The Author Burnout Cure

If your publisher rejected your option (aka they didn’t offer you another book deal), you’re not alone. And, most importantly, your career isn’t over.

That said, this kind of rejection can feel especially painful, so today on the podcast, I’m walking you through how to emotionally recover from an option rejection and then make powerful decisions about the next steps in your career.

IMPORTANT: The January class of The Confident Author Academy opens for enrollment next Monday, November 9, 2026!

If you’re ready to build a sustainable fiction career – one that you genuinely love – make sure you’re in this next class.

Join the waitlist here.

If you feel trapped in a vortex of “I must make this book succeed or else!!!” lately, you’re not alone.

Between the state of the world, the state of the publishing industry, and the nature of how long it takes to write, sell, and publish a book, it’s normal to feel an overwhelming pressure to make sure your next book succeeds.

But if you want to have a long career–an enjoyable–career, you need to think long-term. It’s not about making this book succeed. It’s about creating a work environment that makes it easier to get excited about writing the next book.

And the one after that, too.

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If you’re ready to build a sustainable author career that you love, 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’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.