Book Journeys Author Interview – February 14, 2013
Dr. Angela Lauria with Michelle Colston, author of The Undiscovered Goddess
“Very important, is to embrace the fact that you wrote a book. It’s a big deal, and it’s something to be really, really proud of, and even if you never sell a single copy, it’s still a huge thing.” ~Michelle Colston
Angela:
Well, hello, everybody, and welcome to another episode of Book Journeys Radio. My name is Angela Lauria. I am the – creator of the Author Incubator and founder of the Difference Process for writing a book that makes a difference. And today, with us on this show, we have Michelle Colston. Michelle is the author of The Undiscovered Goddess, find out more about this at theundiscoveredgoddess.com, seems like the perfect person to talk to on Valentine’s Day. So, Michelle, welcome to the show!
Michelle:
Thank you so much for having me! I’m excited to be here.
Angela:
It’s great to have you! And – so, tell us a little bit about The Undiscovered Goddess, what’s the book about and how did you come to write it?
Michelle:
Okay. So, the book itself is kind of a – a piece of autobiographical fiction that pretty much – it’s in journal format, chronicle workbook, and it’s a comedic take on self-help, and it’s about a woman who’s pretty much sick of living in a perpetual state of identity crisis, and she decides to go on a journey to discover her inner goddess and find out what it really means to … your true power! So, that’s pretty much the premise of the book (laughs) …
Angela:
How did – how did you come to write that book?
Michelle:
Well – it’s kind of a funny story, and I’m – I don’t wanna go on too long, I know you’re on a schedule, but it actually started out, if you can believe it, as a vampire book? ‘Cause …
Angela:
Oh! Well, that’s surprising! Okay.
Michelle:
And, so, it was just kind of – it was kind of funny, going into this whole, “You know what? All of these vampire books are all broody and serious, I think it would be really funny to – to write a funny vampire book, and –” but it could not just come together, I could not make it work, and one day, I was – doing this self-exercise, and I came across this word, “Goddess,” and all of a sudden I felt like I had been struck by lightning, and the book – I started outlining and the book kind of wrote itself after that, so – feel like it was a gift that was given to me to deliver to the world, if you know what I mean.
Angela:
Mm-hmm. And what was your – did you know you were going to – the moment you knew that you were going to write a book, were you trying to write a book that made a difference in the world, were you trying to entertain, what was your goal for writing a book? Just creative expression –
Michelle:
Yeah, I – I think it was actually a little bit of both, I wanted to find, or maybe create, a new entry point into – just self-introspection, but I had read – I was – on the self-proclaimed self-help junkie, and I – there were so many books that I found so intimidating, or so many books that did absolutely nothing for me, ‘cause I just wasn’t in a place where – the – the particular messages resonated with me, and I kind of wanted – I do a lot better when I laugh at myself, and so I thought – what is a great way to – to inspire people to go within and look – look within and find out what’s going on with our emotional state if they can laugh about it. I think that we’re – we’re so much more willing to – to look within if we can laugh and say, “Oh, my God, I – I totally do that,” as opposed to – being told they have a problem. So, that – that’s kind of what my goal was with the book … not exactly – I didn’t know it when I first started it, but as it – began developing I made …
Angela:
So, what – tell me what, from what you can remember, tell me what you did know when you started it. Were you like, “Ooh, this is a good idea, this will be fun,” or were you like, “I’m gonna quit my day job and be a full time writer?” What was your goal at the beginning? … talk about how that shifted as you started to learn more about the process?
Michelle:
Well, when I first started, I did it ‘cause I knew it was gonna be fun, and because – I’m a stay-home mom, and so I – my day job doesn’t really ever quit anyway, but I – I – I wanted to – to have fun, and it started out as – a hobby, that I was toying with the idea of trying to get it published, and then – honestly, I – I went to New York on a girls’ trip, and there was just something – there was something that clicked, and I – I was in there, in a group of people, and someone shouted out, “H – Well, what do you do?” and before I knew it, I was saying, “I’m a writer,” and –
Angela:
Wow.
Michelle:
– it was just – yeah, there was like, this – … kind of an emotional and spiritual shift that happened, that I knew, at that point, I was doing what I was supposed to be doing, and I decided I was gonna go get published!
