Afleveringen
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Hello #AmWriters, Jess here. When Rosalie Haizlett emailed to introduce me to her work, I was intrigued. At the time, I was working on the marketing section of a book proposal, trying to thick- and thin-slice the bookâs potential audience and explain why my fanbase as well as new readers might purchase this particular book I was describing. So when Rosalie emailed to tell me about her forthcoming book, Tiny Worlds of the Appalachian Mountains: An Artistâs Journey my head exploded. How do you convince a publisher to let you write about such tiny worlds, no matter how beautiful your art and eloquent your writing? Rosalie generously answered my questions in the spirit they were asked: with a genuine love for small presses, books about very specific subjects, and wonder for her process and her end product.
As a bonus, I found out about some of the most incredible fellowship opportunities for writers and illustrators, ones Iâm tempted to apply for myself! I hope you enjoy this episode as much I did.
Rosalieâs website
Rosalieâs #AmReading suggestions:
Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall and Sophieâs website because itâs gorgeous
Rare Air: Endangered Birds, Bats, Butterflies and Bees by Sarah Kaizar
Jessâ #AmReading suggestion:
The Five Year Lie by Sarina Bowen, duh.
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Let me start by answering the question posed in the title: very bad. Very very bad. Terrible, even. Plotless meandering senseless drivel involving two-dimensional characters continually lifting cups of coffee to their lips and then never putting them down and suddenly, without warning, pumping gas instead. Although, to be honest, that last is never my personal problem. My (incoherent, emotion-less, inconsistent) characters tend to meticulously move around a reasonably clear, if poorly described, landscape. They speak in full, grammatically correct sentences. They even banter and theyâre often quite entertaining as they go about doing completely the wrong things for the wrong reasons.
And this was my problem. I heard the phrase âshitty first draftâ (as you no doubt have) many times, and I thought, well, but itâs not. Itâs not unreadable, or incomprehensible. If you picked it up and read just one paragraph youâd mistake it for a real book. Pull any single paragraph out of any draft Iâve ever written and youâd go, yeah, okay. Thatâs a book by a writer! Not a great writer or anything. My point is that the writing is always fine. Good, even. Sometimes better than good.
So when the drafts themselves turn out to be pretty shitty, I tend to be way more crushed than I should beâbecause âshittyâ doesnât mean what I thought it did. Itâs taken me far longer than it probably should have to figure that out. Maybe everyone else is way ahead of me here. But the thing that makes a shitty first draft âshittyâ isnât that the writing is bad.
Itâs that itâs a terrible book.
When I first started writing fiction, I had only my own early drafts to compare things to. They werenât (arenât) goodâthey lacked structure, were too complicated, explained some things too much and other things not at all. Thereâs no interiority, emotion or description. I write around the plot, or include too much plot, or try to attach a plot thatâs not thematically integrated with the story. The bones are soft floppy poorly formed and malleableâbut if I, say, burn down a barn, the scene itself will be exciting and consistent. That often fooled (fools) me into thinking my draft is further along than it is. And then I thought it was just meâother people probably wrote pretty good book drafts that then needed revision in different ways. Other people started with good bones and worked out from there. Only I, special stupid snowflake that I was, kept writing all the skin and clothing and hair and sometimes organs to go on wrong or non-existent skeletons.
Iâve since read a lot of other first drafts and Iâve realized: I was totally wrong.
This is how lots of people do it.
This IS what âshitty first draftâ means. (Or it can be, it probably means lots of other things too). Most of us (honestly, even if we blueprint and outline and all the things) are going to end up with someone telling us that the book has no middle, that we need to cut the first 2/3, that our protagonist isnât unlikeable per se, but rather that there is nothing on the page to like or dislike. Someone will say, he has no agency. Sheâs too passive. Thereâs nothing at stake in the first third of the book, why on earth would she take this job/go to this party/answer that phone call, why this, why him, why now. And they will be right (although they might not be right about how to fix it).
Whether itâs a freelance editor, a good beta reader or the hosts of TSNOTYAW who tells you that your draft, be it first or second or fifth, is still firmly mired in âshittyâ territory, the most common reaction is something along the lines of:
This is too bad. Itâs too awful, if Iâve come this far and I still donât have this or that fundamental thing in placeâif there is somehow no climax or no reason to relate to the character or no clear arc or evolution, if somehow this is 80K words but it is still not a bookâŠ
Yeah. Turns out thatâs the way it works. For a LONG time. For draft after draft after draft. For the draft that gets you an agent, even maybe. Maybe for the draft that you sell.
Revisionâre-draftingâ isnât polishing, or even adding dialogue or emotion or removing a character or changing the POV from third close to first present and back again. Until the very last versions, it isnât just working with the words on the page. Itâs working with the ideas and the concepts and the scenes and the moments. The characters and the themes and the arcs. This is what we mean when we say good writing comes last (Episode 354) and when we try to distinguish between editing and revising. Theyâre all shitty drafts. Untilâand this only happens if you just keep going in there and tearing out the liver you stuck in where the heart should be or whateverâitâs finally a book.
I donât know about you but I hate this every single time. Some people do it faster than others but every writer whose early drafts Iâve ever read is going through some version of the same thing. It starts with something mind-bogglingly terribleâwhen considered as a bookâfar, far more often than I once believed.
If a first draft has a beginning, a middle and an end, itâs a good first draft. It can be as bad as it has to be, as many times as it needs to be, for as long as it takes.
If you find that encouraging⊠then youâre definitely in the right place.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Itâs EPISODE 401! Thatâs a lot of episodes. Weâre proud. Weâre also not doneâand a couple weeks ago, a fellow writer decreed, in an email post that went rather viral, that No One Buys Books.
We disagree. Instead, we offer the following less bleak but not entirely rosy corollary: Nothing Sells Books. But Books Still Sell.
Coming at you in this episode are four somewhat cynical authors, one who spends her time now working with writers rather than writing herself. Weâve all had books hit various lists⊠and weâve all had books that have not, have neither hit any lists or reached target numbers or earned out or anything of the sort. And we have thoughts. Listen for them⊠but meanwhile, here I am, KJ, with my very own soapbox bc I said âIâll write the shownotesâ and the others, spotting an opportunity to let someone else do a thing, semi-wisely agreed because now I get to tell you what I think.
