$7/Day to a 6-Figure Book Deal: Part III
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Thank you Newsstand Studio at 1 Rockefeller Plaza for producing this podcast!!
In the past two episodes, I shared how I made $7/day after college living out of a van working for a non-profit. Then I found my way to photography and ultimately built a 6-figure photography business. From there I talk about how my little fashion blog turned into The Refined Woman and this podcast. And so today, I am sharing the final part of my career story: how I landed a 6-figure book deal.
Top 7 Questions I Get About Book Writing + the Publishing Process
Do you go with a literary agent or fly solo?
I went with an agent— an agent has connections you don’t! And it enabled me to sign a book deal for $160,000. Plus, your agent is your advocate!
Self publish vs. publishing house?
Publishers can get your books in stores that would be so tough to do on your own. They also have entire teams dedicated to marketing your book.
There are also pros to self-publishing: you have so much more control. I had to fight for parts of my book to stay in. There’s also an opportunity to make more money (especially if you have a large audience).
What is the #1 thing you wish you would have known before you wrote a book?
Unfortunately, it’s a lot more about your network than your message.
The average lifecycle of a book is 3,000 sales.
85% + of people never make a penny from royalties.
How much it would be up to me to sell the book.
How do you even start writing a book?
First thing first: read Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. Start getting your book ideas on paper. And be willing to write a “shitty first draft.”
How do you get your content in front of publishers?
You don’t have to write the book upfront. You present the publishers with a book proposal— which is basically a 50-page outline.
Do you even want a big advance?
There are different theories. Smaller advances give you the opportunity to earn money in royalties. But larger advances get you more money upfront.
How do I get my work out there?
Having a platform certainly helps, but also this isn’t a rule. Just get your work out there and put in the work.
My Book Deal
January 2018 // I was on Jamie Ivey’s podcast The Happy Hour and we spoke about dating in NYC as a Christian. Afterwards, I got emails from publishers and had meetings, but the offers weren’t enough.
May 2018 // I was at an event and sat next to a literary agent and we kept in touch.
October 2018 // I signed with my agent. We decided to wait until after the holidays to work on the book proposal.
January 2019 // I found out my dad relapsed. I was a zombie. My agent gave me the space to grieve.
July 2019 // I started the book proposal. I was SO out of my comfort zone.
September 2019 // My agent sent out pitches.
October 2019 // We had meetings and I signed a 2-book deal with Zondervan (Harper Collins) for $160,000.
Spring 2020 // The pandemic gave me the time and space to write this book.
Summer 2020 // Receiving and implementing edits was incredibly difficult.
Spring 2021 // My publisher marketed my book, but I also spent about $20,000 on marketing. And I paid out of pocket for a book trailer, which I love, but I don’t know if it helped.
April 2021 // My book launches. At this time I was doing 5 interviews a day all week. All while running my photography business.
October 2021 // I get the email from my editor that it’s time to start thinking about book #2.
December 2021 // I took some time off and read anything and everything. I was on a flight at the end of December and was inspired to write out chapter outlines.
Right now // Still working on book #2: God of the Grey
Next week, I’m sharing an episode all about grieving without going into a shame spiral (it’s basically an update on my love life that I kinda shared in the final episode of 2021…go to Patreon.com/therefinedcollective and you can listen to it now (ad-free) and have access to a ton of other Patreon exclusive content.
Resources
Listen to next week’s episode early (and ad-free) here.
You can buy a signed copy of my book here.
Grab the journaling and resource guide for my book here.
Join Patreon at the $5/month level to get access to my monthly group coaching calls. The next one is February 15th at 8:30pm EST!
Grab the book proposal template my publisher provides here.
Watch my book trailer here.
Check out Rockefeller Center on IG at @rockefellercenter and Twitter at @rockcenternyc
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