- 2 days ago
Thinking about writing your first book? This conversation is just for you. Listen to accomplished authors who have successfully released their first books discuss the process of securing their first book deal and tips and lessons learned.
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00:00I love you, baby
00:30Oh, baby
00:30Holding over me
00:31Can you take control of me?
00:33I just wanna love you, baby
00:35Always thinking of you, baby
00:38I think I like how your body feels next to me
00:43Oh, baby, when you're kissing me
00:45Oh, baby, when you're loving me
00:48I can't describe what I wanna do to you tonight
00:52Oh, baby, when you come to me
00:55I'll make it so you never leave
00:57Can you talk to me?
00:59Oh, baby
01:00Now, can you take it to the top of me?
01:03I just wanna love you, baby
01:05Always thinking of you, baby
01:07Can you roll with me?
01:09Oh, baby
01:09Holding over me
01:10Can you take control of me?
01:12I just wanna love you, baby
01:15Always thinking of you, baby
01:17See, I don't know if I can handle you as just a friend
01:22Oh, baby, I can't pretend
01:24Oh, baby, I'm so far in
01:27Oh, baby, I'm so far in
01:27But I don't mind
01:28As long as I could have you in my life
01:32Oh, baby, I'm satisfied
01:34Even if you're not just mine
01:37Can you talk to me?
01:38Oh, baby
01:39Not stopping me
01:40Oh, no
01:41I just wanna love you, baby
01:43Oh, honey, baby
01:44Always thinking of you, baby
01:46What's in love?
01:48Got to do
01:49Got to do with it, baby
01:51What's in love?
01:53It's about us
01:54It's about just me
01:56What's in love?
01:57Got to do
01:59Got to do with it, baby
02:01What's in love?
02:03It's about us
02:04It's about just me
02:06What's in love?
02:07Yeah, slow down, baby
02:08Let you know from the gate
02:10I don't go down, baby
02:11I wanna check with dick hips
02:12The licks, the lips
02:13She could be the office type
02:15But like the strip
02:16Girl, you get me around
02:17So you look in my eye
02:18But you talk too much, man
02:20You're ruining my heart
02:21I don't wanna lose the feeling
02:22Cause the roof is ceiling is on fire
02:24And you looking good for the getting
02:26I'm a rider
02:27Whether in a hoodie
02:28Or a linen, a provider
02:29You should see the jury
02:30On my women
02:31And I'm living it up
02:32The squad stays
02:33Filling the track
02:34With chicks that's willing
02:35To triz with us
02:36You say you got a man
02:37And you're in love
02:38But what's in love?
02:39Got to do with a little menage
02:41After the party
02:42Me and you
02:43Could just slap off you
02:44And she could come too
02:46It's love
02:46Got to do
02:48Got to do with it, baby
02:50What's in love?
02:53It's about us
02:53It's about us
02:54All right, folks
02:55It's time
02:56It's time
02:56It's time for our last panel of the day
02:59Again, you wanna make your way over here
03:01To this amazing stage
03:02Where we are showcasing
03:04All of this black excellence
03:06In entrepreneurship
03:07So right now
03:08Coming to the stage
03:09To moderate this amazing discussion
03:12About how to secure your first book deal
03:15And just authors in general
03:17Is the one and only Hope Goins
03:20And like I said a few minutes ago
03:21I know y'all she is leading
03:22At the White House
03:24And now she is leading
03:25At the old folks say
03:26At schoolhouses all over the world
03:29Because she is now
03:30An author of children's books
03:32So make sure you get one
03:34If you don't have one as well
03:35Come on up to this stage, Hope
03:36Y'all let's give her a big round of applause
03:39Good afternoon, everyone
03:47I want to introduce you
03:49To two other amazing authors
03:51Dr. Joy Harden-Bradford
03:54And then we have Issa
04:02She is the author of
04:03Life Beyond Lights
04:05So once again
04:07I am Hope Goins
04:08I am a senior staffer
04:10At the United States Capitol
04:11And I wrote a book
04:14On the three branches of government
04:15The Adventures of Chloe and Chris
04:18The Three Branches of Government
04:19It is a children's picture book
04:21That actually teaches children
04:23And their families
04:25About the White House
04:26The Capitol
04:28And the Supreme Court
04:29It is from children age five to nine
04:32But I've had plenty of adults
04:34Tell me that it is
04:35It has been a great resource
04:37For their families
04:38But I do want to talk about
04:40The books of the day
04:41The new books
04:43The books that have come out
04:44Very recently
04:45Written by black females
04:47And I also want to talk about
04:48The why
04:49Why they've written their books
04:51And what they've chosen to do
04:53So I'll start with Dr. Joy
04:54Dr. Joy, is this your debut book?