I mostly think that we authors have bought into a story in which we have more control over our sales than we do. We believeâor want toâthat we can TikTok hustle up readers, tweet our way to success, muster our many Facebook friends to buy three copies each (itâs not that much!), put some links in our Substacks and call on our Notes, Threads and Insta buds to click those links. And traditional publishers want so badly to believe that tooâbecause if itâs not true, then we donât know what is. Reviews MIGHT sell books. Ads sometimes work. Even celebrity book clubs, the last magic best-seller wand, only work when there is a match-up between readers and the bookâsome Reese, GMA and Jenna picks sell big while others donât, and there is absolutely no way to beg, buy, or steal your way onto them anyway. (Maybe? Story idea, yours for the taking: author blackmails way onto celeb book list, things go terribly wrong.)
And I want to tell you that this is not true, because I donât entirely want it to be true. It arguably hasnât been true for me, and Iâve seen it not work for many if not most of other authors. To get more specific, Iâve had not one but TWO excerpts of a book in the NYT and had it not move the needle. Iâve had an essay in LitHub, ditto. Iâve been on many, many podcasts, Iâve sent emails, Iâve made TikToks and reels, and Iâve watched friends push these buttons hard and less hard to mixed resultsâbut not NO results, and thatâs an important distinction. Below, Iâm offering a few success stories, all with massive caveats, the most important of which is this: I probably only see the successes.
The TL;DR is this: nothing easy sells books. There is no short cut or even a long cut. For most of us, nothing we ourselves are willing to do or are capable of doing in the short term is going to move enough titles to make a significant impact on our success. The second half of our koan is also true, though. Books still sell. But most book sales, especially those that lead to wild success, come from forces beyond our control. Word of mouth, a lucky media hit, a celebrity boost. A hit TV show that comes out of the blue years after a series is published (Bridgerton), or maybe after the author has died (The Queenâs Gambit). Or they come from enough people picking up the book and sharing it with enough others in ways that cannot be planned or gamed. You canât count on those things, although one thing remains true: lightning canât strike a book that hasnât been written.
The most important thing to do is to write the books.
Sarina notes in the podcast that nothing sells (your) books like more books (by you)âwitness, for example, Taylor Jenkins Reid. Daisy Jones and the Six was not her first book by any meansâbut its success brought her backlist roaring into prominence. I think about TJR a LOT, because she stuck to the thing I want to stick toâwriting the books, not recording video confessionals about the writing process and setting them to the music du jour. But⊠thatâs a thing. That people like. That honestly can (maybe, kinda, and Iâm not at all sure how much you control this) sell books.
The depressing (to me) truth is that if you really throw your whole heart and soul into marketing your title, you might be able to get somewhere, but the thing is I am talking ALL IN. Iâm talking hours of content creation one way or another. It might be hard-hitting researched work in an area that fascinates people. It might be hot takes on a world that really is your wheelhouse. It might be soul-baring, emotional videos about the process. It might be really digging into Facebook ads and Amazon algorithms, SEO and tagging. Either way itâs a lot of non-writing work to create podcasts, ads, videos and well-produced reels. It takes time, much of it spent on details like lining up the right music and analyzing results and repeating again and again and none of that is easy or fast.
Let me offer some case studies. First, Breanne Randall. This one is painful for me because we had similar books coming out at a similar time (Playing the Witch Card and The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic), and hers hit the NYT list and mine did not. Is it possible that she wrote a better book? Sure. But she hit the list for one week only (NO SHADE thatâs amazing), her first week after going on sale, which means that the vast majority of those sales were pre-orders and most almost certainly didnât result from WOM from happy readers. So at that moment, it probably didnât matter whose book was better. What mattered was something else, and itâs quite possible, even likely, that that âsomething elseâ was her impressive hustle, especially on TikTok but also on Instagram. I did some. She did more. A LOT more.
For all the details on her hard work and results, read Dan Blankâs description hereâbut suffice it to say weâre talking hours and hours of video and posts, an excellent eye for what was resonating with viewers and readers and a willingness (up to a point) to really share the journey. Sheâs also attractive and closer to the TikTok demographic and probably herself loves the formatâall things that go a long way to success in any genre. Itâs really hard to put that kind of time and effort into a creative act that you arenât enjoying (and unlikely to succeed). And the book itself fits the TT demo as wellâbut thatâs not enough on its own. She did the work, and she reaped the reward, and I both admire and hate her for it.
Hereâs another approach: become the go-to expert in an area youâre passionate about and develop a fan base around it, then write a book in that area that is absolutely for your fans. My example here is Virginia Sole-Smith, who weâve had on as a guest (Episode 362: Talking Fat Talk and Substack Success, and Episode 128: #PlanItOut). Virginia has shifted around somewhat, from a more parent-oriented place to one centered on diet culture, anti-fat bias, feminism and health. Youâll find herâand her podcast, email and many many media hits and her best-selling bookâhere. Sheâs an excellent example of laying the platform groundwork but again, this isnât something that can be done lightly or easilyâor quickly. This took time and passion and persistence. I sincerely donât think you can fake this or game it, but if you can see your way to itâit sells books.
For a contrarian take on same, go look at Jo Piazzaâs last year of content. She is all hustle, and she threw herself, heart and soul, into promoting her novel The Sicilian Inheritance. (Listen to her on Episode 393: Writing What I Want to Write). And she sold a ton of copiesâshe should be and is thrilled, itâs a success by almost any measure. That âalmostâ is becauseâand this is her talking and her measure of a success sheâd hoped for, not me judging (although I too define success in this not-very-healthy way)âshe didnât hit any lists.
I say maybe she still will, but the truth is that most books, if theyâre going to hit, do so in the first week. (By no means allâsee TJR above, or Colleen Hoover, or The Queenâs Gambit, etc). Jo was and is and always will be true to herself and her wide-ranging interests, and that means her last year of content, which has been wildly popular, has also been all over the place, from tradwives to Little House. Sheâs had amazing media hits, but they didnât sell enough books to satisfy her. (I write this with some hesitation, I hope she doesnât kill me⊠IT IS A FUN GREAT ENTERTAINING BOOK BUY IT NOW.) Maybe if sheâd been Virginia and thrown herself all in after⊠Italian genealogy? True crime? Family history? Then the result might have been different and maybe not. Maybe sheâd have been bored. Maybe sheâd have missed something sheâs done in the past year that will lead her to still bigger and greater book sales. WE CANNOT KNOW.
Because⊠Nothing Sells Books. But People Still Buy Them. The End (and also, the beginning.)
