October 2025: Jen Hatmaker's ‘Awake’

Nov 10, 2025

Jen Hatmaker sits down with Lauren Wein, the Vice President and Editorial Director at Avid Reader Press, who helped bring Jen's book 'Awake' to life. They discuss trusting your intuition in the writing process, the delicate balance between authenticity and privacy in memoir-writing, and the satisfaction of editorial collaboration. Jen shares the transformative advice of 'Don't save anything for the swim home,' emphasizing risk in storytelling. Listeners get a behind-the-scenes look at the creative journey and the intimate power of narrative.

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ANECDOTE

Origin Story Of Their Partnership

Lauren Wein first discovered Jen Hatmaker by reading a piece that restored her when she was in a dark season of life.
She then pursued Jen for years until Margaret Riley King connected them and Lauren became Jen's editor.

INSIGHT

Editing As A Physical Intuition

Lauren describes editing as a physical intuition, like a tuning fork that senses when something needs more or less.
That bodily editing sense guided many of the manuscript's subtle but important changes.

INSIGHT

The Editor's Mirror

Editors help authors see themselves by holding a close but separate mirror, which unlocks craft improvements.
External feedback converted Lauren's sense of skill into confirmed competence when respected writers praised her.

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Description:

Tune in for this very special #JenHatmakerBookClub episode where Jen gives unprecedented access to look behind the scenes at her own writing process and collaboration that went into the publishing of “Awake”. For today’s conversation, Jen sits down with Vice President and Editorial Director for Avid Reader Press, Lauren Wein, to delve into the journey of bringing Jen's book "Awake" to the page and all the way to the New York Times bestseller list. Jen discusses the profound impact of trusting your own intuition in your writing along with the challenges in memoir-writing of prioritizing authenticity and vulnerability while honoring the privacy for those involved. Lauren pulls back the curtain on the collaborative nature of the editing process, describing the satisfaction she finds with helping authors find their voice. And Jen shares the one truth she hopes every reader of “Awake” walks away with.

Anyone who is interested in writing, or the behind-the-scenes or book-making will enjoy this episode. Whether you're a writer or a reader, this conversation offers a unique glimpse into the creative process and the power of storytelling.

Thought-provoking Quotes:

“One of the things that Awake is about is learning to trust yourself and trusting your body. I feel like that is how I edit. It's like a tuning fork. I sense when something is like, need more or need less. It's physical.” – Lauren Wein
“Every story deserves authenticity.” – Jen Hatmaker
“In the war of ‘you versus you’, nobody wins, because you're very hard on yourself. You have a very critical inner voice. When you hear somebody tell you something that you maybe sensed about yourself but you didn't quite know, it ignites something, it confirms something that maybe you sensed was there but the voice was too small because the other voices were just louder.” – Lauren Wein
“Finding your voice is a journey.” – Lauren Wein
“When this book was first announced, it was erroneously referred to as a tell-all, which was upsetting to all of us because that is absolutely not what it is. What was very important to you (Jen) was honesty, not telling it all, but being truthful and respecting other people's privacy. Now that is the hardest line to walk when you're writing your own story because your own story is not your own story entirely.” – Lauren Wein
"Trust your intuition in creative work." – Jen Hatmaker

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

For the parents who are slogging through May – https://jenhatmaker.com/blog/for-the-parents-who-are-slogging-through-may/
Margaret Riley King - https://www.wmebookdepartment.com/team/margaret-riley-king/
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottleib - https://amzn.to/4pUADj8
Wild Game: My Mother, Her Secret, and Me by Adrienne Brodeur - https://amzn.to/4nywiRc
Becoming Duchess Goldblatt by Anonymous - https://amzn.to/4o6rHpt
Awake by Jen Hatmaker audiobook - https://amzn.to/4gU7v7P
Lights on a Similar Path: ‘Awake’ Readers Reflect On Finding Their Way - https://jenhatmaker.com/podcasts/series-64/lights-on-a-similar-path-awake-readers-reflect-on-finding-their-way/

Guest’s Links:

Website - https://editors.simonandschuster.com/editor/wein-lauren/

Twitter - https://x.com/desideratasaur

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/lauren.wein.1/

Connect with Jen!Jen’s Website - https://jenhatmaker.com/

Jen’s Instagram - https://instagram.com/jenhatmakerJen’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/

Jen’s Facebook - https://facebook.com/jenhatmakerJen’s YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JenHatmaker

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