Angela:
Wow. So, that’s fascinating. One of the – when I work with clients, one of the assignments I give them is to actually go and publish, to a networking event or even just a girls’ weekend, and – to say and to declare themselves a writer. To actually say, “I’m a writer,” and for a lot of people, that’s a multi – multi-week, sometimes multi-month step process –
Michelle:
Yeah.
Angela:
– it’s not – for a lot of people, that’s not an easy – transition to make. Why do you think that came so naturally for you?
Michelle:
Well, I think, A, I was – it was – I was safe, because I knew I was talking to people I knew for a fact I would never, ever see again, (laughs) …
Angela:
Okay! … So, that’s – for people that are listening, that’s a great way to try it on, is with people that you know you’re not gonna see again, and that’s – that’s how I sing, I like to sing karaoke in foreign countries or states where I know I will never see people again.
Michelle:
Yes. Yeah, and I can typically end up singing in front of people I will see again, and – and it never works that well for me, but I can tell you, for your listeners, I – what I think was so inspiring for me – for me to be able to say, “I’m a writer,” it was the reaction that I got, because I think that a lot of people are afraid to declare that because of all of the fears that go along with it, like the fears of failure and not being taken seriously, and/or just having this fear of not being able to say, “Oh, yeah, I wrote this book,” and not being published, and –
Angela:
Mm-hmm.
Michelle:
– but the cool thing was that, whenever I said that, “Yeah, I’m a writer,” and it was just, “Oh, that’s awesome, what have you done?” Like, “Well, nothing yet, but I’m getting there,” and it’s like, “Oh, okay, cool,” and I didn’t feel like I had to prove myself, like I was going to, if that makes any sense.
Angela:
Wow. Yeah, yeah. And, for you, was the – what was the most important part of that? Is it – when you call yourself a writer, is it about having a finished product with readers, or, for you, is it more about being a creator? What do you think has you the most excited?
Michelle:
I think it’s a little bit of both, but, more than anything, it’s the creative aspect. It’s – it’s the ability, and, like, just – the – the cool job, is to just sit down and just start with an idea and then – at the end of it, you have this piece of work that people can look at and read and be entertained by. So, for me, that’s what it’s all about, but, honestly, more than anything, I – I encourage people to write all the time, even if they’re not doing it for creative purposes, even if no one’s ever gonna read it, just because it’s such fantastic therapy, so –
Angela:
Yeah, that’s for sure. So, did you have a goal (coughs) – excuse me. Did you have a goal of – especially ‘cause you, like me, are a self-help junkie – did you have the goal of changing people in some way, that people who read this book, you would make a difference in their life? Was that something that was important to you?
Michelle:
You know, I think that … something that, deep down, was important for me, I didn’t want – I didn’t want … say it –
Angela:
Mmm.
Michelle:
– because I was, I guess, kind of intimidated … think there’s a certain amount of pressure to – to actually declare, “I’m gonna write something. I’m gonna make a difference. I’m gonna make a change with my work.” I – you know – it – you start drawing the attention of people who you’re afraid – i – it kind of reflect on your own self-doubt, if that makes sense –
Angela:
Mmm.
Michelle:
– but – I think that, once I started getting test readers, and they were women in my life who – who would read just a chapter here, just to kinda give them feedback, and they were saying, “Oh, my God – every woman needs to hear this.” And so, I think that’s when – it was really because of the support of women in my life that I thought, “Hey, you know what, maybe I can actually come out and declare that, yeah, this is – this book can actually help somebody.” So, that was …
Angela:
Okay. So, let’s talk about test readers. That’s a great concept. Where did you learn it, and how did you use test readers in your process?
Michelle:
Well, honestly, the – the idea of a test reader kind of just came to me naturally, simply because I – I have to have affirmation, or – I need – or – I need somebody to validate, “Okay, this is good,” or “This is crap.” And I – and, so – even though I might feel good about it, it’s important for me to have somebody else’s perspective, especially when you’re writing, and you’re so – you’re so close to something – you know what you’re saying, but you don’t know if your reader knows what you’re saying. And so, I – it was really important, to me, to have someone read that and confirm that, “Yes, I totally know what you’re trying to say here, and that makes sense.” And so, that’s honestly how it started out, was just getting other peoples’ ideas about what I was writing.
