Look it's your book with Anna Featherstone

#111 - (EDITED) Anna Featherstone

Mon, Dec 02, 2024 9:51AM • 45:55

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Emma, do you want to live a life of freedom and adventure? Are you wanting more than the daily grind? Me too. Welcome to the Emma Lovell, show a place where we talk about living a life you love. Now I'm your host, Emma Lovell, and my number one value is freedom. I've spent the last 14 years running a business and traveling the world, and now I take my husband and toddler along for the adventure too. It's possible, and I know you can create a life doing what you truly love as well. This podcast will inspire, motivate and encourage you to go after your dreams, to create a life you love and to live it now, not wait for a time and or someday in the future, I'll be sharing episodes weekly about how I harmonize business travel and self care. I'll also bring on incredible guests to share their journeys, the wins, the challenges, and how they're creating a life they love. Let's jump in and get dreaming. This is a space for you to manifest a life you love.

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I would like to acknowledge and recognize Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first peoples of this place, now known as Australia. I am grateful for the continuing care of the land, waterways and skies where I work, live, listen, learn and play from here on you, Emma country and from wherever you are listening, I pay my respects to the elders past and present.

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Welcome to the podcast. Today, I am delighted to introduce you to Anna Featherston. She's an advocate for writers and authors, and the founder of bold authors, Anna was a instrumental in my getting my book out on time, and so I can't speak more highly about her. A little bit more about Anna. She is a dedicated champion for writers, helping authors turn their ideas into impactful books. As a book coach, mentor and non fiction advisor for the Alliance of independent authors, she provides expert guidance on Writing, Publishing and thriving as an author. She's the founder of bold authors, and she fosters collaboration and knowledge sharing among writers. She also leads workshops for esteemed organizations like the Byron Writers Festival and the Australian society of authors. She has contributed to the Guardian and The Sydney Morning Herald as a freelance writer, and she's also written five of her own books, including the incredible look it's your book, which is a book that helped me a lot in my author journey. We are going to hear so much more about all things books and writing that Anna loves. So listen in to this fab episode.

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Welcome to the podcast again. Anna Featherston, hello, hello. You are a guest today. Last time you were a guest host. So for the audience, in your words, can you introduce who is? Anna Featherston, I'm just a girl who loves books.

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So I love books, love writers, love big ideas, love really personal stories. And I help authors bring their books into the world, help them market them and point them in the right direction. When they get a little lost or want to give their books a boost. You do that indeed, and you are my fairy book, Fairy Godmother, author advocate, Angel,

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forever, thankful person. And it's funny how people come together, and that's one of the reasons I do love books, because you never know where your book will end up. And that's how we originally met. Is you were given a copy of my book at a writers conference called content by summer in Sydney, and then you read my book, and then got ideas, and then, like, it's just a beautiful loop around it is, um, yeah, and you also spoke at that conference, and

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you had great energy, and I think, and you liked my energy, and remembered my sequence, and we were gifted your book, which was wonderful, and it was fun, because there were days where I was like, I wasn't writing, but I was like, I'm working on the book, because I'm reading a book about writing a book. And I was like, that's the same, right? But it was important. It is important because I think from the moment I committed to the book, what I've talked about is and I published in August 2024 but I set the intention in August 2023 so I would have told the conference I'm going to write a book. And I'm sure lots of people like, you're like, Uh huh, sure.

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Like, like, Yeah, I think as an author now, and I remember people like, I'm going to write a book, and I'm like, I know. It just sounds like, you know, and then it's like, like, Oh, holy, you wrote the book like

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it's here, but since the day I said I was going to do it, like, really committed to this book. I worked on the book every day, but in a way, so that was something I took from your book as well. That there's so many ways to work on the book, and it's like.

