More to the Story Podcast with Janna Maron

Today on More to the Story: a simple (but not easy) way to affect change or the outcome you’re hoping to achieve. In today’s episode: - inspiration from a recent book that I read, Be Ready When the Luck Happens, by Ina Garten- how I feel about celebrity memoirs, even though I have read a few (listen to find out which ones!) - a popular TV show from the 1990s that I wasn’t allowed to watch when I was in high school- leaning into the energy of curiosity and playfulness, holding things lightly and practicing not being too attached to expectations for a specific outcome- being too attached to expectations is what causes disappointment - holding expectations loosely to allow room for something surprising to happen- two stories from Ina Garten’s memoir that really stuck with me: one from when she and her husband Jeffery were engaged, and one from when she was the new owner of the Barefoot Contessa in the Hamptoms- a lesson that Ina has used many times in her life that can be applied to our creative livesLinks mentioned in this episode:- my popular masterclass designed to help you finally write (& finish) your book!- Get 10% off your first order of whole bean coffee from a boutique Northern California coffee roastery.- More about Under the Gum Tree- More about my coaching & editing services- the book Be Ready When the Luck Happens, by Ina Garten- Follow, subscribe & find show notes for this episode at moretothestorypodcast.substack.com- follow me on Instagram @jannamarlies- follow Under the Gum Tree on Instagram @undergumtree This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit moretothestorypodcast.substack.com

When you’re close to being done with a manuscript project, what do you do? Do you finish the manuscript, and then start submitting? If it’s an essay collection, do you submit individual essays first, wait for them to get published, and then submit the manuscript?These questions and more in today’s episode about playing small, by which I mean limiting yourself by not taking advantage of all the opportunities available to you.In this episode:- submitting on a parallel path for individual essays + an essay collection manuscript- strategy for querying when an agent has expressed interest in seeing your work when you’re ready- following up with outstanding queries if/when you get an offer- thinking about finding an agent as if you’re hiring for a job, and you want to have as many applicants as you can- why starting to query before the manuscript is done is a good strategy- playing small=internal turmoil over should I/shouldn’t I/what should I do, instead of finding a place where you can feel confident and take actionLinks mentioned in this episode:- Get 10% off your first order of whole bean coffee from a boutique Northern California coffee roastery.- More about Under the Gum Tree- More about my coaching & editing services- $47 for my 90-min masterclass: Finally Write (& Finish) Your Nonfiction Book- Follow, subscribe & find show notes for this episode at moretothestorypodcast.substack.com- follow me on Instagram @jannamarlies- follow Under the Gum Tree on Instagram @undergumtreeQuestion for you:Is there a time in your life that you went after what you wanted? And how can you incorporate that energy in your writing/publishing life? Share your experience in the comments! Or, if you need perspective on how you can stop playing small, tell us where you are struggling and let’s help support each other!Thanks so much for listening and for being here! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit moretothestorypodcast.substack.com

Staying organized is kind of a boring topic, but a practical and essential part of writing—especially if you‘re working on a book project. I’m talking about organization of writing material with all these different Word docs or Google docs or storing files on Dropbox.This came up in a conversation I had with a woman at AWP who booked one of my 15-minute book-coaching sessions. She’s working on an essay collection, she has 12 essays so far, all in varying stages of completeness or needing revision, and in varying stages of being submitted individually. In addition to this essay collection, she has a full time job, she’s also a visual artist, and she regularly applies for grants for both writers and artists. She was feeling very scattered. In this episode: * how easy it is to lose track of material when it’s stored digitally* how I recommend approaching a problem like keeping track of writing material at different stages of a project* why I like to use Google Docs, specifically Google Sheets, for this kind of organization * tips for how to set up a tracking spreadsheet, including how many sheets, what each sheet is for, and columns for tacking specific date in those sheets * how to evaluate when an essay collection is done, and using the spreadsheet to determine how much more material might be needed for a complete manuscript * when using a program like Scrivener would be a helpful organization tool* why organization of material is essential for writers & why helping with organization is an important part of a book coach’s jobLinks mentioned in this episode: * Get 10% off your first order of whole bean coffee from a boutique Northern California coffee roastery.* More about Under the Gum Tree* More about my coaching & editing services* Scrivener, the project management software for writers (affiliate link)* Follow, subscribe & find show notes for this episode at moretothestorypodcast.substack.com* follow me on Instagram @jannamarlies* follow Under the Gum Tree on Instagram @undergumtreeQuestion for you: How are you with organization of your writing materials? If you struggle, drop a question or a challenge, and let’s help each other out. If you’re a pro: what are your best tips & tricks? Share in the comments! Thanks so much for listening and for being here! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit moretothestorypodcast.substack.com

