370: How To Become A First-Time Author with Gabby Bernstein

Namaste, it's Sahara Rose. And welcome back to the Highest Self podcast, a place where we discuss what makes you your soul's highest evolvement. I am super excited for this episode because a question I get asked all the time is, how do I write my book? And this is a question that I had so pressing in my heart in my early 20s, when all I wanted to do was write books. I have always been a writer and have just resonated with taking my thought and putting it into words. And the hardest journey for me was to figure out how to turn that into a book. And I know I get asked by so many people, how do I write a book? How do I get a book deal? Do I self publish? What does your writing process look like? And so much more. And this is really a topic that I'm so passionate about and also a topic that I love discussing about with other authors to see their own journey. Because, you know, writing a book can really look like so many different ways. Each of the now four books that I have written have shown up in its own form. Some of them I've done by really being organized and having a table of contents. Others were just kind of channeled and came through. And I have other book writing projects that never really saw the light of day because I didn't have enough structure and organization to it. So I'm always curious what other people's writing processes are like. And truly, there is no one better to talk about this with than someone who's written nine books, and that is Gabby Bernstein. So many of you are already familiar with this incredible woman. She has been on the podcast before. She's a dear friend of mine. I actually was so excited. We were speaking on the same stage a couple years ago and ended up hanging out the whole weekend and becoming friends. And she is someone who I really admire in my own journey. Before my first book came out, going to the bookstore and seeing her book as a female spiritual was so inspiring for me and really showed me that it is possible and that there are other spiritual women out there who are getting their messages heard. And it really allowed me to see that there was also space for me to share my voice as well. So I never could have imagined that one day I would be interviewing her on her book writing process. So she is someone who's just so organized, so deliberate. She has such a New York energy to her. That's where she's from. So I loved interviewing her and really asking her all of the questions about book writing. If you guys listen to this podcast and know me. You know, I basically channel all of you guys and like all the questions that you probably have in your head. I'm like, but what about this and what about that? And she really answers all of them. So you're gonna get so much value, so much just awareness about what writing a book could look like and also her tips, tools and strategies. And at the end of the episode she shares a really incredible opportunity for you to actually learn how to write your best selling book with her process. And I've included a free bonus for you guys I'll be sharing about at the end of the episode if you'd like to join and head over to the Show Notes right now if you want to click on that link and learn a little bit more about it. So without further ado, let's welcome Gabby Bernstein back to the Highest Self podcast. And before we get started, I'd love to share with you this special offer. If you're like me, you just want to be comfortable and wear clothes that are super soft and stretchy but also not damaging for the environment. Well, I'm super excited to introduce you to Woven, a sustainable yoga apparel line that was actually founded by my dear friend Kieran, who's also a woman of color. I live in Woven's joggers. You actually can see me in them in my yoga journal cover shoot spread, as well as in a lot of my dance tick tocks and reels. And the best part is they're actually made out of recycled BPA free bottles. There are about 27 recyc recycled bottles in each pair of pants. The fabric is super soft, breathable and odor resistant, meaning you can wear them more and wash them less. Climate scientists agree that reducing carbon emissions is our single most important objective to reduce catastrophic climate change and protect the environment for our future generations. In addition to being climate neutral and good for our planet, Woven created the innovative four way top, a top in which you can reverse four four ways from print to basic. Their sacred geometry prints are designed in house and the basics are inspired by the colors of Mother Earth, including their turmeric, which is one of my favorite colors. Each piece is designed to hug and accentuate your natural curves, all while providing support and versatility. You can get 25% off your woven order at woventhreads.com with coupon code Sahara and you can find that link in the Show Notes Foreign welcome back Gabby to the Highest Self Podcast. It's so great to have you here again.

It is always good to be with you I. You're one of my favorite people to reconnect with randomly. Like, you're like, one of those, like, balls of sunshine that when I, like, randomly get to see you once a year, whether it's on zoom or in person, it's like this bright light happens inside me. Thank you.

Ah, thank you. And a question I'd love to ask you again is, what makes you your highest self?

Oh, so many things. I would say what makes me my highest self is being authentic and untethered. Beautiful and untethered. Yeah.

