More to the Story Podcast with Janna Maron

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

I saw a Notes thread on Substack recently that someone had shared an article, commenting that it was the saddest thing she had read on Substack that day.It had a lot of comments, so I clicked to read out of clarity and then curiosity. Clarity, because at first I didn’t get what was so sad about the article. Then curiosity, because as soon as I figured it out, I wanted to see what others had said.Maybe you already guessed that this thread was one long b***h-fest.The comments were all writers bemoaning that Substack has been infiltrated by what they called "Linked-In self promotion content," complaining that all they want to do is write and not try to figure out how to hack the system for growth.I have thoughts.In this episode:- why selling & self-promotion doesn’t have to be icky- how to make selling & self-promotion not icky- why anyone with writing they think can help (or teach, or entertain, or comfort) others should actually want to share it- why self-promotion isn’t selling out (unless you don’t want to be successful as a writer)Links mentioned in this episode:- Under the Gum Tree: underthegumtree.com- More to the Story coaching & editing for women: moretothestory.co- Alt Summit in Palm Springs, March 14-17- 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

Someone sent me this question recently, and man did it get me fired up.Whenever I hear any so-called advice (from anyone) saying you need XYZ specific thing in order to get published, my first response is:Well, how does saying that benefit THEM?Here’s the thing: do you need 100,000 followers to get published? NO. Absolutely not. Would it be helpful? Of course.But (and this is a big BUT), there is a lot of nuance to this question, which I unpack in this episode.Listen in for:- thinking through using Substack, making work sustainable, whether or not to turn on paid subscriptions for this podcast, and doing work that’s easy and that I want to do- why someone would say something like, “you need 100,000 followers to get published”- what we mean when we say “get published” & the importance of distribution- how to determine whether going after hundreds of thousands of followers makes sense for YOU- why your own personal vision + goals are the most important thing to inform your book publishing decisionsLinks mentioned in this episode:- Subscribe to More to the Story podcast in Substack: https://moretothestorypodcast.substack.com/- Under the Gum Tree: underthegumtree.com- More to the Story coaching & editing for women: moretothestory.co- Past More to the Story episode ”If you want to publish a book, what is it that you actually want?”- Brooke Warner’s Substack & post on distribution- Alt Summit in Palm Springs, March 14-17- 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

When an opportunity for expansion and growth presents itself, but it’s something you’ve never done before, what’s your first instinct? To avoid doing it? To dismiss it simply because you’ve never done it? Maybe the idea of trying the thing hasn’t even occurred to you because you’ve never done it.But just because you’ve never done something doesn’t mean you can’t do it, or shouldn’t do it. In fact I would argue that when this type of resistance comes up it’s a good indicator that it’s time to do some self-reflection and some exploring by first, getting curious and asking yourself some questions, and, second, taking one small action to get just a little closer to the thing you’ve never done.In this episode I share an example of a client who came up against this resistance + some questions to ask yourself when it comes up for you.Links mentioned in this episode:- Subscribe to the podcast on Substack: moretothestorypodcast.substack.com- My signature video course: Nonfiction Bootcamp- Follow me on Instagram: @jannamarlies- Follow Under the Gum Tree on Instagram: @undergumtree- Sign up for my email list: jannamarlies.com/keep-in-touch- Alt Summit in Palm Springs, March 14-17- AWP in LA, March 26-29 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 introduce myself as a book coach, nearly every single woman I meet responds with, “Oh my gosh, I’ve always wanted to write a book.” Then we get to talking about what’s holding them back, and it is always some variation of “I’m not ready.” It usually sounds something like:- I’m waiting until I have a larger following.- I’m waiting until my kids are older. - I’m waiting until my business is more established.- I have to take care of XYZ thing first. - Now isn’t the right time because of XYZ. - I’m not a good enough writer.- I don’t know where to start!- It’s a big, scary, overwhelming project, and I don’t know how to do it!All of these are a version of feeling like you’re not ready to do this thing that you say you’ve always wanted to do, and here’s a secret: If you’re waiting until you’re “ready,” you never will be!It’s kind of like producing the first ever episode of Saturday Night Live, which I talk about in this episode after watching the movie Saturday Night on Netflix. That first night, the network producer kept trying to convince Lorne Michaels, the creator of the show, that they were’t ready and they should just try again the next week. But if he had done that, would there even be the great institution of American culture and comedy that we know and love today?Links mentioned in this episode:- Subscribe to the podcast on Substack: moreothestorypodcast.substack.com- More about Under the Gum Tree: underthegumtree.com- More about my coaching & editing: moretothestory.co- Sign up for my email list: jannamarlies.com/keep-in-touch 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

Aspiring authors: do you have a pre-set idea of how to write and publish your book, based on what experts and gurus have said is the (best/only/most effective) way to do it? Have you already decided that you need to do XYZ because that's what so-and-so says to do? If you answered YES to any of these questions, this episode is for you. And I have some questions for YOU. Here's the deal: there is no one-size-fits all path to getting published and, in fact, if you haven't gotten clear on a few things for yourself first, then you may be following bad advice. Take a listen to find out what I mean. Subscribe to the podcast on Substack: moreothestorypodcast.substack.comMore about Under the Gum Tree: underthegumtree.comMore about my coaching & editing: moretothestory.coSign up for my email list: jannamarlies.com/keep-in-touch 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

After a nearly four-year hiatus, More to the Story Podcast is back! Brought to you by Janna Marlies Maron, book coach and editor for women writing nonfiction, and editor and publisher of the creative nonfiction lit mag, Under the Gum Tree. Time is on your side: many of previous podcast guests have published books since being on the show; what’s been happening for Janna & plans for this podcast going forward. Subscribe to the podcast on Substack: moreothestorypodcast.substack.com Sign up for Janna’s email list: jannamarlies.com/keep-in-touch 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

Janna Marlies Maron (she/her) is a professional editor with nearly 20 years of experience helping writers to complete their projects and produce the best work possible. Her experience includes time as a magazine editor, college professor, agency editorial director, and content director for a popular internet brand. Her life’s work began when she was a kid writing in a spiral bound notebook, and she has since turned an MA in creative writing into a successful career as an editor, publisher, and director of her own business supporting women authors writing nonfiction. In addition to founding and editing Under the Gum Tree, she‘s the host of More to the Story, a podcast all about creative nonfiction, as well as private online community for nonfiction writers also called More to the Story.In the episode I talk about: What’s been happening in the past three years, since the last season of More to the StoryThe importance of stepping back and taking a break when necessarySelf-care as an essential component of work and lifeShowing up for the people you care aboutMy new business working with nonfiction authorsMore to the Story, my private community for nonfiction authors. Find more info at jannamarlies.com/communityNonfiction Bootcamp, the 9-month coaching and editing program designed to help nonfiction authors finish a complete draft of their book manuscript. Find more info at jannamarlies.com/nonfictionbootcampThe best way to stay in touch with  me is to subscribe to my email list at jannamarlies.comThanks so much for tuning in to this season of the More to the Story podcast! Visit us online at moretothestorypodcast.com and visit Under the Gum Tree at underthegumtree.com. Follow Under the Gum Tree Twitter and Instagram @undergumtree. Follow me on Twitter @justjanna and @jannamarlies on Instagram.  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

Author Nicole Walker discusses the intersection of science and literature, the importance of braided essays and collaboration in writing. They touch on climate justice, the editing process, and the capacity for humans to care for each other. The episode explores societal issues, the power of storytelling, and managing multiple book projects while balancing inner conflicts.