When I talk with women about their book projects, one of the most common things I hear them say over and over is: I feel like my book is missing something, but I don't know what it is. And I don't know how to figure IT out. In the episode: - the typical way these conversations go- what happens when I have these conversations & how I respond- why self-awareness & simply paying attention are essential to discovering what your book is missing- one of my superpowers as book coach- getting to the point of not knowing what your book needs causes sheer exasperation - “memoir-plus” as an industry term and what it means - examples of memoir-plus: Already Toast, by Kate Washington & Lightning Flowers, by Katherine Standefer- why resistance is also key to identifying what’s missing from your bookLinks mentioned in this episode: - Get 10% off your first order of whole bean coffee from a boutique Northern California coffee roastery.- More about Under the Gum Tree- More about my coaching & editing services- the book Already Toast, by Kate Washington- the book Lightning Flowers, by Katherine StandeferFollow, subscribe & find show notes for this episode at moretothestorypodcast.substack.com- follow me on Instagram @jannamarlies- follow Under the Gum Tree on Instagram @undergumtree This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit moretothestorypodcast.substack.com

This week I want to tell you a story about an experience I had a the beach and relate it to something I’ve been learning about and focusing on in my life and observing how it manifests in our writing, creative, and publishing lives.In this episode: - my husband Jeremy and I have been vacationing in Baja California, Mexico and we recently decided to see how it would be to drive there from our home in Northern California- on our visits we take daily walks on the beach and would collect sea shells - I really wanted a whole sand dollar, and I found a lot of broke pieces but never found a whole one- I found not one, but two on our most recent trip, but not exactly what I wanted- unrelated, I was reading the book 10x Is Easier than 2x, and one concept that really stuck with me for how to measuring progress and success with a perspective that is either negative or positive- how this negative vs. positive perspective for measuring success shows up in our creative life- an example from a conversation I had with a woman at the AWP conference I attended in LA last month- the sand dollars are on the alter by my window as a reminder of the message that the universe will send me what I ask for, but maybe not how I expect- check out the show notes for this episodes to see a picture of the sand dollars- ask the universe for your own reminder and see how it manifests Links mentioned in this episode: - Get 10% off your first order of whole bean coffee from a boutique Northern California coffee roastery.- the book 10x Is Easier than 2x, by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy- Follow, subscribe & find show notes for this episode at moretothestorypodcast.substack.com- Follow me on Instagram @jannamarlies- Follow Under the Gum Tree on Instagram @undergumtree This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit moretothestorypodcast.substack.com

