#60 - From Idea to Impact: Craft Your Bestselling Book with Meg Calvin

Have you ever dreamed of writing a book but felt stuck on where to start—or how to actually sell it? 

In this episode of Mindset to Market, I sit down with Meg Calvin, a writing and marketing coach who helps business owners turn their expertise into Amazon bestselling books.

Meg shares her journey from ministry to coaching, revealing why publishing a book is one of the most powerful business assets you can create. We dive into her 12-month program that guides authors from idea to publication—plus the essential marketing strategies that ensure your book reaches the right audience.

We also explore:
✨ Overcoming fears around monetizing your art
✨ Why writing is a spiritual journey that leads to personal breakthroughs
✨ How to identify which book you should write first

If you’ve been waiting for a sign to start writing, this is it! Meg’s wisdom and actionable tips will inspire you to finally bring your book to life.

🎧 Listen now and take the first step toward your bestselling book!

Connect with Meg and get her free tools and resources here:

Visit her on the web at www.MegCalvin.com

https://www.instagram.com/heymegcalvin/
https://www.facebook.com/meggie.calvin
https://www.tiktok.com/@megcalvin?lang=en

Mindset to Market is a Luminous Creative Production. If you'd like to learn more about our business coaching program and group coaching container, please visit us online at DeborahcSmith.com.

20% Off Sakara Plant-Based Meal Program
Use code DEBSAKARA at checkout for 20% OFF your first order with Sakara Life.

Email Magic: Start for free with KIT!
Join the Creator Network on KIT and create life-long fans and customers!

Kajabi 30Day Trial All-In-One Platform


Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Mindset to Market is produced by Deborah C. Smith and designed to inspire and support big-hearted creatives in finding their own unique path, building a sustainable business, and creating financial, spiritual, mental wellness and abundance.

🎉 Join the Mindset to Market Coaching Mastermind ​Learn More
💕 Visit Deborah online at DeborahCSmith.com
💕 Follow on the 'Gram. @mindset2marketpod

Transcript

Hey guys. Welcome back to Mindset to Market. I'm very excited about today's episode because I'm going to be talking with a special guest today about writing and publishing your very own book and how that is an incredible.

Business asset. So my guest today is Meg Calvin. She's a writing and marketing coach who helps business owners, right? Market and sell their Amazon bestselling books, whether it's Kindle, paperback, audible.  So Meg studied at Bethel seminary, and she's been doing this work for several years now. She's also a published author herself, and she has published several works in the past decade.

And she's the host of a podcast called the uproarious profundity podcast. And this topic is so interesting to me because I did once publish. A book, um, it's called Green Pirate Recipes Volume One Juices, in case you're clamoring for a book on how to make juice, and you can still buy it on Amazon, and I'm not going to get into that, maybe we'll talk about it later, but what I'll tell you is that I poured my heart into that little book, , and  I feel like it was a really great learning process for me as a business owner because it forced me to organize my my thinking around, like, what is the right way to teach and share this knowledge.

Um, and it's also out there on the internet as like a valuable asset. So I learned so much about that process, including That self publishing a book is a doable thing. So, when Meg reached out to me to pitch this idea of helping business owners really get into publishing their own book or their first book, I thought, you know what, that's like, not only is that a cool business asset,  it's a wonderful digital product to position yourself as an expert in your field.

And I would love to hear from a pro on the best way to do it. So,  I'm excited to get into a convo with her today. Meg, thank you so much for joining me on Mindset to Market. , .  Yes. Thank you for having me. And I, I love how You, you mentioned the power and the place of a book, and I love working with people that have these amazing keynote speeches they do, or online courses, or one on one coaching sessions, or group coaching content that they have, this amazingly helpful transformational material, and then I get to come in and help them transpose it, if you will, us both being musicians, transpose that into a book form, and then have it serve more people and have that transformational experience.

business owner or that coach,  , exists in that person's life outside of the internet. . One of the easiest and quickest way to grow your online business is to make sure you exist. Um, outside of the internet.

 Yes. , , yeah,  the internet is an incredibly powerful tool, but you need to have an engine to your business that is outside of that. 