04:57This is my debut book
04:59Sisterhood Heals
05:00Tell us about it
05:01So the book is called
05:02Sisterhood Heals
05:03The Transformative Power
05:04Of Healing in Community
05:05And sisterhood has really been
05:07A lifeline
05:08And a lifesaver for me
05:09And I think for lots
05:11Of other black women
05:11And so I really wanted a guide
05:13For how we could deepen
05:14Those relationships
05:15But also a celebration
05:17Of like who we are
05:18To one another
05:19As black women
05:19Well thank you
05:20I'm looking forward to it
05:22Now Issa
05:23Life Beyond Likes
05:24Yeah so my debut book
05:26Came out a few months ago
05:28Life Beyond Likes
05:29Logging off your screen
05:30And into your life
05:31And the book was really
05:33Meant to kind of
05:34Capture the moment
05:34And the impact
05:35Of social media
05:37Being in a digital age
05:39And the magnitude
05:40Of loneliness
05:40That it's created
05:41And so the book
05:43Is kind of split
05:43Into three sections
05:44Around you know
05:46The impact of social media
05:47How it's changed
05:48How we live our lives
05:49The impact of friendship
05:50And how we've abandoned
05:51That a big way
05:52Because we conflate
05:53Consumption with connection
05:54And then the third part
05:55Is really about the power
05:56In walking in your own truth
05:58And charting your own journey
05:59Well thank you so much
06:01So in Life Beyond Likes
06:02When you got ready to write
06:05Or when you were going
06:06Through the publication process
06:08Tell us one thing
06:09That you made sure
06:11That you stuck to
06:12Or one thing
06:13That you felt like
06:14Had to be in the book
06:15You know
06:18I think the book was
06:19I'm a research scientist
06:20By training
06:21So I'm a chemist
06:22That was my first
06:23You know career
06:24And I used
06:26I married a lot of research
06:28With storytelling
06:29And I think it was
06:30Really important
06:31To kind of illuminate
06:32The moment that we were in
06:33And what we were going through
06:34Quite frankly
06:35I think the publishing
06:36Industry is very white
06:38Women run
06:39And so when my agent
06:41Was presenting my proposal
06:43To a number of places
06:44They tried to change
06:45The concept
06:46Often
06:47They tried to change
06:47It was post George Floyd
06:49And they tried to
06:51Change it to me
06:52Speaking about
06:53Why it was so hard
06:54To be a black woman
06:55In America
06:55And I was like
06:56Well that's part of my story
06:57But I really want to talk
06:58About the impact
06:59Of social media
07:00And loneliness
07:00And so the one thing
07:01That I stuck to
07:02Was what I
07:03The message that I really
07:04Wanted to deliver
07:05And not wavering from that
07:07And when you're dealing
07:08With an industry
07:08That's so homogenous
07:10I think it's important
07:11To make sure that
07:12You know you can still
07:13Wake up and stand up
07:14In your own two feet
07:15And know who you are
07:16So for me
07:18And that's really good
07:19For me in my book
07:21One thing that I stuck
07:22To the entire way
07:24I wanted to make sure
07:26That my book
07:27Featured children
07:28And that the children
07:29Were black
07:30I felt it was very important
07:33For black children
07:34To be able to see themselves
07:36At the highest level
07:37Of government
07:38And on one page
07:40Of my book
07:40You even see
07:41The black girl
07:43And this
07:44My book was actually
07:44Published before
07:45Last March
07:46You see the black girl
07:48Talking to herself
07:49And picturing herself
07:50As a supreme court justice
07:52And I made sure
07:53That the supreme court justice
07:55In my picture book
07:56Was a woman
07:57A black woman
07:58And that the black girl
08:00Could see herself
08:01As and she also
08:02Saw herself as a president
08:03She wanted to be president
08:04She wanted to be
08:05A supreme court justice
08:07So those were things
08:08That I just could not
08:09Waver on
08:11And the only thing
08:13That I really
08:13My real regret
08:14In my book
08:15Is that
08:16I didn't wait
08:17Long enough
