~ some personal news ~ 💻
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#WednesdayWisdom
"If there’s a book you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it." — Toni Morrison
Morning Musings
Y'all, we did it.
Two years after I completed my book proposal, I'm happy to share that I -- a first-time author -- have a literary agent! *cue internal scream*
For those of you who've been with me for the long haul, you know this is a BFD. The idea for a book -- a millennial manual, so to speak -- first came to me in 2015. And the idea sat for a while. Then it morphed into something else: a book to help ambitious millennial women, such as myself, overcome imposter syndrome. Thus, Trust Your Dopeness was born.
In either case, I downloaded Jen Sincero's nonfiction book proposal course in November 2017 as an early Christmas gift to myself and got to work ... and then I stalled out. As it turns out, writing a book about imposter syndrome while you yourself feel like an imposter is...well, complicated. But nevertheless, I persisted.
In the spring of 2018, after hours of research on my part, I began querying agents and collecting rejections, largely due in part to my follower count (this is why I kindly ask y'all to keep spreading the word -- platform matters when it comes to non-fiction). In fact, one agent told me to "come back" when I have 20,000 followers. Oookay...but again, I persisted.
And then, after a lot of hard work, determination and a bit of luck, it finally happened.
I recently told my agent I've dreamt of my acknowledgements page in the same way singers dream about their Grammys speech. And while there's not a book deal yet (that's the next hurdle in this long road called publishing), there are a few people I have to thank right now:
- God, first and foremost, for blessing me with the gift of storytelling
- My dad for being my first and #1 fan
- My family for all of their support and encouragement over the years
- My husband, Jeff, for believing in me, always
- My group chats: behind every successful woman is a group chat hyping her up. Thank you
- My agent, Dawn Michelle Hardy aka the "Literary Lobbyist," thank you for taking a chance on an unknown girl. I promise to make you proud
- Elayne Fluker for introducing me to Dawn; Charreah Jackson for introducing me to Dawn (and sharing your book proposal with me); and Chris Nelson for introducing me to Charreah
- My big sister, friend and mentor, Kyra Kyles, for teaching me to have the confidence of a mediocre white man
- And last, but certainly not least, each of you for riding with me. This book wouldn't exist without you.
With any luck, the right editor will fall madly in love with my proposal and offer a book deal. But it'll still be another 18-24 months (at best) before it hits the shelves. But you better believe I'm taking you with me every step of the way.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
 Love,
L'Oreal
P.s.Writer Alexandra Franzen is hosting a FREE webinar on how to write a book proposal on Friday, Jan. 24. Deets here.
P.p.s. Now that we have an agent, platform still matters, so PLEASE, if you like what you see here, share the newsletter with your friends, family and colleagues and spread the word on Twitter and Instagram. TYSM!!
*Instagram Takeover*
Join me next Monday, Jan. 20 for my very first Instagram Takeover (ahhh!). I'll be sharing a day in my life with EmpowHer_NY (shout-out to my girl Flavia for the hookup) and then I'll be talking all things imposter syndrome on Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT. You don't want to miss it (and I'm super nervous, so knowing y'all are tuning in will help be relax a bit -- hopefully)!
Links I Love
1. Meghan Markle Defeated the British Monarchy. In case you've been living under a rock and/or don't have simultaneous group chats blowing up with #RoyalNews, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said deuces to the British Crown and, I, for one, could not be happier for them. (ZORA)
2. The Personal Will Not Save You: What's Really at Stake When We Partake in Performative Environmentalism. I'm not sure which side you found yourself on the Great Plastic Straw Debate, but this article points out some of the issues I had with those who scolded others who, as this writer puts it, don't keep up with the "latest green fads." (Bitch Media)
3. Learning How to Fail: Why We Need to Embrace Failure. As a Type-A perfectionist, fail is a four-letter word. But lately, I've been learning that it's okay to fail, or as my former CEO called it, your "first attempt in learning." (Teen Vogue)
Pitch Clinic (Free Webinar Alert!)
There's no perfect science when it comes to pitching editors, but this free webinar will come close. Join me next Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. CT as I share the tricks and tips I've honed throughout my 12-year editorial career as both an editor and writer. Attendees will receive:
real-life examples of successful pitches
template for editorial pitches
spreadsheet to track pitches
sample editorial calendar
One lucky participant will win a complimentary pitch critique and a copy of First Draft: A Beginner's Guide to Freelance Digital Editorial Writing. Must be present to win. Register today.
What I'm Reading
As I'm mentioned last week, I'm working on implementing (and maintaining) boundaries in 2020. Naturally, I stumbled upon a book by the same name. While it has a Christian angle I wasn't expected (no, I did not not do any research before picking it up from the library), I'm not mad at it.
I'm about halfway through so far and, let's just say my therapist and I are going to have a LOT to discuss next week. If you're even halfway interested in setting boundaries with your family, friends, colleagues, etc., I suggest giving this a read (unless, ya know, you're not into the whole biblical part...).
My Latest Obsession
One of my favorite Instagram accounts is @EeniEdit, "a fictional globetrotting fashionista with her suitcase always packed." Eeni is out here living her very best #BlackGirlMagic life, y'all. She is #GOALS. So you know I had to get her desk calendar.
Two years running and it's one of my favorite desk accessories. Each month features a different fabulous outfit. There are also planners, mugs, prints and clothing, if that's more your jam.
Now Hiring
Publicist for Haymarket Books
Communications Strategist for ACLU Northern California
Editorial Associate for the Obama Foundation
Writer/Multimedia Content Producer for the University of Chicago
Director, Strategic Partnerships for Pencils of Promise
Content Marketing Coordinator for Career Contessa
Program Officer, Media & Storytelling for Field Foundation
Email Marketing Associate for Vimeo
Investigative Reporting Residency for Mother Jones
Communications Manager for Reproductive Health Access Project
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