Unleash Your Creative Potential Through Publishing with Roseanne Cheng, Co-Founder of Evergreen Authors

About this episode:

Author and Co-Founder of Evergreen Authors, Roseanne Cheng, joins us on the She Built It™ Experience podcast this week. She shares her story of how she made a shift from education to becoming an author and co-owner of a publishing business and provides tips on what to consider when writing and publishing a book of your own. Join us to learn more about the publishing industry and how to bring out your inner creative.

Topics Discussed:

• Roseanne’s tips for tapping into your creative outlet 

• How to create an individualized author platform for personal success

• Why the path to publishing is different for everyone

• How Roseanne avoids burnout and finds joy in her career
  

About Roseanne:

Roseanne Cheng is the author of five books and co-founder of Evergreen Authors, an online school teaching authors the business of being a writer. She is the former marketing director at an indie publishing house in Minneapolis, and currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona.

Read a raw, unedited transcript of this episode:

Thank you for joining us, Rosanne. You have a passion for helping authors create author platforms, and market their books and get them into the hands of readers. I can't wait to chat about all of that, but before we do, share with us more about who you are, your early career and your why behind writing your books and becoming an author. Every creative person has a way of getting to a place where they are making a living off of their creative work. I'm certainly no exception to that. I've always been a writer and a teacher. I organically fell into a writing and publishing career that put me at this place where I have this very unique vantage point as both a teacher and author, someone who works in publishing and now who mentors authors and works as a ghostwriter. So there's never a straight line when we're talking about creative work. And I always find that the people who are the most successful are the ones that are the most flexible on the journey. I was teaching high school English and always had these book ideas in my head, but never had time to write them. And then I had my first child in 2010, and I remember thinking, if I am going to publish a book, now is the time to do it. I was at home with her. I wasn't sleeping. And the whole bit about being a brand new mom, and I felt like I needed this creative outlet. Otherwise I was going to lose my mind. I had this idea for a book about a school that takes corporate funding over federal dollars and what that would mean for the school system and for the students. And it got me thinking about what money could buy and what money doesn't buy in education, and I started writing this book that I would want to teach. I loved writing it so much that I wrote another one. And I had another child by that point. Because of the way my personal life was shaking out, it didn't make sense for me to go back into the classroom. I worked for an indie publishing house in Minneapolis as their marketing director for four years, worked with hundreds of authors and got to know their stories, not just their stories submitted to us, but also the stories around what marketing meant to them, what success meant to them. My role as a marketing director with authors was very similar to my role in teaching. I had to meet my students where they were. So I would have two people sitting at my desk wanting to talk about marketing a very similar book. But if one was a single mom working two jobs and the other was a wealthy person with time on their hands, their marketing plans were going to look really different. And that was OK. I learned so much from these authors about what success really looks like, and it goes far beyond selling books and making royalties off of your book. There's so much more involved to being a fulfilled creative person.

Isn't it so interesting how everyone's why is different? And at times when we have a baby or we do something where we have to stop and think about what it is we want, it takes us in such interesting directions. Yes, because the following is so busy doing our daily life that we don't really stop and think about what we truly want. Absolutely. And the truth is when your children come into the world, every priority that you thought you had totally shifts into where it belongs, which is your children, right? But at the same time, as much as a mom, I really value being the best mom I can possibly be to my kids. I also think that being the best mom that I can be also means showing them the example of living a creative life and not giving up this very important part of myself just because I am a mom. In fact, they can. They can coincide.

Yeah. And when you love work and you love what you do because I supported myself in L.A. since I was 19 and I learned. You have jobs and do things that I loved, and when you love it, after having the twins, I find myself sitting in the nursery, you know, much like you said, thinking, if I don't do something a creative outlet or something where I feel fulfilled, like you said, you're going to lose your mind. I love your career path that's taken so many different turns from, yeah, from teaching to writing and publishing yourself and the marketing side. I have a business development background, when you market a book, it seems different. You have to learn the platform and as a new author, even as an established one. What is author platform and what are your suggestions for creating one?

Yeah. You know, we talk about this a lot at evergreen authors because people throw around the term author platform all the time, but nobody really talks about what that means. People think a platform is a Facebook page or a speaking career or ad campaign, and those can certainly be part of an author platform. But really, an author platform is two things combined. it's who you are, not just your list of credentials, but also, are you introverted or extroverted? Are you willing to be on social media or you kind of anti-social media, all of these things about you? Like, what's your willingness to put forth the work and then who you can reach organically? [1.3s] We're all about starting with your organic circle, I'm not just talking friends and family. Those are the people who are going to love and support you no matter what. But really, the people that you are writing to and for you, start with them and then you work your way out. I have seen an author platform look a million different ways for different writers, and it really doesn't matter. The genre doesn't. matter if it's your first or 20th book. The platform is what you are willing to put forth to get your book out there because there are millions of books out there and thousands get published every single day. You need to figure out a way to put your book out there in a way that's going to make sense to you. That's not going to feel like a horrible chore for you. And that's actually going to bring you joy, because when you do that, you create this long game of an actual writer career as opposed to a blip of sales and a story about that one time you wrote a book.