So, I would love to just start kind of at the beginning, just to get us kicked off. Could you share with us, , a little bit about your background and your journey to how you got to this place in your career? I know that you studied in a seminary and then you spent a long period of time working as a minister.

 And I would love to just hear how you went from that phase of your life to working as a marketing coach and supporting authors.  Yes. Yes. Yes. So as we were sharing before, I am a musician and always like you, very, I've always felt closest to God,  which is what I refer to that. I know there are other labels, source universe, um, higher power, whatever, but I've always connected close.

So I always felt God and heard God through music.  And I had the gift of healing from a very traumatic early childhood. And when I was six, my mom's secretary and my mom and  connected me to my mom's secretary's gospel church choir. And it was in that church choir that I singing and swaying and learning to breathe and learning to hear the harmony.

I. I felt the palpable healing presence of God, and I knew I was going to be okay. And at that point, at six, I became addicted to church. I loved learning everything I could  at the same time. I was receiving  affirmation and validation from my singing and speaking  and equating that with my worth.

And so, um, I began preaching when I was 13. My missionary grandparents would take me around to orphanages and hospitals and conventions and churches. And I was this ecclesial show pony and it felt great and I was good at it and so at 16, decided to be a pastor, started visiting seminaries. 

Got hired on a church staff at 17. Wow. Um,  was a workaholic and again, , kept working from this place of appeasing, impressing, proving and defending. God did good from it, but it wasn't great. Sustainable, um, and it wasn't till I was 28 that my same grandmother, she crossed over about a year ago, um, she took me to a somatic Enneagram retreat when I was, like I said, 28, and on that retreat, it was so healing, and I was asked the question,  which for those listening that are familiar with the Enneagram, um, I'm an Enneagram 3 with a 2 wing, so I'm an Achiever Performer, so this question might sound simple, but to me it was a massive,  pivotal question, and the facilitator asked me, Meg, If no one was around to applaud you,  what could you do for one day and feel pleasure and didn't care if no one ever found out you did it and you would lose yourself in it?

And in that moment, I realized it was it was writing, , and that I wanted to be a mom. And so the next two years I wrote my first book and had a baby and, , Not at the same time.  Um, yeah, so as books do, if, if the author wants them to, my book opened, my first one opened the door for speaking engagements, which I loved.

And it opened the door for coaching of ministers to prevent burnout. And as I was doing that coaching,  While still being a minister on a church staff,  people began to come up to me and they would whisper, almost with a hint of shame, that they too had a book idea.  And, and they, I would, I realized they were like me. 

a former version of myself, they had a negative stigma around monetizing and marketing, being greedy and egotistical and sinful. So interesting. And they also didn't know how, they didn't know that their desires were safe to trust, that God, if we have habits in place that are aligning us every day with the Holy Spirit or whatever word you want to call that.

And we have a support system that's also holding us accountable. We can trust that our desires are good and  if your book is talking to you, it's because God wants you to write the book. It's because someone outside of you is hungry to be served by your book. So all of these people began coming to me with questions and wanting help.

And it broke my heart that their helpful books wouldn't be serving other people because of their blocks brought on by religious indoctrinations. So I began coaching on the. side. And, , launched my business part time in 2020 and then went full time August of 21. 

And it's, it's been a blast. I'm very fortunate. My best friend from childhood is a phenomenal business coach. So that was very helpful in launching my business and making it sustainable. And, um, yeah, five years later now, I just signed my 59th one on one client. And I have a team of. six people under me.

And it's been, it's been an amazing journey to help get healing and helpful books out into the world. Wow. I love that. You kind of already answered my next question. , but I'm so obsessed with that. Like I'm always curious about that moment in your life when suddenly you just know this is a business.

And I call it like the solopreneur spark. It's like a light switch turns on inside of us. And you're just kind of like, this is helpful. This is useful. I can do this. I could help somebody else do this.  And you just know that it's kind of like, you were just talking about these people whispering in your ear, like, I have a dream.

I have a book. I think that's true for all solopreneurs and entrepreneurs. We have this. It's calling sort of, and it's, it's a real gift to step up and take responsibility for nurturing that, that inner calling, that dream, that gift, that book, that business.  So what would you say was that moment when you just knew, like the light switch turned on and you were like, okay,  this is, this is a business that I want to run. 



