“Do NOT publish your book unless you LOVE it,” I warned. Simple enough, right? The women staring back at me from their Zoom squares nodded in unison. Of course, they wouldn’t publish books they didn’t adore. Except, I knew some of them absolutely would, hence my plea. It felt personal. I’d come to deeply cherish these ladies of the BWG (Beautiful Writers Group), bonding during our Write-Ins, our group writing sessions every Monday in the late afternoons and Thursday mornings.
To further set the scene: We say our hellos—dogs video bomb, wet hair dries, backdrops look the same or suddenly radically different. Is she visiting the tropics, or are those wallpaper palm trees? Each gal shares what part of her book or proposal she’ll be working on before we hit our mute buttons and turn off our cameras. Three hours later, we return for progress reports of chapters finished, an ending nailed, and even making dinner (and other to-dos) realized. Because, life. A few weeks ago, a gal from Perth buried her mother, and we sent her all the support we could muster from the screen. She felt it. We all did.
I love us. As I fall more deeply for the stories and storytellers before me, especially those I know intimately who’ve attended a retreat with me, I ache for these gals not to spill their popcorn in the lobby by rushing to publish. I want them to feel the joy I’ve experienced since releasing Beautiful Writers in the summer of 2022. If no one ever bought another copy, I’d still die happy because I did it—wrote, sold, and promoted my dream book and audiobook. It took many YEARS to get her to that point of readiness. Not everyone has that privilege or patience. But I’m telling you, if you can, there’s a particular joy in getting your book to the point where you love every paragraph and page and will years later.
Don’t knock giving your publisher a list of 402 requested edits AFTER they’ve copy-edited your manuscript until you try it. This level of detail is only for some. But no one and nothing can take from me the reality that I do not have a single word-regret. Bliss.
I want this creative fulfillment for you and every writer I care about.
I wanted it for the celebrity who cried to me after the book she rushed to deliver (because of a jaw-dropping advance) didn’t delight her or her readers.
I wanted it for the retreat client who disagreed with me, took the first agent who offered her representation, and then spent years recovering when said agent couldn’t sell it.
I want it for the friend who sent her book to her publisher last week and said a shaky “No, not yet” when I asked: “Did you nail it? Do you love her?”
I want it for YOU so you don’t refer to your book as “The Practice Book.” That’s what New York Times bestselling authors Jillian Lauren and Patricia Cornwell told me (on my pod and in my book) they call their first titles. Not that there’s anything wasted in practicing. Practice can make perfect and be a hella fun way to spend your time. But many first books delight their authors and readers.
Of course, I’ve seen exceptions to this norm, where writers work FAST and sell at dizzying rates (as you’ll see in the below PS). No matter your path, it’s wise to remember the fundamentals. Here are a few . . .
My top 3 ways to ensure you’re in the delighted group:
- Show your work! When you’ve made your chapters as strong as you can, be open, flexible, and fearless and get high-quality feedback. From beta readers who don’t know you to trusted loved ones who may have a gut check if you’ve missed something, early readers will often find issues you still need to. Let go and let IN their support.
- Trust your delays. Rushing can be sooooo addictive. Ah, the thrill of it. We can all enjoy adrenaline that helps our mood and self-imposed deadlines long before it turns to burnout. Life happens, though, even in the flowiest, happiest, speediest times. Delays, although maddening, often make grateful sense in hindsight. So, do what you can to keep your center and sanity. (I noticed years ago that a remarkable portion of my happiest, most abundant retreat clients all watched Abraham Hicks videos on YouTube. It was like finding out an 8th continent existed and I was the only one in most rooms who’d never been there. What have I been missing out on? I have no attachment or affiliate link in this mix, but their popularity speaks volumes, so you might want to do a search and see which videos call out to you.)
- Read your book aloud. Once you’ve received thoughtful feedback and made the suggested edits you agree with, give yourself the gift of TIME to read your book out loud uninterrupted. I tell a story in Beautiful Writers about a divorce memoir I’d been furiously editing in pieces and finally shopped. The day before I took off from LAX for La Guardia for publishing meetings, I read the entire manuscript in a nine-hour jag. Toward the end of the last chapter, my heart sank. The book didn’t work. I loved pieces of her, but not its entirety. Surprise, surprise, publishers mirrored my mixed feelings. I was kicking myself that I hadn’t carved out this quiet reading time before scheduling those appointments. (Want my best Going Dark to Write tips for creating your own solitary retreat time?) When you block off time to read your entire book aloud, you may rejoice in the knowledge it’s done or close to it. And if it needs more work, that, too, will be clear. (Same with your book proposal, read her out loud.)
The bottom line is that YOU DESERVE TO LOVE YOUR BOOK. Your book deserves for you to love her, too. Sounds simplistic, I know, but if you truly LOVE what you’ve created, others will, too.
I said this to the gals of my Write-In on Zoom that day, hoping it wasn’t so apparent as to be boring. Duh, Linda. Who doesn’t know that?
“Thank you for the reminder,” several told me throughout the day and more in the following days. “I needed it,” they said.
Ditto, I thought. May I always take my own advice.
Yours,
Linda xo
PS. While my successful clients have spent years (even a lifetime!) gaining the skills to tell their stories, some, like Patti Pagliei, have written and published books QUICKLY. To see Patti’s testimonial about the speed and magic of her recent book deal, go to my Virtual Retreat page. FYI: My next virtual retreat starts Oct. 22nd. Incredible, I mean, seriously, powerful women are coming. Want to chat about joining us? The deets are on the page.
PSS. Author Molly Carmel did ALL the *right* things and received a significant book deal for Breaking Up with Sugar with Avery/Penguin Random House months after her retreat. (You might enjoy comments Molly and other sweet past retreaters left about their experience on a recent retreat trailer I made and posted on Instagram and on Facebook.) My next Carmel retreat at the La Playa Hotel starts on Feb. 3rd, 2025 (in about 20 minutes), and like October’s Virtual retreat, the gals coming are fantastic! Let’s hop on a Zoom call to discuss your book if you feel the pull.
PSSS. Thoughts on this post? As always, I LOVE hearing from you over on Instagram or Facebook.