Announcements:
* The spectacular Summer Blueprint for a Book program, with coaches and episodes and a workbook and all sorts of things to get you rolling on your next project, is coming (details soon, start date 7/2/24).
* Our new monthly Booklab First Pages Review Podcast, starting 6/1/24 (early episodes will be free, later episodes will go to supporters only). Want to submit your first page? Supporters will find the link in their welcome email! (Canât swing a subscription because $$ is tight? Reply to this email and weâll set you up.)
* Become a Sticker or Sparkly Sticker supporter before the end of May using this link and get 20% off your first year. This isnât much, since supporting us costs less than a trendy Stanley mug, but it will buy you a fancy coffee.
LINKS
* Abdi Nessenian, Only This Beautiful Moment
* The Creative Pragmatist
* Sarina Bowenâs The Five Year Lie
* Amy Smilovic on the Second Life Podcast
* The first page of Sarinaâs thriller⊠below.
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Today, I (Jennie) am excited to welcome novelist Caroline Leavitt to the show. She's a very prolific author who's novels have landed on the New York Times bestseller list, the USA today bestseller list, and have been optioned for films, translated into many languages, contents for magazines, and won all kinds of awards.
Caroline is also the co-founder of A Mighty Blaze, an organization that began during the pandemic to promote independent bookstores and authors who lost their book tours. It's since grown into an organization of 35 professional creative volunteers, connecting writers and readers online in a variety of ways, including a podcast.
Today, I'm talking with Caroline about her new novel Days of Wonder and specifically about the dual timeline and how she learned to trust her gut to make the story work.
You can find her at CarolineLeavitt.com
Humans of New York
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As a hybrid author with a long history of both self-publishing and traditional contracts, Iâm often asked about this choice. How I decided to self-publish, and is it still a good idea?
This is question for the ages! Or, well, since 2007.
The answer is that itâs complicated. My own feelings about self-pub have surely evolved over the years. This March I celebrated my ten-year anniversary as a self published author. I had a great return on my efforts right out of the gate, so Iâve always been a fan. Unfortunately, though, self-publishing ate my life. Itâs a lot of work, so Iâm not quite as gung-ho as I used to be. But that doesnât mean itâs a terrible idea.
To help you decide, Iâve identified several questions you can ask yourself to help figure out if self-publishing is for you.
#1 Does this book have an easily defined âshelfâ in publishing land?
* Self publishing is not for every book. It works well when the genre has a built-in readership who already knows what it wants. For example, mystery lovers know how to shop for a mystery. They know how to spot one, and they usually donât need an NPR interview with the author to entice them.
* If your book can fit comfortably and familiarly beside its cousins in the genre, give yourself ten points in favor of self publishing.
#2 Do I have a built-in readership I can reach via email or social media?
* If your book does not have an obvious, built-in readership, but you have a built-in following, then self-publishing might make sense for you.
* For example, if agents and publishers are telling you that your topic is too niche for them, but you already know how to reach the exact reader you need, then maybe you should trust your gut. Perhaps youâre the leading expert in crafting origami holiday decorations, with an instagram following of a hundred thousand people. Or maybe you travel the nation speaking on a particular topic. Or youâre part of a well-defined groupâlike education influencers, or architecture nerds. There are certainly some instances of an author knowing better than the publisher whether a book will sell.
#3 Do I have the patience to learn how publishing platforms fit together?
* Iâm convinced that anyone can learn the ropes of self publishing. But you have to want to learn them. I enjoyed learning how to self publish. Then again, I also used to enjoy doing my own taxes. So maybe Iâm a special breed of nerd.
* Before you start, figure out which bank account youâre going to provide for payment information, and get ready to provide your tax ID number. Youâll need to set up at least one platform, like KDP or D2D (Draft 2 Digital.)
* If you hate business, math and admin work, make sure to be honest with yourself about all the red tape youâre going to have to cut as a self-published author. And to those who say âI can just hire this stuff out,â Iâm not sure thatâs a great idea. Yes, there are hybrid-style publishers who will take your money and fill out the forms on your behalf. But many of them overcharge and overpromise. Self publishing is, by its very nature, a DIY effort.
#4 Can I source the editorial and design help that I need to get this right?
* Hiring freelancers is often a fun part of this job, but itâs great to have a plan.
* Editorial work can vary vastly in quality, and the problem is that you wonât be able to tell whoâs competent just from a website or an email exchange. Thatâs why the first question I ask editors is: are you willing to do a two page sample edit? And I donât hire anyone who says no. Itâs not that I expect anyone to work for free, but two pages is just a few minutes time. And finding an editor who jives with your style is hard.
* Furthermore, you need to be very clear about what you expect the editor to do. Is this a developmental edit? Will she be advising you on pacing and plot holes? Or is this a copyeditâmeant to find errors, awkward phrasings and repetitions, and basic inconsistencies? Or is this a final proofread? Each of these services will be priced differently.
* Cover design, unlike editorial work, is easier to evaluate from a portfolio online. Note that cover designers tend to be very genre specific. So you need to find someone who has designed covers close in nature to the one you need. Before you even get started, make a Pinterest board of covers in your genre that you admire.
* Itâs also worth noting that not all competent writers are born with the right vocabulary for discussing cover design. If you feel this is a weakness of yours, try to find a designer who seems willing to give you the time and attention you need.
#5 Am I ready to bear the full responsibility for launching my book into the world?
* The best thing about self-publishing is that the author has complete control. But thatâs also the worst thing about it! If you fall in love with a cover, but itâs not a good fit for the genre, thereâs no one to play devilâs advocate. Or, rather, you will have to work hard to find collaborators you trust to help you make the big decisions. And youâll have to course-correct all by yourself when you realize youâve gone astray.
Conclusion: with great power comes great responsibility. So be ready! Self-publishing can be life-changing, but itâs best if you go in with open eyes and an open heart.
~Sarina
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Heâs back! Heâs back! One of my favorite writers, an early and generous mentor, the fantabulous A.J. Jacobs. We interviewed him last when his book, The Puzzler, came out, and heâs back to talk about his new book, The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Manâs Humble Quest to Follow the Constitutionâs Original Meaning.
Links from the Pod:
A.J.âs website
My Outsourced Life article
Party like itâs 1789! My weird enlightening month living strictly by the U.S. Constitution in The Guardian
Thanks for listening to this weekâs episode! If you enjoy what weâre doing here at the #AmWriting Podcast, make sure youâre subscribed to get our episodes straight to your inbox (and hey - maybe forward it to someone else who may enjoy).