It can be so overwhelming to think about selling anything and wanting to sell it to the masses. just start with one, start with focusing on one your ideal reader. And then also, how you say focus on the things that bring you joy because there are some platforms that we love and there are some platforms where we think I feel like I have to do this, but I don't really want to.

Oh, we talk about that all the time. I can't tell you how many times we've done a presentation and people have said, I feel free after you're telling me this, I don't have to be on Instagram if I don't want to be. No, you don't. You don't have to blog if you don't want to. You don't have to do a newsletter if you don't want to. But if you do, if that seems like something that kind of lights a fire in me, like, yes, it's work, but it's creative work and it's fun for me, then that is the platform that you should choose. Of course, there's marketing aspects to it, right? You want to make sure that your readers are actually using that platform. I have found that again, simple is best, right? Chances are, if you're already writing to a certain group of people, that means that you're relating to them in some way. I would assume the platforms you like are going to tend to be the ones that they're on as well. So don't make things too difficult for yourself. Start with one or two things and then do those things.

Don't overcomplicate it. Mm-Hmm. What are your thoughts today on self-publishing versus having a publisher? And how can an author get their books into physical stores, independent and local bookstores? There's a store called Pages in Manhattan Beach that I love and support. And the big ones Barnes and Noble target and other online platforms.

Those are complicated questions. So how do I feel about self-publishing versus traditional publishing versus hybrid publishing? And the way I feel is actually quite simple. You need to choose the path that aligns with your goals. So a lot of times authors will approach self-publishing because they've been rejected by a traditional publisher, and they're just sort of giving up and just fine. I'm just going to slap my book up on Amazon. I feel like going into any creative endeavor with that attitude is setting yourself up for failure. So, you know, if you have a goal of being famous, let's just be honest. Right, if your goal is to be famous and to be sitting with Oprah and Santa Barbara on her couch, talking about your book, you're going to need an agent and you're going to need a big publishing name behind your book and you're going to have to work real hard to get that. So if that's the goal, if that is your path, do it and do it well if you're open to different ways. If maybe it's OK if you're not on Oprah's couch and maybe you just focus on different, other avenues that are more attainable, then maybe a self-publishing or hybrid publishing indie publishing house would be more beneficial for you. There's pros and cons for both. A lot of those pros revolve around money and upfront costs, but we live in this amazing day and age where no matter how you want to get your work out there, you can do it. You don't have to spend a hundred thousand dollars with the fanciest publisher in town. You also don't have to do things so cheaply if you put the time into it and in again. We'll talk about this a lot, but just be very honest with what your goals are. The publishing path will reveal itself to you instead of you chasing it.

How does an author get books into physical stores and other online platforms after choosing their path? And it's interesting because I listened to a lot of different podcasts, but Gary V. mentioned recently, don't discount self-publishing, because for the longest time, we had this idea that we can only be successful if we had a publisher. But it's so interesting how technology and there is respect for that, complete respect for that. But it's interesting how technology in the landscape is changing the way we take in our content.

Yeah, I love Gary Vaynerchuk. So here's the deal. I think that the stigma around self-publishing it, has started to fade and I shouldn't say started. It has been fading for quite a while. I work with so many authors who come to us with books that they have traditionally published that they wish they had self-published so they could retain the rights and figure out how to do some more marketing, have some more flexibility around marketing and, to keep more of the profits from their sales. I mean, this is where the money gets a little bit complicated,Because if you if you do have a traditional publisher backing you and fronting the cost of your book, that is fantastic. They are in the business of making money for themselves, though, so your contract will reflect that. And we've worked with so many authors who just want some flexibility when it comes to putting themselves out there and growing their author platform. But they are bound by a contract with a publisher, and that is always really quite heartbreaking to us. At the same time, I wouldn't say, you should definitely self-publish and never traditionally publish, and I would never say the opposite, either. It really is a very personal path, but it's also one that you should embrace. Once you choose it, go all in and enjoy it.

You and I met because I learned about you and your company on a podcast and I decided to reach out. One of my favorite things to do when I want to learn something new is to search for podcasts and just start listening until I find something that resonates. And Jessica Rhodes and Margie Felton, the founders of Interview Connections who have both been guests recently on my podcast would agree. Podcasts are such a valuable resource for getting your message and product to listeners. What advice would you give someone who wants to pitch themselves as a speaker?