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Days you don't, maybe don't feel like writing, or you're not writing, but like, there are so many other elements that you can do around your book. Yes, so it's not always about writing. It could be researching who you want to interview for your book. It could be looking at or it could be just reading other books in your genre. There's always something to do, yeah, playing around Canva, playing Canva. Why not? Why not? And I'm the same, like, when I'm writing books, like, sometimes I can, you know, if I've got the time, I might just go it, go it, go it. But then I'm working on a book at the moment, and I haven't touched it for, well, I didn't touch it for about four months, and then I've only just got back into I've met up with a great lady, and we meet at 6am till 7am on a Friday morning, just on the online, and just sit there in our pajamas and just have started working again on it. So there's ebbs and flows with writing, and it can be great to have a deadline, and sometimes it's great just to let it waft around and eventually come out. But I suppose that's one of the reasons I wrote look at your book as well, was to make it easier for all those people who are thinking of writing a book to actually get it done. And we've leaked ahead a little bit. So let's talk about look at your book, and then we'll go backwards. So look, it's your book. Write, publish and promote your non fiction book, a self publishing guide for Australian writers by Anna Featherston, tell us about this book. That's not me going to be reading out the verb.

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Yeah. Why did how long? Like, when did it come out? How long? So it was actually so funny because Rachel, from Rachel's list, which is a group of freelance writers, invited me to do a mini master class about self publishing and writing non fiction. So I did the mini master class. And after it, she said, You know what, like, Could you come back and do another one? And, you know, longer, more extensive?

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And I was like, Oh, if I'm going to have to research and do all that again, because, you know when you're a year or two beyond when you brought out a book or something, a lot of things changed. So I'm like, if I have to go and do all that research, I may as well write the book. So that triggered me to actually, yeah, get out there, talk to a lot of successful Australian publishers, self published authors, and put it all in book form. So it's yeah, it's funny how books come to be. I just re listened to Big Magic by Liz Gilbert, yep. And it was like, yeah. She was in like a no idea what her book was going to be about, if there was even a novel in her, and started to just start gardening. And then that led to her, like, then she just followed her curiosity and ended up writing the signature of all things which I haven't read yet. I'm seeing her live in February, so I'm like, okay, adding to the Kindle,

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but just so interesting where Curiosity goes. And it's like, how fun to think that we are going to write books that we don't even know exactly. And that's what I say, too, to anyone out there who is thinking of writing a book, you have to write that first one to put yourself in the position to maybe write the one down the track. That's even more important. So right now, that book, you're thinking, it might be all consuming, and you think, this is it? This is the only one. But once you've written one book, you actually realize you can do it, and then you're free to just keep writing books. So I wrote my first book as a like, I think I was 23

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and that process, I knew I could write a book. So then it's like, you know, five books later, working on the sixth it. They can just keep, you know, there's always something to write about that you get passionate about, and it's so exciting to hear that. And you said something to someone else, which they said to me, which helped me so much, which was you write your first book to get to your fourth book, or your fourth book will sell your first book, like, Oh, yeah. And it goes backwards and forwards, because the more books you bring out, it boosts your back list, yes. So yeah, it's a it's a really interesting process. How you know when you bring a book into a world where it ends up and what it leads to, yeah, and I think, and I did tell Anna off. There probably a bit woo for her. But I see a psychic, and a few years ago she told me they were the book was in the cloud, which really is what Big Magic speaks to as well. If you haven't read Big Magic, it's fantastic. You've obviously got to read Anna's books, because that's what we're here talking about. But I also speak magic is great book about creativity, and people don't think they're creative, so it was just ways to experience, like, experience that. And I loved, like, how you can play a game with creativity and trickster, and I've got a playing card as a tattoo, and so it was like, the trickster. Wait, is that cheating? What? Yes, I've always had a name. Have you got cards up your sleeves? I literally do. So.

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Yeah, I loved that way. It's like, okay, we could trick creativity in coming to us, or play with it or or allure it, or date it, and all this sort of stuff, anywho. I just think that yeah, and that that book, like you both wrote a book about writing books, or about, you know, that you wouldn't have maybe done if you did the first one. And the psychic said to me that the book, me that the books were in the cloud and they hadn't dropped down yet. So I had a faith in that it would happen. It just when. And then she'd said it was a business book and a travel book, and I've set myself a series for this book. So that was something as well I learned from in series. But then at the moment where the creativity is the thing that keeps coming up, actually, what came up in my I don't want to do anything stuff at all. Blah mood this week, I started reconnecting with a children's book idea. And then I also started