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe -
Weâve been talking a lot lately about the how hard it is to finish a project and how different that energy is from the wonderful, euphoric, sometimes manic starting energy. Hereâs some advice from Jess, Sarina, and Jennie on how authors manage their lives and relationships and work amid the ups and downs of writing projects.
AmReading:
Sarina: Sheâs been loving the Orphan X series by Greg Hurwitz
Jennie: Her fave read this week is Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
Jess: Finally got around to listening to Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt and KJ convinced her to download The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray. She also started The Sicilian Inheritance by return guest Jo Piazza.
Hey, it's Jennie Nash, founder and CEO of Author Accelerator. I hear so many people tell me that book coaching sounds like their dream job, and they wish they could do it, but they can't because ___________. Fill in the blank, whatever it is: They don't have an agent, they haven't written a bestseller, they don't have a Ph.D., they weren't an English major, they don't know enough about the publishing industry--whatever the thing is. And I can tell you that I see people overcome these things every single day. I have a presentation on this, on imposter syndrome. It's the single biggest barrier keeping most people from saying YES to their dream job. Come check it out at bookcoaches.com/imposter. That's bookcoaches.com/imposter.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe -
If you do not already know Rachael Herron, host of the Ink In Your Veins Podcast (formerly known as How Do You Write) and author of 13-ish novels (including 2 thrillers under the not-exactly pseudonym RH Herron), soon-to-be two memoirs and a few assorted books as well as many many blog posts and essays about writing⊠well youâre lucky because now you do.
The thing to know about Rachael Herron for todayâs purposes is that sheâs published her books both independently and with traditional publishers. Sheâs even retrieved the rights to traditionally published books from over a decade ago and re-published them herselfâeven while enthusiastically traditionally publishing her thrillers. Even with all that experience and knowledge under her belt, she still decided she just HAD to go out and publish something new. Sheâs independently publishing her newest book, Unstuck: An Audacious Hunt for Home and Happinessâbut first, she decided to run a Kickstarter to help her do it.
Did Rachael have any idea how to run a Kickstarter? She did not. Did she know if sheâd meet her goals? Nopeâalthough, as youâll hear in the episode, she had a bunch of good reasons to think she just might.
If youâve ever toyed with the idea of using Kickstarter to fund a book yourself, this is the episode for you. We talk about why Rachael decided not to seek a traditional publisher, how she decided to try Kickstarter and what it took to get it done, as well as what I call âmistakes we made so you donât have toâ. We talk about the highsâhitting her goal in a matter of hours and getting to create âstretch goalsâ so raise even more, being chosen as one of Kickstarterâs âProjects We Loveââand the lows, like almost setting goals in the wrong currency, which would have meant sheâd essentially be paying people to take her book and overpromising speed and needing to tell people things were not actually live⊠yet.
And we get way into the weeds on who this might work for and who might want to look for another way to get what they want. If youâre thinking oh, her platform is big, no wonder this worked for herâwe talk numbers, and I bet youâll be surprised. And her final piece of advice is so important that Iâm going to lay it right down here:
Write the book first.
Links from the pod
Find Rachaelâs Kickstarter, which runs through April 22, 2024, HERE.
Follow Rachael on Instagram HERE and subscribe to her EXCELLENT email about writing HERE. Support her on Patreon HERE.
Get Your Book Selling on Kickstarter, Monica Leonelle & Russell P. Nohelty
Joanna Penn episodes on Kickstarters
How to Be Old, Lyn Slater
Lulu.com
Bookfunnel
Hey, it's Jennie Nash, founder and CEO of Author Accelerator. I hear so many people tell me that book coaching sounds like their dream job, and they wish they could do it, but they can't because ___________. Fill in the blank, whatever it is: They don't have an agent, they haven't written a bestseller, they don't have a Ph.D., they weren't an English major, they don't know enough about the publishing industry--whatever the thing is. And I can tell you that I see people overcome these things every single day. I have a presentation on this, on imposter syndrome. It's the single biggest barrier keeping most people from saying YES to their dream job. Come check it out at bookcoaches.com/imposter. That's bookcoaches.com/imposter.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe -
The idea for Sarina Bowenâs thriller, The Five Year Lie, is an incredible and suspenseful hook for a story â and she first heard it from a writer friend. In this episode, Jennie Nash interviews Sarina about the concept of who owns an idea and how this particular idea made its way through Sarinaâs brain and onto the flap copy of her forthcoming book.
Things Mentioned in This Episode
Lauren Blakely
The Best Men by Sarina Bowen and Lauren Blakely
The Five Year Lie by Sarina Bowen â preorder it wherever books are sold
Sarinabowen.com
Hey, it's Jennie Nash, founder and CEO of Author Accelerator. I hear so many people tell me that book coaching sounds like their dream job, and they wish they could do it, but they can't because ___________. Fill in the blank, whatever it is: They don't have an agent, they haven't written a bestseller, they don't have a Ph.D., they weren't an English major, they don't know enough about the publishing industry--whatever the thing is. And I can tell you that I see people overcome these things every single day. I have a presentation on this, on imposter syndrome. It's the single biggest barrier keeping most people from saying YES to their dream job. Come check it out at bookcoaches.com/imposter. That's bookcoaches.com/imposter.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe -
Hey #AmWriters! Itâs been almost three years since our interview with Jenny Lawson first aired, but we know the struggle is REAL - so we thought this is the perfect time to bring this episode back out for a listen. Whether youâre struggling with getting the work done or feeling like maybe youâre not really a writer, this episode may be just what you need to remind you why youâre here. Happy listening!
Writing is hard. In this episode, we talk imposter syndrome, editing, the right headspace for reading your own stuff, why you might need a âniceâ agent, reading your work aloud to friends, recording audiobooks in the closet, being years late on a deadline, sending your editor proof of life and the deep inner conviction that people only buy your book because they feel sorry for you. #ohyeah.
#AmReading
Jess: Win by Harlan Coben
Jenny: Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian
Note: Bookriot Podcast
KJ: The Fifth Petal by Brunonia Barry
Jennyâs Bookshop: The Nowhere Bookshop, San Antonio, TX
The Fantastic Strangelings Book Club books:
Professional Troublemaker by Luvvie Ajayi Jones
Swallowed Man by Edward Carey
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
The Did Bad Things by Lauren A. Forry
Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby
Find Jenny at The Bloggess!