I’m revisiting the topic of what a book coach does, and t’s on my mind because of the two conferences I went to last month in March (Alt Summit & AWP). At both conferences I held 15-minute mini book coaching session and had so many great conversations with women who are working on books.There were also a lot of people, more so at AWP, talking about what they do professionally and how they help writers in the books/publishing world from book coaches like me to writing coaches, editors of all kinds, and publishers.At AWP I was hearing a lot around the topic of book coaching that gave me pause, because it doesn’t align with how I do things. So I wanted to continue the conversation, talk about what I was hearing, why I disagree, and why I feel like it doesn’t align with the way that I work.In this episode:- giving myself time to recover from two back-to-back conferences- why I disagree that coaches and editors need to be different people- one of my superpowers as a coach an editor & the resistance that often comes up around the story that authors actually need to tell- maybe I’m a unicorn (?), but based on the way that I work, why I am someone who can be both a coach and an editor- why I will never preach absolutes - why I don’t like the use of the word “codependent” in the context of areas in life where we actually need help, support, or accountability.- there is no shame in needing accountability for taking action - how Gretchen Rubin’s book and the framework The Four Tendencies applies to what motivates you to take action, and why needing external accountability to meet your goals is a real thing- more important than whether or not we are ”codependent” is the question: how do we respond to expectations? - dispelling the absolute that coaches must be published in the genre that you are trying to publish- the coach’s track record with clients is more important than publishing record- the importance of focusing on what you can actually take action on and what you can control (i.e. unless you self publish, you don’t have control over whether you get published or not!)- the difference between coaching/editing/ghostwriting, and why I don't agree that editing is prescriptive and coaching is never prescriptive- a question I get a lot: isn’t developmental editing the same as, or very similar to, ghostwriting? Links mentioned in this episode:- More about Under the Gum Tree - More about working with me - Get 10% off your first order of whole bean coffee from a boutique Northern California coffee roastery.- The first episode I did on what a book coach is- The episode answering the question ”Do I need 100,000 followers to get a book published?” - The book The Four Tendencies, by Gretchen Rubin - Follow, subscribe & find show notes for this episode at moretothestorypodcast.substack.com- Follow me on Instagram @jannamarlies- Follow Under the Gum Tree on Instagram @undergumtree This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit moretothestorypodcast.substack.com

Whew, we made it to April. March was an incredibly busy month for me. I was out of town March 14-17 for a conference called Alt Summit, and then again March 22-30 for another conference called AWP. Even before leaving for both those trips I was asking myself the question: was that the best decision? To commit to going to two conferences back-to-back? Last year when AWP was in Kansas City, I was one year post-relapse and new treatments but still had a lot of lingering symptoms. So instead of attending the entire conference for 3 days, I stayed just 2 nights and my priority for being there was the off-site reading event that I have been hosting for 9 years now with three other nonfiction publications.In this episode: - how it was such a relief to still attend the conference in a way that works for me- why I was in no condition to travel and had to skip the AWP conference in 2023- when we don't have the capacity, bandwidth, energy to deal with, yes travel and logistics, but also our creative lives - how I'm able to get my monthly medication infusions at home- even getting my treatments at home, why the infusions in February and March went badly - what I learned from two bad infusions in a row & why this was such an eye-opening experience- how this lesson came up for me again when attending the Alt Summit conference - the anxiety that came up for me around needed additional support to do the things that I used to be able to do on my own- learning to be okay with the reality of being dependent - how leaning into asking for help and accepting support directly impacts creative work- how to cultivate self-awareness, advocate for the support you need, and have the conversations you need to have with people in your life- if you have been learning lessons the hard way, what do you need to do to make change?Links mentioned in this episode:- Alt Summit: https://altitudesummit.com/- AWP conference: https://awpwriter.org/- follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jannamarlies- follow Under the Gum Tree on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/undergumtree/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit moretothestorypodcast.substack.com

