Quick note: I decided to shift the Book Launch Committee's content into a newsletter format so you can read past posts, if interested. You can do so HERE.
The last time you heard from me (early-June 2025) I had just gotten off a wild ride. Do you want a quick synopsis? Your wish is my command.
I started writing my book on gentle habit formation for women assuming I'd self-publish--an intensive, but quick process. A kind friend and mentor called "B.S." and encouraged me to face my fears to pursue traditional publishing instead--a longer, but more credible and rewarding process.
So, I paused writing my book to draft a 50-page+ proposal instead. But, near the end of doing so I got an email out-of-the-blue from a small traditional publishing house who wanted to know if I had ever thought about writing a book. (Me: "You mean, this book??")
Long story short (warning: one long rambling paragraph and not good writing ahead): they offered me a book contract, I felt weirdly reticent to accept it right away, a writer friend told me to not sign on the dotted line until I got a literary agent, then I frantically did the work to secure one (yay!), and she immediately started balancing the tightrope of inquiring other publishing houses while negotiating my current offer without stringing them along.
At that time, I felt 50% certain this publisher would pull the offer thanks to how long I was taking to decide.
That's where I last updated you. A sort of "Duh, duh, duh!" if there ever was one; but maybe it only feels that dramatic because it happened to me. Here's what happened next: No other publisher pursued a contract with me.
Unfortunately, my agent didn't get offers from other publishing houses. That was a bit of a bummer because other bids would have served as an excellent touchstone to guage my original offer by, but I honestly didn't expect much because I tend to live by the adage, "Expect nothing. Always be pleasantly surprised." I never pretended to be an optimist.
With this update from my agent came all my inner critic's ridicules: "See?! Nobody cares. Your book will be dumb, dumb, dumb. Good luck making a joke of your life's work!"
When I asked my agent if this lack of interest destined my book to fail--a book already 50% complete, mind you--she responded in good cheer saying it was underestandable to have limited interest in me because I'm a first-time author with a fairly small online community. BUT, that signing with the reputable publisher already wanting to work with me and (hopefully) doing well with my sales would only open more doors in the future. She said she wasn't worried about this book, nor my potential writing career. I took her at her word and told the sneaky inner critic to take a hike.
It looked like we were officially safe to finalize my contract with the original publishing house, if they were still interested. Thankfully, they were. (Phew!) (Also, inner critic, "But, why though??") We went back and forth on a few things, and finally the contract was there in my inbox, waiting for me to sign.
I guess if you imagined this moment as a movie scene you'd see me in a sunny office with tears in my eyes, penning my gorgeous signature while a gentle breeze ruffles my luscious locks, slowly zooming in to my face shining with both hope and pride as I take it all in.
Instead, it looked like me sitting at my kitchen counter leaning over my laptop, squinting over tiny legal jargon I didn't entirely understand (this is why I got an agent!), grimacing while typing my name into a signature box, pressing "enter," then closing my laptop and shakily walking away wondering if I could possibly do right by this opportunity.
When you get a moment you have long-worked towards and desired (I've ALWAYS wanted to write a book), I think you'll be surprised both by how "everyday" and "paralyzing" that moment actually feels. I honestly did my best to push back on the Imposter Syndrome ringing in my mind and to celebrate. But mostly, I felt a sort of dread. Could I really pull this off? Now that it was official that I was publishing with a real bonafide pubisher, that they were going to pay me money, that they have expectations on how much I can sell and everything that must be done on my side to fulfill those expectations, things admittedly felt more heavy than exciting.
I suppose this is why I delayed making a formal announcement for over a month--it didn't feel real. Don't be hurt by my silence though; I haven't even talked about it with my friends or family. (If they're reading this, then "Surprise!") I suppose it's also why I found myself delaying my return back to actually writing. Suddenly, everything I had written so far seemed lacking. I seemed lacking. That sneaky self-doubt was back in my head, making me procrastinate doing the thing because I was now afraid of not doing the thing well.
Thankfully, I'm not an expert in perfectionism for nothing. I could see how my old patterns were rising up in pursuit of protecting me from potential judgment, from failure. I knew I could gently push myself to to do something to make momentum instead of waiting for my confidence to return. And I did that by making the goal to write absolute crap.
I know, I'm really selling this book already . . .
But, it's been working. Not only did I trick myself back into writing with just 20 minutes of "crappy" writing a day (my baseline habit!), with each chapter that I complete I feel a rising confidence return. And with it the hope that this book will do well, that it will change the lives of the women who get to read it for the better. I usually write for longer than that baseline I set for myself, and when I finesse and edit what I have completed, lo and behold it actually doesn't read like total crap.
