Meet Sierra Melcher

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sierra Melcher. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sierra below.

Hi Sierra, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

Sometimes purpose finds you. I have had many careers, and many passions. I am fortunate to have always been passionate about my work; not everyone is so lucky. Whether as a teacher or a coach, a yoga instructor, a doula or a publisher the underlying and unifying purpose has always been the same; I want to help people reach their potential, contribute to a better world for all and bring about social justice.
I love the Japanese concept Ikigai and the corresponding visual that easily shows the intersection of mission, passion, profession and vocation: What you love, what you are good at, what makes money and what the world needs.
Bringing a deeply rooted sense of a reason for living, bringing meaning to life through my work and through my daily interactions and contributions has not only been highly rewarding to me personally and professionally, but also has allowed me to channel the love I have for humanity and the optimism I hold dear. We can help one another, we can grow as individuals and uplift society in the process.
It is easy to slip into the all-too-common chase of wealth and personal pleasure. But that is fleeting if ever attained. Lasting fulfillment is bringing meaning to your life and those around you through finding purpose whether professionally, personally or both.
Each of the turns in my career path led and informed the next. Now working in publishing I get to fuse so much of what I have loved and found rewarding from each of my previous iterations: teaching, empowering, guiding, bringing forth new life, ushering people into their next layer of potential, working with people and being creative, and even getting to geek out on small things. My work brings so much fulfillment as I watch people become authors and discover the true impact of their stories. Our logo is a drop and the ripple, signifying the unknown contribution we can make when we share our message. We teach them how to use their books to bring greater meaning through their work. It is incredibly rewarding to be a part of that ripple effect.
But my work does not eclipse other elements of my life, in fact it is the other way around. While I have always had a passion for working with people, it wasn’t until the birth of my daughter that I discovered a clear and renewed vigor for contributing an indelible mark on society through books, really changing the way we thing and act. My role as a single mother and an entrepreneur are often seen at odds with one another, but it is quite the contrary. Making a contribution to the world my daughter will inherit is part of what fuels me.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

At Red Thread Publishing, we are a dynamic publishing company that produces high-quality, nonfiction books that inspire, educate, and entertain our readers. Our small team is passionate about literature and committed to supporting authors in sharing their stories with the world. We are celebrating our third year & our 55th book published! We cultivate impactful authors.

Red Thread Publishing houses two imprints. Red Thread Books was founded to support 10,000 women to become successful published authorpreneurs & thought leaders. We have expanded to incorporate a second imprint [Red Falcon Press] we are dedicated to amplifying underrepresented, marginalized voices. Driven by a spirit of defiance and unbound by societal limitations, we cultivate impactful authors by publishing groundbreaking stories missing from the cultural narrative. To date, we have supported 250+ people from 26 countries to write and publish their books.

We especially like to support entrepreneurs and game-changers who are working to bring about meaningful change in the world. It is through writing that they gain an undeniable level of authority. Author is the root of the word authority, and a book is a container for these essential messages to reach a much wider audience. While books can open doors to speaking, consulting coaching, and all manner of work opportunities, they are still the best way to impart information and share ideas.

A book is not an author’s product; a book is your soul’s calling card. It is a way to connect across time and space to bring people closer together and uplift one another. I came to publishing through my own writing and publishing journey. But I grew up dyslexic and carried a strongly held belief that I could never write a book, or that I had anything meaningful to share. This toxic doubt is far too common and holds people back. Coupled with uncertainty about how to start and move forward in an uninviting industry many voices already silenced by society are lost forever. We work to offer an alternative that supports folks not only to learn how to write and publish but to make an impact with their message.

Writing has many obstacles so we have a methodology, the same one that has supported me to be an author 16 times over, that makes writing easy. We curate a publishing process in the author’s favor whereby they retain all the creative rights and earn all the royalties. We believe creators must own their creations. I will be the first to tell anyone that book sales are not the most profitable, however, writing a book can be the lynchpin in accelerating a professional career. Because the book creates credibility, visibility, and authority for the author unlike any other. So we make sure our authors know how to best optimize a book as a way to grow their business and catapult their influence.

Each of these three core elements: Write, Publish and Impact are essential for any successful authorpreneur. So we have built services around each. One author may eventually need all of this, but first one must draft a manuscript, and then publish a professional book so it can get into the hands of the people who need it. Only then can one leverage that opportunity to reach higher heights. We have authors coming in at all three levels and moving forward winning awards, booking conference and speaking opportunities, securing workshop spots, and gaining consulting gigs and personal clients. All these pay significantly better than the profits from book sales, yet the book remains the fundamental building block for further success and a tool to reach more people.

