When I left my job in 2018 after 35 years in the same career, I didn't know what life would bring me. I did know that I wanted to focus on my writing and I have loved being a children's book author. But I have to say, what I love even more is working with others who are new and aspiring authors to help them make their dream come true.
It has been one of the most rewarding things in my life. I love the smiling face at the other end of a Zoom coaching call. I love speaking words of encouragement and "You got this!" and "I'm here to help you every step of the way!".
I love gathering groups of authors together for an author hangout or drop-in session. I love knowing that I am helping them avoid mistakes that too many authors (including me) have made during our first time through the process.
It has been a great distraction from Covid-19 quarantine and other stressors in this crazy world we're living in right now. It makes me happy to know I am making a difference and helping others to use this time productively. My current author workgroup is filled with over forty new and aspiring authors. Many of my current workgroup participants are using this time during quarantine to bring to life a dream and a story that has been dying to be written. I can't believe I get to be a part of that!
Servant Leadership
Have you ever heard the term "servant leadership"? Our greatest example is how Christ washed the feet of his disciples and served others as he led them to salvation. Now I'm no Jesus Christ, but I want to follow his example of compassion, love, and leading by serving and making a difference in the lives of others.
Servant leadership is something I have always strived for. I want to be an example and provide support and most of all - MAKE A DIFFERENCE. When I see these beautiful books birthed into the world it makes it all worth it. My heart is filled with joy and I think I get more out of it than the Authors do!
When I started on this journey, I asked myself, "How can I serve this community of authors and help them to avoid the mistakes that I and others have made." After all, there are a number of dangers when you are trying to navigate self-publishing alone. There are predatory publishers and vendors wanting to dupe them into a costly contract that is completely wrong for them. There are many activities required for self-publishing and it is easy to stumble or get the wrong advice from the many Facebook groups focusing on writing and publishing a children's book.
Authors don't know what they don't know. I was no different. But after a few years of working in this industry and helping hundreds of people, I feel obligated to make this knowledge available to others.
Self-Publishing Made Simple
I created the Self-Publishing Made Simple program to compile the lessons, instructions, tools, and templates in one place and to walk through the process with Authors from A to Z.
It has been time consuming and tons of work and I'm sure way too many hours per week for me. I'm sure if I figure out how much money I am making per hour it wouldn't even be minimum wage. But I don't care - that doesn't matter.
The way I look at it, when you put your heart into serving others, the universe will honor that. The golden rule comes to mind - treat others as you would like to be treated. For me - I wanted to develop a program that I wish I had when I first started.
The list includes:
Live meetings weekly for 12 weeks
Drop-in hours with no particular agenda - "Ask Me Anything"
Access to a private Facebook group
A community of like-minded authors all working on their books together and supporting each other through it every step of the way
Access to a huge library of video training on self-publishing topics
1:1 coaching / mentoring
A list of special guest speakers on important topics like writing, marketing, copywriting, publicity, crowd-funding, and much more!
A repository of tools, templates, and examples to use
The new group starts August 17th
The next author workgroup starting on August 17th. It is a 12-week program walking you through every step of the self-publishing process. If you know someone who is interested, feel free to share.
Here is a link where you can find out more. You can use 50-OFF discount code for $50 off the course. Feel free to email me with any questions.