Category: The Good Stuff

5 Things You SHOULDN’T Worry About When Building Your Platform

by Maria
easy platform building for authors
let these worries go!

I know it’s technically September, but I have unanimously agreed with myself that we could use one last article in August’s The Good Stuff series. In case you missed the last few posts, you can catch up on them here:

Week 1: Why Publishing Professionals Have to be Eternal Optimists

Week 2: A Success Story with a Side of Cheesecake

Week 3: 6 Moments to Celebrate on Your Publishing Journey

Week 4: The Most Important Character Trait in Publisher, Plus a Free Jack Kerouac Art Print

A Literary Agent's advice on how to enjoy the process of writing and publishing a book

One of my very favorite cities in the country is Richmond, Virginia. It’s where I went to college; it’s where I met some of my best friends; it’s where I met Jarrett (and also where he proposed to me last weekend—more on that in Friday’s roundup!); and it’s where I’ll be back for another year at the James River Conference on October 17th.

The James River Conference is such an especially fun one for me, since it’s usually a smaller and more intimate experience than the big mega conferences like the Writer’s Digest Conference (although I had a blast there, too!). The JRW organizers asked me to put together a quick little “5 Things About Anything” list to include for their newsletter subscribers, and as I was writing it, I realized it’d also be a great send-off to The Good Stuff series.

As September kicks in and the publishing industry comes to life again, you’ll probably be doubling down on the platform-building and picking up your regular writing schedule again. Even as things pick up speed, here are the 5 things you just shouldn’t waste your energy worrying about:

Read More

The Good Stuff: Why Patience is A Good Thing, Plus a Free Jack Kerouac Art Print

by Maria
personality traits for writers
personality traits for writers

As I wrote about here, August is the month of The Good Stuff around these parts. Every week I’m going to be focusing on something worth celebrating in the publishing journey, whether it’s stories about new deals and successes, or writing inspiration, or platform-building encouragement…

Now, last week we talked about the 6 moments along the publishing journey where you should stop to celebrate. But what if you haven’t started that official journey to publication? How can you savor a journey you haven’t even started yet?

A Literary Agent's advice on how to enjoy the process of writing and publishing a book

Well, here’s a newsflash: no matter where you are, you’re on your way. The real publication journey starts far before signing a book contract—it starts with years of building skills. And the most important skill to build in order to succeed in publishing? Patience.

I know that sounds groan-worthy, but it’s the truth. You’ll need patience with yourself when you sit down at your computer and all the words come out wrong. You’ll need patience when you try to build your online presence and can’t figure out why people aren’t flocking to you. You’ll need patience when you want results now, but all that’s in front of you are new, confounding challenges.

And all that patience you’ll be building? That’s A Good Thing.

I know it doesn’t seem like it—it never does. But as Wayne Stiles wrote this week over on Michael Hyatt’s blog:

“This season of waiting is a present—a gift that allows us to deepen our commitment to why we do what we do. Whatever our why is, it alone helps us to keep writing, keep speaking, and continue building while we wait.”

The person who has seemingly instant success with anything in life probably spent years building the foundational skills—both the tangible skills and the character strengths—necessary to execute on that creative vision. Those years were also the incubation period for a deep connection to the why that fuels us in our most challenging moments.

When we accept the reality that it takes time, we can start enjoying that time. We can also stop yearning for that mythical “one day…” when everything is finally easy and perfect and comfortable. When everything will suddenly be changed. That “one day…” will never arrive.

As a reminder of that (because it’s the easiest thing to forget in this industry!), you can download a free printable art print with Jack Kerouac’s famous quote:

“One day I will find the right words and they will be simple.”

A free printable art print of the Jack Kerouac quote "One day I will find the right words and they will be simple."

Read More

The Good Stuff: 6 Moments to Celebrate on Your Publishing Journey

by Maria
gratitude during the publishing journey
gratitude during the publishing journey

As I wrote about here, August is the month of The Good Stuff around these parts. Every week I’m going to be focusing on something worth celebrating in the publishing journey—whether it’s stories about new deals and successes, or writing inspiration, or platform-building encouragement, I want us all to end our summers steeped in the happy moments that make the crazy business of books worthwhile…

One of the things I most fell in love with about nonfiction publishing is that you learn something new from every single book you work on. Yes, this means I now know how to make a mean chicken wing, and I can probably interior decorate any space within an inch of its (well, my ) life. But I’ve especially loved reading and working on so many psychology and personal development books, because it gives you a chance to think about your interior life.

And what do almost all of the dozens of psychology and personal development books I’ve worked on had in common? They all preach the gospel of Gratitude. I’ll spare you the katrillion studies that prove how gratitude can radically improve our physical and mental states, and just jump right into bringing some gratitude to the publishing journey.

how to publish a book

After walking this exhilarating, sometimes crazy, publishing journey alongside so many authors and books, I’ve found the best places to stop, take a look around, and breathe a sigh of gratitude for where you are. Here are the 6 most important moments to celebrate on your publishing journey:

Read More

The Good Stuff: A Book Deal with a Side of Cheesecake

by Maria

how to publish a book

As I mentioned last week, August is the month of The Good Stuff around these parts. My main post each week will be focusing on all the moments that are worth celebrating in the publishing world: everything from stories about successful book deals, to writing inspiration, to the 6 moments you should celebrate on your publishing journey (coming next week!)…

So let’s talk book deals, and let’s talk cheesecake. (Mmmhmmm!) I’m excited to officially announce a new deal that’s been in the works—Cheesecake Love by Jocelyn Brubaker, the wonderfully talented blogger behind Inside BruCrew Life.

Here’s the official deal listing:

Screen Shot 2015-08-03 at 1.47.36 PM

It’s so much fun to hit this stage in the publishing journey, because it’s the culmination of lots of hard work on the part of the author, editor, and agent. Jocelyn worked hard for years to build such a dedicated and loyal readership around her blog, and she’s such a pro at both sharing recipes and sharing stories with her readers.

One of the first things I always want to know when I’m considering signing a new author is their creation story. How did they get where they are? What got them started on blogging, or whatever other channel they use to build a platform?

Here’s a snippet of Jocelyn’s story, in her own words:

Read More