Hungry Authors

If you’ve read Hungry Authors, then you know that we use James Clear’s Atomic Habits as a consistent example throughout the book, because it’s been one of the top selling books of the last decade and it so perfectly exemplifies many of the lessons we teach here. Well – today we have the honor of chatting with Blake Atwood, one of the editors who worked on an early draft of Atomic Habits! We ask him all of our questions about the book’s development: Was there a book map? Did James think about his Transformation Tale? What did the planning process look like?

Blake shares several fantastic lessons about James Clear’s writing journey that prescriptive nonfiction writers can apply to their own process, like:

Links mentioned in this conversation:

Blake Atwood partners with nonfiction authors to craft life-changing books. He was an early developmental editor on Atomic Habits. More recently, he worked with Jefferson Fisher as a book coach for his upcoming release with Penguin Random House. You may learn more—or inquire about working with him—at BlakeAtwood.com.

Jennifer Louden is a national bestselling author and writing coach who specializes in helping aspiring women writers claim their big ideas and put them into writing. In this episode, Jen helps us understand what makes a Big Idea “big” and how our ideas have to be shaped and honed with careful work and mining. Women especially often struggle to claim the fullness of their ideas. Jen is an expert in women’s empowerment and helping us all believe in our ideas while doing the necessary work to make them even better. In this conversation we also touch on platform and how to build an authentic community around your ideas.

JENNIFER LOUDEN wanted to be Harriet the Spy when she was eight, an enlightened master when she was twelve, and a brilliant comedy writer when she was twenty-two. She penned her bestseller, The Woman’s Comfort Book, after her first why bother time. She’s the author of seven additional books including The Woman’s Retreat Book and The Life Organizer. She has inspired millions of women through her books, her retreats and workshops, and her blog, but probably not her fashion sense and certainly not her cooking. You can learn more about Jen and her work at https://jenniferlouden.com/.

Many thanks to our sponsor, Goldshlag Designs!

This episode is an absolute must-listen for those who want to write a must-read! Today, Liz & Ariel sit down (virtually) with AJ Harper to talk about how to design a book that engages readers from page one, leads them on an intuitive journey, and delivers a powerful transformation that’s even better than they imagined. The three of us share our best practices for thinking about who your reader is, mapping your book, and even editing the manuscript once your first draft is complete. It’s always a treat for us to meet like-minded book pros, and AJ is one of our absolute favorites!

Be sure to grab AJ’s book, Write a Must-Read: Craft a Book That Changes Lives – Including Your Own to find her pre-writing questions and the editing process she talks about in this episode.

AJ Harper is an editor and publishing strategist who helps authors write transformational books that enable them to build readership, grow their brand, and make a significant impact on the world. As ghostwriter and as developmental editor, she has worked with hundreds of authors,
from newbies to New York Times bestselling authors with millions of books sold. AJ teaches her method in Top Three Book Workshop and the Must-Read Editing Workshop. She is a Partner and Head Writing Coach for Heroic Public Speaking, the premier speaker training program created
by Michael and Amy Port. She is writing partner to business author, Mike Michalowicz. Together they’ve written ten books, including Profit First. AJ is the author of Write a Must-Read: Craft a Book That Changes Lives–Including Your Own. Connect with her at https://ajharper.com.

What exactly is “creative nonfiction”? Today we discuss this question with a writer who’s built his writing career on this sometimes debatable, somewhat elusive term: Brendan O’Meara, host of the Creative Nonfiction Podcast. Brendan says that “creative nonfiction” is a big umbrella, encompassing journalism, narrative nonfiction, personal essay, memoir, documentary films, and so much more. Brendan himself is in the process of writing a biography of legendary runner Steve Prefontaine, so he shares from his own experience about how (logistically) to do the massive amounts of research often required for creative nonfiction and how to build another world – even a past or present real one – for the reader. In creative nonfiction, the challenge is often finding or making meaning from true events, and Brendan shares the lessons he’s learned about Steve Prefontaine and about how we can all find lessons from the lives we witness.

