Good News, Bad News, and New News on the Book Front
Hello!
First, I must address the elephant in the room: I’ve promised this newsletter and neglected putting it out for far too long. My apologies! I hate it when influencers tease and tease and never reveal; alas, I can now count myself among them.
Turns out, when you’ve been writing and writing and writing to meet a deadline, meet said deadline (thank you, thank you!), then you’re a little tired of, well, writing . . . This is my one and only excuse. But, I’m here and ready to spill the book tea for you.
As I endlesslessly over-promised and never delivered on, in today’s newsletter I want to tell you three things about the book:
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Good news! (The great news I received.)
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Bad news! (The bad news I received, and on very same day.)
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New news! (The latest on where I’m at with the book. Spoiler: the manuscript is IN! And edits just arrived.)
GOOD NEWS
When I agreed to sign on with my publisher, I held the understanding that my book would be released in September of 2026. But when I signed the contract, it said November of 2026. And the Publisher Weekly announcement said February of 2027 . . . So, I was puzzled–which date was right?
I chatted with the team and it turns out a November 2026 release was their plan. My heart sank. Why? Because in my 10 years online I have learned that my community becomes a black hole from November through December. Podcast downloads drop, courses/workshops/retreats do NOT sell, and social engagement barely trickles in. And I totally get it, because when you are a busy woman prepping for the holidays, all things personal development is the very last thing on your already atrociously long list.
I made a case (a plea, really) to have the book released in September instead. The summer craziness is over, kids are back to school, and women are READY (caps intended) to return to themselves. I have found that September carries such a “New Year energy” that women with or without children in the home are all similarly ready for a fresh start and taking on some self-help.
While my publisher could see where I was coming from, pushing up the date would require a great shuffle on their end AND an increase of speed on deliverables from all sides, mine included–from writing, to editing, to getting endorsements, to marketing. Fall is the busiest time of the year in publishing, as well. So, moving up the release by 2 months was no small ask.
However, my oh so lovely acquisitions editor (Hi, Sam!) said he’d try his very best to make this shift possible. But, what would help an awful lot to make his case would be good enrollment to my inaugural More for Moms Conference.
Why? (I’m just pretending you’re here asking questions, ok?)
We are already thinking about marketing and book sales. My plan in hosting an online summit this past Fall (2025) to boost community members and my email list was part of my book proposal, as was the promise that I would host another leading up to the book’s release. Next year, I plan to make book sales part of the VIP ticket, likely a limited-time bonus where if you sign up with the All-Access Pass for the More for Moms Conference you also get my new book.
If enrollment went well for my first conference, then not only would I have more of an audience to sell my book to, it would also serve as a sort of “proof of concept” that the same online conference held the next year would indeed boost sales.
While I wished for more enrollment, the numbers we got this year were enough to bolster my case. In late-October, I got the good–in fact, GREAT–news that the publisher was willing and able to move my pub date to September of 2026.
I was SO happy to hear this news. And, I knew it meant I had to buckle down and finish the book, especially with an updated deadline: December 1st.
I cheerfully took the hard alongside the good and bumped up my writing time each day. I also set aside some half-days with Brad for me to buckle down, including on our long drives to and from California to visit his parents over Thanksgiving.
There’s more to share on where I’m at with the book (spoiler: the manuscript was turned in and ON TIME, thank you very much), but first I have to share the bad news.
BAD NEWS
On the very same day I got word that my pub date could be moved up, I got a short email that late-afternoon letting me know that my original title–Happy Habits–was no longer an option. Unfortunately, the Amazon marketing team had discovered that a former NYT-best-selling author was coming out with a book of that same title in January, 2026.
While I technically could still move forward with my original title–thanks to the subtitle and title combined being what is actually under copyright (if I have that right)--it would not be a good idea. Let’s face it, most people get their books via the big online retailers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble, sites that pull up search results based off of what’s already ranking, promoting what is likely an easier sale. So, if one of my loyal listeners went on Amazon and searched for “Happy Habits,” the book that would come up would likely be from this author instead of me. I’m sure there would be countless accidental buys of that author’s book instead of mine, not to mention laypeople simply searching for the term and going with what’s on top, which likely wouldn’t be mine.
To be honest (and a smidge dramatic), this news felt like a gut punch. When I went on that fateful walk during Thanksgiving break of 2024 and had the “ah-ha” moment, “I need to turn the Sticky Habit Method course into a book,” I immediately–and I mean immediately–knew the title: it was Happy Habits from the beginning.
