The Author Burnout Cure

If you’ve ever wondered if a certain marketing tactic is “worth it?” you’ll want to check out this episode.

Publishing is an unpredictable industry. The most common answer to you’ll hear from publishing pros and authors with a few books under their belts is “it depends.”

So, how do you decide whether something is worth your time or energy? In today’s episode, I walk you through a few examples of how I personally make these decisions for myself and how I help my clients determine if a plan is worth it for them.

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If you’re ready to enjoy writing again, meet deadlines without burnout, and build the confidence to handle every plot twist publishing throws your way, I can help.

Click here to join the waitlist for the January 2027 class of The Confident Author Academy.

Click here to learn more about private coaching for authors and schedule a free consultation.

Looking for even more author advice? Sign up for my twice-monthly newsletter, Real Talk for Writers, by clicking here.

If you’re feeling stuck in your career, it can be tempting to look to your past experiences for evidence that you can make a big leap. But unless you’ve already done the thing you dream of doing, you’re not going to find anything helpful in your past.

Unless you know how to mine your past experiences for inspiration, you’re likely to end up feeling disillusioned and defeated. Afterall, if you’ve published four books but none of them  have been a bestseller, what makes you think number five will do any better?

In this episode, I’m breaking down the ways authors tend to use their past against themselves, how to mine your past for inspiration instead, and how to envision a future self that helps you grow into the author you want to be.

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If you’re ready to enjoy writing again, meet deadlines without burnout, and build the confidence to handle every plot twist publishing throws your way, I can help.

Click here to join the waitlist for the January 2027 class of The Confident Author Academy.

Click here to learn more about private coaching for authors and schedule a free consultation.

Looking for even more author advice? Sign up for my twice-monthly newsletter, Real Talk for Writers, by clicking here.

I love a good writing retreat. The temporary reprive from the responsibilities of normal life and the chance to put all your brain power on a single project can make writing retreats incredibly prolific periods of time.

On the flip side, writing retreats can also be a chance to slow down, connect with other authors, and refill your creative well.

Whichever type of writing retreat you’re looking for, setting intentions and tiered goals will help you make the most of your time away. On the eve leaving for my 4th writing retreat of the year, I’m walking you through how I prep to have a successful retreat experience.

PS - If you haven’t already picked up a copy of With All My Haunted Heart, you can grab your copy here!

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If you’re ready to enjoy writing again, meet deadlines without burnout, and build the confidence to handle every plot twist publishing throws your way, I can help.

Click here to learn more about private coaching for authors and schedule a free consultation.

Looking for even more author advice? Sign up for my twice-monthly newsletter, Real Talk for Writers, by clicking here.

Creative joy is the cornerstone of a sustainable author career, but that doesn’t mean every single day (or every single writing session) needs to be 100% bliss in order to be successful and avoid burnout.

Sometimes, when life is hard, you’re particularly tired, or publishing just delivered you an unwanted plot twist, it can feel impossible to go all the way from dread to delight.

Here’s the good news: you don’t have to feel creative joy, excitement, or inspiration every time you sit down to work on your book.

There is a whole spectrum of useful emotions available to you on the days joy feels impossible, and I’m sharing some of my favorites with you today with tips on how to access them.

PS - If you haven’t already picked up a copy of With All My Haunted Heart, you can grab your copy here!

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If you’re ready to enjoy writing again, meet deadlines without burnout, and build the confidence to handle every plot twist publishing throws your way, I can help.

Click here to learn more about private coaching for authors and schedule a free consultation.

Looking for even more author advice? Sign up for my twice-monthly newsletter, Real Talk for Writers, by clicking here.

I see a lot of authors stressing about AI. Will it replace authors? Will it become good enough to fully mimic what we do? Will the amount of AI slop on Amazon make it impossible for our books to be seen by readers?

Are we all doomed??

So this week, I’m sharing how I keep the AI conversations from negatively impacting my writing, why I believe that AI will never replace us, and how I continue to protect my creative joy.

And if you haven’t already picked up a copy of With All My Haunted Heart, you can grab your copy here!

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If you’re ready to enjoy writing again, meet deadlines without burnout, and build the confidence to handle every plot twist publishing throws your way, I can help.