08:18To design
08:19The supreme court justice
08:21With natural hair
08:22With locks
08:24Dr. Joy
08:25What did you
08:27Not waver on
08:27What was something
08:28That you said
08:29Is a must have
08:30In your book
08:31So I feel like
08:33From the very beginning
08:34The book was very
08:35Black woman focused
08:36And I think
08:37Lots of people
08:38Can probably learn
08:39A lot from the book
08:40Because it's around
08:41Friendship
08:41And we all have
08:42Friendships
08:43But I really wanted
08:43To make it
08:44Very specific
08:45To black women
08:46So the cover
08:46Features black women
08:48I use lots of
08:49Pop cultural references
08:50From shows
08:51That black women watch
08:52Like Girlfriends
08:53And Insecure
08:54And I didn't really
08:55Have to fight that
08:56I mean my company
08:57Is called
08:57Therapy for Black Girls
08:58So I think they knew
08:59What they were getting
09:00Right
09:01So I really felt
09:02Supported in
09:03Kind of keeping my voice
09:04In the way that I wanted it
09:05So Dr. Joy
09:08You're a therapist
09:08And Issa
09:11You do research
09:12I'm a psych entrepreneur
09:14Today but I started
09:15My career as a chemist
09:16Yeah
09:16Okay
09:17And how did your careers
09:19Actually intertwine
09:21With the research
09:22The background
09:23What you wanted
09:25To do with the book
09:26Dr. Joy
09:26You can go first
09:27Yeah so you know
09:29I am trained
09:29As a psychologist
09:30But I really wanted
09:31The book to be
09:32For everybody to read
09:34So I do think
09:35Other therapists
09:35Can get a lot
09:36Out of the book
09:36But I really wanted
09:38It for like
09:38Just women
09:39Who were not therapists
09:40To be able to like
09:41Talk about
09:41How can I strengthen
09:42My friendships
09:43And you know
09:44What kinds of things
09:45Can I do better
09:46But there is something
09:47I think
09:47There is a lot of
09:48Tie into clinical language
09:50Even though
09:51Everybody can read it
09:52So in the book
09:53I talk about
09:54How our friendship circles
09:55Really mimic
09:56Therapy groups
09:57In a lot of ways
09:59But I really wanted
09:59To avoid using the jargon
10:01Because everybody
10:01Wouldn't get that
10:02So it really was
10:03Important for me
10:04To kind of
10:04Translate that
10:05Psychological language
10:06Into everybody's language
10:08Now I will say this
10:09I had in iterations
10:12Upon iterations
10:13Of my book
10:14Making sure I took
10:16The day-to-day language
10:17That I use
10:18On Capitol Hill
10:19Making sure that
10:20It was distilled
10:21In an appropriate way
10:23For children
10:24And for the classrooms
10:25Because my vision
10:26Is to have the books
10:27In the classroom
10:27So I can understand
10:28The intricacies of that
10:30How about you Issa
10:31So I did start my career
10:33At 14 years old
10:34As an organic chemistry
10:35Researcher at UNC
10:36Chapel Hill
10:37And the essence
10:39Of my writing
10:40How I think
10:41And how I operate
10:42Is really rooted
10:43In being a research scientist
10:44And so
10:45But the thing about
10:46You know
10:47My journey to writing
10:48This book
10:48Was one that was
10:49Catalyzed by personal trauma
10:51So my parents
10:52Spent every year
10:54Sponsored a bus trip
10:55Taking kids to visit
10:57Hampton University
10:57It was like the one thing
10:59That they love to do
11:00Every year for open house
11:01And this particular year
11:02The bus ran off
11:03A straight road
11:03Flipped over
11:04And ejected both my parents
11:05Out the front window
11:06And my dad
11:07Didn't survive that
11:08And it was just
11:09One of those things
11:10Where it made me realize
11:11That I had spent
11:12Too much time
11:14Focusing on
11:15Positioning my life
11:16Rather than living my life
11:17And kind of
11:17Abandoned some of those
11:18Stabilizing relationships
11:19In my life
11:20And learning to talk
11:21About that
11:21On my therapy journey
11:23I found my therapist
11:23Through therapy for black girls
11:25You know
11:27I learned kind of
11:28The language around
11:29A lot of that
11:29And so the book