I love this. And this is actually going to be similar advice to the question that you asked before which is how to get your book into bookstores. There's no difference between pitching yourself as a speaker, a podcast or pitching your book to be displayed in a bookstore, pitching your platform in some way, it all boils down to authentic personal connection. That is how it's done. We talk about this with authors all the time. If you take your book to Barnes and Noble and you say, I have this really great book and my goal is to make, you know, a thousand dollars a month and book sales from it, Barnes & Noble is going to be like, Well, we don't care about your goals. Barnes & Noble is there for their goals, and it's going to be the same. With your local indie bookstore, so you want to go into that relationship and say, I have this book. Here's how it can help you. And here's how we can create a mutually beneficial partnership here. Not just I'm using you for your platform kind of thing. That's how I approach podcasting and speaking in general. We do speaking events all the time at evergreen authors with different publishers, we're constantly willing. Now on Zoom. We used to be in person as much as we could write, and we would never go to these writers groups or speaking bureaus and say, here's a list of all the great things about us. They get pitched to from great people all the time. What they want to hear is why is it going to be beneficial to me to have you as a guest on my podcast or feature your book and my bookstore or whatever? And I think that so many authors, so many speakers miss out on that very golden opportunity to create a lasting partnership. With my background in business development, it's how can you help the client and how can you make their life better? And I think about this as I'm writing content, too. It's like, how can I better someone who comes across the page? Right, exactly right. With that approach? Yeah, exactly. And we think that creative work is somehow different. Like, it's special. It's so personal. At the end of the day, unless you're writing in a journal just for yourself, if you want your book to get in front of other people, you need to think of this as a business and it doesn't have to be in this horrible I'm selling my soul kind of way. But just from that perspective of creating relationships here, I'm in this for the long game. So how help me help you So true. At she built it, we believe in experiencing the life and business that you crave. What is your favorite thing about being an author and running the business that you do today? I mean, my kids, so I miss teaching all the time. But I also know that teaching is one of the most inflexible jobs in the world. You're on a bell schedule, and the myth of having summers off is hilarious to a high school English teacher. And as much as I loved it and I do love it and miss it, my priority is my kids. And so when I have a writing career, what I do now is so flexible so I can write when I have the time. But if my kids need me, I don't have to. And I just think there's no price tag that I could put on that flexibility right now that my kids are nine and 11 right now. So they are at this wonderful fun age where they're just figuring out who they are and they need me and I don't wanna miss it.

Mm-Hmm. I understand that my mom taught kindergarten for twenty nine years. And so just, when I talked to her about our kids, you know, she says, I didn't have iPads. when we needed a break during school, I had to figure out how to entertain, twenty five kindergartners. And I have eight year old twins. And the questions that are coming home about,you're right, figuring out who they are is really an important time. So that's great. It's great that you can be there for them and that you found a career that's fulfilling for you and that you are that role model to them.

Truly, I mean, you know, I can't tell you how proud it makes me when my daughter can, talk to her teachers and say, my mom wrote this book or my mom's a writer. That's you. You don't put a price tag on it. It's really pretty great.

That's great. I asked this question at the end of every episode, because I believe finding joy in what we do is so important in our everyday lives. Magic happens when we focus on the part of ourselves and our business that brings us joy. What is one tip that you can leave with us today about how you find and live your joy?

Oh, I love this question so much. It makes me realize one thing that we didn't touch on, which is sometimes when you get into a creative career if you do something you love. You have the danger of burning out on it. I have worried about that. Sometimes I do moonlight as a ghostwriter as well. So I've written books for other people and I really love that work. But a lot of times I do notice that my own creativity suffers as a result of that, and it can be a little draining. As a creative person, as Stephen King says, you have to really prioritize being a great reader. for me, obviously as a writer, I've always loved books and I have always loved reading and I don't look at reading as something that I just do if I can fit it in. It is a really important part of my day, I'll read some fiction, but I love reading books in any sort of genre that I know is going to help me in my business. and continually learning because I think that's what really sparks creativity in the first place. So, obviously taking the time and taking the breaks is all great, but really prioritize reading books. It's never a time that's wasted. We shouldn't look at creativity. And I think some people might say this about journaling or writing poetry or something like that. It shouldn't be something that we do just when we can fit it in. It should be a really important part of our day that we prioritize and show our kids that we prioritize. Our creativity is important even if we don't sell it. It doesn't matter if you sell it or not just prioritize it. So you're living a fulfilled life.

And it's all the more important, I think, for women, because we just tend to hold up more than half the sky, and the expectations on us are so enormous. And so it's all the more reason to just be very protective of that and be mindful of, when that burnouts come in because we all know when it's coming, we can feel it. So when you listen to it and go, OK, time to just shut it down, then you have to do it.

So true, this has been such a fun conversation. I feel like I could keep asking you question after question I love. A path of your career and the business that you're building is helping so many people, it's so wonderful. So congrats to you

Thank you. I have an amazing partner, so I couldn't do it without my Josie Robinson. She's truly amazing, so I am very fortunate. Yes, that's great. And we have talked. It's great that your collaboration works so well.

Yes, absolutely we are. We're just beyond fortunate. We just work really well together. And that is it's everything.

Well, I encourage listeners to reach out and chat with you if they have questions about being an author on their platforms. And can you tell our listeners how and where they can find you?

You can find me at evergreen authors.com. We have all sorts of freebies and downloads, and I wrote a book called The Evergreen Author, which really just encapsulates everything I know about how to create a really great platform and be a career writer. So start at Evergreen Amazon.com.