

Crypto Integration as a Revenue Stream

Another key revenue driver is crypto integration. While many traditional institutions remain hesitant, Black Banx embraced digital assets early and has built infrastructure to support Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the Lightning Network. In Q2 2025, 20% of all transactions on the platform were crypto-based, reflecting strong customer appetite for hybrid banking services that bridge fiat and digital assets.

Revenue comes not only from transaction fees but also from value-added services like crypto-to-fiat conversion, staking yields (4–12% APY), and blockchain-enabled payments. For customers in markets with unstable currencies, these services act as a financial lifeline, further expanding the platform’s relevance.

AI-Powered Efficiency and Risk Management

Record revenues would be less impressive if costs ballooned at the same rate. But Black Banx has proven adept at balancing growth with efficiency. Its cost-to-income ratio improved to 63% in Q2, down from 69% a year earlier, thanks to heavy reliance on AI-powered automation.

AI now drives fraud detection, compliance, and customer onboarding—areas where traditional banks often struggle with cost inefficiencies. By automating these processes, Black Banx can process millions of transactions securely while maintaining profitability at scale. This level of efficiency is rare in fintech, where high growth often comes at the expense of margins.

Regional Expansion and Untapped Markets

Geography also plays a role in fueling revenues. Much of the Q2 growth came from Africa, South Asia, and Latin America—regions where demand for mobile-first banking continues to soar. In 2024 alone, Black Banx reported a 32% increase in SME clients from the Middle East and Africa, signaling the strength of its positioning in underserved markets.

By extending services to populations previously excluded from formal banking—migrant workers, rural communities, and small businesses—Black Banx taps into vast pools of latent demand. The strategy proves that financial inclusion and profitability are not mutually exclusive but mutually reinforcing.

Diversified Revenue Streams

Another factor behind Q2’s record revenues is Black Banx’s diversified business model. Income is not tied to a single service but spread across multiple streams, including:

Transaction fees from cross-border transfers and payments.
Crypto trading and exchange services.
Premium account features for high-net-worth clients.
Corporate services for SMEs and international businesses.

This diversification insulates the company against volatility in any single segment, creating stable revenue growth even in shifting market conditions.

Michael Gastauer’s Strategic Blueprint

Behind these results is Michael Gastauer’s long-term strategy: scale aggressively but with efficiency, innovation, and inclusion at the core. His vision has always been to create a borderless financial ecosystem, and Q2 2025’s performance is evidence that this vision is not only achievable but sustainable.

By balancing mass-market accessibility with premium features, and by blending fiat with digital assets, Gastauer has positioned Black Banx as a category-defining player in global finance.

The Road Ahead: Toward 100 Million Clients

Looking forward, the company’s goal of reaching 100 million customers by the end of 2025 will likely be the next catalyst for revenue growth. More customers mean more transactions, more data insights, and more opportunities to refine and expand its service offering.

If current momentum holds, the USD 4.3 billion quarterly revenue milestone could be just the beginning of an even larger growth story. The challenge will be ensuring systems scale securely while maintaining trust in an environment where privacy and compliance are paramount.

A Record That Signals More to Come

Black Banx’s Q2 2025 performance—USD 4.3 billion in revenue, USD 1.6 billion in pre-tax profit, 84 million clients worldwide, and a lean 63% cost-to-income ratio—is more than a financial milestone. It is a signal of how the future of banking is being rewritten by platforms that are borderless, crypto-inclusive, and data-driven.

What fueled this record-breaking quarter is not one innovation but a combination of strategies—scalable onboarding, real-time payments, crypto integration, AI efficiency, and expansion into underserved regions. Together, they form a model that doesn’t just challenge traditional banking but actively builds the foundation for global dominance.

For Black Banx, the road ahead is clear: the $4.3 billion quarter is not an endpoint but a launchpad for even greater scale and profitability.