11:30Was actually kind of
11:31Elevating that
11:32Using my kind of
11:33Research background
11:34To be very clear
11:35In what I was articulating
11:37But also marrying
11:38The storytelling
11:39And the vulnerability
11:39So it wasn't a
11:40Completely linear path
11:42But it was a path
11:43That just combined
11:44A ton of life experiences
11:45Dr. Joy
11:48Did you have any
11:50How long
11:51Let me ask you this
11:52How long
11:53Have you been wanting
11:54To write this book
11:56And what was the catalyst
11:57That said
11:58This has to get out
11:59In 2023
12:01So the timeline
12:03Is not really dictated
12:04By authors
12:05If you work with
12:06A traditional publishing company
12:08Right
12:08So that's I think
12:09Something you want to know
12:10About a publishing deal
12:11Is that your publishing house
12:12Actually dictates
12:13When the book will come out
12:14I always knew
12:15I wanted to write a book
12:17But I wasn't sure
12:17Like what the book would be
12:19And before the pandemic
12:20We were actually planning
12:22Sisterhood Heals
12:22To be an in-person event
12:24And then of course
12:25After the pandemic happened
12:26We were all
12:27You know
12:27Kind of figuring out
12:28What to do
12:28And my agent said
12:30Well what were you
12:31Planning to do
12:31At that event
12:32What kinds of things
12:33Were you going to discuss
12:34And that is how
12:35The book kind of came about
12:36Okay
12:37That's really good
12:39Are you planning
12:40Any in-person events
12:42Is this book
12:43Activity focused
12:44Or are we looking
12:45The book is
12:45Activity focused
12:46In a lot of ways
12:47And so we are still
12:48Planning to have
12:48A Sisterhood Heals
12:49Retreat or event
12:50At some point
12:51But nothing yet
12:52So but stay tuned
12:53To the website
12:54Sisterhoodheals.com
12:55For any updates
12:57On events we'll have
12:58Well thank you
13:00I know that
13:01When I was writing
13:02My book
13:02I had the concept
13:04For about four years
13:06And I would write
13:07I would start
13:08Stop
13:09Pick the book up
13:11Put it down
13:11Say it's a little bit
13:13Too much to distill
13:14For children
13:15Or too much to do
13:15Right now
13:16But for me
13:17The urgency was
13:19The January 6th
13:20Attack on the
13:20United States Capitol
13:21And I said
13:22Well this is a moment
13:23In time
13:24Where we really
13:25Have to get back
13:26To the basics
13:26And learn about
13:27Our democracy
13:28And the fundamentals
13:29Of our democracy
13:30Isla
13:32You had a full time
13:33Job while you were
13:34Writing this book
13:34Right?
13:35Yes
13:35So how did that
13:37Work out?
13:38Tell me about
13:39Your writing process
13:40Your timeline
13:41How did that work
13:43While you were
13:43Also doing other
13:45Ventures?
13:46So there are
13:47Kind of two types
13:48Of writers
13:48And keep me honest
13:49To this
13:50There are writers
13:50That can say
13:51Hey I want to
13:51Write 2500 words a day
13:53And they just write that
13:54And they commit to that
13:55And then there are
13:56Other writers
13:56That write a lot
13:57In a short period of time
13:59And then take a break
14:00For a long period of time
14:01I was the latter
14:02And so I think for me
14:04I run a tech startup
14:07You know
14:07And venture backed
14:08And two of our slower months
14:09Are August and December
14:11So what I did
14:12Is I would take off
14:13You know
14:14A week at a time
14:15To actually just
14:16Go away
14:17And write
14:18Turn in my edits
14:20And then kind of
14:20Come back
14:21And actually really
14:22Tackle it again
14:22In December
14:23So I kind of
14:24Intersected it
14:24With like
14:25The cadence
14:26Of my work career
14:27And it took me
14:29About a year and a half
14:30Start to
14:32No edit finish
14:33And let me
14:36Your editors
14:37Did you have any editors
14:39Like your kitchen cabinet
14:40Friends that you were
14:42Leaning on
14:42Editors outside of
14:44Of course the professionals
14:45That finally edited your book
14:47Or people you bounced off ideas
14:49How'd you come about it?
