Let’s get clear about clarity! Clarity in writing is one of those ideas we take for granted – of course, good writing is “clear.” But what does that mean? In this week’s episode, Liz and Ariel chat with Mara Eller, writing teacher and editor, about how to achieve clarity in your writing. Mara teaches that clarity is about how you communicate your ideas with the reader – and so you have to start by clarifying those ideas.

Connect with Mara on Instagram @mara.eller.

Learn more about Mara’s work and register for her new class, “The Soul and Science of Great Writing” here: https://www.maraeller.com/classes.

Register for our May Map Your Book cohort now!

It’s human nature to want to share our stories and seek connection after we’ve been through hard times. That’s plenty reason to write your memoir!

But sometimes memoir can stretch beyond even the bounds of our personal experiences to become a force for good in the world.

That’s what we see in Mark Daley’s debut memoir, Safe, which is about his and his husband’s journey through foster care. In this episode, we talk about the decisions Mark made to keep his family and his foster kids (and their families) safe, and how he’s hoping this memoir will make a difference for all kids in foster care.

Learn more about Mark on his website here and order Safe: A Memoir of Fatherhood, Foster Care, and the Risks We Take for Family today!

If you’re interested in becoming a foster parent, you can learn more through Mark’s organization, The Foster Parent.

And if you’re interested in joining the Hungry Authors Map Your Book cohort in May, learn more here.

Meg Geisewite’s book, Intoxicating Lies, is one of our favorite examples of a “teaching memoir“: a book that blends memoir with prescriptive nonfiction. It’s a tricky balance to achieve, as we discuss in today’s podcast – but Meg pulls it off beautifully! Moreover, when Meg started writing, she had little experience as a professional writer – she just had a story to tell. Pretty soon, however, she found that her story was an inspiration to others and it has led to a social media community, speaking at conferences, coaching others, and starting a new writing community for other women in similar circumstances. For Meg, a book was just the beginning!

Read Intoxicating Lies: One Woman’s Journey to Freedom From Gray-Area Drinking.

Follow Meg on Instagram @intoxicatingliesbook.

Join the Write Back to You Community.

Also, register for the May Map Your Book cohort right here!

Writing a book is not for the faint of heart! Gala Jackson, career coach and author of Courage, Clarity, & Confidence (Wiley, 2024), knows that first-hand. She faced numerous challenges while writing her book, but she never let them deter her or blur her vision. She’s modeling the message of her book – showing up for herself, her family, and her writing with courage, clarity, and confidence.

Gala Jackson is passionate about helping women stand in the power of their femininity. As an accomplished, executive career and leadership development coach, she works with domestic and international women to redefine and take ownership of their success. She empowers women to discover and live in alignment with the strongest, boldest, most courageous version of themselves. She is the author of the book, Courage, Clarity, and Confidence: Redefine Success and the Way You Work which released in January 2024. Her expertise has appeared in the TED global series The Way We Work with more than 1.5 million views, a local TEDx series, and in globally recognized publications such as the New York Times, Marie Claire, Essence, Huffington Post, and Millie magazine. Gala holds a master’s degree in educational leadership, and a bachelor of fine arts degree in communication. She is a certified executive and leadership development coach, a certified career management coach, and a certified life coach.

Join Gala’s NEW online career community for women: https://courage-clarity-confidence-community.mn.co

Connect with Gala weekly on her blog: https://courageclarityconfidence.substack.com/

Visit Gala online: www.galajackson.com www.courageclarityconfidence.com.

Sign up for the Hungry Authors Map Your Book cohort at mapyourbook.com.

What’s it like to get a book deal with a Big 5 publisher? Lori Melton is a spiritual director and soon-to-be author with the largest publisher in the U.S. In this episode, we talk with Lori about her journey – but most importantly about the incredible idea that she pitched and which found a home in just the right place. Listen and you just might find yourself inspired to take a closer walk with one of your spiritual giants!

Lori G Melton is a Spiritual Director and Retreat Leader with a life-long passion for walking with God and fostering opportunities for others to grow in their relationship with Him. She and her husband, Bryan, are the founders and directors of The Sanctuary at Bear Creek Retreat Center in Allegan, Michigan, the Sanctuary Stirrings Podcast, the proud parents of 5 sons and one daughter, and Nana and Papa to two adorable grands. Lori was born and raised in Niagara Falls, New York (yes, one of the seven wonders of the world), played competitive badminton in high school (don’t laugh it is a sport), and is the other half of a twin sister combination. After dreaming about writing for 30 years while she raised her family, the door finally opened during the COVID crisis in 2020. In January of 2021, she began her first book, Journey with a Giant, Find Your Guide, Fulfill Your Purpose: A One-Year Adventure, and has been offered a contract with one of the top five publishers with a book release date of Fall 2025! Thesanctuaryatbearcreek.com.

This week we are sharing an episode that was originally recorded for The Profitable Writer podcast with our friend Kent Sanders. In it, we take you behind the scenes into our lives as freelance ghostwriters and book professionals. This is an honest look at how we make money, how we decide what projects to take on, and what our future goals are. If you want to make a living as a writer, this episode will give you a realistic idea of what that might be like!