Angela:
And who were your test readers? Were they friends and family, or did you find them online, writer’s groups?
Michelle:
Ooh. No, I had to do without them. (laughs) I had to – still, I mean, I’m kind of a wimp, and so I – I did go to people who I know would be cheerleaders for me, so, of course – my mom, she was also a freelance editor, and so I would send things to her to – for her to proofread, but, yeah, it was definitely friends and family, and then, as – as I grew more confident, then I would reach out to friends of friends, whom, maybe, I didn’t know personally, but they’re big readers, and so, that – that – that’s helped me along with my second book, I’ve gotten more test readers for that, so. . . .
Angela:
And so, would you send a chapter at a time, or did you wait until the whole book was finished, when did you start sending stuff over for people to read?
Michelle:
For The Undiscovered Goddess, it was a chapter at a time, and then – and then, once – before I decided I would, I’d – I’d – signed up and I’d – I’m sorry, I can’t find the word – applied to the New York Pitch, and before I took it there, to go pitch it to editors and publishers, I had a few friend – friends read the whole thing, just to let me know how flowed for them, so it was kind of both.
Angela:
Okay. Well, what is something that you wish you knew before you started your first book? Maybe – maybe something that you’re u – you – you – you just mentioned you’re writing a second book. Is there something that you’re using now that you learned from your first book, that you’re like, “Oh, next time around, I’m definitely doing it another way?”
Michelle:
Yeah. Yeah. Well, I – it’s – it’s kind of a two-part question, because my first book and my second book are so incredibly different, two completely different genres, and so, I can’t really apply what I learned in the first book to the second book, but one thing that I can say was really eye-opening was the publishing process, and what I learned about the c – publishing and agent and how long it actually takes to get your book out there, it’s easier – independent publisher or you’re self-publishing – it’s – it’s a grassroots effort, at least it has been for me, anyway, and so, I think that, once –
Angela:
Okay, so walk us through some of this. Tell – tell me what you learned about publishing, how long it takes, …, walk that – through you, what you know about publishing, for you, what your experiences ….
Michelle:
Okay. Okay, well, I was lucky enough to find a really great editor. Going to the New York Pitch, that was a really – a – a blessing for me was to get a fantastic editor, which I highly recommend, but he was really helpful to me, and – and encouraging me to research, and so – getting – getting online and researching the publishing houses and – and learning that it’s not the same game that it used to be, and that there’s an actual reason why self-publishing is on the rise, because it’s just – it – the big publishing houses don’t do what they used to do, and so trying, obviously to get an agent – if you wanna go to a big house, you gotta have an agent, and that’s a huge process, in and of itself, just query agents, trying to get them to see your work, so – I mean, so, that – I – I queried agents for about four months and finally decided I wanted to take my success into my own hands, and so I decided to self-publish, and I’m so glad that I did –
Angela:
So, the process – so, the process would have been, you’re gonna spend some amount of time querying agents, and – and you stopped at four months, but let’s say, in month six you would have found an agent.
Michelle:
Right.
Angela:
Then, after six months of finding an agent, then that agent would probably take about as long to –
Michelle:
Yeah. …
Angela:
– find a publisher.
Michelle:
Yup.
Angela:
Right. And so, you, after four months of this, were, like, “Hey, I don’t know how long I wanna wait.” That was what made you jump, or did you get some rejections that made you feel like, “Oh, I wanna – oh, I still wanna publish this”? How’d you make the decision to bail out of that process, which can be two years, easily?
Michelle:
Well – Yes. Well, I honestly – I just kind of – I followed my gut, I just – I strongly felt that self-pulbishing was the way that I needed to go, and I’ve … a huge, follow-your-gut kinda gal, so that’s – yeah, there wasn’t a whole lot of intellect in my decision, it was really something that I felt my way into, and I had the support of my editor, which she was – she kinda held my hand through the process, but – honestly, I’ll tell you, one of the things that kind of sealed the deal, though, was learning that – just because you get published by a big house does not necessarily mean that they’re gonna do the work for you. They no longer edit, they don’t market for you, so you’re still doing all the work, but you’re splitting the pie by twelve ways at the end of the day.
Angela:
Right.