14:52You know
14:52For me
14:52I actually bounced a lot of ideas
14:55Off of my friends
14:56Because they were actually
14:58Really intimate
14:59In kind of
15:00What was going on
15:01But they're also like
15:02You know
15:02Very adjacent to the topic
15:04But I actually didn't use
15:06Outside editors
15:07You know
15:07In nonfiction writing
15:08Some people use outside editors
15:10In fiction writing
15:11Almost everybody uses outside editors
15:13But my editors
15:14Were mostly kind of
15:15Within my publishing house
15:16Okay
15:17How about you Dr. Joy
15:18When you were coming up
15:19With Sisterhood Heals
15:21Like did the concept come
15:23When you were on the phone
15:24With friends
15:24Were you at a game night
15:26Did you wake up
15:27At three in the morning
15:28Tell us
15:28Yeah so
15:29I don't know where
15:30Dr. Key Holman is
15:31I can't see her
15:32If she's here
15:32Oh she must be
15:33The best book list
15:35Because she was
15:36My book whisperer too
15:37She is a bit of a book whisperer
15:40But I think
15:40In lots of like
15:41Late conversations with her
15:42Like talking until
15:43Two in the morning
15:44And with my team
15:46At Therapy for Black Girls
15:47Really kind of
15:47Just thinking through
15:48Like what does
15:49Sisterhood mean to us
15:50And like what would
15:51This look like in book form
15:52And I found that
15:53That was the most
15:54Difficult part for me
15:55Was that
15:55Sisterhood often
15:56Feels so spiritual
15:57Like it feels like
15:58This like innate thing
15:59And I kind of
16:01Struggle with like
16:01How do you capture language
16:03How do you use language
16:04To capture the magic
16:06That is Sisterhood
16:07But Dr. Key
16:08Who is one of my
16:09Very closest to friends
16:10Likewise
16:10Like yours
16:11Was definitely somebody
16:12I've used a lot
16:13To help edit
16:14And bounce ideas off of
16:15So Sisterhood
16:17Like you said
16:18It seems to be
16:19At times
16:20A very spiritual
16:21Concept
16:23And we also know
16:25That black
16:27Sisterhood
16:27Is usually associated
16:28With black women
16:29But we also know
16:31That a lot of times
16:31Black women
16:32Are very much
16:33Dismissed
16:34So when you were
16:35Talking to publishing
16:37Companies
16:37Or when you were
16:39Engaging about
16:40This book
16:40How did you get
16:42Them to realize
16:43That there is
16:44Value in this book
16:46And that this is
16:47Something that should
16:47Be on shelves
16:48That you have
16:49A best seller
16:49We will keep
16:52Our fingers crossed
16:53For that
16:53You know
16:54I really think
16:54Because of the work
16:55We had already
16:56Been doing at
16:56Therapy for Black
16:57Girls
16:57Like there was
16:58Already a
16:59Demonstrated
16:59Like oh she has
17:00A very engaged
17:01Audience
17:01Like people listen
17:02To the podcast
17:03Every week
17:04And so I think
17:05They thought
17:05Oh she already
17:06Has people who
17:07Will be willing
17:08To buy the book
17:09Once it comes out
17:09And I talk about
17:10Sisterhood
17:11A lot of times
17:12On the podcast
17:13And so I think
17:14It was an easier
17:14Sale for publishers
17:15To see
17:16There was already
17:17Demonstrated interest
17:18Issa when you
17:19Marketed your book
17:21What were any
17:22Did you have any
17:23Barriers
17:24What did you
17:24What were some
17:25Of the barriers
17:26That you had
17:27And how did you
17:27Overcome them
17:28I think that
17:31First of all
17:32In the book proposal
17:33I want to start there
17:34Because a lot of people
17:34Ask that question
17:35What goes in it
17:36And it reads
17:37Kind of like
17:37A business plan
17:38For a product launch
17:39So it's why are you
17:41The best person
17:42To tell this story
17:43What is the story
17:44Who is the audience
17:46Like give me numbers
17:47How many millions
17:48Of people
17:49And also
17:50What's your marketing plan
17:51Who do you
17:52Like do you have
17:53Access to Michelle Obama
17:54Can she tweet
17:54About your book
17:55It's literally that
17:56Detailed on the
17:57Marketing plan
17:58Right
17:58And so for me
17:59I think one of the