And I really think right now we are so in need of authentic and untethered voices. You know, it's so challenging every time we go online and we're not sure what to believe, what's true, what's false, like reading between the lines. And it can sometimes just feel like the greatest breath of fresh air to read something that comes from the heart, you know? And, yeah, so many people right now, too, are. Have experienced so many challenges and lessons and deeper revelations that they're wanting to share. And that's why I'm so excited to be interviewing you today on Writing a Book, because it's a question I get by so many listeners of, how do I get started writing a book? What does it look like? What is a creative process like? And there's really no one better out there to ask than you who have, you know, crafted multiple New York Times bestsellers. Someone who is deeply inspired me and I feel really paved the way for female spiritual authors. Like, there truly has never been a female spiritual author like you before. And you really are a pavemaker who has really allowed us to see what is possible. So, first of all, I want to acknowledge you and thank you for that and just learn more about your writing process. So the first question I'd love to ask you is, how do you get an idea for a book? Is it something that just hits you? Is it kind of the conglomeration of different lessons you've been learning recently? What does that process look like?

Well, I just actually am laughing to myself before I even answer that question, because I've written nine books in 11 years. And right before I got on with you, I'm in the process of writing a proposal for a cookbook, actually, that I won't be writing the recipes, I'll be writing the spiritual elements of it. But what I find so funny is I'm just sitting here and I'm like, she's asking me what makes me want to write a book, and I'm like, in the middle of trying to write the proposal for this next one. So I can answer that with a lot of authenticity in this moment. I will write a book often there's two reasons. One, based on what I sense the reader needs at that time, given the circumstances of the time, given what I'm intuitively and spiritually being called to bring forth from a timely perspective. And two, I write books based on what I need for my own healing and my own personal growth at that time. Every book I've written has first and foremost been written for myself. I write it as a part of my own recovery and my own spiritual growth and enhancement. The fact that these books heal me allows me to know that they will heal the reader, that they will support and serve the reader.

I love that so much. And when do you get that spark of, yeah, this is going to be a book?

Way too often. So I'm laughing still inside, loudly, because I was on the phone with my agent. Like, I'm talking five minutes before we get on, and I'm like, okay, so I'm telling you about the proposal for the cookbook. And then he's like, okay, but when are you going to write your children's book? Because Harper One wants to write a children's book with you. Oh, we can. We can take out Harper One because this publisher wants to write a children's book with you. And I'm like, okay, yeah, I really want to write a children's book. Wait, I got to get that. You know, I've got the biggest idea for that. And then five minutes later, I'm like, oh, yeah. And I've got this book writing course called the Bestseller Masterclass, and I want to write a book writing book. Like, it was just like, slow your roll, girl. But that's like, at any agent's dream, right? But the answer is, I always have a spark of inspiration. My team has to work at the speed of Gabby. I actually have to often slow myself down so that I can not take on too many things at one time.

I love that. And I. I feel the same way. And then when do you feel like someone needs to have gotten through the lesson to write a book on it? You know, I often see people, they want to write a book about a certain less. But can you be in the lesson and write the book, or how far after really completing that lesson do you feel like you're ready to write a book on it?

I think you can be in the lesson while you're writing it, but it really depends on the topic. So, for instance, when I wrote the book the Universe has yous Back. I was living in a really, really, really dark period of my life. I had just remembered a dissociated childhood trauma. And then I was contracted to write a book about transforming fear into faith. So in the process of writing that book, I was healing myself. So while I was going through it, while I was writing it. And so I think that was appropriate for that book. Whereas this new book that I'm writing, that will be out on two. 2222, the new book I'm writing is all about undoing the traumas from your past so that you can be standing in your greatness in the present. And that's my book on trauma recovery. And there's no freaking way that I could have written that book five years ago, two years ago even, you know, a week before I started. Right. I wrote it. I started writing it a year ago. And that was when I was steady enough, when I was healthy enough, when I was grounded enough, when I was in enough recovery, when I was. When I knew that my words wouldn't trigger others or that I could be. That I could be a safe container to hold the conversation, to keep people safe in that conversation. So the answer sort of has to depend on the topic. You know, if you're, like, going through a breakup and you want to write your breakup book, like, that might be the best time to write your breakup book, because you're living it. But if you're unpacking a traumatic wound from childhood that you just remembered after 36 years, you might not want to write that book the first day that you remember.