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playing with the travel like, like, the chapters for the for a just a purely travel book, right? Like, almost like, kind of for fun, yeah, start writing a book for fun, which is what a great place to come from, and, yeah, whether that lands in the final book or not. But I'm like, this would be, I think this gotcha. I think it's a great place to start, because it has to be fun. You have to be curious to want to follow through a book project, because it's not just coming up with the idea, it's then you actually have to stay with it and be energized enough to write it and then for years after to promote it and talk about it. So what I do is, like, I do a like, pretty much a book proposal plan before I ever start a book, and I write it for myself or for a publisher. But basically, if I get through the whole process, the whole process of writing the proposal and the first three chapters, I know I care enough to keep writing it, whereas other ones I've started writing the book proposal for, and I'm like, oh yeah. Like, no, I'm not feeling it in my heart and in my gut, so I just stop, because you don't want to write, you know, 12,000 words and they're like, not feeling it's, like, I like planning up ahead before I get into the full writing. Like, yeah, just to see if I've got the passion to carry it off. Yeah, yeah. And it is, I mean, if you like writing, it it's, it is fun, and it does flow, and it's, it's interesting, like, so you're meeting every someone every Friday is a six till seven. I'm actually planning a podcast episode on why I don't have a writing Pro, like, routine. And I'm right not. I'm because everyone's like, not everyone. People had told me I need to just sit and write the book for 30 minutes a day. And I'm like, Yeah, I don't agree with, yeah, I am, yeah, and it's just where you can get the space in the edges. And I've never committed to a writing plan before, but I'm not one hour a week if I don't like where my life is right now. Like, if I don't commit to that, I won't be moving forward on that project, because life's just so busy in other spaces, but I can get up at 6am

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for that one hour because nothing else is happening. And that's accountability too. I did some of Rachel's list as a writing sprint. Oh, yeah, yeah. Actually, I need to do that. Yeah. I finished one chapter in a, in a, like, an actual chapter to the book. Yeah. Finished it like, that's the thing. I think, what I feel like. And I talked about it on our episode. So Anna interviewed me on my podcast about the launch of the book.

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But I feel like what I took away from this book, and what I keep saying to people when they ask about writing a book, because the question, I don't know if you get it all the time too, Anna, is, how long did it take you? And I'm like, 18 years, because the seed was planted that long ago, like, in terms of the process one year. But it's like, I'm not finished yet either. Like, I've committed to one to two years. I know that in terms of a few people told me that the return on investment, they feel like is one to two years. And also the promotion period of talking about the book that we look a bit longer, but I'm like, in terms of just a percentage of your book, it's such a great way I'd be like, the actual writing is probably like, 15% of this book. 2015. 20% is the actual writing. Like, tap, me, tap, tap, yeah. Like so much of it is that,

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like the concept, the intention, but then also all that after stuff. I think when you publish the book, you still, you're still, you're not even at 100% when you publish it. Oh yeah, no, after it. And so it's such a difficult question to ask, how long did it take to write? Because I'm like, Yeah, you're asking the wrong question, yeah. And sometimes, like, you say it took a year. But really, actually I am, because I am a book nerd. Um, I'm actually timing every second I spend on this new book I wanted to that's yeah. So I'm actually tracking. And then it's like, you know, like.

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I said three months I did nothing. So in the end, like, the process of the book might take a certain amount of time, but I think I'm going to be quite surprised the actual writing time. How, how much it is like, Yeah, I'll be interested to see I actually, I think the way I've estimated, I'd say no more than 50 hours of writing.

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Yeah, I don't know, come on that. This was a big book, mate. It was 100 Yeah, it's a big book. But,

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like, yeah, it's more than three to be paid it, but if I break it like, so I know that some of the chapter I wrote, I've read at least, probably four or five chapters in the last month, in June. Yeah, and I know that two of those chapters were written on a plane, but, but they were they had stuff down. I didn't start from a blank page. There were notes from the speech that I did. So I wrote a speech with 12,000 words, which created the base of the book. So I was starting from something. One chapter was written in the car, reading it out for 45 minutes. So then I transcribed. I actually didn't write it, but then I had to edit it. So editing, editing takes a while. And same if you're interviewing people that like, sure you get the interview back, but then you have to work out, well, how do I, you know, massage that into the story, and what do I use? And, yeah, so I've got eight interviews that took an hour. It also became a podcast episode, so we repurposed it, but it's like, is that eight hours? You know? Then it was transcribed, but then that was the tweaking of it, and the tweaking of it, you know, I'm not, I think the thing is, people think you sit at a computer and type, you type, but even talking to we were talking earlier off air, about Lizzie Williamson, who just was in a book awards that you judged, and she talked about writing note, like she would just write little notes or voice notes, or things like voting. Writing I'm putting, I'm using,

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but there's a lot of ways to write a book, and one way I suggest, as well, is even have a friend interview you and just record it, because then you can transcribe what you say. Because not everyone is a natural writer, but some most people are natural conversationalists, or the opposite. So there's a way to capture your words. It doesn't necessarily, necessarily mean, yeah, pen on paper. It can be just talking. And some people have to write, or do write their book, pen and paper first, like, yeah, right. Have to come out for them, yeah. Then they have to find the way.