18:02If I had to think
18:03About a particular
18:04Barrier
18:05It was
18:06You know
18:08I don't know
18:12I'm a black woman
18:13So I just bust down
18:14Barriers
18:14Like every day
18:15Right
18:16But I would say
18:21That you know
18:22Kind of the
18:23Distribution play
18:24Right
18:25And that's the big thing
18:26Like get into
18:26How you make
18:27A lot of the
18:28Best selling lists
18:29And the diversity
18:30Of who's selling
18:30Your book
18:31You want to
18:31Indie stories
18:32You want to
18:32Amazon
18:33Etc
18:33And I think
18:34It was kind of
18:35My first time
18:36Around that rodeo
18:37And so I relied
18:37On a lot of
18:38You know
18:39My author friends
18:40Like I'm sure
18:41You guys know
18:41Lovey Ajayi Jones
18:43Who's a good
18:43Sister friend of mine
18:44She's doing a new
18:46Book course
18:46By the way
18:47Thebookacademy.com
18:49But I think
18:50It was really
18:51Kind of wrapping
18:51My head around
18:52That distribution
18:53And that marketing
18:54Play and making
18:54Sure I was
18:55Really effective
18:55There
18:55What else
18:57Should aspiring
18:57Authors know
18:58Especially those
18:59That want their
19:00Works published
19:01And want to
19:02Be on bestseller lists
19:04Or want to have
19:04The books in hands
19:05Across the masses
19:06What else
19:07Should they know
19:07I think that
19:08A lot of times
19:10We fail to realize
19:11How small
19:12The publishing world
19:13Is
19:14My book agent
19:15Was referred to me
19:16By one of my mentors
19:17Rebecca Minkoff
19:18Who's a fashion
19:19Designer in New York
19:20And after one
19:22Conversation with him
19:23I was also in
19:24Conversations with
19:25CAA
19:25I was like
19:26Oh I like him
19:27Let me go to him
19:27Right
19:28Anybody that I
19:29Have referred my
19:31Agent to speak to
19:32He has taken the call
19:33And so I think
19:35That we need to
19:35Comb our own
19:36Networks better
19:37And look for
19:38Some of those
19:38Warm intros
19:39Because they get
19:40A dozen
19:41Hundreds of
19:42Actual cold
19:43Intros
19:43But to be able
19:45To put somebody
19:46On a three way
19:46Text and say
19:47Hey here's my
19:48Assistant's email
19:48Let's get on
19:49The calendar
19:50That's a whole
19:50Different type
19:51Of introduction
19:52And so I think
19:53That combing
19:53Our networks
19:54To figure out
19:55Which ones
19:55Of our friends
19:56Are authors
19:57Our friends
19:58Who are successful
19:59Authors
19:59Our agents
19:59Are always going
20:00To take our
20:00Calls
20:01And so leverage
20:02That
20:02Connection
20:04Connection
20:05Connection
20:05Connection
20:06I'm sure we
20:06Have heard that
20:07In several
20:07Different venues
20:08This entire
20:09Weekend
20:10Dr. Joy
20:11Tell us a little
20:12Bit more about
20:13Your book
20:13Or what you
20:14Didn't expect
20:14When it came
20:15Down to
20:16Getting it
20:17Out
20:17And of course
20:18Now your
20:19Promo tours
20:19Yeah I think
20:21You know
20:21To your point
20:22Issa
20:22I did not
20:23Expect the
20:24Difficulty
20:24Of marketing
20:25A book
20:26You know
20:27Because again
20:27We have a
20:28Very engaged
20:28Audience
20:29And you know
20:30Lots of people
20:30Listen to the
20:31Podcast
20:31But selling
20:32A book
20:32Is a very
20:33Different kind
20:33Of beast
20:34And I don't
20:35Honestly know
20:36The truth
20:36Of why
20:37Just yet
20:38I don't know
20:39About something
20:39About the cost
20:40I'm just not
20:41Quite sure
20:42But marketing
20:42Is the piece
20:43That I have
20:44Been most
20:45Surprised by
20:46I thought people
20:46Would be like
20:47Oh my gosh
20:47She has a book
20:48Like let me
20:48Go just run out
20:49And buy it
20:49And it is much
20:50More difficult
20:51To sell books
20:52Than I anticipated
20:53Yeah it
20:54It really is
20:56You think you
20:56Have something
20:57And you have
20:58So many people
20:58In so many
20:59Different networks
21:00Saying this
21:01Is awesome
21:01Everybody should
21:02Have it
21:03And it's like
21:04Oh well I have
21:06To do this
21:06I have to do
21:07That
21:07And then the
21:07Whole like
21:09Proving like
21:09No this is