Click here to learn more about private coaching for authors and schedule a free consultation.

Looking for even more author advice? Sign up for my twice-monthly newsletter, Real Talk for Writers, by clicking here.

Releasing a book is a big deal, but without a plan for how you’ll celebrate the moment, it’s easy to end up feeling disappointed by the experience.

So today, in honor of With All My Haunted Heart being out now (you can grab your copy here!), I’m sharing 4 categories of release week rituals–along with plenty of examples for each–so you can fully enjoy releasing your book.

As an added bonus, I got permission to share the first chapter of With All My Haunted Heart’s audiobook, so you can get a sneak peek of the book! You can get the audiobook here.

Audio excerpted with permission of Penguin Random House Audio from WITH ALL MY HAUNTED HEART by Isabel Sterling, read by Jeremy Carlisle Parker. Isabel Sterling ℗ 2026 Penguin Random House, LLC. All rights reserved.

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If you’re ready to enjoy writing again, meet deadlines without burnout, and build the confidence to handle every plot twist publishing throws your way, I can help.

Click here to learn more about private coaching for authors and schedule a free consultation.

Looking for even more author advice? Sign up for my twice-monthly newsletter, Real Talk for Writers, by clicking here.

For the final installment of this craft chat series, I spoke with award-winning author Sonido Reyes, who writes YA and adult novels that celebrate queer Mexican stories.

His next YA release, To Our Untamed Core, is available for preorder now and releases September 22nd!

You can learn more about Sonido and all of his books on his website or follow them on IG @sonidoreyes

PS - With All My Haunted Heart comes out next week! You can preorder here.

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If you’re ready to enjoy writing again, meet deadlines without burnout, and build the confidence to handle every plot twist publishing throws your way, I can help.

Click here to learn more about private coaching for authors and schedule a free consultation.

Looking for even more author advice? Sign up for my twice-monthly newsletter, Real Talk for Writers, by clicking here.

Our craft chats series continues with the wonderful and fabulous Julian Winters!

Julian is an award-winning, bestselling author of books for teens and adults, including his latest YA novel: Find My Way Down to You! Julian and I talked about writing grief into books, got nerdy about planning/organizing stories, and dreamed about the future of queer romcoms.

You can learn more about Julian’s books on his website or follow him on IG @wintersjulian

PS - With All My Haunted Heart comes out in 2 weeks! You can preorder here.

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If you’re ready to enjoy writing again, meet deadlines without burnout, and build the confidence to handle every plot twist publishing throws your way, I can help.

Click here to learn more about private coaching for authors and schedule a free consultation.

Looking for even more author advice? Sign up for my twice-monthly newsletter, Real Talk for Writers, by clicking here.

For this week’s craft chat, I spoke with agent sibling, friend, and an all-around incredible author, Taylor Hartley.

Taylor is the author of Song of the Hell Witch, which has one of my favorite audiobooks of all time. The sequel, Dance of the Dark Mother, is due out October 16th.

Learn more about Taylor and all their upcoming projects on their website or follow them on IG @tmhartleywrites

PS - With All My Haunted Heart comes out in 3 weeks! You can preorder here.

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If you’re ready to enjoy writing again, meet deadlines without burnout, and build the confidence to handle every plot twist publishing throws your way, I can help.

Click here to learn more about private coaching for authors and schedule a free consultation.

Looking for even more author advice? Sign up for my twice-monthly newsletter, Real Talk for Writers, by clicking here.

For this week’s craft chat discussion, I had the great pleasure to speak with Alex London.

Alex is the author of more than 30 books (yes, 30!) for children, teens, and adults – including the award-winning middle grade series, Battle Dragons.

You can learn more about Alex and his work on his website, or you can follow him on Instagram @alexander_london

PS - With All My Haunted Heart comes out in 4 weeks! You can preorder here.

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If you’re ready to enjoy writing again, meet deadlines without burnout, and build the confidence to handle every plot twist publishing throws your way, I can help.

Click here to learn more about private coaching for authors and schedule a free consultation.

Looking for even more author advice? Sign up for my twice-monthly newsletter, Real Talk for Writers, by clicking here.