Hey, it's Jennie Nash, founder and CEO of Author Accelerator. I hear so many people tell me that book coaching sounds like their dream job, and they wish they could do it, but they can't because ___________. Fill in the blank, whatever it is: They don't have an agent, they haven't written a bestseller, they don't have a Ph.D., they weren't an English major, they don't know enough about the publishing industry--whatever the thing is. And I can tell you that I see people overcome these things every single day. I have a presentation on this, on imposter syndrome. It's the single biggest barrier keeping most people from saying YES to their dream job. Come check it out at bookcoaches.com/imposter. That's bookcoaches.com/imposter.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe -
Hey hey Jess here!
I had a couple of great learning opportunities this month, so in the interest of flattening learning curves, I took notes for all of you!
First up, I took a call from a company interested in working with me to boost my platform, and I was curious about what they do and how they do it. While I wonât reveal what company I talked to, I will tell you about all the things I learned on that call. Companies that promise to boost platform are proliferating, and I was curious about how it all works.
Second, I was on a panel about monetizing platform at the Institute for Independent Journalists conference on freelancing and learned SO much from my co-presenters. I have subscribed to all of their newsletters because they are very cool writers, all.
Frankie de la Cretaz, Out of Your League: Dispatches from the intersection of queer sports and pop culture.
Tim Herrera, Freelancing With Tim: Demystifying the world of freelance journalism.
Morgan Sung, Rat.House: an exploration of social platforms and how they shape our real world culture, from dissecting the creator economy to unpacking chronically online discourse.
Saâiyda Shabazz at Autostraddle.com
Jaeah Lee: independent journalist and a contributing writer at The New York Times MagazineAmReading
James, Percival Everett
The Other Bennet Sister, Janice Hadlow
I hope this weekâs episode provides some useful information, and at the very least, leads to some of your new favorite writers!
During the pandemic, there was an explosion of people who wanted to write memoir, and many of those writers are now struggling to make sense of their drafts and figure out how to approach the marketplace. It's a great time to be a book coach who specializes in memoir, and in March 2024, Author Accelerator is launching a certification course to give memoir coaches the skills, tools, and experience to meet writers where they are.Our year-long program is robust and intense. I'm inviting any listeners of this show who are interested in our coaching program to sign up for a one-on-one session with me to strategize about whether or not this course is right for you. Just go to bookcoaches.com/amwriting to sign up for a time that works for you.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe -
You KIDS. If youâre not already following Jo Piazza, queen of the highly suspicious influencer side-eye, what even are you DOING on Substack and Instagram? Go follow her now. Weâll wait.
Okay, now listen while we talk about Joâs many-booked career that includes freelancing, narrative non-fiction, journalistic memoir (the kind where a reporter manages to get paid to interview people to try to help her with her problem), writing novels with co-authors and novels alone. Just LOOK at the list below and tell me you donât think youâll get something out of listening to this woman (who has also made multiple podcasts and weâll list those below too.) Press play now.
BUT BEFORE YOU DO: Pre-order The Sicilian Inheritance and get all things Jo on Substack free forever. Youâll love the book (or if the dual narrative historical feminist fiction is not your vibe I guarantee youâll find someone who will)âBUT ALSO this is actually a great offer, bc as you can see Joâs likely to be filling the place with entertaining and informative content for a long time to come. I already have the book and I still pre-ordered because thatâs a deal.Joâs Website: jopiazza.com
Joâs Books
The Knockoff (with Lucy Sykes)
Fitness Junkie (with Lucy Sykes)
How to Be Married
If Nuns Ruled the World
Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win
Weâre Not Like Them (with Christine Pride)
You Were Always Mine (with Christine Pride)
Celebrity, Inc
Love Rehab
AND The Sicilian Inheritance
Joâs Podcasts
Committed
Under the Influence
She Wants More
Fierce
The Pod Club
Also mentioned
Pam Jenoff
Fiona Davis
The Secret Book of Flora Lea, Patti Callahan Henry
Kristin Harmel
#AmReading (or #AmEnthusing bc you canât stop Jo once she gets going)
Virginia Sole Smithâs Burnt Toast Substack
Sara Petersenâs In Pursuit of Clean Countertops Substack
Momfluenced, Sara Petersen
Ghost Story (narrative Podcast)
Roy Kentâs standup show
The Women, Kristin Hannah
During the pandemic, there was an explosion of people who wanted to write memoir, and many of those writers are now struggling to make sense of their drafts and figure out how to approach the marketplace. It's a great time to be a book coach who specializes in memoir, and in March 2024, Author Accelerator is launching a certification course to give memoir coaches the skills, tools, and experience to meet writers where they are.Our year-long program is robust and intense. I'm inviting any listeners of this show who are interested in our coaching program to sign up for a one-on-one session with me to strategize about whether or not this course is right for you. Just go to bookcoaches.com/amwriting to sign up for a time that works for you.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe -
Whenever I see a writer on social media incessantly talking about their own work, their own book, and their own launch, the thing that comes to mind is this: âTheyâre not being a good literary citizen.â Being a good literary citizen is, among other things, showing up for the community you are a part of, uplifting other writers, and doing what you can to make sure that all voices are heard. We often think that the time to help others is after youâve made it, but in this episode Iâm talking to a writer who is doing this in a big way before she herself has made it into the spotlight. For years she has volunteered at the Thrillerfest conference â and this year, she was asked to become a paid co-director of the event. I think youâll find her story inspiring.
Links from the Pod:
Thrillerfest
Samantha Skal, Book Coach
Tessa Wegertâs Shana Merchant series starts with Death in the Family
During the pandemic, there was an explosion of people who wanted to write memoir, and many of those writers are now struggling to make sense of their drafts and figure out how to approach the marketplace. It's a great time to be a book coach who specializes in memoir, and in March 2024, Author Accelerator is launching a certification course to give memoir coaches the skills, tools, and experience to meet writers where they are.Our year-long program is robust and intense. I'm inviting any listeners of this show who are interested in our coaching program to sign up for a one-on-one session with me to strategize about whether or not this course is right for you. Just go to bookcoaches.com/amwriting to sign up for a time that works for you.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe -
Hey #AmWriters, Jess here! There's a very specific reason I wanted to re-up this coaching call with Emily Edlynn. I did an interview with AJ Jacobs day before yesterday, but it's not going to drop until May. I love AJ Jacobs, I know you love AJ Jacobs, and Iâm really excited for you to hear our interview - but in that interview we talked about writing nonfiction books in less than a year. It is possible to do! We had a coaching call with Emily Edlynn 100 episodes ago and I wanted to re-up it because her book is out. She did it! She completed the task. She knew the assignment. Her book, Autonomy-Supportive Parenting, came out at the end of 2023. So I'm very proud to replay this episode and let you know that the P.S. on that episode was success! I hope you enjoy it.