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I'm much better writing and typing than I am speaking, yeah. And then you get to find that way. I loved, I loved this book because it offered so many ways. And I think that it can be such a block for people if they say, this is the way you write a book. And I'm very rebellious in nature anyway, so I'm like, don't tell me what to do. I think just getting to, getting to a manuscript, and that was something that you were very kind about, like, celebrating that manuscript. And it's funny because, um, shitty first draft, or stormy first draft, which Brene Brown talks about, kept coming up in my head. And then Brene Brown actually, for one of her books, uh, Liz Gilbert talked about it in big magic,

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got some girlfriends, and that's how she got the book out. Was telling stories, getting to write notes, transcribing it, recording the voice, go back and do it again. So this, like multi media

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approach. It's funny as North because we get so close to our words and everything, we think, Oh, we're done now in that first draft. But it's only when you put it away for a while, take a step back, get other people look at it, it can you realize, oh, actually, it could. It can be so much better. And sometimes it takes someone to show you that, like just to show you through editing, how you can, you know, use past, like, active language versus passive language. And,

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you know, you know, maybe you focus more on here. So I think, like first drafts, we have to do them, but they're not going to be great, and that's okay. We all know that that's fine. And getting celebrating, getting that what you exactly done and that you're ready to take the next process. I think the first time you write a book, learning how much the editing process and how much that revision process is needed. I think people do again, writing a book and publishing a book. You know, like you said, with the awards the other night, you were a judge of the Australian Business Book Awards, and you did a little video before, and it was that just celebrate the fact that you got a book published. Because so many people don't. So many people have manuscripts sitting in their drawer, files being on their computer. We've talked about it for I have two six chapter books sitting somewhere in my Google Drive. Yeah, they're not books. They're just words on paper until they become until you finish them, yeah, or an ebook that you but until you release it into the world as a final product.

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And it's, it's, you know, and so that is a huge thing to be celebrated. And so tell us. Can you tell us the you wrote five books? So what are those five books? So the first one, I was living on a little island on the Great Barrier Reef, and there was no television or internet at night, and so I was really bored, so I just did this writing course that would come by mail and you'd send it back in the very last

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the very last assignment was you had to write a book proposal. So I was like, Oh, do I write it Island romance? Or do I do a proposal about something I know, which was working in hotels and resorts So, and at the time, that was really sexy, because you could travel the world and work anyway. So I pitched a book to a publisher, literally for the like, school and TAFE market colleges, how to get a job in hotels and resorts, you know, and travel the world.

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And, yeah, anyway. And then the helicopter landed one day with a book deal for me.

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So yeah, and like, that was just, like an assignment that paid off. So, yeah. So that was the first book, and then definitely, kind of got a did a bit of script writing for a while. Life happened, then the next one, oh, it was all about preparing your family and community to cope with the challenges in the world. And I pitched that to publishers, and they were all like, great writing, really interesting concept, but this is crazy. None of this is going to happen. And it was literally all about how to prepare for pandemics,

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like, you know, all the major issues of the world, you know, unrest, blah, blah, blah, blah, anyway, so that's when I first learned to Self Publish. Because I was so passionate about building community and resilience in families and kids and communities that I was like, damn it, I have to get this book out. So that's when I first learned to Self Publish. And in the end, it ended up getting picked up by publishers overseas. It got translated. But if I hadn't done the work, it wouldn't have so So did that one. Then thought, Oh, I'll never care enough about anything to write another book again, you know? But then, of course, then I had a really amazing decade on an organic farm that was just incredible. And so out of that came two books, one from my head, which was small farm success, where I interviewed farmers across Australia about how to make a living on the land

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and so much more of a how to book, and who did what and how they did it. And then the other one was from my heart. So that was the memoir of living on this crazy little farm, doing all sorts of stuff, and also allowed me to put in all my organic barn recipes.