Michelle:
So, for me, I was kinda like, “Oh, what’s the point? Why don’t I just do this myself?”
Angela:
Tell me again what the upside is? …
Michelle:
Exactly! Yes, exactly.
Angela:
Okay! So, this time around, did you consider going with a major publisher, or did you kinda save yourself that four months of querying agents?
Michelle:
Oh, I’m – I’m most definitely gonna go the self-publishing route again. I haven’t – it’s gonna be – it’s going to be a series, so I’m – I’m kinda letting the first one bake. I’ve got a lot of irons in the fire right now, so I haven’t had the opportunity to get back to writing for the sequel, but I enjoyed the self-publishing process, and it kind of – it – it made me feel the one in control, and I kinda like that. (laughs) … bit of a control freak that I am, so it was – definitely the way that I’ll go again. Just for the second time.
Angela:
So, when you say that you like being in control, what are the – some of the things that you control because you self-publish that you wouldn’t, if you were working with a publishing house?
Michelle:
Well, just, you know – speaking personally, with my – i – it was kind of – it was nice to be able to – to go over a lot of the formatting, a lot of the – the book design, but on – on my time.
Angela:
Mmm.
Michelle:
So, I’m the one talking to the book designer or to the cover designer, I’m the one submitting the files, I’m the one that’s following up, I know who – who’s on what task, and I’m the one who’s talking to the creative team, and so I felt like – just – it was – it was nice to have – there was no middleman. And so, I was – I was the one in control of – of knowing how long something’s gonna take, ‘cause, I think, a lot of times, that’s the excruciating part about – is not knowing when you’re gonna get a finished product, or when something’s gonna happen, so it’s kinda nice to be able to – to know those things, going into it.
Angela:
Or at least be the one taking the phone calls when it gets delayed.
Michelle:
That’s right, exactly! Yes. Yeah.
Angela:
How did you – how did you deal with the – some of the budget issues, because you were self-publishing, there’s some costs that ended up with you, was that something you were prepared for, and, if not, how did you deal with that?
Michelle:
Well, I was really lucky. My – my editor, Jennifer Ciotta, she’s – she self-published her book, and so, I had a great resource of information, ‘cause she had all of these tips on – “Okay, this is what you need to do here, this is how –“ in fact, she wrote a book, on an e-book, it’s like ninety-nine cents, and it’s called The No B.S. Guide to Self-Publishing, which I would highly recommend to anybody out there who’s considering self-publishing, her name’s – again, it’s Jennifer Ciotta, and she wrote this comprehensive, super-quick read, I mean, it’s like, maybe, forty-five minutes to read the whole thing, about everything you should and should not do whenever you’re gonna self-publish. But she – she was – as far as the budgeting was concerned, she really hooked me up with a lot of her people that she works with, and so I was actually able to get some good deals because she was on my team.
Angela:
That’s great.
Michelle:
So, … it was – I got really lucky, ‘cause I know that’s not – that’s not always the case for everyone, ‘cause I know self-publishing can be really expensive, but I was able to kinda dodge some of those bullets, because of her.
Angela:
So, what is one thing – if – if there’s somebody out there who has written a book or is close to finishing, they know they wanna self-publish, but they don’t have – they don’t have somebody on their side, like an editor – what is one thing you would tell them for sure, to make – to make sure that they take full control of – what’s one area where, maybe, she helped you the most?
Michelle:
Well, it’s – and – and how do you mean, as far as the – the area that she helped me the most?
Angela:
No, in terms of the publishing, like, is it – is it taking a printer, is it finding the right cover designer, is it writing the back cover copy, like what do you think is the most important thing that having her in your corner saves you some hassle that you would have learned the hard way?
Michelle:
Honestly – golly, there’s a lot, because I went into it completely blind. But she held my hand for a lot of it, getting the cover d – she – she helped me get the cover designer, she helped me with my query letters, she helped me with the – with the – the cover blurb, …. She was actually –she’s a rock star (laughs) …
Angela:
So, let’s talk about cover blurbs. Did you get advanced readers, did you get blurbs from – who did you get the blurbs from, and how did you get them?