And WAY TO GO, Emily!
Our guest on this episode has a problemâa good problem, yes. An enviable problem even. One that she herself is delighted to have: sheâs sold a non-fiction book on proposal.
And now she has to write it. 60,000 words, researched, organized and ready for the editor while also fitting in her day job, raising 3 kids with her partner and all of the other curveballs life likes to throw you.
In this âcoaching callâ episode, Jess and I (itâs KJ writing, as it often is) help long-time listener Emily Edlynn figure out how much time to spend in what areas: book structure, research, interviewing, drafting, editingâand then how to set yourself up to allow for getting a major project like this completed on time. (We all know how KJ loves a good burn chart - check out episode 175: #HowtoUseaBurnChart). We talk about motivating yourself, strategies for staying on track or picking back up after the unexpected happens. (You can read Emilyâs email to us at the bottom of the shownotes.)
Most of us spend more time working on short term projects than longer ones, and when we do get involved with something that stretches out for months or years, itâs usually with other people and external deadlines, whether itâs a major work endeavor, a house remodel or a Ph.D. dissertation. Booksâeven books with agents and editorsârequire major solo mojo to get from start to The Endâand then revise the result of that. Itâs yet another of the many many things that arenât easy about writing.
But it can be learned, and it can be done.
Emily doesnât have any trouble using the time she has to writeâbut if you do, here are some ideas based on Gretchen Rubinâs Four Tendencies, which are all about knowing how you best meet inner and outer obligations (of which writing a book is weirdly both). Obligors need outer accountability. Set yourself up with a friend or your agent, give them your goals and arrange weekly check-ins. Questioners need reasons, so make that burn chart and put up a full calendar where you can see it and always have an answer for âbut do I really need to do this now?â Upholders probably need nothing more than a planâbut make sure your inner upholder understands that this is a priority. Rebels benefit from regular reminders that this is hard, that most people canât do it and that achieving this goal is a rebellion against everything that stands in its wayâand many also like a plan that involves beating the clock. Anything that lets a rebel say âIâll show you!â is rebel jet fuel.
Gretchen appeared on Episode 107 of the podcast, and you can take her âFour Tendenciesâ quiz here.
Emilyâs email: I am a psychologist by training who started writing for an audience in 2017 when my career hit a crossroads with a move for my husband's job. My parenting blog led to writing freelance when possible, including a weekly parenting column for Parents since 2019. In April, I signed a contract with a small, independent publisher, Familius, to write a parenting book.The full manuscript is due May 1. I have never felt so lost! I thought there would be more editor interaction over the year, but she basically said "See you in a year unless you need me!" (I have asked more from her, but have realized she is going to give me broad strokes and not much else.) I have scoured all the places for resources on "how to write a nonfiction book" but besides some of your episodes, what I find is either about self-publishing or marketing, not the process of writing a nonfiction book (that's not a memoir).I'm trying to narrow this down to one question, which probably can't be "how do I write a nonfiction book in a year with no structure, in the time I have?" For context, I spend half my working week doing therapy in a private practice and supervising graduate students. I'm also writing a new blog post once a month to keep my newsletter subscribers engaged, and my weekly column. Oh, and did I mention attempting to raise 3 children in the process? I currently clock about 8 hours a week of writing time . . . and then I read relevant books when I can almost daily. I did find a virtual writing group with two other psychologist authors, which has been helpful. Since you probably aren't aiming to answer "how do I write a book in a year?" maybe narrowing it down to, "How do I manage my time with a professional job that pays the bills, little interaction with an editor (this seems different in the fiction world or even the nonfiction Big 5 world), to complete a 60,000-word nonfiction, researched manuscript in a year?"
Do you think you can help me??
Links from the Pod
How to Get an Agent Episode
Emilyâs website, www.emilyedlynnphd.com
#AmReading
Emily: The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
Wow No Thank You by Samantha Irby
KJ: Becoming Duchess Goldblatt, Anonymous
Jess: The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Podcast: Lili Anolikâs Once Upon a Time at Bennington College
During the pandemic, there was an explosion of people who wanted to write memoir, and many of those writers are now struggling to make sense of their drafts and figure out how to approach the marketplace. It's a great time to be a book coach who specializes in memoir, and in March 2024, Author Accelerator is launching a certification course to give memoir coaches the skills, tools, and experience to meet writers where they are.Our year-long program is robust and intense. I'm inviting any listeners of this show who are interested in our coaching program to sign up for a one-on-one session with me to strategize about whether or not this course is right for you. Just go to bookcoaches.com/amwriting to sign up for a time that works for you.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe -
âïž Writers: when youâre stuck on a plot, go outside and take a walk with a friend. Youâll still be stuck, but you will get your steps in for the day, and have someone to b***h to. Follow us for more plotting tips. Here all week.
Sometimes Sarina and I take an ordinary walk. Most times, actually. But sometimes, part way up the first hill, Sarina says, Ok, so I have this problem. And then weâre off, trying to figure out why a character would make a certain choice, or how to get someone from point A to point B.
And then I will say, ok, I have a problem. And occasionally itâs that simple, but for me, the problem is usually that I have made my plot so ludicrously over-complicated that it cannot even be explained, let alone reduced to a single problem. Which is a different problem.
And then we try to fix THAT. Either way, thereâs a point here, which is: putting the problem, or the plot, into words in itself can help solve itâor reveal whatâs really wrongâand also, it can really help to get a new perspective. In the episode, we talk about how and why to do this (it doesnât have to involve a walk or a dog or a hill), who you can enlist (apparently Kristan Higgins does it with her husband, only heâs not actually allowed to talk) and most importantly, we discuss getting past the all the voices in your head telling you not to, and and note that the louder those voices are, the more likely it is that maybe you need to talk this over with someone before you go any further.
A few things we referenced: the summer planning series, Blueprint for a Book Challenge, which included a LOT of talk about why itâs a good idea to voice what youâre planning to do before you do it.
