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Ink in Your Veins
Ep. 333: What Do You Do if Your Book Isn’t Selling?
This is a hard thing to talk about, writers. What if your beautiful book isn’t selling? What do you do next? How do you keep going? In this bonus episode, Rachael talks about what steps to take next to keep your heart hopeful and your pen full of ink.
How Do You Write Podcast: Explore the processes of working writers with bestselling author Rachael Herron. Want tips on how to write the book you long to finish? Here you'll gain insight from other writers on how to get in the chair, tricks to stay in it, and inspiration to get your own words flowing.
Join Rachael's Slack channel, Onward Writers:
https://join.slack.com/t/onwardwriters/shared_invite/zt-7a3gorfm-C15cTKh_47CEdWIBW~RKwg
Rachael can be YOUR mini-coach, and she’ll answer all your questions on the show! http://patreon.com/rachael
Join my scribe of writers for LOTS more tips and get access to my 7-minute video that will tell you if you're writing the right book! Only for my writing community!
CLICK HERE:
➡️ How to Know If You’re Writing the Right Book - https://rachaelherron.com/therightbook
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531. How to Ditch Perfectionism, with Kaila Yu
30:16||Ep. 531In which we talk about perfectionism and how to get out from under it, as well as loving yourself as who you are. Kaila Yu is an author based in Los Angeles. Her debut memoir, ‘Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty,’ was just published with Penguin Random House's Crown Publishing. She's also a luxury travel and culture writer with bylines in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, Condé Nast Traveler, and many more.🏠 Ink Village! Check it out here: http://rachaelherron.com/inkvillage(New perks, like editing!) 📕 OUT NOW! The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland: http://rachaelherron.com❤️ Write in Italy May 2026: http://rachaelherron.com/italy2026🎉 Unstuck is now available here: https://rachaelherronbooks.com/Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.📙 Publish Your Book! https://rachaelherron.com/publishEXCLUSIVELY FOR WRITERS (join my writer's list): ➡️ How to Know If You’re Writing the Right Book - https://rachaelherron.com/therightbook530. How to Use Images to Prompt Your Writing, with Lorena Hughes
42:10||Ep. 530Rachael’s so excited to have Lorena on the show today! Lorena Hughes is the award-winning author of The Night We Became Strangers, The Queen of the Valley, The Spanish Daughter, and The Sisters of Alameda Street. Born and raised in Ecuador, she moved to the United States when she was eighteen to study fine arts and mass communication & journalism. Her novels have earned acclaim from outlets such as The Washington Post, Ms. Magazine, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Woman’s World, The Christian Science Monitor, BuzzFeed, PopSugar, and Bustle. The Spanish Daughter is an Amazon Editors’ Pick, an Amazon Unforgettable Reads book club selection, and one of Reading Group Choices Most Popular Books of 2022. Her latest novel is The Night We Became Strangers. When she's not writing, she draws inspiration from her work as a family photographer.📕 OUT NOW! The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland: http://rachaelherron.com❤️ Write in Italy May 2026: http://rachaelherron.com/italy2026🏠 Ink Village! Check it out here: http://rachaelherron.com/inkvillage🎉 Unstuck is now available here: https://rachaelherronbooks.com/Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.📙 Publish Your Book! https://rachaelherron.com/publishEXCLUSIVELY FOR WRITERS (join my writer's list): ➡️ How to Know If You’re Writing the Right Book - https://rachaelherron.com/therightbook529. Why It’s Good that Words Will Always Fail Us, with Livia Sara
54:51||Ep. 529You don’t want to miss this one, in which we talk about how art is connection (to ourselves first) and why words will always let us down (and why that’s okay). Livia Sara is a neurodiversity advocate and eating disorder survivor who now helps others overcome their own mental barriers through her books, courses, and coaching programs. She is the creator of the blog livlabelfree.com and the host of the Liv Label Free Podcast. Livia is a lifelong learner who stays curious about discovering what it means to live a meaningful existence, and she is always looking for ways to turn every MESS into a MESSage.📕 OUT NOW! The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland: http://rachaelherron.com❤️ Write in Italy May 2026: http://rachaelherron.com/italy2026🏠 Ink Village! Check it out here: http://rachaelherron.com/inkvillage🎉 Unstuck is now available here: https://rachaelherronbooks.com/Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.📙 Publish Your Book! https://rachaelherron.com/publishEXCLUSIVELY FOR WRITERS (join my writer's list): ➡️ How to Know If You’re Writing the Right Book - https://rachaelherron.com/therightbook528. On Surviving and Thriving in Publishing, with Dr. Zoe Shaw
43:36||Ep. 528This has to be one of Rachael's favorite episodes in a long time - Dr. Zoe will blow you away with the story of her path to publication! Dr. Zoe Shaw is a licensed psychotherapist, author, speaker, podcast host, relationship coach, and proud mom of five. After fifteen years in traditional psychotherapy, Dr. Zoe left the therapy couch to create a more dynamic way to help women heal—blending the best of psychology, faith, and just the right dose of feminism. She’s best known in her field for coining the term “complex shame.” Through virtual coaching, programs, and her podcast Stronger in the Difficult Places, she guides women to break free from codependency and shame, and reclaim their voices, boundaries, and self-worth. Her new book is Stronger in the Difficult Places: Heal Your Relationship with Yourself by Untangling Complex Shame https://amzn.to/3KxFFSE📕 OUT NOW! The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland: http://rachaelherron.com❤️ Write in Italy May 2026: http://rachaelherron.com/italy2026🏠 Ink Village! Check it out here: http://rachaelherron.com/inkvillage🎉 Unstuck is now available here: https://rachaelherronbooks.com/Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.📙 Publish Your Book! https://rachaelherron.com/publishEXCLUSIVELY FOR WRITERS (join my writer's list): ➡️ How to Know If You’re Writing the Right Book - https://rachaelherron.com/therightbook527. 527 | The Black Herron Ep 37