I think  I, 

I surrendered to the divine breadcrumbs of what the idea was giving me. And then it became more clear.  And  so what I mean by that,  when I knew it was time to leave the ministry, 

I spoke it to my friend out loud, like, something is coming, but I'm not sure what it is. But she said, so you're not going to retire at this church? Because I had been at that church for 15 years.  And I said, no, something is coming. And I felt it, but I couldn't articulate it yet. But I knew that I wanted more.

I wanted more writing in my life. I wanted more speaking. And I really wanted, I really had that holy discontent. that Bill Hybels wrote about. I had that holy discontent. It did break my heart. It made me so frustrated how many powerful Christians were stuck because they were afraid to market, afraid to monetize, afraid to trust their desires, and they were the most positively powerful, influential people that weren't getting out there.

So  I had a friend who had a business Who  I had coffee with him and I said, I am vocationally evolving. And this is the, this is the skillset I can offer you. I want to start my own business, but I need about two years. I need a bridge. And so he hired me. And, um, when I, my first book got picked up by a publisher in 2017, they told me, it's great that your book is picked up, but it means it's meaningless if you can't market.

And so in 2017, I went all in on , becoming a master at building my author brand and organic social media marketing. So I had those gifts in my pocket and ready to offer this company.  And so, um, and while I was doing that, and so I took that next step and then my coaching business got more clear, like, okay, I want to my, my target audience.

Then they are, I loved how you, your copy on your podcast uses spiritually drenched what came to me in 20. 19 was a spiritually attuned go getters is who I want to work with and really help unblock them from these negative, these limiting beliefs around marketing, monetizing and trusting themselves.  So. 

I don't know if that answered your question, but it was, it was trusting the divine breadcrumbs a little along the way. No, that was a great answer. I, I feel like it's interesting. You've talked a couple of times about, um, the block around monetizing and equating that to like something negative. Yes. I have seen that in my artist and musician communities.

Oh, I have experienced that as a young life artist and musician. I think I believed that I needed to be that, that in order for me to like,  Write the poetry and the songs of  real  valuing worth. There had to be a struggle involved in that struggle had to be real.  And, and it's like. If you're human, you're struggling. 

It's like, we don't need any extra layers to that. Like, so, but, but as a young artist and musician, I remember feeling like,  like  some weird block around money. And I see that, I see that to this day with people that I coach where they're just so blocked around this idea of becoming  profitable for their work.

And it's like, I, I kind of, you know, I don't know if you agree with this, but I think about it  a lot. ,  You are a person who wants to do good in this world.

If you have lots of money, what are you going to do with it? You're going to do, you're going to do more good things. You're going to help more people have more experiences that are. Beneficial and transformational. So  if you're participating in a society. You're going to have to earn money and I think we need to all shift out of money is bad for us or money is like that block around earning your potential earning your worth. It's such a big one. It's so important. 

But yeah, so I was looking at your website and I saw your main tagline says I help writers do the deep spiritual work to write, market and sell their Amazon best selling books. So I just wanted to ask you if you would break that down for me a little bit, like in your opinion, how is writing a book of spiritual practice?

Yes. Yes, yes, yes.  Every author  that I've had the honor of serving, and myself included, I'm working on my third book right now.  And every time we birth a book, we birth breakthroughs that are integrated into every part of our lives. 

And I believe that's happening because there is a certain type of surrendering and deep listening and deep awareness that has to happen when we're writing a book. And the same place we go deep within to listen to ourselves, even if it's, even if it's fiction, which I'm learning that now. I only coach.

I've helped fiction writers build their brand and market, but I've only helped memoir writers or nonfiction writers write their books. But right now, I'm paying a coach. I'm investing in a coach to learn fiction writing for my third book. So from my experience, yeah, it's, it's, I'm super excited. Um, so I can say now, having danced with all three genres, that every time we have to go deep within and listen, I think we, we, we hear something, maybe a layer of a wound that is now, Notices we're listening and believes are capable of healing it and and we listen and we birth a book and we birth a breakthrough So that that part is is very very spiritual and it happens Regardless of the religious affiliation of the author, I've noticed that that is so awesome every time I say that again, every time we birth a book, we birth a break, we uncover a layer of a wound that leaves it can be healed. 