Michelle:
Actually, I – the only cover blurb that I have is from Kirkus. I – ‘cause I – I did a query for cover blurbs, but at the same time I’m extremely impatient, and that was going to add, probably, another six months sending my books out to have people read, and –
Angela:
And – and who did you say it was from? I wasn’t familiar with.
Michelle:
From Kirkus Reviews. …
Angela:
Well, okay. Tell people about – I don’t know what that is. So –
Michelle:
Okay. So, Kirkus Reviews, they’re – it – it’s a team, or – yeah, pretty much a house of critics, and they have an independent program to where you can submit your manuscript to them, or your – your published book, and they’ll read it and they’ll give you a review, and so – which – the – the great thing is, if it’s a positive review they – they post that on their website and you’re free to – to use it, and up – and if it’s negative, then, you’re also free to just, you know, throw it away, but the cool thing is, is that …
Angela:
And is that a thing you pay for?
Michelle:
You do have to pay, but the good thing is, considering that Kirkus is a pretty reputable critic, it’s – it’s really helpful, it – it’s kinda nice to have an actual critic. If you – if, you know, you get a – a positive review, it can be really nice to put that on your cover. …
Angela:
And even though you pay, they don’t guarantee it’s gonna be positive.
Michelle:
That’s true. Yeah.
Angela:
Right.
Michelle:
And so it is – it’s a risk, but, you know, …
Angela:
Yeah, … and so, what – can you spell that for us? The name of that company?
Michelle:
Sure. It’s k-i-r-k-u-s, Kirkus Reviews, and I think it’s either kirkus.com or kirkusreviews.com. Yeah.
Angela:
Awesome, I’m Googling – yeah, it’s kirkusreviews.com, but if you just go to kirkus.com, k-i-r-k-u-s, you will see it there.
Michelle:
Right.
Angela:
And it looks like they also have some contests, and – looks like a great resource. Well, thank you for that, that was a nice work! That was a nice little gem!
Michelle:
Yeah, a nugget there!
Angela:
Yeah, excellent! So, all right, well – why don’t you tell us now, when was your – when did you publish your book?
Michelle:
It launched in August of – of ’12, so it hasn’t been out super-long time.
Angela:
And in that time, since August, or even maybe with, you know, some of your early – your early readers, what would you say is the best thing to come out of being an author and having your book done?
Michelle:
Oh, wow. Honestly, I think it’s the accomplishment alone, just the – I guess, for me, when I – when I first launched it, there were a lot of – a lot of friends and a lot of people, that, like, “Wow, you wrote a book, that’s amazing.” And I was, like, “Well, you know, it – it’s whatever.” And it’s been kind of – of – a – an opening out – eye-opening experience for me to be, like, “You know what, yes, I wrote a book. I wrote a book, and I got it published, and now, there it is, you can see it on amazon.com or Kindle or Note or iTunes, and – I did that.” And I think that’s – no one can take that away from me!
Angela:
Yeah.
Michelle:
And – and so, it’s … especially when there are people who are saying, “When are you – when – what’s your next book?” and I – at – at my book launch, I had people there who I didn’t even know who had read it, how it somehow gotten a copy of it and read it, and were telling me, “Oh, my God, that – I felt like I was – like you were in my head, this was my life, and I’m journaling now, I’m doing yoga now, and –“ That was really huge, to be able to – to be on the receiving end of that. It was extremely humbling, and of – a huge honor, just to have one, just one person give me a – a great review was enough, but to have several people, in the same night, at the launch party, to – to give me a great review like that, that was awesome.
Angela:
That’s awesome, and I am – I’m on Amazon right now, which, if you go to Amazon, you can look up The Undiscovered Goddess and you will see there are a lot of wonderful reviews up there from readers, and – and … in terms of entertainment value, but also it looks like in terms of making a difference. So, I love – I love that idea that, to make a difference, you don’t have to write a – a heavy book about sixteen ways to do transcendental meditation –
Michelle:
Exactly.
Angela:
– but they can actually find a light way to enter that conversation, I think that’s really powerful.
Michelle:
Yeah. Thank you.
Angela:
So, what – there is a day that you’re in New York and you’re telling people that you’re a writer, and then, years later, months or years later, you’re holding your book in your hand.
Michelle:
Yeah.
Angela:
What was different for you about what you expected when you said, “I’m writing a book” ‘til the moment you were holding it in your hands? How is that different from what you expected?