21:11This book
21:11Will move
21:12Can I add one
21:13Thing to that
21:14Around the marketing
21:14Side
21:15You know also
21:16Think about who
21:17You can kind of
21:17Integrate into your
21:18Book too
21:18Because that
21:19Positions it
21:20Differently
21:20So you know
21:21I broke my book
21:22Into three parts
21:23And had an interview
21:24That was live
21:26Even audible
21:26But an interview
21:27At the end
21:28Of each of those
21:28Three parts
21:29Where I brought
21:29In Rebecca Minkoff
21:30So she was
21:31The automatic
21:31Part of the book
21:32I brought in
21:33Like Carmelo Anthony
21:34Who's a big brother
21:35To me
21:36And he was a big part
21:37Right
21:37And so
21:37When I talked
21:38About the book
21:39And kind of
21:40Pitching it
21:41The fact that
21:41It had all
21:42Of these voices
21:43Integrated
21:44That weren't
21:45Necessarily just
21:46Relying on my
21:46Expertise
21:47I think that's
21:47Helpful too
21:48So you can kind
21:48Of integrate
21:49Some of those
21:50Marketing components
21:50Into the book
21:51As well
21:52What's one thing
21:53We all need to
21:54Know about your
21:55Book
21:55The content of
21:58The book
21:58Or the process
21:59Of the book
21:59Either one
22:00Both
22:01Both
22:01The content
22:03Of the book
22:04I think one
22:04Thing I want
22:05People to know
22:05Especially black
22:06Women is
22:07Learn to validate
22:09Yourself
22:09And make sure
22:10You center
22:11Your joy
22:12Because we all
22:13Deserve joy
22:13And we're living
22:14In a life
22:15Too much
22:15Where we are
22:16Just stripped
22:16Of joy
22:17We're so stressed
22:18We're so burnt
22:18Out
22:19But we can walk
22:20With intentionality
22:21A bit more
22:22To make sure
22:22That we're not
22:23Really sitting
22:24In that place
22:24Because it doesn't
22:25Serve us
22:25And we deserve it
22:27Dr. Joy
22:29Tell us
22:30What's in
22:30Sisterhood
22:31Heals
22:31That we ought
22:32To know
22:33I mean
22:33We're going
22:33To go out
22:34And get it
22:34We're going
22:35To go buy it
22:36But what is
22:37One thing about it
22:38And then one thing
22:39About the process
22:40So I think
22:41My favorite thing
22:42That I've been
22:42Talking about
22:43Recently
22:43Is that
22:44We made up
22:44A quiz
22:45To find out
22:46What sister friend
22:47You are
22:47In your circle
22:48So you might
22:49Be the wallflower
22:50The leader
22:50The peacemaker
22:51Or the firecracker
22:52In your group
22:53And so if you go
22:54To sisterhood
22:55Heals
22:55You can take
22:57That quiz
22:58To find out
22:58Who you are
22:59In your sister circle
23:00And I've heard
23:00Lots of people
23:01Have very fun
23:02Conversations
23:03In their group
23:03Chat
23:04Afterwards
23:04After they're
23:05Talking about
23:06Like hey
23:06You're the firecracker
23:07In the group
23:07Let's talk about this
23:08And so that's
23:09Been the most
23:10Fun thing
23:10I've been
23:10Talking about
23:11Related to the book
23:12What's on the horizon
23:13For life after life
23:15Issa
23:15Are you planning
23:16Another book
23:17Or are we
23:18Looking to see it
23:19Elsewhere
23:21What's going on
23:22There's one thing
23:23My comms team
23:23Won't allow me to say
23:24But the one thing
23:25I will say
23:26Is that
23:26I did sign
23:28With UTA actually
23:29And I'm releasing
23:29A podcast
23:30In the fall
23:31Called intentionality
23:32With Issa Watson
23:33Focused on
23:35You know
23:35Intentionality
23:36Being defined as
23:37Where we use
23:38The potential
23:38Of our minds
23:39And the power
23:40Of our actions
23:40To live a life
23:41Rooted in joy
23:42And I actually
23:43Think that the next book
23:44So this one
23:45Was life beyond life
23:46Logging off your screen
23:47And into your life
23:48With a focus of
23:48Getting offline
23:49And living your life
23:50I think the next one
23:51Would probably be
23:52Life beyond likes
23:53The power of intentionality
23:54Alright
23:55Intentionality
23:56By Issa Watson
23:57We are all going to
23:59Subscribe to that podcast
24:00It's coming out this fall
24:02Looking forward to it
24:04Looking forward to it
24:05Looking forward to it