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Yeah, so and I launched those two at the same time because for marketing, I knew it would be harder to pitch the memoir, but together as a bundle, it was brilliant for publicity. And those books continue to do really well. The memoir is an audio book, so people from Bermuda call and like, oh, it was just having a laugh at your book, you know, like, you just don't know where your book's going to end up when you send it out. And the small farm success just does incredibly well as well

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for, you know, a lot of tree changes and people looking to live more sustainably. And yeah, so those books just keep moving. And then, because I'd had then experience in with all that indie publishing,

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that obviously led to look at your book, which is leading to the next book, which is called built in book marketing. That's the one I'm working on now, which is all about what you can do in the process of writing your book that builds marketing opportunities for later. Yeah, interesting. An author

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who I just sent your book to, well, sorry, I told her to buy your book. She did is actually asking that very question right now. So yeah, and so I spent a lot of time with the and the marketing from day dot, yeah, I

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spent a lot of time with traditionally published authors as well. So I'm kind of like,

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I just love working with great books, so I don't care how they're published in the end, as long as they're a great book, because different methods of publishing work for different authors, and it's just fascinating to see innovations taking place everywhere, because if authors want their books to be read, you do have to understand marketing. Yeah, that's like my background originally was in marketing and media relations and

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all those kind of things. So I bring all that to the table as, like a book coach and

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just as an advocate, helping people find readers. Basically, yeah, because it's so yeah, I think so many people like a just.

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Sit in their den, writing their book, and then they're like, here's a manuscript. And it's like, okay, so you still got work to do. So then they do that work, and then they're like, Hey, everyone, I wrote a book. And you're like, oh, did you like, Where have you been? What you've been doing? And then the publisher, the promotion journey starts from there. And you're like, that's a real uphill battle. And what's interesting is, like, the one person who's been consistent throughout my whole book journey. From the day I said I was committed to writing, was my publicist, who also is a lovely friend, Erin Huckle from chuckle communications, and I wrote to her, like, I'm writing this book. This is what it's going to be about. You're my publicist. Send me a proposal. Yeah, but you know, we didn't officially start working together till July, but we did sessions earlier to talk about and got to see the manuscript as it was being written, which made her job a hell of a lot easier. And it's like, you know, maybe that like she's starting to explore Now, how does she have packages and how does she work with authors earlier in the journey? Because it made her job easier too. Yeah, they were actually even able to think, maybe they think about the title, maybe they're thinking about these things that they could include that are, or ways that they could do stuff. You know, we even knew that I was going on a cruise, like, and we could be doing interviews for media while I'm on a cruise, yeah, while still in the book journey. And it's like, that's angles that they can use, yeah, and like, one thing you said there, like, that's why I like to get involved in the process earlier, too, because everything from the title to the subtitle matters. Like, there's just so much that matters in a book, and when you're close to it, you don't actually understand this bigger framework.

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Well, the chemistry that you talked about the chemistry of a book,

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yeah, like, oh so much that goes into it so well. And so yeah for like, because I got a really nice compliment, and then I tagged you in it, and you spoke to that. And that was that somebody, my beautiful friend from high school shares my birthday, bought my book, and then said, can I buy 10? I'm like, Oh yeah, you can. What to gift it. And then she sent her sister, or gave it to her sister. I thought his sister was living in Dubai, but she took the book to Dubai, which is so fun for me, because it's a travel book, but she said, I've just received Emma's book. And tell her that like it feels so good. She's like the way the color looks, but the way that it feels, it's very inviting. It feels like a doona, like it feels like, you know, that I wanted to fill up and read it right away, and it was just the greatest. And I've got the text like I shared the screenshot of the way she even said it. And then I tagged you, and it was like, and you said it was the chemistry of a book. So that's like, all those pieces were the pieces, yeah, from the the cover image to the font to the size, the feel, yeah, plates at at the Book Awards judging

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Annie Reed, who is one of the other judges, every book that she opened, she would

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like a kid. You know, people used to smell new books like it's you. It's a thing. It's a thing. Yeah, and that's why people, I think, they're so resistant. And I was for a long time to kindle

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and to ebooks. One of mine was that keep saying, read it on your iPhone. And I'm like, Yeah, but I just spend so much time on my phone and my computer. I don't want to be there. It's been really nice. I really I'm enjoying the kindle a lot, actually, and it's helping me to read faster, which is great, but doesn't mean I don't want the physical book. There are physical books that I've had that I've gone and then got on the Kindle or portable, because I'm just not getting to the physical book fast enough. I've got the same book in three formats, you know, yeah,

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and it's fine, like, it's like, you know, like, Oh, I'm an only an audible, or I'm only an Amazon or am I?

