The Author Burnout Cure

By Isabel SterlingBusiness Education Arts Books Self-Improvement Careers

The Author Burnout Cure episodes

October 15, 2025 188. How to Excel at Writing IP with Tess Sharpe
If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to build a career writing IP, this interview with Tess Sharpe is a must-listen! (And if you have no idea what IP is, I also recommend checking out this episode!)
Tess is a NYT bestselling author and has written all sorts of IP projects, including in the Jurassic World, Marvel, and DC universes. She shares her wealth of wisdom about breaking into the world of writing IP, balancing writing original books with IP work, and what skills are essential to become the kind of reliable writer IP editors hire again and again.
You can follow Tess on Instagram or subscribe to her newsletter here.
Check out Tess’s latest IP release – White Widow: Secret Sisters and her most recent original novel No Body No Crime.
***
The publishing industry is hard. That's why I created The Confident Author Academy. My 6-month coaching program (+ online course) helps you build the mindset & emotional resilience you need to thrive as an author. To learn more and get on the waitlist for when spots open again, go to http://www.isabelsterling.com/academy
Looking for even more author advice and notifications about upcoming workshops? Sign up for my weekly Real Talk for Writers newsletter by clicking here.
DM me on Instagram & let me know what you thought of this episode!
1 hr 9 min
October 08, 2025187. Navigating a Hybrid Author Career with Rebecca Thorne
For the second episode in our two-part series about being a hybrid author, the wonderful and fabulous Rebecca Thorne joined me on the podcast to share the wisdom and business savvy she’s gained throughout her hybrid publishing career. We talked about:
Diversifying income streams
Paying attention to trends & listening to your readers
Settling in for the long-game and growing your writing craft
The negotiating power of being able to walk away from a bad deal
And more!
You can learn more about Rebecca and her books (she has two new titles out in 2025!) on her website and on Instagram.

***

The publishing industry is hard. That's why I created The Confident Author Academy. My 6-month coaching program (+ online course) helps you build the mindset & emotional resilience you need to thrive as an author. To learn more and get on the waitlist for when spots open again, go to http://www.isabelsterling.com/academy

Looking for even more author advice and notifications about upcoming workshops? Sign up for my weekly Real Talk for Writers newsletter by clicking here.