Yes, that's awesome.  And the same confidence that that wound has been, I love the quote by the nun, Joan Chidester, who says, um, a wound will only speak up to us when it believes we are ready and capable to heal it. And so yes, and the confidence that writing a book gives us helps us also to heal things that are ready to be healed within us.

That's powerful. You know, it's so interesting. I had not thought of it until you just said that, but when I wrote my book, which it's like technically a recipe book, but the first three chapters are the story of why I decided to heal my body through whole foods. So it is a transformational story. And it was very healing to  wrap it all up and to,  Just say, you know what?

I organized all my thoughts. I put them into chapters. Someone out there , can learn  from this if they decide to go that route.  . So I love that so much. Okay, let's talk about publishing.

 Lots of people out there in the I call the internet the space. , out there in the space,  I have to say things like, you're never going to make any money with a book, but it's the best form of publicity. And then there's people who are bestsellers, , get on the New York Times bestseller list, or who have   big sales with their books, and of course, there are, you know, people who make a lot of money as authors, but I think for a  large number of people, they publish a book and it serves as a different kind of tool.

So I wanted to ask you about that, like, what do you think are the top benefits of writing and publishing a book? Yes, definitely.  I will say that.  The book will only bring benefits to a business owner or a coach, same person, same thing. Um, potentially the same thing. The book will only bring benefits if someone wants to write a book, if they feel called to write a book, because there are so many other, as we know, so many trends for lead magnets that you could create.

So it really comes down to, do you want to write a book, period? Do you feel called to write the book? Because I had the belief that  if the, usually when I hop on an exploration call with an author. The book has been whispering for about five to seven years, typically.  And if it's getting louder, that's because for two reasons, the book wants to give the person like you just shared the pleasure and the gift of really receiving and releasing it.

And then equally true, not more important, just equally true  people outside of us, our target audience, their need. for help that only our book can give them, that need is growing, which is why your book's idea is talking louder. So if you can, if someone is hearing me and they can check that off and they're like, yes, I want to write a book.

Yes, it is. The idea is getting louder. I'm thinking about it a lot more then and only then here are the benefits  that a book can bring you. No, that's a good qualifier.  The benefits are, as you shared, it does position you as an authority.  On the subject matter. And so it does it. We, we love it on our bios.

When we go to speak, when we guess on a podcast that it does say Amazon bestselling author.  And secondly, and I would say more importantly, with the algorithm on Amazon, um, which my team works with, we get, there are seven pillars that I use to achieve an Amazon bestselling book. And two of those pillars are all on my team  playing with the backend of Amazon with category research and keyword research, pleasing the Amazon algorithm gods.

Once a book hits bestseller in a category, Amazon then pushes it out to more people buying similar books. So it is a marketing help to get it to bestseller. Not only is it sexy on our bio, if I could say that, but it, it does help serve more people, which I, those are. Those are the people I attract with my marketing and I'm called to serve are those that really are service oriented. 

Okay,  those are two benefits. A third benefit, which is massive, is the way I design books with authors, is they are intentionally designed as lead magnets. And so,  One or two times throughout the book, we have direct response copy that is passively building their email list. Yeah, so five years from now when their book is still being sold, they are still collecting emails.

So that is, that is massive for the, my clientele that are coaches and business owners who want more speaking opportunities and more clients . And then as I shared earlier, I think the fourth benefit would be  I was reading an article recently that millennials are starting to buy flip phones, and that we are becoming aware of  how emotionally unhealthy it is to be addicted to our, our screens, our, our smartphones.

Yes. And so, one way, , since we're, we're content crammed,    and people are taking, taking breaks from technology, it's so powerful to exist offline. And a book in the.  Shotgun seat of their truck or your book, your face on their bedside table. That is a huge touch point for them when they have questions that come up around your, your area of genius, your forte, your, the subject matter of your business, when they have questions that come up, the first person they're going to think of, Oh, I wonder if Debra has a blog on this.

I wonder if she has a podcast episode on this and they're going to think of you because you exist in their house, in their truck, through a book. So those would be the four or five benefits . Yeah. And I love that you touched upon, I was thinking, you know, obviously a lead magnet,  littered throughout my ebook are the links to my offers.