So, yeah, I love that answer. And when you start writing a book, does it look like you're just kind of, like, in front of your Microsoft Word and just writing away, or do you put together a table of contents first?

I am. So I use the word untethered up front when I write. I write as an untethered force of light. That's what I. That's my title at my company. I am not the CEO. I'm the untethered force of light at the top of the page of every book I write. Untethered force of light. The only way I can be untethered and be a force of light as a writer is to have a very deep, detailed outline and to know where I'm going and to know the journey that I want to take the reader on and to know the core message of the book. And to be so to do all that heavy lifting and organization up front so that I can rift between the lines so that I can be untethered, so I can have fun and be free, because I know exactly where I'm going. If you don't know where you're going, you're going to write yourself into circles. There is no freedom in not having a clear outline. It's actually quite the opposite. And this is something I teach to all writers in my course, the Bestseller Masterclass, I give a full module just on core message, an entire module just on the outline. Because if you don't have those two. And that's where I start. If you don't have your core message. Core message meaning the through line. What is the promise of this book? An example often is the subtitle of a book, right? So Super Attractor. The core message. Methods for manifesting a life beyond your wildest dreams. Okay, I know what she's talking about. If every chapter doesn't connect to that core message, then it has to be used in another book or deleted or whatever. So the clarity and the organization and the forced organization, frankly, because I'm not the most organized person, but I've taught myself to be, gives me the freedom to be untethered in the writing.

I love that so much. And I can so agree that table of contents helps helps you move so much faster, too. Because I have found when I don't have the table of contents and I'm just writing, I end up. You know, you get on a tangent on one thing and you're like three pages in into this, like, one point that feels like the most important point you have to keep writing about. And then you, like, basically have to get rid of all of it, and it ends up being a sentence. So I would love to talk about killing your Darlings. You know, sometimes as writers, we get really precious with our words and we don't want to let go of things. What is that process like to you to be like, nope, this isn't going to fit in the book. Do you kind of save it in a file for other books? Is that hard for you? What is it like?

Well, I think that the stuff that I need to move is different than My Darlings, because the stuff that I need to move is usually good stuff that is, like, awesome and channeled. And I'm just like, oh, but that just doesn't fit in this book. Save it for the next one, or put it in a blog or put it in a social media post or do something with it. But the darlings, oh, my God. One of my Darlings are like, I always say, I always write, you know, in the times we're living in, we are called to, you know, we're like just. My husband's always like, are you kidding me with this stuff? You know, because it's consistent. So I'm very easy to strike through that. I look for it. I find it much more easily now. I think in one of my books I think I'd written, I can't remember what the word was, but my editor found the same word like 99 times or something like that. Like it was something that had to be cut.

Do you find the challenge of your writing and you're like in a specific tone or mood, and then you come back to write and you're in a different tone and mood, and then it sort of feels like a different voice. Do you tend to choose what the tone of the book is going to be like before and consistently write like that, or do you edit that more later on in the process?

I think that because I'm a motivational speaker first and writer second, I don't know why I identify like that because I write so many books, but I do see myself as a speaker first. I always write in my spoken voice. And so the voice doesn't change much. And even if the mood changes, the voice isn't. Is the same. And so I think that the my biggest. Because I don't have any literary background other than writing nine books, but I haven't had any writing training and traditional publishing training or anything. When I was. Before I wrote my books, I think that was a blessing for me because I found my voice at a very early stage in the process. And so that's consistent for me, no matter what.

I love that so much. And do you tend to set like a routine for yourself of I'm going to create the space and write between these times, or is it more whenever the inspiration hits? Both.

These days it's more routinized because I have a son who's two and a half years old. And when I was younger and I was writing a book, I've written, you know, I've pretty much been writing a book a year. So when I was younger and I was writing and I didn't have a child and as many responsibilities, I would write my book on the airplane of the book tour of the book that I had just launched. So I'd be writing the next book. So I would write a book, launch it, sell the next book, and then be on the freaking airplane of the tour writing the next book, which was fine. Because it was coming out and I had a deadline, and it was. I love writing on planes. I do have a little bit of a routine, which is coffee. Mornings are my writing time. I will never write any other time past. Usually I don't write past noon. Morning is when I write. It's my best. It's my magic hour. My magic hours. I need to be uninterruptible. As my friend Danny Shapiro says, as a writer, you have to be uninterruptible. Because when I write, I just can't have to have all the tabs gone. I can't be. I am a multitasker, but the more I am, the more space I clear, the better the writing is.

