How to Find Peace of Mind Writing, Publishing and Promoting Your Book

Another great podcast with the transcription! This episode is great for book writers, self-publishers, and universal – good for all.

Here comes my Cliffs Notes:

Snow Globe

I wrote a whole book about changing your self-talk, but even the best advice on this topic is worthless, when people cannot grasp what self-talk is. I think the below parable explains it perfectly:

I mean, think the snow that’s flying all over the place, we think that’s our thoughts. We think that’s our truth, but that’s not our truth. That’s just a bunch of conditioned responses and thinking that changes, and shifts, and creates different emotions, but there’s something deeper inside.”

-Bella Mahaya Carter

You Are Enough

Remember, and this is something that maybe you don’t hear often, but I just want to say to all of your listeners out there, remember this, you are enough. Whenever you have the thought that you’re not enough for whatever reasons because I have dealt with that thought in my whole life, I’m here to say that that is a thought, and it’s not the truth of who you are, or what have to offer. You don’t have to listen to that thought.”

-Bella Mahaya Carter

My heart just melted when I heard that. How aptly said. Bella is a really great communicator, and she has a gift of words. That wasn’t the first time I was like:

“Heck, I already knew this, but she said it so well!”

Four Golden Nuggets

Just know who you are, know yourself, slow down enough so that that is possible.” (knowing yourself)

I wouldn’t be myself, if I didn’t recommend some books at this point:

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Comer – a very good book to teach you how to slow down. Just remember it’s written by a pastor for Christians.

Know Yourself like Your Success Depends on It by some Polish guy *wink* – how to approach self-discovery systematically and create relevant habits serving that objective.

Your Personal Truth by Issac Robledo – in 50% this is a self-discovery workbook and the best I’ve ever read on this topic.

Surrender what you can’t control and work with what shows up with an open heart, and know that you’re enough.”

Seems a bit New Age or just common sense (who would fight with something outside of their control?). And maybe it is. But still, so many of us (including yours truly) struggle with each part of the above quote.

Spending your energy on something you cannot control is pointless. Being open-minded is harder than you think. Especially nowadays, when you are hit with ‘amazing offers’ from left and right, all the time.

In the last several years, I had plenty of unexpected offers I said “yes” to. Some I regretted; others, like signing up the contract with a small publisher, saved my sanity and were the help from Providence I needed at those exact moments.

Know that what you’re doing is an act of generosity of spirit.”

Speaking of “aptly said,” I’d have never thought to articulate it this way. That’s why this sentence really hit me. This is actually beautifully said truth about every single creator. Whatever we do – whether it’s a handcraft, a piece of art, or a piece of content – it comes from our spirit first. And it IS an act of generosity. We could’ve kept those creative results contained within our souls. Yet, we decided to create them and share them with the world.

This is also the truth about entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs create. They take action and something emerges out of nothing. In some lines of business, it’s more visible than in others – when you decorate an interior or a landscape, it’s pretty obvious you created something unique. However, the majority of small businesses are the creative expression of their owners.

I’m not better than anyone and I’m not less than anyone. I’m just showing up, doing the work that I love to do, and sharing it.”

What a great lesson about humbleness. As a writer, I always struggle to find the balance between the pride when my articles are praised and promoted, and the despair when they are exposed and criticized. For me, it’s so ridiculously easy to act like an arrogant prick… or like a weeping mess.

However, if I approach my craft from this point of view, everything is fine. I discovered long ago that I’m immune to most of my books’ criticism. Why? Because they are written from my experience. You can insult me the whole day long, and I will just shrug it off. No one in the whole world can tell me how my experience was. I was in that fight. I was in the arena.

It also cures one of excessive pride. I was just me. Whatever I’ve done, I cannot compare myself to others. They are them. Our internal experiences are incomparable.

The important thing is not to be better than others; it is to be better than myself from the past. Nothing else matters.

Book Marketing Basics

Photo by George Milton from Pexels

Have your email list (called ‘newsletter’ in the episode).
Have your own website.
Don’t produce botches — each book should be proofread and edited.

My two cents to the above list missing in the episode:

Have at least a decent cover.
Craft your book description.

All the above are just basics, so why are book marketing experts talking about those fundamental things and not about advanced tactics? Simple – not enough people are doing even the basics.

No one will do your marketing for you as well as you will do it yourself.

Explore different marketing avenues and pay attention to what you like to do (writing posts, interacting on social media, doing podcast interviews?). It will be more sustainable than any other tactics and you should focus on that. The same goes with different platforms. Don’t chase shiny objects, focus on the platforms where your audience is and which you enjoy.

---

I sincerely recommend this episode, and this whole podcast. It’s one of the seven podcasts I listen to regularly.

Originally published at Medium.