Let’s build a story together 👀 I’ll start with one sentence…and each person adds the NEXT sentence in the comments. Build on to the story by creating the next sentence. If you see someone typing, wait for their sentence and then type yours out, building on theirs Let’s see where this goes 😂 Here's the first sentence: 👉 The moment she touched the glowing book, she was transported to a magical place. Your turn 👇 (Only ONE sentence per comment—no overthinking it, just keep it going)

If you’re not yet part of a Skool IRL community, go check the Skool directory and see if there’s one in a major city near you. It’s absolutely worth it. Last night we had our 🌇 Chicago Skool IRL meetup, facilitated by @Steve Gast , and it was such a great experience connecting with people face-to-face. What made it even better was seeing so many familiar names from this community in the room. There were some fantastic presentations, and I want to take a moment to spotlight a couple of members here. First, @MJ Berst , who has been quietly working inside the premium tier of this community while building her book. She gave an excellent presentation about getting your finances organized, which is incredibly important for self-publishers. One of the biggest lessons is making sure your personal finances and business finances stay separate. As you grow your publishing business, that distinction becomes essential. I’m hoping to bring MJ into the community for a future event so she can share more about this topic. And I can’t wait to see her book come to life. If you want to learn more about what she’s building, go check out her community. 🎉 EVERYDAY ROCKSTARS I also want to give a shoutout to @Angel Conway , who has been a very active member here and is currently working through the premium lessons while writing her book. Her project focuses on how crocheting can be therapeutic and help people get through high-stress situations, which is such a powerful topic. If that resonates with you, definitely check out her community as well. WASTE NOT YARN SOCIETY Events like this are a great reminder that communities don’t just exist online. When you attend these meetups, you find cheerleaders for what you’re building, make real connections, and always walk away with new ideas and inspiration.

Ok let's do a little fun engagement post today. Steal this prompt, modify it to your vision for your book, and see what comes out of it. Yes this is a long prompt. GRAB ALL OF IT 🤪 (POST YOUR RESULTS IN THE COMMENTS) 👇 Book title: [BOOK TITLE] Subtitle: [SUBTITLE] Author name: [AUTHOR NAME] Genre / category: [GENRE OR NICHE] Target audience: [WHO THE BOOK IS FOR] The design should include: - A front cover with bold, readable typography optimized for Amazon thumbnails - A back cover that includes placeholder text for a book description and a barcode area - A 3D mockup showing the front and back covers together, slightly angled, as if the physical book is standing or floating Style & mood: - Overall tone: [modern / minimalist / bold / soft / premium / authoritative] - Color palette: [COLORS OR BRAND VIBE] - Typography style: clean, professional, high contrast, easy to read Visual elements: - Relevant imagery or abstract design elements that reflect the book’s theme - No clutter, strong focal point on the title Technical requirements: - Looks like a real paperback book - Correct spine thickness for a standard nonfiction paperback - High resolution, realistic lighting and shadows - Clean background (white, neutral, or soft gradient) Do NOT include: - Real ISBN numbers - Trademarked logos - Low-quality text or distorted lettering

Every week in @Mona Weathers group Next Level, she does an accoutability post...so, I went to check my YouTube subscribers today… and there it was. 👉 1,111. Not 1,108. Not 1,120. Exactly 1111. And I just sat there for a second. Because if you know anything about 👼 angel number 1111, it’s often associated with alignment, awareness, and new beginnings. It’s that quiet nudge that says: “You’re on the right path. Keep going.” And honestly? I needed that. Lately, I’ve been feeling overwhelmed. Like I’m not doing enough. Like there’s always more content to create, more emails to send, more students to help, more systems to build. When you’re building something from scratch, especially a brand, it can feel like you’re behind even when you’re not. So seeing 1111 felt symbolic.... but that's not all. @Nicole Lesley randomly invited me to the Soul Purpose Group so I feel like this is more than just random. Especially as I am in the process of yet again building, building, building mode. The number 1111 often interpreted as a portal number — a reminder that your thoughts are powerful and that you’re stepping into a new chapter. A reset. A shift. A leveling up. And here’s what’s interesting… This year carries strong Fire Horse energy in the Chinese zodiac cycle — bold, fast, intense, independent. Fire Horse energy can feel electric and ambitious, but it can also feel like you’re running at full speed without stopping to breathe. It pushes you. It amplifies everything. Excitement. Vision. Drive. But also pressure. Overwhelm. Restlessness. And that’s exactly how this month has felt for me. Big goals. Big expansion. Big expectations. So maybe 1111 wasn’t random. Maybe it was a reminder that growth doesn’t always look loud. Sometimes it’s steady. Sometimes it’s quiet. Sometimes it’s you showing up even when you feel like you’re not doing enough.

I want to share something that’s been on my mind, because the publishing world can be a minefield if you’re not careful. There are a lot of ways people get scammed in this industry. And honestly, it doesn’t just happen on sketchy websites or random emails—it happens right here in communities like Skool too. I’ve seen people create accounts under the names of highly credentialed authors, bloggers, or influencers. They present themselves in a way that makes you think, “Wow… I’m honored this person is even talking to me.” I’ve fallen for it before. More than once. I’ve had people come into this community that I later had to ban after realizing they weren’t who they claimed to be. When you’re a good person, you tend to assume others are too. That trust can get taken advantage of, and over time it forces you to become more cautious and put boundaries in place. That’s not a bad thing—it’s a survival skill in this space. I’m not sharing this to scare anyone. I’m sharing it because the publishing industry is riddled with red flags, and I want you to always do your research. When I first started my publishing journey, I got hyped into buying a big-ticket program. I truly believed I was going to be guided by the actual program creator—the person whose success story sold me in the first place. What I ended up with instead was coaching from a trained employee. Not a bad person, but not someone who had their own books selling at scale either. It helped with accountability, sure. But the experienced guidance I thought I was paying for? That part was missing. I had to figure out a lot the hard way, and that stung—especially knowing how much money I had invested. Another story that still makes my blood boil: my uncle once tried to hire a “publisher.” They had an incredible sales call with him and promised him the world. One of their guarantees? 3,500 book sales. They wanted him to wire transfer over $10,000. That alone set off alarm bells for me. Since he knew I was self-publishing, he asked for my input. I told him to ask very specific questions—especially whether those “sales” were real purchases or just downloads. It’s very easy to run a free ebook promo and hit big numbers.