I feel you. Do you put your phone in another room or on airplane mode, or do you just kind of get in the zone and forget?

I turn off all the other tabs. Like, I delete just in one tab. I write in Google Drive, and I'm just in one. The Google Drive tab. So there's no other tabs up. My phone is probably on silent. Yep.

Do you find yourself getting distracted, or do you take breaks throughout the hour, or do you kind of just sit and flow until the muse runs out?

I sit and flow, so I might flow for an hour, and then I'm done for the day. I don't bang my head over the table. I just let it out. I let it out.

I love that so much. And, yeah, I think my best writing has always come in those times that it's unforced and it's just coming through me. But sometimes to get to that place, it requires a bit of discipline and motivation when you've especially never felt that feeling before. But then eventually I feel like the muse shows up.

Yeah. I think that it's not about how long you're writing for. It's about how free you are when you're writing.

Absolutely. So I want to talk about completing a book now. I'm sure a lot of listeners have started writing something but haven't completed it. What do you do to stay on track? Stay motivated, stay focused, Especially with running a business, having a son, and so many other things in your life.

I am the most unorganized, routinized person there is. So I have a lot of routine, but I also have a lot of freedom in that routine. And because of that, I've never missed a deadline. I'm early. Usually when I drop a book to my publishers, I think it's also in my nature to be on time. I also find that completion is something that brings me ease. And some people like to just do things at the last minute. I like to get shit done. So that's helpful when you have a deadline is I stay on track, I'm consistent. I start early. I give myself enough time and space. I know in sort of in an inner clock of like, when it's going to get, when it needs to get done. This new book, I wrote most of it, like early 2020 at like a crazy time. And then I knew that if I did that, I would have plenty of time to go back and rewrite it, which I have to often do is like rewrite a lot of it. So I don't miss deadlines. I have no trouble with completion.

Before you had a publisher and deadlines, was it ever challenging for you or would you set a deadline for yourself?

I was. I just think it was always just in my nature to get stuff done. I think that that just something that my mom taught me. My mom, and almost to a fault at the time. Now it's much more balanced. But I think when I was younger I would get things, things done because I'd be anxious if I didn't. And so now it's much more just in my nature and it's just part of my inner, inner clock and I just make it happen and it does give me ease to be complete. I do think that when I was younger, it might have been a little bit more destructive.

I feel you. I sometimes feel the sense of, like, urgency, of like, something is unfinished. I need to finish the thing. And yeah, it does give you a feeling of like, relief and satisfaction after. And then there's another thing to write and create. And that's the joy of life.

Totally.

We'll take a quick break so I can give a shout out to our sponsors. This podcast is sponsored by Better Help. It is so important to have someone that you can openly talk to about your issues and what's going on. Sometimes we use our friends as therapists, but that's really not what they're for. Our therapist is our therapist. And I know in my life it has been beyond helpful to have someone hold hold space for me so I can openly speak about what's going on in my mind and have someone to reflect back my thoughts at me so I can find more clarity and overcome any anxiety that I have been feeling. So I am so excited to be partnering with Better Help. Better Help is customized online therapy that offers video phone and even live chat sessions with your therapist so you don't have to see anyone on camera if you don't want to. You can even message your therapist throughout the week for additional additional support. It's much more affordable than in person therapy and you can start communicating with your therapist in under 48 hours. So please don't wait weeks to find someone to talk to. There has never been a more important time to invest in your mental health because you, my friend, are your greatest asset. Again, this podcast is sponsored by Better Help and Highest self. Podcast listeners get 10 off their first month at better health.com Sahara again, that's better help. H-E-L-P.com Sahara for 10 off so if you're anything like me, you catch yourself late at night on your computer with all of these words and thoughts and things you want to research, but it's super late and you know you're going to screw up your sleep. And Ayurveda told you your circadian rhythm really matters. So you're secretly mad at yourself but you still want to keep keep going. Does this sound a little bit too specific? Well, if so, I have the solution for you. And those are blue blocks glasses. So these are glasses that help block the junk light, all of the artificial light, the blue light that's on our phones, our laptops, all these screens, even our light switches. I've actually changed out all my lights to no longer have the blue artificial light that comes through. So it's a lot more soothing for my circadian rhythm cycle. And where these blue Blox glasses has been so helpful, I sleep better, I wake up early, easier, and I don't have that same digital eye strain. And if you're a little skeptical, all of these glasses use science backed technology tested to ensure they work unlike other blue light glasses companies. If you want to get your hands on a pair, head over to blueblocks.com that's B L U B L O X.com Sun Sahara for 15% off your first pair and you can find that link in the show notes. So do you ever start writing a book and then realize, you know, maybe this isn't the book I'm meant to write or maybe this isn't the time. I meant to write this book later on.