Michelle:
That’s a great question! Well, I have to admit that, whenever I dream, I dream big, and – but that doesn’t mean that I have realistic expectations, so … kinda funny, because there were several times when my husband was, like, “You know, babe, it’s gonna take a little while for Oprah to get you on the phone.” (laughs) Okay, I was, like …
Angela:
…
Michelle:
Why am I not sitting next to Kelly Ripa right now? What’s the problem with the plug? And so, I think that – I kind of – because I’m so hard on myself, and I’m so super-critical, I kind of actually stole the magic of that moment, of, “Oh, my God, here I am, here’s my book, I did it.” I was already looking on the next conquest, which was sales. And so – I think that that’s a really – something that I – if I can go back and re-answer that question, something that I would tell your listeners, very important, is to embrace the fact that you wrote a book. It’s a big deal, and it’s something to be really, really proud of, and even if you never sell a single copy, it’s still a huge thing. And to not – to – to not steal your own joy, because you’re – you’re looking at the bottom line, ‘cause that’s not – it’s not always what it’s about.
Angela:
Yeah. I think that’s great, when I – when I talk to people, and they’re imagining their book, a lot of times, they’ll say, “Well, about how many books do you think you’ll sell?” And, consistently, the answer is “Ten thousand.”
Michelle:
…
Angela:
… And I’m like, “Wow, okay. You – that would be extremely successful.” And I don’t think people realize that book sales are a little bit different than – than what people expect, even a – a New York Times best seller is often thirty thousand books that they’re selling. It’s not – it’s not necessarily millions, like when you think of Harry Potter or Twilight.
Michelle:
Right.
Angela:
And, you know, if you can sell five thousand books in a year, that’s a huge success. Ten thousand, you would have Oprah knocking on your door, probably, so – so I think setting realistic expectations, and then not taking anything away from that, because a book is, of course, a whole lot more than your book sales, and I bet that there are ways that you’re able to make a difference or get your voice heard because you’re an author, even by people that haven’t read your book.
Michelle:
Yeah!
Angela:
And you found that doors have been opened to you, as an author?
Michelle:
Um – did you say “stores?”
Angela:
Oh, no, I said “doors,” like …
Michelle:
Doors. Okay, I was, like, okay, God.
Angela:
Not …, that’s a different thing.
Michelle:
Um, doors, absolutely. It’s been – it’s actually been really cool to have people ask me, “Will you come to my book club and talk – talk about this,” or “Will you – I have a yoga studio that’s nearby, and – and the owner of the studio wants to do a workshop based on the book.” And that’s been, like, wow, that just blows my mind, that’s so cool, that – that – that … doors are opening, and I have – because of this book, I have my own web talk radio show, and I wouldn’t have had a talk radio show without this book, and so, of course, it – it’s opening up all kinds of doors for me, and – and giving the opportunity to meet all kinds of really cool people.
Angela:
That’s awesome. I think that’s so much more what it’s about. Book sales are important, but they’re definitely only one piece of the equation, I think when people go in they don’t know that, so. . . . Okay, we’ve only got about a minute left, and I just wanna end the show with any advice or tips that you’re … slip into book coach mode, which is usually my role, and if there’s something you would tell somebody who wants to be an author, what would be your one-minute advice?
Michelle:
I would say that, no matter what, keep writing. Keep writing, keep writing, keep writing. Even if you think it’s crap, keep writing, because I think we – we judge too harshly, too much of the time we’re expecting to write James Patterson quality immediately, and it takes practice, and so – be patient with yourself, and don’t stop writing.
Angela:
Beautiful. Well, I think being patient with ourselves is one of the big lessons that we get from writing, is we learn new ways to be patient with ourselves, and – and new ways to reach out to the world and connect that are maybe unexpected, so – Michelle, I so appreciate your time today. Michelle Colston, c-o-l-s – oh, Colston, c-o-l-s-t-o-n, author of The Undiscovered Goddess, and you can find out more and read her very funny blog at theundiscoveredgoddess.com.
Michelle:
Thank you so much for having me on, it’s a great –
Angela:
Thanks, Michelle!
Michelle:
Thank you.
Angela:
Bye-bye.
Michelle:
Bye.