Then this happened (how not to get a publishing deal)

This was me last Friday.

Because this happened.

I’ve been working with the book coach and publisher Alison Jones in a book proposal challenge. She spends two weeks with participants on our ideas, structure and presentation for a business book, providing feedback and support. The winning proposal gets the offer of a publishing deal with her company, which has resulted in some terrific books.

[If you don’t know Alison, and you want to write a book related to your business, click here, NOW].

That idea thing…

I started the challenge with a sensible idea I’ve put quite a bit of work into, but which, if I truly listened to that little inner voice, wasn’t lighting me up. It’s always a question that comes up in creative work – it is just in need of a new angle, or is it really not the right thing?

So I decided to experiment, and see what happened outlining the book I really wanted to write. I could feel the shift in my energy as soon as I started it. It was thrilling, but BIG. Big emotionally, if nothing else.

But that meant it felt all too overwhelming. I couldn’t get it structured, and my thoughts felt all over the place.

Towards the end of the challenge I just went NOOOO! I publicly threw in the towel, declaring it was all too much and I was just too busy.

But I’d reckoned without Alison and the other challengers. NOOOO! shrieked the internet back to me. I got told, nicely but firmly, that it was simply my inner critic, who MUST NOT WIN, and I just NEEDED TO FINISH IT, or it would end in the DEAD ZONE of ‘one day’ projects. So I muttered and swore that they were probably right, drank lots of tea, worked till nearly midnight on deadline day, and hit ‘send’.

(Of *course* they were right. I do this with my clients all the time. It’s always about fear. But coaching oneself is SO different).

Then, a few days later, I joined Alison’s Facebook Live announcement to hear which book had won the publishing deal.

And it was: mine.

I’m honestly not sure I’ve ever been more shocked, astonished and absolutely exhilarated.

Here’s the working title:

Inner Original: How to stay profoundly creative and still get noticed in a world that wants you to be less damn interesting

It’s about highly creative people, our brains and how we live and work – things I’ve been sharing increasingly here. (It’s the stuff we all need to know, imho, but which no-one, really no-one else is talking about. We’ve got to change this!).

What’s next

Alison and I still have to sort out the details, but it’s going to join the growing list of inspiring and expert books from her company, Practical Inspiration Publishing.

I’m absolutely thrilled by the faith that Alison has in it, and both excited and terrified by the journey that lies ahead.

And I want to repay this in very small way by giving you a challenge. If it hadn’t been for my fellow challengers, it WOULD be on my ‘one-day’ pile.

SO: today, go and tell one person THEY CAN DO IT.

Tell them they HAVE TO DO IT. That the world needs to hear their voice, their ideas, their insights.

You may never know how your encouragement will change someone’s life, and even the world.