That hasn't happened to me. The opposite has happened to me. I'd be writing a book. Well, maybe it's not quite the opposite. It might be the same thing. Sort of. I'd be writing a book and one of the chapters in the book I'll be writing and I'll be like, oh shit, this is a book. So that happened with the Universe has yous Back. I was writing the Universe has yous Back, and I wrote an entire chapter about releasing Judgment. And when I finished that book, I was like, oh, damn it, that's a whole book. Which became my next book, which was Judgment Detox. So it's not a bad thing. It's just that I had to recognize that this was introduction to what was going to become a book later. And that's kind of cool.

I love that. And speaking of Judgment, what do you suggest to people who are editing while writing so they're rereading what they just wrote and kind of in their more analytical mind when writing. What is your process with that?

I would say that's not good for me. I don't know, maybe other people. But what I like to do is get it all out, write it all out, then maybe the next day review it and give it a little bit of a zhuzh and a little bit of a reorg. I also work with an editor, in addition to the editor at the publishing house, so that I feel like there's somebody just sweeping up behind me. So when I complete a chapter and I've done my own very light edit on it, then I'll give it to my editor, she'll do a first round edit, then I'll go on to the next chapter, and then she'll kind of continue to sweep up behind me and we do three rounds of edits. Then when I'm done with those three rounds of edits, she's given me a complete manuscript, no ghosting. I write every single word of my books. She just does just a real organization, copy edits, suggestions, things like that. And then I give the full manuscript to my husband, Zach. And then he goes, line. He literally just goes and just tears that shit up. And then I have to go deal with his edits. And once I've done that, I bring it to the publisher, I submit a really clean manuscript.

So you don't let yourself kind of reread what you just wrote, just kind of briefly after you finish the whole chapter.

Or I'll write a few thousand words and then I'll go back to it the next day and say, okay, am I on the right track? I may not complete the entire chapter without revisiting it, but sometimes I will.

And do you ever. Or have you ever had a voice in your head as you're writing of like, this isn't even very good, or, I'm off today?

Yeah, I'm sure I have. I Think that if I'm feeling like that though, I would stop writing. So I wouldn't say that I have ever felt like I'm staying in that place. I never force myself to write. You can't.

I love that so much. And for people who are thinking about, you know, writing their first book, would you suggest for them to self publish it, get it out there or to try to get a traditional publishing deal?

So I cover this in great detail in my bestseller masterclass because I think that a lot of people think they only should. They only can get a book out by getting a publishing deal. And what happens is they may not have a platform that's ready for it or there may be issue with the publishing industry at that time or whatever. And so they're sitting pretty much waiting there to be picked. And as a result of that they're sitting on their big mission driven work. So I am a huge fan of teaching people the exact methods for getting an agent and a publisher, but also most importantly, the exact methods for finding your path to a self publishing journey. Because you can self publish, have a successful book and have that same book republished years later by a publisher. So it's not like self publish. There's no shame in the game of self publishing, let me tell you. It's something I very well may do at some point in my own career. Sometimes it can be far more abundant for people. So I don't think there's a right or wrong way. But I do believe that if the traditional publishing path is gonna hold you up and keep you from putting your book in print, then self publish.