Links from the Pod:Becca Syme
Jennieâs book The Last Beach Bungalow
Sarinaâs book Rookie Move
Otter (voice recording app)
#AmReading
KJ: The Mistborn Trilogy, Brandon Sanderson
Wreck the Halls, Tessa Bailey
Sarina: The Intern, Michele Campbell
Jennie: Debbie Millmanâs Design Matters (Podcast)
The Creative Act, Rick Rubin
During the pandemic, there was an explosion of people who wanted to write memoir, and many of those writers are now struggling to make sense of their drafts and figure out how to approach the marketplace. It's a great time to be a book coach who specializes in memoir, and in March 2024, Author Accelerator is launching a certification course to give memoir coaches the skills, tools, and experience to meet writers where they are.Our year-long program is robust and intense. I'm inviting any listeners of this show who are interested in our coaching program to sign up for a one-on-one session with me to strategize about whether or not this course is right for you. Just go to bookcoaches.com/amwriting to sign up for a time that works for you.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe -
Jess here. I love love love coaching calls, and opt to talk rather than trade emails when someone needs a comprehensive education in speaking career building. I met Katie at a recent speaking event and she grabbed my attention on stage right away. She had thatâŠsomething that speakers need on stage to hold the attention of a large audience.
Katie was generous enough to allow me to record our call so you all can learn along with her! Hereâs to flattening learning curves!
Links from the Pod
Katieâs website
Katieâs book, Untold Teaching Truths
Katie at the Accutrain 50 in 50 panel, from my live Thread of the event:
During the pandemic, there was an explosion of people who wanted to write memoir, and many of those writers are now struggling to make sense of their drafts and figure out how to approach the marketplace. It's a great time to be a book coach who specializes in memoir, and in March 2024, Author Accelerator is launching a certification course to give memoir coaches the skills, tools, and experience to meet writers where they are.Our year-long program is robust and intense. I'm inviting any listeners of this show who are interested in our coaching program to sign up for a one-on-one session with me to strategize about whether or not this course is right for you. Just go to bookcoaches.com/amwriting to sign up for a time that works for you.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe -
Wanna startâor fixâyour email/Substack? We GOT YOU. Dan Blank is, truly, THE GUY when it comes to helping writers identify our audience, find ways to reach them and also feel great about the process. Before you do anything else, go subscribe to his Substack. Iâll wait.
Ok, those Substack links are BIG. But brace yourself, thereâs more of them. In this episode, which you must go listen to, Dan, Jennie and KJ talk about the three ways to approach a Substack, why you should have an email list no matter what, finding your role (inspiring, entertaining, teaching) andâmost importantlyânot heading out there with something thatâs half baked.
Our message today is: BAKE THE THING.
What do you believe above all? What do you want to explore? What do you want to share? Who do you want to come hang? Answer those questions, and Substackâsome version of it, which may or may not involve $$ and trust me we get into thatâis YOURS.
Today instead of books, we have Substack follow recommendations! (and you DO NOT have to use Substack to get these emails. If you donât, theyâre just emails. Subscribe!)
KJâs RECâs
Free and gonna stay that way:
Welcomes $$, plenty that is free and lovely
Worth every $$
Jennieâs RECS
Danâs RECS
During the pandemic, there was an explosion of people who wanted to write memoir, and many of those writers are now struggling to make sense of their drafts and figure out how to approach the marketplace. It's a great time to be a book coach who specializes in memoir, and in March 2024, Author Accelerator is launching a certification course to give memoir coaches the skills, tools, and experience to meet writers where they are.Our year-long program is robust and intense. I'm inviting any listeners of this show who are interested in our coaching program to sign up for a one-on-one session with me to strategize about whether or not this course is right for you. Just go to bookcoaches.com/amwriting to sign up for a time that works for you.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe -
Deciding what to leave in and what to take out is something every writer has to face; from the moment they start conceiving of an idea to the moment when it goes to press. What strategy do you bring to those decisions?
In this episode, I (Jennie Nash) chat with book coach and author Suzette Mullen about the scenes she left out of her forthcoming memoir, The Only Way Through is Out.
She has an ebook you can download and read along with five cut scenes, plus see her reasons for cutting them. You can find it at: https://www.yourstoryfinder.com/behindthescenes
Links from the Pod:
Suzetteâs website
Books we mention on this episode include:
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel, Jessica Brody
Blueprint for a Memoir: How to Write a Memoir for the Marketplace, Jennie Nash
You've heard us talk about Author Accelerator's book coach training program, and now they're offering a unique chance to peek inside a successful book coaching business and see what it really looks like. Grab the FREE 52-page mini magazine, From Lost Lawyer and Empty Nest Mom to Thriving Author and Book Coach -- How I Built My Book Coaching Business, HERE. You don't even have to hand over your email! You can read about book coach Suzette Mullen's journey as a writer, a book coach, and a human -- and on February 6 at 9am PST / 12 EST, you can join Author Accelerator CEO Jennie Nash and Suzette for a conversation about Suzette's journey. The sign-up for the February event is on the same page where you download the magazine.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe -
I think of myself an analytical person. Fine, a cynical one. So when my friends began talking about manifesting as a way to improve one's writing career, I struggled to wrap my head around it. Even if I was privately fascinated.
First, letâs define our terms.
Manifesting, in this context, refers to the practice of thinking aspirational thoughts with the intention of encouraging them to become reality. It's based on the belief that our thoughts, energy, and focus can directly influence the physical world and attract specific outcomes or experiences. This concept often aligns with the Law of Attraction (See: Atkinson, Wattles, Byrne, etc), which suggests that positive thoughts bring positive results and negative thoughts bring negative ones.
In other words, by visualizing our desires, affirming them through positive statements, and believing in their eventual realization, we can 'manifest' these desires into our lives. It's not just wishing; proponents argue it's about aligning ourselves mentally and emotionally with the desired outcome, thereby making ourselves open and prepared for the opportunities and resources needed to achieve success.
Appealing, right?
I thought so, too. Who doesnât want to write a letter to the Universe, name her desires, and watch them come true?
But first I had to overthink it. I was raised to believe that hard work was the secret sauce, and if I havenât achieved my goals then I probably havenât been working hard enough, or writing well enough. Right?
Besidesâif happy thoughts can bring success directly to my doorstepâlike fruit flies to an overripe bananaâdoes this mean that failure is always my fault, too? If I tell the universe I deserve to hit the New York Times bestsellers list in 2024, and then the universe doesnât deliver this shiny bauble⊠does that imply that Iâve failed myself with my own negativity?