Kent Sanders is the founder of Inkwell Ghostwriting, which helps leaders grow their business through books and other content. He is also the author and co-author of numerous books, including 18 Words to Live By: A Father’s Wisdom on What Matters Most and co-author of The Faith of Elvis: A Story Only a Brother Can Tell with Billy Stanley, Elvis Presley’s stepbrother. In addition to writing books for himself and his clients, Kent loves to help other writers. He is the host of the Profitable Writer podcast and the founder of the Profitable Writer community, a membership group that helps writers grow their businesses.

Ariel’s newsletter: Notes from the Editor

Listen to the Profitable Writer and join the community here!

Continuing our conversation around publicity, this week Liz & Ariel chat with Kathleen Schmidt, long-time publishing executive and founder of KMSPR, about engaging authentically in online spaces. We talk about connecting with readers on Substack and TikTok, and how to balance sharing your personal life with maintaining your “brand.”

To read Kathleen’s incredible Substack, visit Publishing Confidential and sign up today.

As the Founder and CEO of Kathleen Schmidt Public Relations, Kathleen is a well-respected voice in book publishing with in-depth experience in all aspects of the industry, including as a publicist, literary agent, acquisitions editor, and ghostwriter.

Her career encompasses 30 years of creating and directing impactful and strategic global media, marketing, and branding campaigns for politicians, A-List celebrities, athletes, and high-profile personalities.

To date, she has worked on 50 New York Times bestsellers, and her clients have continuously appeared in top-tier national print, broadcast, and radio outlets such as The Today Show, Good Morning America, Vogue, Elle, Financial Times, Vanity Fair, GQ, and Sirius XM.

Schmidt, who learned to read when she was four, comes from a family of voracious readers. Inspired by the legendary book editor Jackie Kennedy Onassis, she purposely focused on obtaining a position in book publishing.

Her fast-growing Substack newsletter, Publishing Confidential, shares her wealth of inside knowledge that she hopes will help demystify the book industry. Married with two children, she resides in New Jersey.

If you’re looking forward to publishing a book someday – like we are! – this conversation with Leah Paulos will give you some practical ideas about where to start and how to maximize your efforts to market your book. We talk about the difference between marketing & publicity, when to start thinking about promotion, how to plan for podcasts, and much more.

Leah Paulos, the Founder of Press Shop PR and Book Publicity School, has worked at the intersection of books and media for over 20 years. Twice named a top PR firm by the Observer, Press Shop has worked on a wide range of titles, including MARCH by Rep. John Lewis, ON TYRANNY by Timothy Snyder, and on books by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Neil deGrasse Tyson, James Kirchick, and Pulitzer-finalists Samuel Freedman and Louise Aronson. Leah began her career as a magazine editor at Condé Nast, then worked as a freelance writer for dozens of national magazines before moving into book publicity in 2006 and launching Press Shop in 2012. She graduated from Cornell University in 1998, and lives in Brooklyn with her husband and 2 boys.

This week, Liz & Ariel chat with Morgan Strehlow, an up & coming literary agent who is actively looking for authors! We talk about her unique background in sports, ghostwriting book proposals and manuscripts, and now representing other authors in their search to be published. Morgan loves working with hungry authors – partly because she’s a hungry agent herself! Hungry agents (and editors) are aspiring to bigger things and are looking for the yet-to-be-discovered, talented writers who will help boost their careers as well. They’re looking for authors they believe they can sell – even if they have small to no platforms. Listen for more about what Morgan’s looking for in an author!

Morgan Strehlow is an associate literary agent at The Bindery Agency, where she represents both fiction and non-fiction authors. After spending the first decade of her career as a communication strategist in the sports industry, Morgan pivoted into publishing as a freelance writer, literary editor, creative collaborator, and certified book coach. Morgan lives in Central Pennsylvania with her husband and son. You can connect with Morgan through her Substack newsletter, Writing Is A Team Sport, at morganstrehlow.substack.com.

When you become an author, you don’t get a handbook to guide you through the intricacies of how to do this job well. There’s not even a comprehensive job description! Many first-time authors feel totally mystified at what to expect and stumble their way through the process. Courtney Maum has written the book that should be your handbook, though: Before and After the Book Deal. In this conversation, we chat about what authors don’t know about publishing and how to think about your career as a writer. Courtney shares about her unique background and experience in publishing, from her career as a luxury product namer, copywriter, and author across multiple genres!

Courtney is the author of five books, including the groundbreaking publishing guide that Vanity Fair recently named one of the ten best books for writers, BEFORE AND AFTER THE BOOK DEAL and the memoir THE YEAR OF THE HORSES, chosen by The Today Show as the best read for mental health awareness. A writing coach, executive director of the Turning Points writing retreat, and educator, Courtney’s mission is to help people hold on to the joy of art-making in a culture obsessed with turning artists into brands. You can sign up for her publishing tips newsletter and online masterclasses at CourtneyMaum.com.