I love that advice so much. And yeah, I think especially with the paradigm shifting and Covid happening and so many distribution channels not even being open right now, you know, the very reasons why so many people traditionally publish in the past may not even be there right now of like we're not really walking into a bookstore as much as we used to to or anthropology or whatever places that we are buying a lot of things online which you could just self publish and have it basically look exactly like a book and be exactly on Amazon plus. I believe now you can even self publish on Audible.

You can. I believe you're right. Yep.

Yeah. Which is super cool. Do you tend to find that people resonate more with your written book or Audible audiobooks or is it sort of equal?

My audiobooks are almost sell more than my hardcover at this point. Maybe equal. My audiobooks are a lot of people buy both. They like to read it and listen because I read my Books, because I am a motivational speaker. Because of the nature of the books, I think that people really like to listen to them. And also I think audible is just such a hot thing right now. People really like to listen to books.

Recording my audiobook was one of the hardest things. I thought it was gonna be so fun and so easy.

It's so hard.

They were like, your stomach rumbled.

It's no small thing. The first time I did it, I remember I was like, oh, no, I don't think I'm gonna make it through. And then I've gotten better as the time has gone on.

Do you record them at home now or do you go to a studio?

My last audiobook, which was an Audible original, I recorded. They sent me all the equipment I recorded in my home. Yeah, sounds great.

Was that easier?

In some ways, yes. In some ways, no. Because I was still like zooming the tech side of it, you know. So like, I had to set it all up with my husband help me, but like, I'd have to set it all up and then test it and like then send them the files and so no, it actually wasn't easier. But there was. But I'm building recording studio in my office in fact. So for the future, I was just going to bang it out and maybe I can have somebody there helping me.

Yeah, totally. My friend did it while lying down in her bed. Just recorded at home, lying down. I'm like, I need to do that next time.

That's a good idea.

So I'd love to hear your advice. A lot of people, they have an idea for their first book and it's a memoir, their story. And oftentimes the advice they hear from publishers is it's not a good idea for your first book to be a memoir because people don't know you yet. They may not want to hear your story. So what is your advice on a first book idea? Should it be something that's more of a guide without a personal story? Or would you say just go for it and start with your memoir? Given also the challenges of writing about your own personal story?

Well, I think it depends on the type of author you anticipate becoming. For instance, my friend Dani Shapiro, who is a memoirist, it's like her books are memoirs, right? She had to start somewhere. So it's not like she was writing self help books, although they have a lot of deep personal growth in them. If you're like us and you want to write personal growth, spiritual books or nonfiction, then maybe you don't want to start Leading out with a memoir, you do want to kind of qualify yourself as a teacher, but if you're somewhere, someone that wants to write fiction or wants to write memoirs, then you would have to start there. So it sort of depends on the style of book you intend on or the style of author you intend on becoming.

Totally. In my experience, writing about my own personal story has always been the most challenging thing because there's so many nuances to it and perspectives, especially when there's other people involved. So what is your advice on writing about something that maybe has to do with someone else, like a parent or person in your life that you want to share your whole truth, but you also know that that person's going to read it?

Well, either you have permission, or you change the name and the sex and make them unrecognizable.

Love that. Yeah, I know. For so many people, it's hard because you want to share about your childhood and things you overcome and, you know, maybe don't want your childhood friends and family to know, or you don't want your parents to hear what you really felt about your childhood, or all of these different things that come with sharing your story.

Listen, the book I'm writing right now, it's like my husband's editing it, and he's just, like, coming into my office being like, I think I'm depressed. You know, he's like. Because it's stories that he's lived through with me, you know, even though if it's not directly connected to him, it's stuff that's triggering for him. And because it's reminding him of when I was, you know, suicidal with postpartum depression or remembering trauma, it's, like, really hard. So the people in your life may struggle to hear the book. They just might. What it is. Speaking of stomach growling, My stomach just started growling.

It's always happening. It's just the microphone makes you hear it. Yeah, I feel you. It was definitely the hardest thing for discovery or drama, sharing about my story with my. My family, et cetera, and. Yeah, like, knowing that it's your story to share, and when you're putting something out into the world, it's also involving their perspective. So it's definitely the greatest healing process I think I've ever gone through, especially with that. Yeah. So so much wisdom that can be gained. Do you feel like every time you write a book, you shift as a person?

