Hey everyone,
When I created Bookish Pursuits, I was incredibly clear about one thing: I did not want to be the most successful writer in the room. I wanted this mastermind to be a place and a community where I not only shared and taught, but learned. I’m excellent at mindset, getting things done, spotting good stories, and the business side of things, but I’m still learning how to bring my books out into the world. That’s my next mountain to climb, and I’m aware I can’t do it alone.
(I sent an email to a writer friend this morning saying, “Why is publishing so slow? Why? Why why why?” and she wrote back, “Oh, sister! So slow! I was just saying about my own deal, the old chestnut: nothing happens, nothing happens, and the EVERYTHING happens. Then, hold on tight!” And that made me feel better for a bit.)
With Bookish Pursuits, I wanted to put together a diverse group, in every way. And I’m super excited that it’s definitely turned out like that. We have in our midst a writer who has published 37 books (traditionally), a writer who has indie published several novels, and a bunch of successful journalists and freelancers who are now, like me, branching out into publishing. I hope to have the privilege of telling you about their books one day.
Also in our midst is internationally bestselling author Amy B. Scher, an incredible writer who I have known for over a decade. Amy just had a book out in February (How To Heal Yourself From Depression When No One Else Can: A self-guided program to stop feeling like sh*t–– buy it here!), and the paperback edition of her memoir This Is How I Save My Life: Searching The World for a Cure: A Lyme Disease Memoir) comes out on May 18.
Her memoir is endorsed by Elizabeth Gilbert and was just included in a list of books to read in May by Good Morning America. She shares space with authors Jennifer Weiner, Lauren Weisberger, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Amy is one of the kindest and most supportive authors I know, and I feel so incredibly lucky to have access to her (she gave me some coaching last month during one of our calls and it freed up my time and raised the bar for how I show up online.)
So yes, I’m absolutely telling you to go buy her books and sign up for her newsletter (she runs programs for writers as well).
But I’m also telling you that I am so incredibly grateful that I have the support of a community now, people to talk to who understand what it’s like to have a book on submission, to worry about taking the right decisions for your career, who know what it’s like to doubt yourself constantly, to talk to when I’m struggling with editing. I asked one of the members if she would co-work with me the other day because I was having a lousy day, and talking to her about nothing and everything just elevated my mood for the rest of the day.
I have been without a community for a long time, several years, in fact. I have a huge network of journalist friends, but I no longer identify as a journalist, and I always felt insignificant reaching out to authors for help or conversation when I hadn’t even published any books yet. This is flawed thinking, and I really wish I hadn’t been so self-indulgent in assuming that it mattered at all to anyone what I had published, and how. It doesn’t.
I now have people I can reach out to with a quick question, a gripe, or a success, and I am so much happier for it.
I want the same for you, too. You don’t have to join my community, or any paid community for that matter. But you do need friends. Friends who will see you through the good times, and the bad.
And of course, if you do want to join my mastermind, Bookish Pursuits, we’re currently open to new members. There are 12 of us in the group at the moment, and I want to make sure I can give personal attention to everyone, so I won’t be taking more than 4 new members in this round. Message me if you’d like the details and I’ll get them to you.
More tomorrow.
Cheers,
Natasha