Three Lessons In Three Years
Celebrate YBS pub day with 3 lessons in 3 years!
Today is the day my interactive mystery novel, You’ve Been Summoned, is out everywhere books are sold online. I couldn’t be happier to share this piece of my heart with you all. I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on a few things I’ve learned/journaled over the past three years creating this concept I dreamed up:
1. Follow the truth, not the plan.
In December 2023, I almost canceled my book release. My dream agent had recently told me that the market wasn’t ready for an interactive novel (and therefore me), I was getting my first wave of negative reviews from inside the industry, and nothing in my launch process was going according to plan. Post-proof errors were abundant; I was dealing with vendor battles and also working a full-time job/traveling for family Christmases. I was so overwhelmed and emotionally burnt out (after working on this book for three years) that I thought, screw it, my life is complicated enough without this novel.
I was toiling over what to do on Christmas Eve at an emotional rock bottom when my (now) fiance and I decided to try going to church. When we made it a few weeks later, the sermon was all about taking one step every day toward the truth. Having enough faith to say, “I’ve no clue how this is going to go, but I’m going to move a step closer to it because it’s been written on my heart.” I thought that was a beautiful strategy for me moving forward.
Following the truth has looked very different than following my marketing/book launch plan. I knew You’ve Been Summoned was my story to tell, my concept to try, and instead of trying to boil the ocean - I focused on just one step to take every day. For many of us who have a conviction to do something but every logical/emotional reason not to, taking one step a day towards your dream can be a lot less daunting than trying to project-manage yourself into success. Let the plan go. Just take one step towards the truth.
2. The people who reject you are not your enemy. They’re your map.
I’d be a wealthy woman if I had a book sale for every time I thought a person was an enemy because they rejected my ideas. There have been people that I’ve (embarrassingly) lost sleep over because they told me my project couldn’t work, they didn’t like my writing style, or they made fun of me for “still trying this.”
*SIGH* It is with reluctance that I’ve learned to admit that these people are not enemies. They are part of the story. If I hadn’t been rejected, I wouldn’t have found the path that I’m on, the mission that I’m pushing, or the process that’s taught me so much from the inside.
I gain so much energy back every time someone offends me, and I can see past my own hurt and think, “How can this redirect me and my story?”
Here are some ways that rejectors have pushed me to redirect my story positively:
I’ve taken a stand for independent publishing/authors
I’ve learned how to build savings more quickly to invest in myself
I’ve learned how to manage an LLC and a team of contractors
I’ve learned new publishing and advertising software
I’ve retained creative control over a brand-new concept
When there’s nobody in the stands, I’ve learned how to show up for myself in faith
I can’t imagine getting through this project without having to take those turns. Redirection that was initially just rejection. All of it is such a blessing.
3. Your fate doesn’t rule your identity.
I’ve struggled immensely with feeling like my identity correlates with my project’s success. If my novel doesn’t get X amount of preorders or X amount of reviews: have I failed? If that’s my mindset, I have already defeated myself.
Think back to our conversation: What Are We Willing to Struggle For? I have had to remind myself that when I face a problem, I must ask myself, “Is this worth struggling for?” If the answer is yes, then my identity is not at stake. I’m acting in alignment with my truest self no matter what fate has to throw at me next.
This question serves as a metric for another question I ask myself: “Am I living a story worth telling?” If I’m willing to struggle with my problems, the answer is likely yes. When it comes to an epic story, legacy, or journey, there is no satisfaction without a grueling struggle. Fate will knock us down a hundred times. But, that is no metric to judge yourself on. It’s not how many times we stood up. Instead, it’s how many times you said, “That was worth it. And so am I.”
Okay…You’ve Been Summoned!!!
Now onto the fun stuff - my interactive mystery novel is out everywhere today! (Think Lucy Foley meets Hunt A Killer games) If you’d like to support me or learn more, I’ve included some links down here. I couldn’t be happier that you’re a reader of mine. It truly means the whole world that we’re getting to celebrate here today.
Links:
I love you readers SO much & hope this book is such a fun escape within your day-to-day life. Our adventures together are everything to me. Cheers to sharing another one, because you’ve officially been summoned. :)
(PS: Keep me posted on how good a detective you are!)
-linds
Happy pub day! So excited for you :)
Great Love the book