What a year it’s been. Are you struggling a little bit? We all are. It’s been a bit of a slow year. But, that doesn’t mean books and proposals aren’t hitting my desk. Exciting projects are happening! Clients are signing book deals, and more clients than ever are sending me interesting and viable ideas for book proposals. It’s hard not to be excited!
My theme of the year has been “connection.” Years ago, I embraced being a connector as part of my brand, but this year has been about doing more. I’ve reconnected with old friends and former colleagues and renewed some dormant relationships. I’ve sent personal notes and made an effort to see friends in-person. I’ve even been working to be more present with my family spread from Hawaii to Maryland. (I have 4 great nieces and nephews and have loved sending painted postcards to “the littles” this year.)
Best of all, I’m expanding my referral network to help clients make their own connections. From cover designers to intellectual property attorneys to agents and publishers, I’ve loved helping clients move projects forward this year! It’s all about goals – and working together.
Under a tight and overwhelming deadline? Need content creation help? Have an agent who said you need a book proposal? Helping you with all of these things is what I do. And on to a few ideas of note.
Mid-year Review: It may have been a tough year so far, but it’s time for a reset. Midyear is always the best time to review goals, fix what isn’t working, and refocus on what you want to make happen this year. It’s not too late for 2025! Six months is plenty of time for a turnaround. What has been your favorite milestone this year? One of my goals for the second half of 2025? Do more podcast appearances to talk about editors and how we can help authors. I’d love to hear what’s on your goal list. Send me a message and let me know!
Resume Experience: I’m going to get up on my soap box here and say no one graduate from college with no experience on their resume. When I was in school, advisors and parents pushed me. Summers were for paid or unpaid internships, working at the college paper, volunteering at my hometown news office, and building experience. I recently saw a resume from a PR/marketing student having a tough time getting a job. She graduated a year ago and has had no nibbles. That’s not uncommon in today’s job market, but what shocked me was the lack any experience on her resume. No internships, no part-time jobs, nothing in marketing or communications. She included class projects and coursework, but those don’t really show employers what you can do. My old-school advice to college students? Use every opportunity to accumulate some real-world experience in the field of your choice.
The Finish Line: One of my favorite daily reads is The Finish Line from the Axios family of newsletters. From inspirational thoughts to essays on life, it often hits the spot for me. However, the other day they wrote about the Lyft CEO’s newsletter and the “enshittification” of the Internet. But they didn’t credit writer, thinker, and futurist Cory Doctorow who coined the term. I emailed their easily findable link and received an immediate reply from editor Mike Allen himself with a big “Thank You for reading” and a great shout out to Erica Pandey who helms the newsletter. They’ve sensed summarized the article and credited Cory at the top. It was such a pleasant interaction and so refreshingly different than the army of bots and AI responses we get these days. Thanks for the reminder that the personal touch is always the best kind.
Framing the Sales Call: The other day, an editor posted on Linked In about how much she dreads the initial “discovery call”. A lot of commenters agreed noting how much they disliked sales calls with potential new customers. But why? Meeting with a potential editing or writing client is a discovery call, yes, but it’s discovery for both sides. Framing them as “sales calls” is off-putting for both sides. Personally, I call these “new client intake” calls and we do them by video. They serve as a get-to-know-you to see if we click and could have a working relationship, a vibe check, as the kids say, an important part of the process. Writing a book depends on a strong collaboration. It means me getting to know you and you getting to know me. It’s two-sided – not just a sales call for services. If you dread the sales call as much as some folks do, maybe re-frame them as a two-way street. We freelancers get to choose our clients as much as they choose us.
Reading makes your writing better. We’ve all heard it. Forever. In order to be a better writer, you need to read. But who has the time? A couple of years ago, I got off the podcast merry-go-round and started reading books again. Audio, paper, ebooks – they all count. Then this spring, I picked up one of my own writing projects for a new edit and – wow! The writing flowed, awkward spots disappeared, and I caught some major flaws with character introductions and action. The difference? Reading good writing from all kinds of diverse authors puts it front and center in your writer’s brain. It’s true – even though we all want to deny it.
Writer Beware: Lordy, the scams out there for aspiring and self-published authors keep getting more sophisticated and harder to spot. The latest? An oldy-but-a-goodie: scammers impersonating bookstores asking self-published authors to contribute to large book orders or shipping fees in exchange for a large percentage of sales. Of course, these author fees are upfront and direct to the scammers. Think a deal is too good to be true? Check out Writer Beware to see if they’ve covered any variation of the scam. These scammers are getting good and they can be hard to spot, so research is key.
Cover Design Referral: One of the biggest needs I’ve had for ages is a referral to good cover designer and I found one! Shout out to Angela Westerman who’s skilled in covers for everything from young adult/fantasy to business/leadership. She also can handle figure preparation for those of you who need assistance. Plus a bonus Oklahoma connection. (Thanks to Richard Mize for the connection!)
Why Referrals Work? If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the solo-preneur community it’s that more begets more. Sharing our projects, what we do, who we work with, and what we need benefits everyone. Build your networks, extend your circles, and work together more.
What’s coming up? Next newsletter, I’m going to talk about cookbooks, specifically what cookbook authors need to consider, budget for, and add to their proposals.
Are you an agent that needs to send a client to a proposal writer? Are you an author on a deadline? Have a cool idea to just toss around? My best business comes from referrals and I love working with former colleagues, former and new authors, and all kinds of publishers
Let’s work together!
Renee
Find me at:
Goodreads: Renee Wilmeth
Instagram: @feedmedrinkme
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reneewilmeth/
One the Web: https://connectorcreator.com/home/
Client Launch: It’s been a banner summer for one of my author teams – Steven Fisher and Ja-Nae Duane with their book SuperShifts! A must-read for anyone thinking more about the future, technology, climate, and how we can thrive through change.
What am I Listening To? Working late into the summer evenings when it stays light, powering through a project with great music is my favorite! What does it say about me that my two best playlists right now are Music from Yellowstone and Erykah Badu? Well, it says something.
What am I Reading? Fifty books read so far this year! Of note? Rules for Visiting by Jessica Kane; and Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson
Where I am Going? Mexico City with friends to eat and drink our way through the stars — the CDMX Michelin stars, that is!
Connecting. Creating. 
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