 So, , just to say that one more time, but having your book out there, even if you don't make a million dollars from it, it can set you up for speaking opportunities, which are high paying gigs.

It positions you as an expert in your field. It's an incredible lead magnet and it's just connection. It's the power of connection to people who you're now, you're doing the work, you're speaking your truth. You're helping somebody get a transformation. You're sitting on their nightstand and they're learning and changing and growing with you, which is.

You can't monetize that necessarily, but that is powerful. So that's beautiful. And you help them have a healing experience. Hopefully  that's the goal. I love it. So I heard you keep saying Amazon and I wonder,   can you talk a little bit about specifically why Amazon?  86 percent of the books worldwide are bought on Amazon. 

Done.  Yes.  It's a numbers game.  And also that's because they, , they just make it so easy. Yes, yes, yes, definitely, and the game has changed so much since I started in the publishing world and, um,  for, and some, some people get frustrated at Bezos, but because right now, when I, when I first started in the game,  , my first two books were traditional publishing companies. 

And so in 20, my second book was published in 2019 and 2020, I launched my business.  And at that point, all I did was I helped people write their books and build their brands, learn how to market, become masters of marketing their book, and then submit queries to traditional publishing companies. And so I.

did that for two years. And then the company that did my second book, they, they sold their company. So I lost my, the friend of mine that owned it. And I worked so well with sending them authors. I lost that partnership and it beautifully pushed me out of the nest. And by that point, I realized I know everything I don't know, and I know my area of genius.

So I'm going to build a team and we're going to become a HelloFresh of writing, marketing, and selling your Amazon bestselling book  where there's no censorship. Everything's a true partnership from the font choice to the cover art instead of four to six percent royalties They'll get 40 to 70 percent royalties and then all the rights will be theirs.

Not not mine. And so okay Okay, this is really good So they hire you to kind of like nurture them from idea to published book and then you your team Steps in and really kind of guides the whole process  Yes. Every step of the way. That's amazing. Yes. Yes. So, so that, that's a perfect segue to my next question.

So let's say a person is like. Okay,  I have this calling, my book baby is speaking to me louder,  which I love. I love that this is like, you know, a calling because of course it really is. It's your passion. It's your knowledge. It's your experience. It's your soul. So let's say a person is like, yes, I heard this podcast episode with Meg and  I'd been thinking about this and now she, that, , tips me over the edge.

I'm excited. I want to write a book. I want to publish it. What would you say is the very first step?  Before they find you, is it research or is,  where would you say start here?  The, the best and first step to take is to make a decision. And I'm, I'm sure you know that as a coach too, is to. 

Stop being wishy washy, confused, or flaky about it, because God or universe doesn't know how to respond to that. So, once, get, get clear, whether that is, I'm going to write a book in 2025, , or I'm going to write a book in the next five years. Just speak it into the universe, speak it to God, um, manifest it, call it in, stop being flaky.

Make, make a decision. And, um, And then once you speak that out loud, trust that the book, which I believe,, is, has its own energy, the book needs to hear you say that. The book needs to know you hear it, you see it, you love it, you trust it, and that you're ready for it to give you the next divine breadcrumb.

But it's not gonna do that if you're flaky. So, make a decision. And, um, yeah, that would be, that would be the, the first, the first step.  Yes. I love that so much.  I feel like that's the first step for everything you want in your life. Every, every dream you have, every business goal.

Every year at the end of the year, I coach a thing called plan and envision, and it's, it's like a 90 minute to two hour workshop where I walk you through 10 steps to. Look back on the past year, review, make some decisions about what worked, what didn't work, get really honest, grab some nuggets of wisdom, and then we spend some time really dreamscaping, like what is the big next step?

How are you growing and leveling up? What is calling you? Like, allow yourself to just Transcribed open up that channel and receive the call, you know, and it's like a part of entrepreneurship that kind of goes missing because we're so busy checking boxes.  People don't give themselves  the space to just sit and go 

what does growth look like for me? What does, what is the next big thing that I'm going to call in, give birth to allow to happen for me? That is part of my growth, part of my intentional expansion of my soul, spirit, whatever, which to me is what business is like, yes, you're doing business, technically on paper, doing business is about making money, right?

