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

August 18, 2015 by Maria

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.

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:

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

August 11, 2015 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, Eat, Drink: Why Your Brain Loves Good Storytelling and a Sumac Gin and Tonic Recipe

August 6, 2015 by Maria

Read:

How to get published

Why Your Brain Loves Good Storytelling (Paul J. Zak for Harvard Business Review): “I advise business people to begin every presentation with a compelling, human-scale story. Why should customers or a person on the street care about the project you are proposing? How does it change the world or improve lives? How will people feel when it is complete? These are the components that make information persuasive and memorable.” This article is fascinating, and it explains the science behind a lot of what editors and agents know intuitively–that stories and a promise of transformation pull people in. And that’s exactly why I always tell authors to begin their blog posts, book proposals, and book introductions with a story. It’s the surest way to make people care.

Video: Michael Pollan on Cooking (The RSA): This little short is the most fun you’ll have in 2 minutes and 28 seconds all week! In it, Michael Pollan explains how corporations cook (hint: badly) and why there’s just one simple rule to eating healthy, without relying on fad diets or any deprivation at all (hint: a cookbook would help you with it!). I love this rule, and think it’s so true: no matter what you order at a restaurant, it will never be as healthy as the same thing cooked at home. That’s why cookbooks matter–they’re powerful tools to help people get in the kitchen and start living healthier lives.

20 Must-Read Books for Bloggers (Krystal from Bloggers Get Social): You can learn so much from books, and this list is a great start for bloggers who want to learn how to do everything better. Too many of the bloggers I see who are struggling are mostly just suffering from a lack of information–they’ve got their heads down, creating content day in and day out, and they’re not investing enough time in training and experimentation. So, even if it means you take a blog vacation for a week, set aside some time to do deep research. In the end, it’s much easier than trying to figure it all out yourself!

Worried About What You’re Not Doing (Leo Babuata of Zen Habits): “In any given moment, many of us are thinking about what we’re not doing. We feel guilty that we’re not doing more. Worried that we’re not as productive as we could be. Guilty that we procrastinate. We feel guilty that we don’t exercise more, eat right, have better bodies. We worry that we should be doing something better, something more amazing, doing what the amazing people we see online are doing. We worry about what we have to do later, what’s next, where we’re going.” A great contemplative practice to help creatives (and anyone!) combat comparison and anxiety.

Eat & Drink:

Over to Jarrett for a new spin on the classic gin and tonic:

Sumac gin and tonic recipe

New Series! The Good Stuff on Your Path to Publication

August 3, 2015 by Maria

Publishing gets a bad rap sometimes. Too many people see the people within the industry—the literary agents, editors, booksellers, etc.—as overly picky gatekeepers, armed with a “no” for every unsuspecting writer who approaches them.

But that’s really not who we are. We, just like you, really, really like books. So we don’t think it’s fun to say no to books. In fact, we’d much prefer to say yes. We live for those big hearty yeses, where we all clap each other on the back and congratulate ourselves and burst with excitement for that one book we love.

Category: Platform