DM me on Instagram & let me know what you thought of this episode!
1 hr 1 min
October 01, 2025186. Balancing Trad & Indie Publishing with Stephanie Burgis
For the first episode of a two-part series about being a hybrid author, I have the wonderful and talented Stephanie Burgis on the podcast to talk about her journey of starting with traditional publishing and adding indie titles to the mix. We talked about:
Diversifying your author income streams
How to decide whether a project should be trad or indie
The creative and logistical benefits of writing novellas
Building a Patreon community that doesn’t add a ton of work to your plate
And more!
You can learn more about Stephanie (and her fabulous books!) on her website, Instagram, and Patreon.
***
The publishing industry is hard. That's why I created The Confident Author Academy. My 6-month coaching program (+ online course) helps you build the mindset & emotional resilience you need to thrive as an author. To learn more and get on the waitlist for when spots open again, go to http://www.isabelsterling.com/academy
Looking for even more author advice and notifications about upcoming workshops? Sign up for my weekly Real Talk for Writers newsletter by clicking here.
DM me on Instagram & let me know what you thought of this episode!
52 min
September 24, 2025 185. Career Planning & Big Pivots with Literary Agent Danielle Burby
Today marks the beginning of a 5-part interview series with all sorts of incredible authors and industry pros! I am so thrilled to kick things off with this fabulous interview with my literary agent, and the founder of Mad Woman Literary Agency, Danielle Burby!
Danielle and I focused our conversation on post-debut and mid-career authors. So instead of the typical questions about how to query, we dive deep into strategic career planning, what to do when a book as a “challenging sales history,” how to make a big pivot to a new age category or genre, and so much more!
You can learn more about Danielle (and what she’s currently looking for in her query inbox) on the Mad Woman Literary Agency website. And don’t forget to follow the agency on Instagram!
***
The publishing industry is hard. That's why I created The Confident Author Academy. My 6-month coaching program (+ online course) helps you build the mindset & emotional resilience you need to thrive as an author. To learn more and get on the waitlist for when spots open again, go to http://www.isabelsterling.com/academy
Looking for even more author advice and notifications about upcoming workshops? Sign up for my weekly Real Talk for Writers newsletter by clicking here.
DM me on Instagram & let me know what you thought of this episode!
1 hr 13 min
September 17, 2025 184. When You Don't Meet Your Writing Goals
Have you set writing goals only to fall short of meeting them? Do you feel terrible when you don't achieve the writing milestones you set? If so, this week's episode is for you. I walk through the goals that I didn't meet from the summer, explore various reasons why I didn't meet those goals, and learn from that experience to set more useful goals going forward.
***
The publishing industry is hard. That's why I created The Confident Author Academy. My 6-month coaching program (+ online course) helps you build the mindset & emotional resilience you need to thrive as an author. To learn more and get on the waitlist for when spots open again, go to http://www.isabelsterling.com/academy
Looking for even more author advice and notifications about upcoming workshops? Sign up for my weekly Real Talk for Writers newsletter by clicking here.
DM me on Instagram & let me know what you thought of this episode!
25 min
September 10, 2025 183. Getting Unstuck (Creatively & Professionally)
If you’re feeling stuck in your author career, one of the best things you can do is learn to ask yourself better questions.
Most of us get stuck when our brains latch onto stories that lead to dead ends. “Nothing is working” or “I’ve tried everything” or “why the heck can’t I sell another book????” all end with you feeling defeated, frustrated, and maybe even a bit hopeless.
In today’s episode, you’ll learn how to ask better questions so you can get unstuck and start moving forward in your career.
***
The publishing industry is hard. That's why I created The Confident Author Academy. My 6-month coaching program (+ online course) helps you build the mindset & emotional resilience you need to thrive as an author. To learn more and get on the waitlist for when spots open again, go to http://www.isabelsterling.com/academy
Looking for even more author advice and notifications about upcoming workshops? Sign up for my weekly Real Talk for Writers newsletter by clicking here.
DM me on Instagram & let me know what you thought of this episode!
25 min
September 03, 2025 182. Thirty Days to Better Confidence
Like writing, confidence is a skillset that you can build over time. It’s an emotional muscle, a mindset, that can speed up your writing progress, reduce stress, and make the day-to-day of your author career more enjoyable.
Dive in to this week’s episode to learn how confidence (or a lack thereof) affects your writing, what you can do to increase the confidence you have in your writing process and your overall author career. At the end of the episode, you’ll get instructions for a 30-day challenge that will improve your writing confidence in less than 5 minutes per day.
PS - I’m pressing pause on monthly workshops this quarter. You can access past workshop replays at http://www.isabelsterling.com/resources
***
The publishing industry is hard. That's why I created The Confident Author Academy. My 6-month coaching program (+ online course) helps you build the mindset & emotional resilience you need to thrive as an author. To learn more and get on the waitlist for when spots open again, go to http://www.isabelsterling.com/academy
Looking for even more author advice and notifications about upcoming workshops? Sign up for my weekly Real Talk for Writers newsletter by clicking here.
DM me on Instagram & let me know what you thought of this episode!
32 min
August 27, 2025 181. Other People's Expectations
“I don’t want to let anyone down.”
If you find yourself worried about disappointing people on your publishing team or falling short of their expectations, this podcast is for you. I’m breaking down why meeting expectations can feel so fraught in publishing, including what to do when those expectations are implied rather than explicitly laid out for you.
PS - I’m pressing pause on monthly workshops this quarter. You can access past workshop replays at http://www.isabelsterling.com/resources
***
The publishing industry is hard. That's why I created The Confident Author Academy. My 6-month coaching program (+ online course) helps you build the mindset & emotional resilience you need to thrive as an author. To learn more and get on the waitlist for when spots open again, go to http://www.isabelsterling.com/academy
Looking for even more author advice and notifications about upcoming workshops? Sign up for my weekly Real Talk for Writers newsletter by clicking here.
DM me on Instagram & let me know what you thought of this episode!
33 min
August 20, 2025 180. The Hidden Cost of Avoiding Your Book
Some books come out easily. They seem to flow from our brains to the page without much fuss. And some books… Well, some books are finicky and require all sorts of pivots, enduring false starts, and otherwise feeling less story stability while you work.
When you have one of those trickier books, your ability to continue showing up to the page despite a less-than-ideal process (rather than getting frustrated and avoiding the book altogether) makes a big difference in both how quickly the book comes together and how much you enjoy the process.
Today on the podcast, I’m breaking down how I manage to bring a sense of fun and play to stubborn projects and explore some of the less-obvious costs we pay when we avoid our books.
PS - I’m pressing pause on monthly workshops this quarter. You can access past workshop replays at http://www.isabelsterling.com/resources
***
The publishing industry is hard. That's why I created The Confident Author Academy. My 6-month coaching program (+ online course) helps you build the mindset & emotional resilience you need to thrive as an author. To learn more and get on the waitlist for when spots open again, go to http://www.isabelsterling.com/academy
Looking for even more author advice and notifications about upcoming workshops? Sign up for my weekly Real Talk for Writers newsletter by clicking here.
DM me on Instagram & let me know what you thought of this episode!
37 min
August 13, 2025 179. Writing as a Full-Time Author
You did it. You achieved the dream of being a full-time author. No more Day Job. No more micromanaging boss. No more putting on real clothes to go to an office outside the house.
Despite achieving this major milestone, many full-time authors find they still struggle with procrastination, skipped writing sessions, and end up burnt out after deadlines.
Today on the podcast, I’m breaking down three important steps to help full-time authors build a sustainable writing schedule… one that doesn’t require you to log 8 hours of writing each day.
Link to the NPR piece about the 40-hour work week mentioned in today’s episode.
PS - I’m pressing pause on monthly workshops this quarter. You can access past workshop replays at http://www.isabelsterling.com/resources
***
The publishing industry is hard. That's why I created The Confident Author Academy. My 6-month coaching program (+ online course) helps you build the mindset & emotional resilience you need to thrive as an author. To learn more and get on the waitlist for when spots open again, go to http://www.isabelsterling.com/academy
Looking for even more author advice and notifications about upcoming workshops? Sign up for my weekly Real Talk for Writers newsletter by clicking here.
DM me on Instagram & let me know what you thought of this episode!
36 min