On Writing More of the Story
A little story about PR and keeping it real
At the end of this Dispatch, you’ll find a coupon for 18% off my new book, Fierce Encouragement: 201 Writing Prompts for Staying Grounded in Fragile Times. But first, let me tell you a little story.
A few weeks ago, I received an email from a PR guy. He had seen my book on Amazon, said he could tell I was doing good in the world, and tossed out a few marketing ideas and an offer to talk. I looked him up, found sufficient evidence that he was not a robot, and took him up on it. Why not, right?
We had a nice chat.
I learned that for $3,500, I could hire his firm to create a press release for me to use to pitch myself to podcasters, etc.
Or for $1,500/month, they could create a series of targeted Amazon ads to bump my book.
Or for between $2,500 and $5,500/month, they could create a comprehensive PR blitz to help me go, in his words, "bigger than you may be thinking." (Think Oprah.)
To put these numbers in perspective, and because I believe in the power of truth and transparency, let’s look at some actual numbers.
I have sold approximately 100 books so far. That means I've earned around $900 from book sales – or less than one-third of what I spent out of my small savings to self-publish the book on an independent platform, including paying the individual who designed the beautiful cover.
If you are one of the people who has bought my book, thank you. Thank YOU. Yes, YOU! Wow! Of all the books in the world, you chose to buy my book? That is amazing. I hope you are loving it and finding it truly useful and encouraging. I hope you are writing your heart out. And if you are not writing your heart out, that happens so don't freak out. I hope you are being good to yourself. Grace is so underrated.
As we all know from years on social media, sometimes painfully so, it can be easy to create stories in our heads about other people.
We don't hear often enough about MORE of the story.
The part where you keep your gifts to yourself, stuck in cycles of comparison or self-doubt.
The part where you take a huge leap with no idea whether it will pan out.
The part where nothing goes to plan and you are humbled and broken and reassembled time and again by life's glaring disappointments and subtle miracles, epic meltdowns and quiet comebacks, heartbreak and healing, and the profound wholeness and bright light to be found deep inside each of us.
Fierce Encouragement is about writing more of the story.
Writing without the angst and perfectionism that keep you from starting – and stop you from keeping going – has been my practice since 2007 when I started my first blog (you old-timers might remember Bullseye, Baby!). It is also the basis for my business and all of my work as a coach.
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M.J. and I like to say that things often happen "little by little, then all of a sudden."
Sometimes, the "all of a sudden" part doesn't look anything like what you expected.
Sometimes, things unfold on timelines you didn't ask for, and sometimes in ways you didn't dare dream.
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Needless to say, I emailed the PR guy a week later, thanking him for his time and wishing him well.
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And that is how you find me here, sitting at my dining room table at daybreak, drinking strong coffee, listening to Hebrew indie music, my little dog snoring on her bed, my spouse still asleep upstairs, my kids out in the world yet somehow also tucked into my heart, my heart full, and my mind reminding me of a mantra I love and live by: In this moment, I have everything I need.
It's so easy to slip into scarcity and fear, especially when the world is... well, you know. So much comes back to gratitude, doesn't it? And returning to the here and now that always holds us.
Today, March 18, is the day "Fierce Encouragement: 201 Writing Prompts for Staying Grounded in Fragile Times" becomes available on Amazon!
Conventional wisdom would have me sending you here. And if you have a Prime account, you'll get free shipping, fast delivery, and all the things many of us have grown so used to, so no judgment from me. (I still use it myself. Work in progress.)
And given everything I shared above, heart wisdom tells me that 18 is an auspicious number in Jewish tradition, signifying the word for LIFE, chai (חי).
So to celebrate the Amazon launch, I'm doing PR my/our way and offering an 18% discount when you order my book from BookBaby. Just use this link and enter the coupon code INDIELOVE at checkout:
https://store.bookbaby.com/book/fierce-encouragement
Done. Bought the book. Looking forward to using.