Yep. Every time I write a book, I shift as a person. Yes. My books heal me, My books teach me. My books challenge me to Be a better version of myself. If you're going to put your face on the COVID of the Judgment Detox book, you better get your shit together. If you're going to put your face on the top of the universe has your back, you better stay positive and really believe and practice what you preach. Oh yeah. Being an author is a privilege in that it challenges me to walk my talk.

Yeah, most definitely. I think some of us, we chose to learn lessons by transmuting them and teaching them to others. And then we get another karmic lesson and then we transmute that and you know, write a book or share about it in some sort of way. And that's just how we're going to live our lives forever.

That's right. That's right.

So what's your advice for people who feel like maybe I'm not naturally a writer? Do you suggest that they voice record themselves writing a book and then try to edit it later? Do you think it's a learning, learned skill or something that some people are just more born with?

I think that if you have a story to tell, there is a way to express it. I had no literary background. I couldn't string a sentence together. My first book, I was guided to a writing coach who just taught me how to create an outline. And then that gave me the freedom to write between the lines and be extemporaneous in my writing and just have fun and be joyful with it. That was the beginning for me. So I think if you don't identify as a writer but you know you have a story to tell, there are many ways to express that story through your writing. And you can also be, you can also teach yourself, which is, my writing is so good now and it wasn't that great before. It was always good in that it was my voice and it was clear and the messages were strong. But the actual writing is great now. And that took, that took 11 years of consistent writing. Now I can just sit down, write a book proposal in five minutes with a killer intro because I can tell, I can tell stories well in my writing voice.

I love that. And I know you share more about storytelling tips, et cetera, in your bestseller masterclass, which can't wait to share about more. So what advice do you have for someone who does want to be a first time author? Something that maybe you wish you could have told yourself 10 plus 20 plus years ago?

Well, I would have told myself. I probably would have said actually, I don't know. I wouldn't have advised myself on anything because I Think what I did was great. But what I would say to somebody else is just stay open to creative possibilities because you're going to have all of these stories of doubt and limitation and I shouldn't do this and how can I do this and who am I to do this and I'm not a writer and all the bullshit. So if you stay open to creative possibilities, that that kind of attitude will keep you resilient and keep you receptive and keep you inspired and keep you open to finding a coach or getting an editor that's going to help you or even getting a ghostwriter if you're someone who's just like, I don't want to write it, but I've got a story to tell. So I think there's a lot of ways to get a book out and you have to just be very open to the possibilities of how you can do it.

I love that so much. And yeah, I mean, I remember when I first was on the journey of writing a book and all the fears and the imposter syndrome and the not enoughness and you know, someone else has already done it, so there's not enough space for me. And it's just showing up on your computer tab and starting to write. And from that process you get more inspiration, you get more feedback and you refine it and you get better. And then before you know it, you have, you know, nine books like Yourself and Accounting. You wake up. Yeah, exactly. And it definitely inspires me. After Discovery youy Dharma, it's. You put so much into a book and then the book launch and you're like, I'm not writing a book for like at least another year. And then the muse hits and I'm like, oh, I want to write my next book proposal. And it's like this fun thing of I just love having my thoughts and this physical thing that I can pass along to someone and like I find no course, no thing. Living online gives me that same gratification that I have knowing you can even access this for free at the library. I am just to going gifting this to humanity.

I agree with you completely. It's a great feeling.

Yes. So good. And I'm so excited because you're going to be really training us more into how to create a best selling book. I'm so excited for your training that's coming up in your bestseller masterclass. So can you tell us a little bit more about it?