Now, I'm 75% into writing the complete manuscript. The process feels less burdensome and more exciting. I'm easing into the initial enthusiasm I probably should have experienced while signing my contract, although the gentle breezes and luscious locks are nowhere to be found. I'm buying clothes that match the color of the cover I plan to insist on having, clothes I plan to wear for online and in-person book events I'm already planning, too.
(Side note: This is a risk because while I can have input, I don't have much control over what the cover will look like. I have plans on how to make my case, and it includes wearing this color to the formal cover meeting we're set to have in October and showing, not just telling, how essential it is to the marketing of this book. There may be a PowerPoint involved . . . Fingers crossed, both mine and my bank account's!)
So, with that rising certainty in myself and this book (plus the first payment on my advance now complete), I'm ready to dramatically declare who I am publishing with. And what do you know, their official Publishers Marketplace announcement incudes the title . . .
(Sorry, I don't know how to make this bigger. Click on it to read!)
With that offical announcement behind us, how about a few FAQs! (<<me pretending you've asked them)
Wait, so what's the title?
Happy Habits. (!!!!!) Can you guess the color I want now?
Also here's the subtitle, which I honestly have no idea if I should capitalize each word for and don't feel like googling to find out:
"a revolutionary blueprint for women to create life-giving habits that last"
Who is your publisher? Your literary agent?
My publisher is Jossey-Bass, a well-respected smaller traditional publishing house under the larger Wiley house.
They are most known for academic publishing like textbooks, manuals, and educational how-to's. Jossey-Bass is expanding into more of the commercial market, which is what I would classify my book under.
That desire is one of the biggest reasons why I wanted a literary agent, because it's important to me that Happy Habits (look at me, casually saying my book's name!) is on the bookshelves you easily see when walking into a bookstore--not the educational shelves typically tucked into a corner. Trinity, my agent at The Bindery, made that one of her primary goals in her work to ensure this is the right publisher for me.
My aquisition editor, Sam, is someone I've already enjoyed working with. He was both patient and persistent with me. I believe Sam shares in my vision for this book and who it serves. I'll always be grateful for however he found me and decided to take a chance on me.
I've also met the rest of my team, including my official Managing Editor (she seems lovely) and the Editorial Assisant (also, seems lovely). We had our first big meeting to get to know each other and to touch base on a few things: where I'm at in the writing process (thankfully, a good spot), the potential shifting of the publication date at my request (more on that later), and what is next.
I feel that I'm in good hands.
(Also, I think that was enough parentheses for one section.)
Do you wish you hadn't gotten an agent afterall?
Literary agents take a cut of your advance and your royalites, so I'm sure there are people who would think it was a giant mistake that I took all that time to essentially give someone else more of the cut of the offer that I already had in my pocket.
But honestly, I am SO glad I got an agent first.
It was a great comfort for me to know that going with my first offer was a good decision, thanks to Trinity's expertise in knowing the market and her relationships with publishing houses. Trinity was able to walk me through the negotiation process with more ease and certainty. She broke things down to me that I didn't understand--which was a lot, I can assure you. And she's now there for every book-related email and meeting I have from here on out to ensure that I'm being taken care of, and so is this book.
I am both certain and hopeful we'll nourish a professional relationship that will benefit us both for years to come. I truly feel that I have more books in me and having an agent to back that longstanding pursuit is one of the biggest wins of this whole journey.
How much was your advance?
Nice try. Maybe one day I'll share that number. But for now, I'll say, enough that I could pause taking new clients in the Fall so that I could focus on the final stages of writing; but not enough that I could buy a sensible new car.
I feel that my advance is both fair and reflective of the potential Jossey-Bass sees in me.
Where does your advance go?
Here's where the mysteries of publishing may be worth unveiling. Bear in mind that I'm new to this, too--so, this is what I understand to be true.
Writers get what's called an "advance," which essentially is the amount the publisher would have paid the writer if it was off of royalies alone, meaning a set percentage of the total books sold. Basically, they predict how many books they think you'll sell and what that royalty number would look like, and that becomes your advance.
Most contracts have a "payout" model where you are given said advance and only make more if your book sales surpass that initial prediction. And that "more" is typically a low-10s percentage of books sold past the payout amount.
Advances are a risk for the publisher, as is signing with a writer. A first-time author like me doesn't often get to the point of a real payout. But, publishers are willing to take that risk for the few writers that exceed expectations--leading to bigger profits for the publisher and additional royalties to the author.