At one of the two conferences I attended last month, one of the questions I got was: what is a book coach? Which is the perfect question for a podcast episode. In this episode: - a newly published book by one of my clients! - the meetup I hosted on authors & publishing at the Alt Summit conference last month- realizing that I haven’t talked about what a book coach is on this podcast- certification for book coaches, and why I’m not certified or think it’s necessary- an overview of my 20+ career history from my first job out of college to starting my business in 2020- a big part of the way that I work as a book coach & an inside joke for WWJD with my clients- my take on how coaching is different from editing: not all coaches are editors & not all editors are coaches- the difference between book coaches, writing coaches, and author coaches- what exactly a book coach can help you with, and when to engage one- tune in next week for more on managing health & energy, regardless of what it is you’re doing, whether it’s traveling and attending conferences or your every day creative workLinks mentioned in this episode: - Order books at bookshop.org to support independent book stores. - Christina Larocco’s book, Crosshatch: Martha Scofield, the Forgotten Feminist (1839-1916)- The Alt Summit conference: https://altitudesummit.com/- Jennie Nash’s Substack, The Art & Business of Book Coaching & the post, “Book Coaching 101, Part 1: What‘s a Book Coach?”- Jane Friedman’s book The Business of Being a Writer- Get my list of resources for finding literary agents- follow me on Instagram @jannamarlies- follow Under the Gum Tree on Instagram @undergumtree- Show notes & subscribe to More to the Story Podcast on Substack: https://moretothestorypodcast.substack.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit moretothestorypodcast.substack.com

I’m at AWP this week! If you’re also in LA for this annual conference, be sure to stop by Under the Gum Tree’s booth 1213 to say hello.Two things I’m doing at AWP this year:1. Hosting 15-minute mini-consults for women working on nonfiction books. If you could use a mini book coaching session, check here to see if there are any spots available and grab one.2. Under the Gum Tree’s off-site reading in partnership with Fourth Genre, River Teeth, and Hippocampus Magazine. On Friday, March 28 from 6-8p at Bonaventure Brewing Co. Under the Gum Tree’s featured readers are Laura Julier and Brad Snyder.In this episode:- If you’re not familiar, what is AWP? An overview and quick & dirty intro for first-timers- What to expect with the conference schedule- What to expect at the book fair, and why it’s probably my favorite part of the conference- A reflection on my first ever AWP back in 2009 or 2010 (can’t quite remember which year)- What came out of that first conference for me (practically everything I’m doing with my writing & business now)- Info on this year’s off-site event, in partnership with three other nonfiction publicationLinks mentioned in this episode:- Under the Gum Tree: underthegumtree.com- More to the Story coaching & editing for women: moretothestory.co- AWP in LA, March 27-29- Becky Tuch's Substack, Lit Mag News, and this post about the AWP conference- Link to schedule a 15-min book coaching session with me- Under the Gum Tree’s off-site reading on Friday 3/28 at 6p- The book I mentioned, On Our Best Behavior, by Elise Loehnen & the work of manifestation expert Lacy Phillips- Summer 2024 issue of Under the Gum Tree, featuring Laura Julier- Spring 2025 issue of Under the Gum Tree, featuring Brad Snyder- follow me on Instagram: @jannamarlies- follow Under the Gum Tree on Instagram @undergumtree This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit moretothestorypodcast.substack.com

For months now, maybe even a year or more, I have been wanting to spend 10 minutes, first thing in the morning, drinking my coffee outside.I set up the perfect spot to sit, with chairs facing east toward the rising sun, moved the gas fire pit over to the chairs. But for some reason I couldn’t get myself to take my coffee outside in the mornings.Actually I know exactly the reasons:1. It’s been winter time, and cold, and less sunny, and not the ideal weather for wanting to be outside.2. Because of the time I get up in the mornings, I would wake up, look at the clock and automatically think, “I’m behind.”In this episode:- more about why I sleep so much, which precipitated the “I’m behind” narrative- a conversation with a friend who was telling herself the same thing, about a completely different situation- how we both got ourselves out of the “I’m behind” cycle and laughed at ourselves- how you can get out of that cycle tooLinks mentioned in this episode:- Under the Gum Tree: underthegumtree.com- More to the Story coaching & editing for women: moretothestory.co- AWP in LA, March 27-29- follow me on Instagram: @jannamarlies- follow Under the Gum Tree on Instagram @undergumtree This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit moretothestorypodcast.substack.com