Is This Fear Holding You Back From Getting Your Book Deal?

In a recent call for my Author Platform Builders incubator, my client Nicole admitted to something really scary. 

She asked, “What if I’m never ready to publish a book?”

There were at least 15 people on this call.

In that moment, every face changed. 

I saw fear, sadness, and then anticipation — of what I would say in return.

Y’all, I do not like crushing dreams. It is my least favorite thing about the work I do. I would rather clean my husband’s bidet than have a tough conversation with a hopeful author. 

But I also like to be honest. I strive to be optimistic while also acknowledging reality. So, I will tell you what I told the Author Platform Builders that day.

Never being ready is a possibility. And being ready is a possibility.

It’s (mostly) up to you.

There’s a saying that I have heard mindset coaches and spiritual advisors use. 

We exist at choice. 

And I have found that to be abundantly true. Each of us makes millions of choices every single day. Should I eat eggs for breakfast or a bagel? Should I write this email for my audience or handle the emails in my inbox? Should I spend the next 30 minutes hanging out with my husband or doing work? 

Over time, those choices shape what and who we become.

But it’s also not entirely up to us. 

I believe there’s also a universal force at work in each of our lives that is constantly shifting to match the energy of what we do. This energy can co-create with us, giving us opportunities to interact with people and events and even material things that can help us move faster toward what we want. And because we’re in constant co-creation with this energy, it can also direct us away from goals and dreams — because not everything we want is what’s meant for us.

In traditional publishing, the reality is that you might fail. (Most do).

But you also may succeed — because you exist at choice and get to choose what you do (and don’t) on a daily basis. And what I’ve seen, over and over again — with both bestselling authors and those who walk away from their dreams of becoming an author — is that those choices turn you in the direction that you’re meant to go.