Creating An Audiobook

The process of creating an audiobook is rewarding and stressful. I spent the first few days preparing to record my first audiobook by making sure my closet did not produce an echo. I was determined to finish taping my book, The Beginner’s Guide To Finding Your Brave in a few weeks even though I heard the process could take months.

For a better part of the first few weeks, I was up to my eyeballs in clothing and hangers. I had to find a place for the laundry basket because it would be my mic stand. I also knew that I would be in the closet for hours so I had to have a place for snacks and my favorite scented candle. The scene was spectacular!

By the end of the day, my small closet was turned into a sound booth paradise.

On the first day, I sat hunched over on the floor to record. I later regretted the decision due to back pains from being in one position for so long.

The first week went by quickly. I imagined how Ta-Nehisi Coates might have felt recording In Between the World and Me or the way Brene Brown may have postured about as she taped Daring Greatly.

I made the decision up front to record the book how I spoke, meaning I talked in a conversational manner. I am from Texas so some of my words have a "southern-twang" to them. However, I was better off being myself than to put on an act and have to explain myself later when I was in front of people during book signings. The Introduction was the easy part. I wrote to the point, short sentences, and found my cadence.

The following weeks proved to be a lesson in willpower and perseverance. I made the crazy decision to edit on my laptop as I went. Which meant I would stop every few sentences to correct an “r” or entire phrase that did not communicate emotion.

It’s all in the voice inflection.

While working in the sales industry I would encourage my sales reps to smile when they spoke on the phone with prospects. The joke around the industry is to dial and smile. For me, smiling put me in a more confident mood to close.

By the end of the second month, I was tired but close to the finish line. The process took longer than I expected, but I was reminded that completing the audio version of my book would allow communities that struggle with literacy the opportunity to learn how to find their brave. That’s worth it.

You can check out the audiobook of my work The Beginner’s Guide to Finding Your Brave here. Thanks for listening. Let me know what you think (info@earlinagreen.com).

A Year of Brave

I'm excited about the upcoming anniversary tour for my second book The Beginner's Guide to Finding Your Brave. In partnership with Half Price Books Store, the tour kicks off this Saturday!

click here for tour dates

Behind the Scenes 

Planning this tour was confirmation of everything I learned from my time in the sales world: follow up, follow up, follow up. Also remember to speak to the decision maker, be excited about your product, and did I mention to follow up.  My days and nights filled with content creation and I'm back on coffee. Sheesh! 

This tour has also made me realize that I have an awesome community of people who support the work. I believe whether you are an artist, solo- entrepreneur, or a stay-at-home mother, the message of living brave resonates because it's relevant and needed in todays world. 

For me, the definition of what it means to live brave has evolved over the years. Today, it means to love. Can I abolish my fear and be brave enough to love people deeper? Am I willing to do the hard things and have the hard conversations to inspire change in others? 

You can't give what you don't have. Finding my brave meant taking the stage, literally and figuratively, in my life to release the past. It means choosing to forgive rather than confront friends who turned their back on me, and it means dying to self daily to give my husband the love and support he needs. 

Tour Expectations  

I have none. It's the best way to proceed forward. If I ask God for anything, it will be that he uses me for his glorification and that the people I meet leave better than they came. It means less of me and more of him.

I will leave you with this, choose to live brave because it is your birthright. Choose bravery because the opposite of it is fear and you are so much better than that. I will see you on the road. 

xx earlina 

5 Things I Learned From My Harper Collins Rejection Letter

This piece was originally posted January 26, 2017

I've been working on a memoir for the past couple of years. This year, when asked, I finally gathered up enough courage to submit it to a major player in the publishing industry. The result, a prime learning experience on understanding how the industry works. 

Below is the response I received last week from a senior acquisitions editor with Harper Collins. For continuity and discretion I have removed all names and association from this post. The editors response to my manuscript is listed in bold and italicized.  

1    Platform - Earlina who?

"It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself." - Eleanor Roosevelt

"First of all I must tell you that we will not be able to help you with a publishing contract. Our sales goals are so high that it’s nearly impossible to sign anyone unless they have a pretty large platform. It seems as though you have a start to that with your social media, so good for you, but you’ll need to keep working on it because with hundreds of thousands of books published each year, to have one stand above the fray and be purchased is a tough thing to make happen."

2   The Publishing Business

"A publisher puts out an advance, spends $$ to edit, produce, warehouse, and sell a book to retailers only to have those retailers send it back if there are no sales. So we have to be assured there is a market before we publish. A significant market that would sell 30-50,000 copies in the first year. There are for sure smaller publishing houses that don’t have those same hurdles but we’re just not one of them." 

3    The Craft

"So my recommendation to you is to keep writing and perfect your craft, then secure an agent who can help you shop the book to publishing houses. But keep one thing in mind. A consumer is never so self-focused as when they are buying something—like a book. It has to relate to them, speak to them, help them. In fact you need to consider who your audience is and keep them in mind—actually writing to them. Not just the traditional psychographic description but truly put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself why they would want to read your story? What’s in it for them? Because not only does it need to be compelling, it has to connect with them, and if not purely entertain them, then help them in some way. If you’re writing in the self-help category that’s a whole lot easier than a memoir which sometimes necessitates that they know you and want to know more of your story. This is again why a platform, even to include speaking engagements, is so important."

4    Perseverance – How bad do you want it?  

"I’m sorry it’s a “no” from us but as I heard just yesterday from one of our authors—he said when he was pitching his first book he took every “no” as a reminder that he was one step closer to his “yes.” 

Noooooo.....tear *rips clothing, run and hide* but ain't nobody got time for that! The only proper response to an email like this is: 

"Thank you for the amazing insight into the publishing industry. I will take your recommendations and begin again." 

5    Resources

"If you’d like some ideas on how to find an agent as well as other book publishing helps I would suggest two different blogs—michaelhyatt.com (he used to be the CEO of Thomas Nelson) and Janefriedman.com. Jane has also been in publishing many years. Their websites have lots of valuable information and lists for new writers."

If you are considering building your brand in any industry, have you considered your platform? What is your means for reaching and connecting with your audience? Have you considered rejection and how you will respond? 

#LiveBrave