We are excited to be expanding our publishing house with the second imprint, Red Falcon Press. We envision a world where the voices of underrepresented people are not just heard but celebrated. Where our ‘authors’ stories forge a new reality in which every voice is honored and every story has the power to transform. It is such a powerful vision that keeps us motivated and engaged every day. It brings such a feeling of purpose. Our author’s success is our success and when they thrive we are confident in uplifting the world at large, which is something none of us could dream of doing alone.

Through our truly innovative artisanal publishing method, we have been recognized as unique in the industry. Our authors regularly comment on how supported they feel by the team and the community of authors around the world that we have built. We offer the highest quality while maintaining our integrity as a small team with human values. Keeping our costs low we remain affordable in a market that seems to prey upon aspiring authors. Being able to offer genuine support to help people become successful authors makes it all worthwhile at the end of the day.

When I first became an author I was doing it all alone, the writing process through to the final product. I either had to seek the support I needed or do without while writing and editing. When it came to publishing, even though I was offered a traditional publishing deal, I quickly saw that I would just be a number and would still not have the guidance or autonomy over my content. I chose to learn the industry from the inside. While I am glad I did because now I can offer that insight and knowledge to others, many people don’t have time to learn every part of the process. We have built a team of experts (because I am still dyslexic and can’t edit anyone’s grammar to save my life), who each bring their own personal contribution to the process, the final book, and the community at large. One of the most significant benefits of Red Thread is the international community of authors who all support and advise one another. It is truly remarkable.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Great Question. The first business I ever started was a brink and mortar yoga studio, the first bilingual studio in Medellin, Colombia and I admittedly knew nothing about running a business. Yet, I did so in a foreign country and another language. Yep, if I had thought about it too much I am sure I would never have done anything so ridiculous. As you can imagine there were a lot of initial hurdles, including, but not limited to the fact that I was about 8 months pregnant and single when we opened our doors. I can’t even believe it now when I tell people. But it was precisely all the things that went wrong that became my greatest asset.
So my advice is: Let your “problems” become what make you stand apart.

I was pregnant, so I needed to bring in other teachers. I got volunteers who were recently certified, but they didn’t really have the confidence or experience to teach. So I designed an internship program that got them up to speed. The next problem was many of these teachers didn’t speak Spanish, so as a teacher, I designed a language immersion curriculum to quickly teach highly specialized Spanish for yoga teachers focusing on body parts, particular movements, introspection, and meditation. They learned all sorts of words and phrases you might never learn in other classes or even from living in a Spanish-speaking country. I eventually sold my scrappy yoga studio and it was precisely those programs and the community I had built that made it valuable.

Three qualities that have been impactful in my personal and professional journey include: not taking myself too seriously, being willing to learn from mistakes (as mentioned above), and having a permanent sense of curiosity. It is easy to fall into the trap of either masking insecurity by pretending you have your shit together, or once you are any sort of established taking yourself too seriously that it stops being fun and you stop being receptive. An extension of that is learning from your mistakes. When you don’t take a failure personally then you can simply look at it as feedback that something didn’t work. Just try again. And see what ideas are shaken loose in the process. Creative problem-solving is highly underrated and fully rewarding when given enough space to bloom. With a sense of curiosity, it is also important to remember you don’t have to be the smartest person in the room, even when, or rather, especially when you are the boss. Bringing in people who know more than me whether in hiring experts or engaging in conversations at the local coffee shop has invariably been my secret sauce for growing this thriving business in record time. You are not alone. Don’t do it alone.

Tell us what your ideal client would be like?

Not everyone wants to write a book, but many people harbor a lifelong dream to share their story. Books are incredible tools for entrepreneurs and change-makers to reach a much wider audience.

Ideal clients of Red Thread are self-directed and proactive entrepreneurs already moderately established in their industry. They are looking to grow and become the authority in their niche. A book brings in the next level of credibility and visibility and with the right strategy can accelerate your growth. The folks who have been the most successful with us are knowledgeable about their topic and can write a nonfiction manuscript to support their target audience. They are a bit rebellious, passionate about helping people by sharing their message, and ready to learn from the personalized guidance and support we offer.

Writing a book can take 3 months to a year, so if said manuscript is not yet written time is a necessity. With that in mind, we have a special incubator to draft a manuscript in 6 months. Publishing a book can take 4-9 more months to do it well and not feel too rushed. Thus reasonable expectations and an understanding of what is involved certainly help. The launch and ongoing marketing of a book requires at least 3 months of focus beyond that. A book is a big deal and that is partially why fewer than 1% of the people who dream of publishing ever do. So finding the right support and guidance along the way can make all the difference. The bright side is, even in a time of AI and scathing competition, the effort of getting a book into the world will be the distinguishing element for your career.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.redthreadbooks.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redthreadbooks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redthreadpublishing
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/red-thread-publishing

Image Credits

Andrew Twyman & Richie Alfolf