Furthermore, if thatâs true, then isnât manifesting the ultimate in privileged thinking? Some of us face hardcore challenges that make getting through the day awfully difficult. It feels disingenuous to those who are struggling to assume that any obstacle can be cleared by positive energy.
My inner critic pounced, and my exploration of manifesting almost ended there. Almost. But then I had one more uncomfortable thought, and came to realize that this part of the struggle is actually the whole point, because it gets to the heart of writersâ fears.
After all, show me a writer who has never wondered whether writing is not the most self-centered job in the world. Show me a writer who believes that writing is always the most valuable and useful thing she can do with her time. Thatâs just not how writers are made. Self-criticism is actually crucial to the work. You canât edit your work if youâre not willing to second guess your own decisions. In fact, balancing the impulse to create with the impulse to delete is, psychologically , the guts of this job.
Furthermore, when I sit down at my keyboard every day, itâs with the understanding that making up stories for a living is already a privilege. Previous success doesnât exempt me from the knowledge that writing always serves the writer first, before it ever serves the reader. The act of composing a story (or a screenplay or a poem or an essay) is always self-indulgent before it gets the chance to be an indulgence for someone else.
I struggle with this. Not daily, perhaps. But often enough to make asking the universe for more success into a fraught endeavor. Does the universe really care if I hit the USA Today bestseller list for a twenty-fifth time?
And yetâŠ
Here I sit at the keyboard, giving my precious time and attention to this career, whether the universe cares or not. So donât I owe it to myself to do the best job I possibly can? If thereâs anything more self-indulgent than a career in authorship, itâs squandering that career in authorship.
Next, I invite you to consider the conditions under which great writing gets done. Do we do our best work when weâre A) sitting here convinced that nobody cares, and nobody will ever read our work or when B) we bathe in the warmth of great possibility, open to the joy of discovery and ideation?
Yeah, itâs that second one, isnât it?
It turns out, for me anyway, that manifesting and writing have a whole lot in common. They both share the Rumpelstiltskin-like quality of making something out of nothing. They both require unwavering belief in the possibilities, whether the current reality reflects a blank page, or an empty checking account.
In other words, even if Iâm not quite ready to believe that a few hoursâ work on a vision board will cause money to cling to me with the static electricity of socks right out of the dryer, a writer already understands that ideas prefer an open mind and a receptive heart. I also know that ideas are critical for excellent and prolific writing. And excellent and prolific writing is a crucial step toward earning royalties.
It is, in short, a positive feedback loop that I already understand on a gut level.
Meanwhile, as I toil at my desk, there are over a hundred spots on the New York Times bestsellers list every week. Someone has got to fill them. Thereâs almost no point to working fifty hours a week as an author unless I believe that one of those slots can be mine.
Ergo, the only way of catching one of them in my greedy little hand is to manifest that reality out of blank pages and sunshine and the unwavering belief that Iâm allowed to ask the universe for all the marbles. A halfway dream is a waste of time and notebook paper.
Dear Universe, letâs call it like it is. My life is already an exercise in literary optimism. I can acknowledge the privilege of this job while still reaching for that next tier. I can open my vulnerable soul wide enough to speak my most ambitious desires out loud. I can let those yearnings see the light of day in much the same way that I give fictional people their own hopes and dreams. Itâs not even as hard as I feared.
Yours in gratitude,
âSarina.
P.S. Universe: if you could also deliver me a first class plot twist for this proposal Iâm writing, Iâm all ears.
You've heard us talk about Author Accelerator's book coach training program, and now they're offering a unique chance to peek inside a successful book coaching business and see what it really looks like. Grab the FREE 52-page mini magazine, From Lost Lawyer and Empty Nest Mom to Thriving Author and Book Coach -- How I Built My Book Coaching Business, HERE. You don't even have to hand over your email! You can read about book coach Suzette Mullen's journey as a writer, a book coach, and a human -- and on February 6 at 9am PST / 12 EST, you can join Author Accelerator CEO Jennie Nash and Suzette for a conversation about Suzette's journey. The sign-up for the February event is on the same page where you download the magazine.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe -
âIt doesnât have to be good, it just has to happenâ - Seth Godin, The Practice
âF*ck it, I feel like sh*tâ - Jess Lahey
Hi everyone! Jess here. We actually managed to get Sarina, Jennie, KJ and Jess together for an episode even though Jess and KJ have been under the weather. All December and January, the group text thread has been moaning and groaning about feeling awful and needing to work but feeling awful. So what do you do when you are not at your physical or mental peak and working becomes more difficult? Do you push on through and grind it out? Sometimes. Do you close the computer and recline in your bed with your hot tea and tissues? Sometimes.
Here are our thoughts on working when under the weather.
#AmReading
Jennie
* Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb documentary
* Avid Reader: A Life by Robert Gottlieb
Jess
* Also a Poet: Frank OâHara, My Father, and Me by Ada Calhoun
* Why We Canât Sleep: Womenâs New Midlife Crisis by Ada Calhoun
While we have your attention, weâd love our listeners and readers to help out the Institute for Independent Journalists Foundation in their work, ââŠto track the demographics of the nearly 3,000 journalists laid off in 2023, and to understand the implications for our fieldâ by taking this census. From the IIJF:
The project aims to take a census of the journalists laid off or bought out in the last year-plus, uncover any trends, and assess the impact on newsroom demographics headed into a pivotal election year. Results will be published in Nieman Reports and shared through IIJ Foundation channels, including conference presentations and webinars. Weâre aiming to collect data through mid-February and release results in March.
As you know, the IIJ is a one-year old organization whose mission is the financial and emotional sustainability of freelance journalists of color, entirely led by BIPOC women. The IIJ Foundation is our nonprofit arm.
You've heard us talk about Author Accelerator's book coach training program, and now they're offering a unique chance to peek inside a successful book coaching business and see what it really looks like. Grab the FREE 52-page mini magazine, From Lost Lawyer and Empty Nest Mom to Thriving Author and Book Coach -- How I Built My Book Coaching Business, HERE. You don't even have to hand over your email! You can read about book coach Suzette Mullen's journey as a writer, a book coach, and a human -- and on February 6 at 9am PST / 12 EST, you can join Author Accelerator CEO Jennie Nash and Suzette for a conversation about Suzette's journey. The sign-up for the February event is on the same page where you download the magazine.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe - Laat meer zien