Let's call it what it is, but it's so much deeper than that. It's such a healing journey for people.   A large part of it is allowing yourself to receive. And part of that receiving is  trusting, opening yourself up and saying,  I'm going to sit and envision that, like, what does it actually look like?

And I like that you said, maybe it's in five years from now, like set a realistic goal because you can put that on a calendar. You can say, you know what? Yeah. Yeah. It's in me. It's calling me. I don't have enough information or tools yet. I'm going to put this on my two years from now goal list. But you've done it.

You've, you've spoken it. You've called it in. I think that's such a powerful first step. Thank you so much for that, uh, for that answer  get clear to your, what the order that you're sending into the universe. The second step would be hopping on an exploration call with me.

Yes. Okay. Let's hear what that looks like. Most definitely, most definitely to find clarity. And that is a very. It's a complimentary hour, Zoom, obviously complimentary, not obviously. I know some coaches charge, I don't charge for that. I think it's, it's very, very sacred. It's a very sacred time. They will leave with more confidence, clarity, resources, direction.

Even if we, it doesn't lead to a partnership, they will leave with all those things. So it is a very sacred, intentional time. . And .  I believe if the book, I think there are some people in the creative space that believe that ideas come to us.

And if we don't listen, whether it's a song or a book or a piece of art, if we don't listen to it and tell it, I see you, I love you, I hear you, I will, I will release you, it will go to someone else. There's a, there's a great book,  um, Samantha Faye, The Awake Dreamer. I cannot remember if it was Michael Jackson or some, it was.

It was some other artist around that same 80s and 90s time period, and he woke up at three in the morning and rushed to the studio on his property. Of course, he had a studio and he rushed and his, someone he, I can't remember who it was, we'll say it's his wife, was like, what are you doing? And he said, I have to record this song before.

Boy George records it like he has a belief if he doesn't act on it. It'll choose someone else So I have a similar belief in that I honor the books inside of people and I want to help as many people as I can Since I only work with people that are service oriented and they they they want to write a book to help other people I want to help them help other people so I I do not charge for my my hour long exploratory calls.

\ , but I will get people the clarity and the direction they need on those. So I think that would be the next step. Um, instead of getting overwhelmed and all the down the Google rabbit trails of do, is mine a memoir? Is it a nonfiction? How long should each chapter be? Like all that is nonsense. Um, there are other things .

We get to get clear on first. Yeah. No, that's so interesting because I remember actually, again, going back to that moment when I was like, I should write a book and get this, all this information. out of me into the world, make it be useful, then I can close that chapter and move on. And, uh, I did do some research for support because I was like, I don't know where to start. 

Like, is it making an outline? Is it setting up my Kindle account? , how do I start? And, uh, I wound up, I'm, I'm such a DIY girl. I've done so many things solo. I figured it out. Yeah. Yeah , it's always like time versus money.  What are the resources that we invest in our business and our, and our ideas?

Do I pay somebody to help me or do I spend the next month figuring it out? Well, for me, it was the pandemic. So I spent the next month figuring it out, but I did have to work really hard for that. And in hindsight, I would have. Loved to hire somebody to consult me, , I see the value in having somebody hold your hand because then you get to be the artist, the writer, you get to be the channel.

So there's a ton of value and I think it's great that you offer that service. for free.  At the end of the day,

 you invest your, you invest your energy in the greater good and people come around and choose you if they decide you're the right fit as a coach.

Um, it's a powerful offer. Yeah. What's meant for you will not miss you.  So, so then let's say somebody says, , I do want to work with you. What, how do you actually work with your clients? Yes. Yes. So  my, my area of genius and my forte is the writing of the book and the client care piece.

And so helping them have more confidence and building their brand and learning. And then of course, blind spots, kindness with tough love at times,  coaching basically. And then marketing is my area of genius. And so. They, in a 12 month plan, we would spend, I have a six to 12, I have 15 different packages that authors can choose, kind of like an all inclusive resort. 

And  some are just marketing, some is just, um, just writing it, some is just Kindle, some is Kindle paperback audio book. Um, then I have three courses, but so for the, the everything package, which is. Everything the author needs to write, market, sell an Amazon bestselling book, Kindle, Payback, Audible, they get all six of my teammates.