Yes. So I know there's countless authors or aspiring authors out there who want to really level up, want to make that commitment, want to go for it, want to get their book out there, want the direction and clarity, maybe some specific people out there that are like literally, I want the Gabby Playbook. So I created it, I put it into a six module course and it's called the Bestseller Masterclass. And I can very unapologetically and not so humbly say that it's the best course for anyone who wants to write and market a bestselling book. Period, period. Sounds like a lot of ego, but it's period, period. Okay, so that's happening. And so what I wanted to do to introduce that course, I'm giving a free training on your four steps to become a bestseller. And that's an hour long free training which you can give the links to in your show notes. And then if someone's actually interested in the Bestseller Masterclass, you can put the link directly to the course in there. I am so passionate about helping people get their stories into print, helping people bring forth their truth. I am a midwife for books. I have been in the devotional midwifery of many fantastic authors like Amy Porterfield. I'm helping now in her journey and creating Carr and Sophia Amoruso and maybe even you at times. And there's so many beautiful authors that I have had the privilege of supporting because it's such. It is a gift I have, that I have lived through, I have expressed, I have proven for myself and for the student. And I'm really thrilled that I can share that direct path with anyone who feels that they could use that support. So you can start with the free training and then check out the Masterclass. You can go straight to the. You'll put both links in here and it's really going to be great.

I love that so much. You know, when I had my idea for my first book, it took me two years to even figure out like what's a table of contents, what do I put in it, what do I not two years of me just figuring out that I could have just written like three books in that period of time.

And if you take the masterclass, it's like it'll take you two weeks because the first week is going to be core message, the second week is going to be outline. We help you guide yourself towards your best publishing path. So I've got ebooks, ebook experts, I've got my longtime agent and publishers, I've got experts in creating book proposals. There's a whole module on how to write a proposal that sells. And then here's the best part in the course is that I give my six month marketing plan. So it's like the Gabby Playbook is all in there. So that's all in the bestseller masterclass digital course. And we're going to have it open for a little while and we'll just let everybody know about it.

Love that so much. So helpful. I mean, I think you're such a great marketer too and I always just love seeing you show up up on so many podcasts and IG lives and you really just have such a passion for sharing it. And I think so many people out there maybe have written a book, but maybe they didn't do the marketing or they expected, okay, I just hit publish and now I don't know, people are going to read it and that's not really how it goes. So I think that that second side of it, the marketing of the book, it really is just as important as writing it, if not sometimes even more important, because that's what's going to eventually create that word of mouth.

Well, what I say to authors is it's your responsibility to make sure that your great work is read. It's your responsibility. So you can't just be a great writer and just pretend like nothing happened after that. You have to. And so I demystify a lot of the marketing and like I said, I give a six month marketing plan, so I give the step by step path to get people there.

I love that so much. And yeah, I see so many people, they feel the sense of like, oh, well, my publisher should, should market the.

Book for that's not gonna happen. No, not gonna happen.

And everyone I know who has expected that has ended up, you know, feeling unhappy or even jaded and thinking, you know, book writing is not for me, but it really is your responsibility and it's a privilege because, you know, if you don't want to go out and talk about your book to everyone, then who's gonna do that for you?

Exactly, exactly, exactly.

Love that so much. So you have your training coming up. I'm gonna have that link in the show notes. And if people choose to get the bestseller Masterclass, which I totally recommend, I have a free bonus available for you. So I am actually creating a meditation specifically for unlocking your creativity in the book writing process. So if you're someone that's like, I know I want to write, but I just can't get into the zone, I get really distracted. I'm going to be guiding you to a meditation that you can play before you show up for your writing. Every single day to get you embodied, grounded and ready to read receive that channel going through you. So be sure to use the links in my show notes so you can get access to that. Yay. Well, thank you so much for sharing today, Gabby. I learned so much and it really has re inspired me to write this book that has been on my heart and I'm like, maybe I should wait longer until after discover your dharma is out. I'm like, no. I'm going to start writing that proposal right after this.

Yes. Today.

Yes.

Awesome. I love you. It's so cool to do this.

Yes. And thank you for being an inspiration for all of us. We're so grateful. How amazing was that episode. I hope you are feeling inspired and vigored and enlightened to write your first book because the world needs to hear your medicine. If you'd like to join Gabby in her bestseller masterclass, head over to iamsaharrose.com Gabby, you can find find that link in the show notes and there you'll also be able to take advantage of my free creativity meditation. This is something that you can listen to right before you start writing to get yourself in that vibe. Let the channel open up and the words to flow through you. So if you want to get that bonus for free for joining her bestseller masterclass, head over to iamsaharrose.com Gabby and you can find that link in the show notes. Thanks so much for tuning in and I'll see you in the next episode. Namaste.