Brendan O’Meara is a journalist and author and host of The Creative Nonfiction Podcast, the show where he speaks to writers, producers, and filmmakers about the art of telling true stories. Come 2025, his biography on the legendary Oregon runner Steve Prefontaine will be published by Mariner Books. He’s not on social media, so he encourages you to head over to brendanomeara.com and sign up for his Rage Against the Algorithm newsletter for creative insights, recommendations, and a way to find a more intentional life online.

A large part of what we do at Hungry Authors is help to set authors’ expectations around what it’s actually like to write and publish a book. That’s also what Terry Whalin does in his practical, candid book 10 Publishing Myths: Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed. In this episode, Terry shares the myths and misconceptions that many authors hold about publishing – like around what it’s like to market a book, and what a traditional publisher does for you – so that you can move forward with publishing your book feeling confident and knowledgeable throughout the process.

W. Terry Whalin understands both sides of the editorial desk–as an editor and a writer. He worked as a magazine editor and his magazine work has appeared in more than 50 publications. A former literary agent, Terry is an Acquisitions Editor at Morgan James Publishing.

He has written more than 60 books through traditional publishers in a wide range of topics from children’s books to biographies to co-authored books. Several of Terry’s books have sold over 100,000 copies. Terry’s book, 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS: INSIGHTS EVERY AUTHOR NEEDS TO SUCCEED (Morgan James Publishing) is his latest book. His one of his most recent books is BILLY GRAHAM, A BIOGRAPHY OF AMERICA’S GREATEST EVANGELIST (Morgan James Publishing). Also Terry has an innovative online training course to help authors effectively connect with literary agents and editors called Write A Book Proposal. Terry is a popular speaker and teacher at numerous writers’ conferences and an active member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. He lives in Southern California and has an active following on twitter.

Thank you to our sponsor, Goldshlag Design! Work with Michelle to get beautiful graphics for entrepreneurial women with busy lives.

If you haven’t got your copy of Hungry Authors, pick it up wherever books are sold!

Welcome to Season 4 of the Hungry Authors podcast! We’re kicking off this fall season with a deep soul exploration into the beliefs that hold us back with beloved author and writing teacher Robin Finn. Robin’s book, Heart. Soul. Pen., is full of the soul care writing wisdom that all of us need to tackle our fears and rewrite the limiting beliefs that are holding us back. In this episode, Robin gives Ariel & Liz a bit of book therapy and offers all listeners the advice we need to make progress in our writing lives.

Robin Finn MPH, MA, is an award-winning writer, teacher, and author of the new book, Heart. Soul. Pen.: Find Your Voice on the Page and in Your Life (Morehouse Publishing, April 30, 2024). Her work has appeared in national and international press, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and more. She teaches at the esteemed UCLA Extension Writer’s Program and is a cum laude graduate of UCLA. Robin holds master’s degrees in public health from Columbia University and in spiritual psychology from the University of Santa Monica. She lives in Los
Angeles with her family where she writes about midlife, spirituality, the creative process, and finding inner peace (sort of). She is a longtime
advocate for children with ADHD and learning differences. Find her at www.robinfinn.com.

Robin is also one of the speakers in our Hungry Authors & Friends webinar series, happening now! Sign up here to get the replay of Robin’s talk on Writing Your First Draft and get notified about our next webinar with Ally Fallon!

Thank you to our sponsor, Goldshlag Design! Work with Michelle to get beautiful graphics for entrepreneurial women with busy lives.

If you haven’t got your copy of Hungry Authors, pick it up wherever books are sold!

This week, we’re chatting with our friend Merideth Hite Estevez, founder and author of Artists for Joy, about the resistance we’ve been feeling during book launch. This is the part most authors dread – marketing is often harder than writing it! We’re definitely feeling that right now. Merideth offers us some helpful reframes to approach book launching with more authenticity and connection, and walks us through everything that she’s been doing to launch her book. We also talk about the value of in-person events and how to make book launch events (book signings, a book tour, etc.) doable even for busy authors!

About Merideth

Dr. Merideth Hite Estevez is a creative catalyst, inviting all to the joy of creative expression through her writing, coaching, and performing. As an oboist, Merideth has performed with top orchestras in the US and abroad and has served on faculties of numerous universities and schools of music, most recently as Associate Professor of Oboe at the University of Delaware.