And so the first eight months is them and I writing the book in a 12 month partnership. So we're tuning into the book. We're tuning into their target audience. We're tuning into their style, helping them. I'm not a ghostwriter. I believe the book chose that person, not me. And so I'm helping them find their unique style.

I'm providing them a template with. Based on your logical research, what guarantees the book is the most readable, relatable, retainable, and highly marketable for the reader? And, um, and then we go into, of course, developmental structural editing, copy and line editing. We Zoom once a week for an hour, but throughout the week we're on Voxer.

And we are, I'm in the same Google folder. I call it our Google greenhouse where their book and their brand grows. And we are, we're writing the book. I'm dancing with their words. They never leave a zoom session without knowing what the word count goal for the week is and exactly what they're going to be writing.

So they have writing prompts, they have a template and they have a book that if I'm doing my job, right, I have intuitively connected with. The book within the author and the author themselves.  And so  once the book is done in eight months, the next four months of our partnership morphs into now they're working with the artists on my team, designing their cover, they're working with a literary service provider.

Formatting the book and picking fonts, um, all the copyright ISBN, all the logistical nuts and bolts we take care of. And then they work with another teammate of mine in, together she and I build their website. They get an all around author branding facelift. They become masters at organic social media marketing with me. 

And then we do the audio book on Audible. And so they, they come here or if they feel, I want an audio book, but it doesn't. Light me up to have it be my voice, we'll take care of that too. And so then we take care of all the recording, editing, and publishing on Audible as well. So by the time 12 month, a 12 month partnership is up, they have an Amazon best selling book on Kindle, Paperback, and Audible, and an established author brand, and most importantly, marketing has now become fun and sustainable.

So 10 years from now, they are still enjoying marketing, and we've done some deep spiritual work around those blocks that have kept them from marketing. That we've now, we've tore up those blocks.  That's really fantastic.  That's a beautiful program. I love that. Anyone listening, if you're thinking about writing a book,  this is a, this is an incredible pathway.

 I love the nurturing support that you offer because  I do think, you know, I mean, basically that's kind of what I do with my solopreneur clients who are starting their first businesses.  I help them go from concept all the way to operation and income. , growth strategy and how do you sustain this and have it become the thing that   changes your life.

It's such an amazing offer.  So that is really wonderful. So I have to ask, for, for a new ish solopreneur, somebody who's   just maybe stepped into the realm of coach, consultant, content creator, ,  is still kind of new in the realm of owning the title of entrepreneur or business owner, , who might be interested in.

this pathway as, as a lead magnet or , as a part of their business offer suite, having a book that they've written and wants to publish their first book. What advice would you give them?  In terms of  how to, I guess, mentally prepare for that or spiritually prepare for that? 

What's coming to me.  Is the voice of the inner critic is rarely our target market.  Ooh.  So to trust that in the process and know that as Gay Hendricks writes about the upper limit problem, that when we are up leveling, growing, evolving,  , there'll be a part of our former selves that's scared to death and holding on for dear life. 

And so  we need to make sure that fear is welcome because it keeps us alive, but we don't want fear at the driver's seat. We want it in the car seat, in the back seat with some goldfish and a rattle, and we're going to buckle it up safely. We're going to blow it a kiss. We're going to tell fear, I see you.

You're safe. Thank you for keeping me alive. We're going, but I'm the soul in control that's driving the car. And I think that's pivotal for authors to, to keep in mind as they embark on this journey, because it is.  It will always be there fear, but I get to, I get to be, and I get to encourage the authors. I serve to make sure they're in the driver's seat and it fears safely in the car seat in the back seat.

That's such good advice for, for everyone listening. That's just like, take that with you. Remind yourself that you can always put fear in the backseat,  in a car seat,  with a rattle, in a bottle. Yes. Bottle. Yes. Totally. I love that. That's so beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing that. So Meg, where can we find you online?

 Where would you like to send the listener to connect with you? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Well, I. Since I attract entrepreneurs and we know entrepreneurs, we have more thoughts in a given day than a person that's not neurologically wired to be an entrepreneur, and I love that about our brains and I honor it.