Before I even put the proverbial pen to paper, I went on Canva and drafted a few book cover options that would ground me in the tone I wanted this book to portray: bold but cheerful. This book needed to exemplify the statement I accidentally came to be known for as I end my episodes: “a hug and kick in the pants.” The content would push the readers, but it would also help them feel more seen in the process and make their everyday lives easier. Additionally, this title informed how I wanted the book to be marketed in a way I was certain would be memorable. Everything about the book from the cover, to the press packages, to the launch party, to even the outfits I was going to wear in interviews would be yellow, preferably bright yellow. I wanted to get to the point where people would see yellow online and think, “Happy Habits!”
To have that title no longer available meant all those plans came crashing down, not to mention the overall purpose of the book–to help women feel more like themselves, aka “happy.” How could I still make that message come across if it wasn’t so blatant on the cover? How could I shift my marketing and still feel excited about the visual direction I need to take it? And what was I going to do with the many outfits I had already purchased in various shades of yellow?
NEW NEWS
Luckily, I can tell you those questions have now been answered. I spiraled over a weekend as I brainstormed new titles with my main editor (Hi, again, Sam!) and we went back and forth before landing on the perfect subtitle that delivers on the original premise and purpose of the book. (Hint: “Happiness” is still there somewhere.) I’ve shockingly come around to the new title, and it helps that the cover has been finalized as well, one that helps me envision how I can market this book in a way I still feel excited about. I’ll share both the cover and the new title to you all first once I have the go-ahead, but I can tell you that yellow is indeed a prominent color. I guess my outfits won’t go to waste after all.
More importantly, after the title debacle I was able to go ahead in completing my manuscript. While I was already 80% done at that point, the last 20% was as hard and as all-intensive as the first. Even though an ideal non-fiction author has each chapter plotted out–and I did–books evolve as you write them. I couldn’t do justice to writing about habits for women without also covering the main obstacles to establishing those habits, topics that I had to detail in ways that rose in importance more than I initially anticipated: numbing habits, the disparity of labor at home, and identity, just for starters. Covering those topics took all the brain power I had.
Most intensely during Thanksgiving break as well as after our return, I finished my first draft and then went through the entire book one more time. After finishing the initial round, I must be honest with you and tell you that the self-doubt demons got realllll loud. I wasn’t sure if what I had completed was total and absolute crap. But, as I went through it all again–and at a more consumable pace than writing, much like actual reading–I felt better and better.
There are still issues that need to be fixed, of course. For starters, I landed at over 74,000 with my word count; my book was supposed to be 60,000. My publisher says I need to get it down to at most 70,000 words. (If you haven’t noticed, brevity is not my strong suit.) That challenge awaits me in the next round of editing. Speaking of which, that’s about to happen!
Just yesterday, I got the first round of edits back from my editor. I was a little (OK, a lot) terrified to open it up to see how plastered it was with red. But, once I got my courage up, it actually looks better than I thought it may. I plan on going through all of the proposed edits first, then another round with my super-picky lens on (and also my delete button ready to cut down on words), and then have my husband, Brad, and a few other advanced readers have a go, including a personal friend who is also an editor. With their feedback in hand, I’ll do one or two more rounds myself and hand in my manuscript again by March 5th. After that, it’s one more round with copy editing.
I’ll need advanced readers soon! My publisher says I can only have 2-3 outside of who I already mentioned, and suggested I do an application. I will get that together and send it your way ASAP, if that’s a part of the process you are interested in.
I know that good results from books to movies to products entails having many critical eyes who are ready to share their input + a willingness of the original creator to adapt and make the thing better and better. I want to ensure that the finished product is not just something that reads well to me–it needs to read well to objective eyes and ears, like yours. I’m reminding myself that the process is messy, to lean in, to take critiques with an open heart, and to persist in making this the best book I can. It won’t be perfect, but it will be impactful.
What’s coming next for you, the Book Launch Committee:
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Exclusive first peek at the new title
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Exclusive reveal of the book cover
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Application to be an advanced reader
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Announcement of endorsers (who I already have, and got two of my DREAM endorsers!!!!!)
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Grassroots work to publicize to pre-sale
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Exclusive online events to celebrate the book’s launch
I have a feeling that the time will fly and September will be here before I know it.
Thanks for sticking with me! I plan to be better at updating you here, and I so appreciate every note of support and celebration for these mini-milestones along the way.
XO,
Monica
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