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And also remember, globally, Amazon's just one of the players. You've got Kobo with their reading devices and their audio, and there's all different ways to access books and all different ways. So whatever works for you, and I'm going to get you to send the links and everything, because I'm so excited about your back catalog. But when so out of this, obviously, you so you are an author, obviously, and now you support people. So tell us a little bit more about bold authors and how. When did you start doing the kind of, the mentoring, coaching? Yeah, that stuff. So obviously, I mean, I've done for a number of years. I've been deep, diving into writing and publishing. I'm the non fiction advisor to the alliance of independent authors, which is this great global group

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which has been championing indie authors for a long time. So part of that is I need to stay up to date on everything. So I'm quite

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Yeah, like.

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Right? As most people don't have the time to deep dive into an industry unless they're in it. So a lot of writers come into writing a book, but they're their interest is actually somewhere else. The book is just a conduit for their information from that world. So my suppose my role is to I'm in that world. I'm in that publishing and writing world so that you can concentrate on doing what you do well out there. So yeah, so I do that. I'm a judge here for the Business Book Awards, also this year the Australian travel writers society awards. That was so fun, because, like, I know that's your area travel, but it's so not my area. So

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yeah, oh yeah, true. That was a long time ago, but now I'm like, oh, like, just loving reading all those books. And just, there's so many ways to write a book. There's so many voices and styles and like, you know, just what comes off the page? Yeah, so I do those things, and then bold authors came about because,

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and I say I didn't look at your book. A book is not always the best

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conduit of your information. Sometimes your information might be better as an app. Sometimes it might be better

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as a, you know, like a workbook. So I've got the Lord,

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yeah, yeah. And then sometimes the best outlet is a course with downloads. And so

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people kept asking about, well, how do I do an advanced information sheet? So I'm like, Well, I can do a course on that and include all the templates so that people can do that. And then I was like, oh, one of the biggest struggles people have is, what is the actual ideal timeline if you are going to produce your own book so and because I tracked everything on my previous books, I actually knew what has to happen. That has to happen before you can do that. You need to get your ISBN before you do that. But you need your title before you do that. Like, so it was like, you know, and then how to do it? So, how do you research those? So I put all that into a course as well. So it's like a what you do 12, you know, 12 months, like, what you need to do when? So that was good for a course. And then I was like, holy moly, there's all these other authors out there with great information that, why don't we collaborate? So the platform is an open platform for other authors to also put courses on, because I are so a big believer in cooperation, collaboration, and not everyone having to do everything. So that way, no one has to pay for the course. Sorry for the actual platform. No one has to worry about the back end, except me, all they need to do is concentrate on their lovely idea and their IP and do course form. So then

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have like courses on how to get literary grants in Australia, in the UK, how to do a writer's CV and artist statement

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and how to get the most from your writers group by Ashley cola blunt, who's this fabulous thriller writer,

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and how to break through and Kid lit, so different people come on the platform to do courses. I've got a great lady out of America, Rebecca Hefner, who's the audiobook marketing guru, you know. So it's really tight information on on a, you know, a subject of passion to authors, yes, and so like, writing, need to get Anna's. Yeah, I'm always like, I'll just call Anna. I'm like, Anna's kind of like, Can you spell on my

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platform,

33:42

please? So that? Like, call me up for the private consult. So I'm like, firstly, have you read, look at your book, because that will answer most of your questions, you know, like, so use me for the really bespoke stuff. Use me to get, you know, to help improve your manuscript, or to help you nail your marketing. But sticks are in the book, and I, and I'm going to argue Anna on this one, because

34:05

I think absolutely, like, we do these things to scale, but I think there's people like me who got the book, I'll buy the course, but I'm also, I'm, like, our power, like, that's my profile. My profile is, give me an hour, get done, happy to pay the premium. We will do so much in that hour with that value that I just know that I'm not. And I did read some of the book. We know I didn't read all of the book. It's

34:34

but it helped. But I, you know, that's just not so. Like, my thing to Anna was like, you know, I wanted to refer a client. And you were like, I'll tell her to read the book. I was like, absolutely. But I'm also like, maybe that person is like me, they just want to pay you the money and just talk to you. And when you don't have the capacity, you have to present the book and the course, yeah. And it is incredible, like, like, what we the breakthroughs that.