Both meeting and exceeding those expectations comes back to me. It's not just my job to write a good book--it's my job to sell it.
Most authors dedicate a good amount of their advance to the marketing of their books via PR boxes, book launch events, book tours, and the like. They may also hire publicists to help (they're pricey!), or even take on additional private professionals like editors or even artists to make their book more like they want it to be.
I'm personally allocating a chunk of my advance to PR boxes (I plan to DIY them instead of hiring them out) and one bigger launch event (also more of a DIY and something I plan to raffle off entries to for some of you on this committee!). I've also already used some of my advance to get new headshots that I was in desperate need of, ones I plan to use on the book cover and in promotional material. (This is also why I'm already buying outfits in the color of the book cover I hope to convince my publisher of.)
My goal is to spend the rest of 2025 writing one heck of a book, and then alllll of 2026 selling it: from getting on as many podcasts, radio shows, and talk shows as I can to organically grow my community base, to pre-selling to that (hopefully) bigger base like my life depends on it, to hosting my online conference both now and next year in the pursuit of bigger follower numbers and greater book sales. In addition to making and sending out PR boxes and hosting a launch event, I also need to have a killer website for the book with pre-sale bonuses that will require a great deal of work, too. That's all in my court.
My plan for all of that is to "DIY-first," because honestly hiring out even half of that would mae my advance go poof! I'm scrappy. I'm creative. I believe in this book and the good it will do. And I also know that doing everything within my power to get good sales on the book can lead to future opportunities for my career, including writing and publishing more and growing my online community.
Where are you at with the book now?
I am 75% done in my initial draft! And it feels like a pretty good draft, even with my goal to "write total crap" the first round.
Next, I'll be editing, editing, editing. I'm already intimidated by this process, especially given the fact that I struggle with syntax, grammar, and spelling. (I'm sure you've noticed.) It'll be laborious and I'm expecting, at times, demoralizing. But, I made some guideposts to take what I have and make it better: to polish and simpify (I tend to over-write), AND to add imagery, analogies, and humor (I want the book to "sound" like me!).
When will Happy Habits be published?
My manuscript is currently due early-2026 with a publishing date of late-2026, but I'm pushing to move up both dates for marketing reasons that would require a whole other newsletter to explain.
My publisher is considering it, but waiting to see how enrollment goes to the More for Moms Conference as I hope to make it part of my pre-sale/book sale strategy next September.
Want to help? Enroll to the inaugural Conference happening this Fall for free and get your friends to, too.
How are you feeling now about everything?
I am admittedly much more settled and excited than I was when I initlaly signed my contract. I think my fears of doing a good job won out in that moment, but now that I'm back into the flow of the actual work--the writing--I feel more confident. Of course, I still battle the inner critic every day who tells me that I'll sell 100 books, tops. I worry about doing right by the pubisher, making it worth it for them to invest in me. But, I'm doing my best to put in the (messy) work one day at a time, and to trust that with time I can make it the best book I possibly could. I'm sure that years down the road there will be things I wish I had done differently and skills that I will have improved upon, but I will rest assured that I did what was in my power and that is enough.
Maybe you don't know, but I almost quit all things About Progress late-2023 after 8 years of toil, with few apparent victories in follower growth nor in profit. Read: I worked very hard to make next-to-nothing. I had to come to grips that I may need a "real" job, and soon. Instead of making an immediate exit, I set a date to stop by: December 31st, 2024.
I spent 90% of that year feeling quite certain that my online business would have to shutter its doors. Plan Bs and Cs were already shifting into place. But, thanks to the Supporters Club and expanding my private coaching spots, I had the tiniest bit of extra time to continue the course, to get creative, and to take some risks. It wasn't until Thanksgiving of that year that I began to feel even the tiniest bit of hope that maybe About Progress could continue. That's when I went on a contemplative early morning walk with a sudden thought that made me walk much faster: "It's time to turn the Sticky Habit Method into a book."
Writing this book has been a leap of faith: in me, in my work, in this community of women I'm passionate to continue serving.
But, it's also kept my work going. Really digging into what I teach, why I teach it, and who it's for has been grouding for why I've now spent nearly 10 years obsessing over it all. Even with my sneaky self-doubts, I feel more certain that this online space is the place for me. And I'm even daring to hope that this little-book-that-could may be the very thing that makes this greater dream truly possible.
So, thank you for being part of that dream. With 100% confidence, I can tell you that I couldn't do it without you.
XO,
Monica
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