32 countries are represented by Red Thread published books. That’s approximately 16% of the countries in the world! Sierra’s hard work and dedication to the writing community are evident in these statistics. 🩷

This week “Passion Isn’t Enough” surpassed 1,000 books sold. Like many of you, writing a book was a huge undertaking with many ups and downs. What I didn’t fully realize, was that producing the book was only 1/2 the journey. Marketing and selling the book is another animal altogether. In the early weeks after the book came out, I set a goal of reaching the 1,000 books sold plateau. And now 18 months after launch the book has cleared that hurdle. It took 20+ podcast appearances and numerous in-person events to get there but it is now a reality. Life is hard sometimes. Celebrate the wins whenever you can!

Just kidding, I'm not pitching my book in the trash however, I am not great at the pitch thing. Today during the 90 day sprint, I could not (and still cannot) think of a pitch. I dont know it it's because I've only just begun or I've never really thought about it. Honestly, if you asked me to pitch my solo book, I'm drawing a blank. What helped everyone come up with their pitch?

1. Sharing Your Work Doesn't Require Perfection @Brandee Melcher shared a paragraph. @Emily Sutherland shared a screenplay pitch. @Sierra Melcher read an excerpt. @Carlie Kramer shared a concept. None of them were "done." All of them got useful feedback. 2. Specific Feedback Beats Generic Praise - Not "I liked it" but "The emotional stakes land" - Not "It's good" but "Add sensory details in the buildup" - Not "Cool idea" but "Focus on the protagonist's motivation" 3. The Group's Feedback Reveals What You Need to Know - Emily discovered her core story question (narrative arc vs. biography) - @Brittney Dunnigan learned what actually makes her premise work (human motivation) - Brandee got direction on craft (sensory detail) - @Barbie Applegate saw a bigger vision (TED talk stage) - @Tracy MacDonald got validation to move into rewrites 4. Safe Space Doesn't Mean Soft People got real feedback. Constructive. Honest. But in an environment where you know they want you to succeed. Brittney said it: "Receiving feedback in a safe, collective environment was reassuring." How This Works in Week 3 You share: - A pitch (one minute) - A paragraph - An excerpt - An idea - Whatever "living, breathing" work you have right now You ask for what you need: - "Does this concept land?" - "Does the emotional core work?" - "What questions do you have?" - "Encouragement right now more than critique" The group responds: - What works - What questions they have - Specific suggestions (not vague praise) - What they want to know more about You leave with: - Clarity on what's working - Direction on what to deepen - Validation that you're on the right track - Renewed energy to keep going The Monthly Rhythm Every third week of the month, we do this:

OPEN TO FEEDBACK... 👉 What are you learning from the process? 👉 What can I improve on my pitch? 👉 Is one stronger/more intriguing than the other? Lost on Purpose A When a 24-year-old teacher boards a one-way flight to China with no phone, no map, and no plan home, she wants to disappear into a life so foreign it erases the one she's failing to live, because she doesn't yet know who she is underneath the roles she's been performing — daughter, teacher, girlfriend, good girl — but she must first survive being stripped of every language, custom, and certainty she's ever relied on — collapsing into a depression so total it lands her in a hospital bed in a country where she can't even ask for help — before she can fall in love (with a man she can't keep, a culture she can't fully enter, and finally, haltingly, herself) and walk back into her own life finally able to say what she actually feels. B When a newly arrived American teacher gets dropped into rural China with nothing but a Lonely Planet and her own naivety, she tries to simply survive the year, because she signed up for an adventure without understanding what "foreign" actually meant, but she must first stumble through weddings, hospitals, night markets, and a hundred small humiliations that strip away her assumptions about herself, before she can realize that getting completely lost was the only way she was ever going to find out who she is.