35:00

I have with people in half an hour or an hour, like, we solve so many problems and get so much direction. So it is like, I do love that, like that, go, go, go.

35:12

And it's having the suite of like and what works for the client. And so, yeah, I totally advocate. Tell everyone about anyone who's reading a book. I'm writing a book. I'm like, you have to read Anna's book first. But I'm also like, they the person I was referring to. I know where she's at in the journey and when. And I'm like, you're stuck and learning or educating. You don't need any more of that. You need someone to go to move you forward. You do this, and that's where someone like you can come, come in and help also those contact like, you know, I think that's something that I help people with too. It's like, just call me and I'll just introduce you to like, 10 people like, I know the person who can do that, I know the person who can do that. I know the person who did that, instead of you having to go out and research, and you were such a great support with me to that too, in that you made a phone call on my behalf, that potentially me sending an email through the inquiry form might not have got in the book, would not have come out on time. Emma certainly would not. So it was very serendipitous. But also,

36:15

you know that was the value you added to is having that connection that I have, and also took the pain away that of me, like, when you're in such an overwhelm, to have to go and make phone calls, or go back to the drawing, going back to the drawing board of the research or or potentially the doing it myself, or the how to I was so far past that point. And you also, I never wanted that for my journey. I wanted like you're giving me a session.

36:41

I feel like I'm getting a section.

36:44

No. I Yeah. I just No. I mean, I will shout your name from the rooftops forever, but I think there are people who need you at all different levels, and I love that. You know, even today, I've learned more about you from your I know that there's so much wealth of knowledge, but there's there's

37:04

more to come, and I'm going to plant a seed make it very loud here, because I want to put gentle pressure, but I want to combine our expertise. And that is, I, I'm loving being this world of authors and writers. But one of the things that comes out of it. You know, me writing the book. People kept coming to me and going, Oh, Emma, you should now teach people how to market a book, and you should teach people how to do and I'm like, Absolutely not. I will send them to like. But what I can do, though, is use my expertise of hosting retreats and of bringing people together, and then bring in the person who has that knowledge and expertise, which is you, Anna, and I'm planting the seed that we will run a retreat

37:50

about four authors and writers, because I want to hang out with more authors and writers. I want to keep I know that this is a space that I'm going to keep being in, but I don't want to do what you're doing. Yeah, I don't, you can do pleasure. You do pleasure in speaking. And,

38:06

yes, that's such a beautiful that collaboration. And I think, I don't think

38:11

you just can't. I just, I don't think you can do a book fully on your own. Like, I just, yeah, you need the village. I think too, if if someone does do it on their own, you can tell

38:24

because it just doesn't have the Polish, or it doesn't have all those extra angles, it needs to be whole like you need a great book cover designer. You need a great editor. You You need other eyes on it, because we are all too close to our own work. Maybe, like, you know, after you've written, like, you know, I use less and less outside help as I go now, but that's after, you know, millions of words, millions of words I've written to get to this stage. I think support you'd be getting in different ways, even your accountability session, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, exactly. And also, I get a huge amount of support, because I get to read so many other manuscripts, so that all goes in as well, and that is the best education.

39:15

And that's also what I love about what I do. Because, as you said, like being around writers and authors and thinkers, it's just bliss. It's just, like, even just reading your book changed my life in its own way, you know, like, because I'm already thinking about, Oh, what am I going to do now? You know, I've been living like a hermit for a long time for different reasons, because I've been a carer and everything, and I'm like, Oh, maybe I could do some travel, because I can write from anywhere. I can run workshops anywhere.

39:50

So it's a bit, bit fun, bit fun. And actually, like, actually, I'm going to the Australian Open to help launch a book, whereas before, I probably.

