We’ve all heard stories about the mind being capable of incredible things… but today I watched it happen right in front of me. I’ve been at a conference this week that’s half business development and half woo-woo — and honestly, I’m here for BOTH. They had everyone go on a group meditation, keep in mind there were about 1000 people in attendance, and we each had a spoon. The meditation was an exercise designed to channel energy from within our body down to our fingers, try to focus on the spoon, yet while trying not to see the spoon as an independent object, but as an extension of yourself, and allow yourself to use light pressure to bend the spoon. People around the room began bending their spoons with what looked like barely any effort. Mine? Did. Not. Budge. No matter how light or intentional I tried to be, that spoon held its ground. For a second, I felt frustrated. I wondered why it worked for others but not me. Then I caught myself from this thinking and reframed my thoughts: “My spoon was perfect just the way it was.” And here’s the lesson I took from it — the one I want you to carry into your book publishing journey: 👉 Not everything will “bend” for you the first time you try. Some people will pick up a skill quickly. Others will need repetition. And some things won’t shift until you approach them from a different angle, mindset, or season of life. 👉 Your timing is your timing. Just because someone else is hitting milestones fast doesn’t mean you’re behind. It just means your spoon hasn’t bent yet — and that’s okay. 👉 Progress still counts even when the outcome isn’t instant. Trying, learning, experimenting, and showing up for yourself is the real muscle. So if you’re feeling stuck, slow, or wondering why writing or publishing is taking longer than you thought… remember: ✨ Your book, your journey, your pace. The breakthrough comes at the moment you’re ready — not the moment you compare yourself to someone else.

Short answer: No. Publishing on Amazon KDP is completely free, and yes—it's absolutely possible to publish a book without spending a single dollar. But here’s the catch…Going the $0 route means you handle every single step yourself, including: - Cover design - Writing the manuscript - Formatting files - Crafting your book description - And everything else that brings a book to life Using the right tools makes the process smoother, faster, and far more professional. Here are a few that I personally use and recommend: - Canva Pro – great for book covers + promo graphics - Publisher Rocket – essential for keyword research + competitor insights - Atticus – simple tool for clean, professional formatting - Grammarly – helps polish your writing if you don’t plan to hire an editor If you're a beginner and want guidance from idea → published book, my Book Challenge walks you through the steps so you don’t waste time trying to piece everything together alone. If you’re ready to learn how to get your book up for sale on Amazon, I’d love to support you inside the challenge. 📚✨

One of the biggest reasons many of us joined this Skool community is because we’re committed to learning, growing, and pushing toward our goals. Yes—online connections are amazing, but there is something powerful about putting yourself in rooms where inspiration is flowing and people are taking big action. This week, I’m attending a business conference in Arizona called BBD Live, because I’m always looking for new ways to grow both personally and professionally. And even though this post isn’t directly about book publishing, it absolutely ties into the journey of becoming an author. When you’re creating something meaningful, your inspiration, network, and environment matter.If you’ve been feeling stuck or uninspired lately, maybe that’s your sign to invest in yourself—attend an event, join a workshop, or put yourself around people who talk about goals, ideas, and what’s possible. Tell people you’re writing a book. Tell them you want to be a future author. Say it out loud so you start owning it. When you share your goals with others, you bring momentum into your life. You stop keeping everything in your head and start allowing new opportunities, conversations, and creative sparks to enter your world. Another great option is to check if your area has a Skool IRL group. I’m feeling incredibly grateful that I get to present at the Chicago IRL, hosted by @Steve Gast . If you’re in the Chicagoland area and you haven’t connected with that group yet, please jump in—you never know who you’ll meet or what inspiration will hit. Also, if you're in the Milwaukee, WI area connect with @MJ Berst she is hosting a meetup there soon. Let me know in the comments:What’s one event, workshop, or in-person experience you want to attend in the next year to invest in yourself and your author journey?

If you want to start writing a book but you’re feeling overwhelmed, pressed for time, or like life keeps interrupting, this one simple ChatGPT prompt can take a huge weight off your shoulders. This is the exact prompt I use when I’m brainstorming a brand-new book: 👉 “I’m planning to write a book about __________________, what should I include in this book?” The more specific you are, the better the output. Here are a few examples: - “I’m planning to write a book about sound healing for women over 40.” - “I’m planning to write a book about how moms can create passive income from home.” - “I’m planning to write a book about managing anxiety for people with avoidant attachment styles.” - “I’m planning to write a book about helping beginners create their first Airbnb listing.” ChatGPT will generate a full chapter breakdown with sub-topics and ideas you may not have even thought of yet. ✨ You don’t need to follow the outline word for word.Use it to spark creativity, mix and match ideas, and shape a structure that fits your expertise, message, and teaching style. Give it a try and tell me in the comments if it helped you feel inspired or gave you a clearer starting point for your book!

[UPDATED THE LISTING] I want to take a moment to highlight someone truly impressive in our community @Greg Gottfried Greg is not only an Amazon KDP expert, but he’s also a well-known YouTuber with over 850,000 subscribers. His channel is packed with valuable content for anyone who wants to learn self-publishing the right way, and he’s been a huge inspiration to many authors in this space. Even more exciting — he’s getting ready to launch his own program to help more people break into Amazon KDP successfully. If you want to learn from someone who’s already mastered the process at a massive scale, keep an eye out for what he’s building. You can check out his channel here:https://youtu.be/dopQWKDB0lU?si=W_EJaTwT8eoFbm_S Let’s show him support as he takes the next step in helping more creators win with KDP!