44:08||Ep. 527Rachael shares the big news she JUST got right before Sacha jumped on the call, and Sacha shares her new reading and outlining discoveries! 📕 OUT NOW! The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland: http://rachaelherron.com❤️ Write in Italy May 2026: http://rachaelherron.com/italy2026🏠 Ink Village! Check it out here: http://rachaelherron.com/inkvillage🎉 Unstuck is now available here: https://rachaelherronbooks.com/Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.📙 Publish Your Book! https://rachaelherron.com/publishEXCLUSIVELY FOR WRITERS (join my writer's list): ➡️ How to Know If You’re Writing the Right Book - https://rachaelherron.com/therightbook526. Are You a Writer? Try Therapy! with Annie Mare
46:35||Ep. 526Annie Mare (she/they) writes queer contemporary young adult romance and cowrites queer romance and mysteries with her wife, Ruthie Knox. Mare lives with her wife, two teenagers, two dogs, multiple fish, one cat, four hermit crabs, and a bazillion plants in a very old house with a garden. COSMIC LOVE AT THE MULTIVERSE HAIR SALON is her most recent release. 📕 OUT NOW! The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland: http://rachaelherron.com❤️ Write in Italy May 2026: http://rachaelherron.com/italy2026🏠 Ink Village! Check it out here: http://rachaelherron.com/inkvillage🎉 Unstuck is now available here: https://rachaelherronbooks.com/Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.📙 Publish Your Book! https://rachaelherron.com/publishEXCLUSIVELY FOR WRITERS (join my writer's list): ➡️ How to Know If You’re Writing the Right Book - https://rachaelherron.com/therightbook525. On Raiding the Scraps Pile, with Alexandria Bellefleur
30:13||Ep. 525In which we talk about a book dying on submission (and the pain of that!) as well as being STUBBORN enough to keep going. Alexandria Bellefleur is a bestselling and award-winning author of swoony contemporary romance often featuring loveable grumps and the sunshine characters who bring them to their knees. Her debut novel, Written in the Stars, was a 2021 Lambda Literary Award winner and a 2020 winner of The Ripped Bodice Awards for Excellence in Romantic Fiction. The Devil She Knows is her most recent novel.📕 OUT NOW! The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland: http://rachaelherron.com❤️ Write in Italy May 2026: http://rachaelherron.com/italy2026🏠 Ink Village! Check it out here: http://rachaelherron.com/inkvillage🎉 Unstuck is now available here: https://rachaelherronbooks.com/Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.📙 Publish Your Book! https://rachaelherron.com/publishEXCLUSIVELY FOR WRITERS (join my writer's list): ➡️ How to Know If You’re Writing the Right Book - https://rachaelherron.com/therightbook524. How a Secret Blog Created a Writer, with Dana K. White
47:28||Ep. 524Dana K. White had always wanted to be a writer, but she never could have predicted how she’d get there or how she would reach so much success. Dana K. White is a blogger, podcaster, speaker, and (much to her own surprise) a decluttering expert. She taught both English and theatre arts before leaving her job to make her family her life's work. In an attempt to get her home under control, Dana started blogging as "Nony" (short for anonymous) at A Slob Comes Clean. Dana soon realized she was not alone in her housekeeping struggles and in her feelings of shame. Today, Dana shares realistic home management strategies with her signature humor and a message of hope for the hopelessly messy through her blog, weekly podcasts, and videos. Dana lives with her husband and three kids just outside of Dallas, Texas. 📕 OUT NOW! The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland: http://rachaelherron.com❤️ Write in Italy May 2026: http://rachaelherron.com/italy2026🏠 Ink Village! Check it out here: http://rachaelherron.com/inkvillage🎉 Unstuck is now available here: https://rachaelherronbooks.com/Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.📙 Publish Your Book! https://rachaelherron.com/publishEXCLUSIVELY FOR WRITERS (join my writer's list): ➡️ How to Know If You’re Writing the Right Book - https://rachaelherron.com/therightbook523. How to Define True Success, with Evelyn Skye
46:45||Ep. 523On vampires, and deep work, and what it means to actually be (and feel) successful. Evelyn Skye is the New York Times bestselling author of several novels, including The Hundred Loves of Juliet and The Incredible Kindness of Paper. A graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School, her books have been published worldwide and translated into sixteen languages. Find out more at EvelynSkye.com.📕 OUT NOW! The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland: http://rachaelherron.com❤️ Write in Italy May 2026: http://rachaelherron.com/italy2026🏠 Ink Village! Check it out here: http://rachaelherron.com/inkvillage🎉 Unstuck is now available here: https://rachaelherronbooks.com/Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.📙 Publish Your Book! https://rachaelherron.com/publishEXCLUSIVELY FOR WRITERS (join my writer's list): ➡️ How to Know If You’re Writing the Right Book - https://rachaelherron.com/therightbook