She has been a featured speaker at Google, Longy School of Music, ShePodcasts LIVE, Hope*writers, Music Institute of Chicago, and more. As a coach, she has helped thousands of artists overcome creative block through her popular online creative recovery clusters and has served as an executive coach for all types of arts leaders, from major museum directors to deans of conservatories and art schools.

Merideth’s award-winning podcast, Artists for Joy, is currently in the top 1.5% of podcasts worldwide, and her first book, The Artist’s Joy: A Guide to Getting Unstuck, Embracing Imperfection, and Loving Your Creative Life, debuted at No. 1 in the Creativity category on Audible and held as the No. 2 New Release in Creativity on Amazon for multiple days during launch week.

Since moving to Metro-Detroit, she has performed as a featured artist with Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Ann Arbor Symphony, Lansing Symphony, and Oakland Symphony. She enjoys sharing her gifts bi-monthly at Kirk in the Hills Presbyterian Church as oboist-in-residence.

When she’s not playing oboe or writing, Merideth enjoys drinking matcha lattes and running. She hails from Abbeville, SC, but now lives in Bloomfield Hills, MI, with her husband, Rev. Edwin Estevez, daughter Eva, and son Eli.

Learn more and get a copy of Merideth’s book here.

Thank you to our sponsor!

This episode is sponsored by Goldshlag Design. Work with Michelle to get beautiful graphics for entrepreneurial women with busy lives.

Last Tuesday – August 6, 2024 – was the official publication day for Hungry Authors! Our friend Merideth Hite Estevez (who’s been on the show before) offered to host a virtual book toast for us to celebrate the occasion. If you weren’t able to make it live, here is the replay of the book toast. And in another episode we’ll answer additional questions that were sent to us about our experience writing and publishing Hungry Authors. Enjoy!

Listen to our previous episode with Merideth Hite Estevez: Episode 19: “Reframing Rejection with Merideth Hite Estevez”

Thank you to our sponsor, Goldshlag Design! Work with Michelle to get beautiful graphics for entrepreneurial women with busy lives.

If you haven’t got your copy of Hungry Authors, pick it up wherever books are sold!

In honor of the publication of Hungry Authors: The Indispensable Guide to Planning, Writing, and Publishing a Nonfiction Book, we are proud to bring you an excerpt from the audiobook (published by Oasis Media) – “Introduction: Welcome to the Club.” In this excerpt, you’ll learn more about us, Liz & Ariel, and understand the transformation that’s in store for you inside the book. We want to lead by example, so hopefully this Introduction sets your expectations well and gets you excited about starting your journey to your own nonfiction book! Enjoy.

Many thanks to Oasis Media for allowing us to bring you this excerpt.

Join the Virtual Book Toast on August 6, 2024 from 3-3:30p ET on Zoom by clicking this link.

Thanks to our sponsor, Goldshlag Design! Elevate your brand and simplify your life with streamlined digital design services for women entrepreneurs.

What is it like to publish your book with a traditional publisher? In this episode, we take you behind the scenes with our very own editor at Rowman & Littlefield/Bloomsbury, Christen Karniski! Christen is in the business of publishing hungry authors (literally – Hungry Authors the book and hungry authors like all of us!). She makes decisions every day about what proposals move forward for consideration by the editorial board and which ones don’t. This week, we’re chatting with Christen about Hungry Authors the book and also about how Hungry Authors can pitch their books to publishers like Rowman & Littlefield!

Christen Karniski is the executive acquisitions editor for sports and recreation, parenting, and YA nonfiction at Rowman & Littlefield/Bloomsbury. Learn more about Christen and what she’s looking for in this interview with Publishers Weekly.

If you’re looking for help with your design needs, contact Michelle Goldshlag for more beautiful visuals to share with your audience. Visit goldshlagdesign.com for more info.

Just one week left to preorder Hungry Authors: The Indispensable Guide to Planning, Writing, and Publishing a Nonfiction Book! Order it wherever books are sold and head to hungryauthors.com to claim your preorder bonuses.