And so one way I honor it is I have a free training that is,   let's say you have more than one book idea. You're unsure what your first book is going to be about. I have it. Just go to MegCalvin. com. It's five ways to know which book to write first. And  it's five questions, a 20 minute training, you have a print, you have an action sheet, you print out, and by the time it's done, everyone who's taken that, they know what book wants to come out first.

I'm really proud of it and excited that it serves so well. And like all of us, I, these five questions I've developed over the past nine years on my own writing journey. So it's so great to take. Nine years and collapse that for people in 20 minutes and save them  tons of time, energy and misery in clarity around their book idea.

So, um, yeah, go to MegCalvin. com for that free training. And then I love to hang out with people on Instagram at HeyMegCalvin.  Perfect. Amazing. Yeah, I actually, I forgot, I'm glad you brought up the freebie because I have it linked here. I will link it in our show notes. It's five ways to know which book to write first.

And that sounds like a really helpful tool for somebody who is thinking about writing a book. That's a perfect starting point. Yes. . It's a great freebie. Yes, I'm like obsessed with helping people figure out the perfect free like lead magnets.

One of my favorite things to do with people is like brainstorm a good lead magnet. It's got to be something that that scratches that itch and gets you a quick win. And that sounds like a perfect one.  Um, I have to ask you about,   you as a singer, um, would you just share a little bit?

Cause I'm a musician and a songwriter as well. So I just want to hear a little bit about your musical offerings as well.  Yes. So I am, I'm part of a barbershop, women's barbershop group here in Wichita, Kansas area. And um, I did a one woman show. last fall, which was a whole hour. And it was, um, there was singing.

I had my guitar and there was acting and it was a beautiful play about mental health. And then I, I sing my daughter and I sing in the church choir. And then I also sing in my alma mater's choir. So when I started my business, I was as an extreme extrovert, high energy extrovert. I was scared to death in 2019.

I was like, can I, can I do this? Can I, because writing is so introspective and sedentary. Can I actually do this as a living? And then I realized, um, thanks to my amazing business coach that, okay, I built my perfect ideal vocation, but what is the rest of my life look like? So what I made sure I did was once I had built my ideal business, I got to work on my, my, my social life.

And so I am part, I built an improv troupe. I joined three choirs. So my life right now is. So it's such, it's so weird and fun in that tonight I'll go to four hours of practice for barbershop quartet. And, um, tomorrow I have improv and then every hour on my lunch break, I go sing. And this it's so fun and it's 

, maybe there's someone that needs to hear this. It's okay as an entrepreneur. If people don't get you or don't get what you do, that's not their job to get you what. It matters that you get you and that you have, you've built your life the way that God made you to build it. And so I'm, I'm so thankful for all the artistic musical experiences I have while also making, providing for my family through being a writing and marketing coach.

I love that so much. I talk about this a lot with my clients   

 there's so much more to life and things that nourish you and fill you up with, with balanced fuel and energy exist in the ethereal plane, like having a connection to your community. , having an outlet for your true calling of expression, if it's singing, if it's art, if it's dancing, or if it's  a connection to animals,  all of that stuff is feeding and nourishing your soul.

And if it gets out of balance, , you start to feel that imbalance in your life. So that's why I love running my own business. I'm in a. Rock and roll band with my husband, you know, we're not  out there on the touring the world, but we have  an  outlet for music and we write songs together and get to play with our neighbors.

And he's in the local musicals all the time. And, you know, we have that outlet in our life. And it's just, it's so fulfilling to be able to structure our lives in such a way that it's  fine to step out in the middle of the day and work on something like that. Um, so I love that.

Thank you for sharing that. Thank you for sharing that about you and your husband. That's awesome. Yeah. It's, you know what we're doing,  we're doing what we can.   So everyone. If you're interested in having a conversation with Meg, her website is www.

megcalvin. com. I'm going to put that link in the show notes and I will link to her freebie and her Instagram handle so you can find her, follow her, connect with her and get inspired to connect with that book that's calling you.  Thank you so much, Meg, for being a guest today. 

 No, my, thank you for having me. It's my pleasure to serve other entrepreneurs and solopreneurs. So thank you for having me on. Yeah, no, this has been awesome. I'm so grateful.  All right, you guys, until we meet next week, as always, may you be vibrant.