24:06What's
24:07I mean
24:08The book just came out
24:10But still
24:12I'm sure everybody's asking
24:13Are you writing another
24:14Is this a series
24:15Of course you say
24:17There's some in person things
24:19That we can do with the book
24:20Looking forward to a retreat
24:21But what else
24:22So no new book
24:23On the horizon
24:24I feel like I'm still
24:25Coming down from the process
24:26Of writing this first one
24:28But I'm just really enjoying
24:29Talking about
24:30Sisterhood Heals right now
24:31And we do have a book tour
24:33That's coming to
24:34Both Miami and Houston
24:35And Atlanta soon
24:36So if you're in those cities
24:37I'd love to see you there
24:39But we will be planning
24:40Some retreats
24:40And other things
24:41Related to the book as well
24:42Anything else you need
24:44The audience to know
24:45Issa
24:45I do
24:46When it comes to
24:48Marketing the book
24:49One of the things
24:50That always
24:51This is how I prioritize
24:52My to-do list
24:52It's like
24:53What's the lowest effort
24:54Highest impact thing
24:55That I can do
24:56That can apply
24:57In a lot of places
24:58Yes
24:59Lowest impact
24:59Highest impact
25:01Lowest effort
25:01Highest impact
25:02And so with that said
25:04One of the things
25:05I think it's also important
25:06For you guys to do
25:07From a network perspective
25:08Is to comb the companies
25:12That you know
25:14So you know
25:15When I launched my book
25:16I had about 30 book tour stops
25:19With companies
25:20You know
25:21From LVMH
25:22To Disney
25:23To United Airlines
25:25To Delta Airlines
25:26And that in itself
25:28Was 10,000 books
25:30In the first month
25:32Right
25:32And so I think that
25:33When you
25:33How do you magnify
25:35Like getting all these books
25:37Out here
25:38You know
25:38And send them to the
25:39Different book site websites
25:40Right
25:41Because you really got to
25:41Get these numbers
25:42In the right pockets
25:44That they need to be in
25:45But you know
25:47Getting those book sales
25:48I think too
25:49Can help elevate
25:50The awareness of your book
25:51In a big way
25:52In an accelerated way
25:53Because selling 10,000 books
25:55To 10,000 individuals
25:56Is very different
25:57Than leveraging
25:58My company contacts
26:00To host keynotes
26:01You know
26:02Where they would
26:02Actually buy books
26:03For all of their employees
26:04Any other words
26:07For the audience
26:07Dr. Joy
26:08Except for where
26:10We can buy this
26:10Brand new book
26:11So I would encourage
26:13Anybody who feels
26:14Like they have a book
26:15With them
26:16To go ahead
26:16And get started
26:17I think we sit on
26:18Our ideas
26:19Way too long
26:20And I think
26:21It's important
26:21For us to really
26:22Realize that
26:23Our stories
26:23Are connected
26:24To other people's
26:25And so there's
26:25Somebody who's
26:26Waiting for you
26:27To share
26:27What you are sitting on
26:29They need you
26:29To put that out there
26:30So go ahead
26:31And get started
26:32In writing
26:32I agree with that
26:34I feel like
26:35I wholeheartedly
26:36Agree with that
26:37I feel like
26:38That most books
26:40And I definitely
26:42Think my book
26:43Filled a void
26:44That was out there
26:45And I think
26:46That also
26:47Just being creative
26:48Minded
26:49Really and truly
26:51Does touch
26:52Other people's lives
26:53So thank you all
26:55So much
26:56Thank you to Issa
26:58Thank you to Joy
26:59Thank you all so much
27:00For your time
27:01This afternoon
27:02We have really
27:03Enjoyed ourselves
27:04At the SoCo Market
27:06Please use your app
27:08To find out
27:09What else is going on
27:10At this stage
27:11Or anything else
27:12That's going on
27:13Within the festival
27:14Make sure you shop
27:15At the wonderful vendors
27:17That are right back here
27:18At the SoCo Market
27:19Thank you all
27:20For your time
27:21Thank you
27:21Again give it up
27:23Give it up
27:23Give it up
27:24One more time
27:25For these amazing
27:27Black
27:28Beautiful authors
27:29That have graced
27:30The stage today
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