40:00

You would have said, Oh, I won't go, you know, like, yeah. And now I'm like, actually, I should go, of course, I should yeah. Well, that you could. And there are times where things aren't possible. But I love that. I think what you took away from my book is the traveler mindset, and that I would say that, like when you were doing your small farm time, which was probably was very grounded and, oh yeah, place. But you know, if someone like me who doesn't live on a farm, that's a very exciting and very interesting and I love going to visit farms, because it's a life that I don't know. And something so simple as spending time around animals is so joyful to me, because the sort of activity that you do when you travel, and it's like, but we don't have to wait till we go overseas to do that. There are little farms 20 minutes away. Why don't,

40:51

you know,

40:53

even

40:55

just traveling, like a couple of 100 meters up the hill to sit outside at a cafe surrounded by koalas and trees, you know, like, so it's like, that's what I got from your book. Because I don't see myself doing big international travel, but I do see, oh, I just need to change my space and go to more events, but they can all be local as well. Like, yeah, celebrate your local area. Like, that's something that's something that's important to me with I love running my international retreats, but I want to keep running domestic ones, because I want to support even though Australian travel is is challenging because it is expensive,

41:35

and as a host and an operator, it is expensive to do, but I want to support our local economy, and I also want to support people who can't travel far for their own reasons. You know, we talked about, I've got a retreat coming up in kangaroo Valley, and I'd forgotten myself that I can offer a one night option for the people who might be in a situation where they can't get away for three and a half days. So that that means for however many years they can't do a retreat. It's like, well, if you're comfortable with that, I'm comfortable with it, and you can, I'll give you a one night option. And then, right? And that's important, because there are so many pressures on people finding those kind of solutions is great, good, yeah, that you have to find that out.

42:20

And so, yeah, I'm really, I'm very excited for that, and to just have this, like, I think, also the bringing your interest together. So, like you said, you don't having working with an expert whose love is books, and all of their space and all their world is books. You get to then do what you love and your expertise, and you get to come together in a beautiful even if it's even in a paid situation, a collaboration and a partnership,

42:47

so that you get to keep having the fun and the enjoyment, but also sometimes that your passions can cross over. So my love of retreats, my love of travel, my love of business, my love of writing and authoring, they can all come together in this one event. Yeah, yeah. I like it. You

43:06

must just, you know, just doing a business planning session with all of you. Anna, I could talk to you for three hours, so I'm going to let you go. I'm sure you'll be back on the podcast, because you've already been once, least of which to promote our retreat that will come in some point in the future. I'm not letting you off the hook. Anna, how can we connect with you? How can we find you, sure so you can find me at Anna featherston.com

43:28

and on pretty much every social media. Every now and then,

43:33

she's pretty active on LinkedIn, I'll say, and she's very celebratory of the people that she works with. Our look into your book will be available at Anna featherston.com

43:42

we could put it in the show notes. Links can we get, can we still access your full back catalog? Oh, yeah, absolutely

43:52

love it. It's hot. They're hot sellers. Babe, Christmas, bundle. Yeah, Christmas,

43:57

yeah, yeah. And there are a heap of resources on my website for people. So all about books, all about the current industry, things like all of 2025, writers festivals where they are. So there's a lot of resources there for people as well.

44:16

Thank you so much for your time today. ANNA Featherston, I will forever be grateful for you because you saved my book. Um, I just made a phone call, and off you went. You answered the call. You answered my SOS, and,

44:31

yeah, you made things a lot easier in a very difficult time. And I you got my book. You helped to get my book out on time, and I'm so honored as well that it's made impact on your life, that you told me, that you told me that, and that's the gift keeps on giving, that you never know where your book's going to land or what it's going to do, and you set it out well with your own intention, and it gets a life of its own. And I'm just so thankful for your part in my journey. So.

45:00

Yeah. Well, thank you, Emma and I like I, yeah, I loved your

45:05

book. Gave me lots of food for thought.

45:08

Thank you, Anna and tune in next time, everyone. Keep writing. Thank you for listening. Lovely one. I hope this has inspired you to dream big and start creating a life you love today, if you love what you're hearing, don't forget to follow and rate on Spotify and rate review and subscribe on iTunes. It helps other awesome people to find this podcast and get motivated and inspired as well. Want to stay connected, come and join the live a life you love, group on Facebook or connect with me on Instagram. Emma lovell.au the same as my website, but all the details are in the show notes. Lovely. I'll see you next episode for more inspiration, motivation and freedom, seeking. Now go out there and live a life you love. You.