Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alee Anderson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Alee, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
It’s funny to look back on who I was in my younger years. I was always the kid in school who wore a hoodie even on sweltering hot days because I was so self-conscious. I worried A LOT about what everyone thought. I was very concerned about my reputation. Now, here I am at 40, and I am more confident than ever. I enter every room with my head held high; I jump in and lead every meeting I’m in; I offer my thoughts to anyone who will listen. I often wonder how I became this way when I had so little confidence growing up. As I try to figure out where it all changed, one realization floats to the surface. I learned to be this way by pretending to be this way. You always hear the phrase, “Fake it till you make it,” but I don’t think people really understand how well it actually works. For years when I went into meetings I coached myself to pretend I was a total boss; to behave the way a CEO would; to respectfully take control. For most of my early career, I felt the edges of shame when I thought about my personal game of pretend, but over time, I found myself becoming the very person I was emulating. It didn’t happen all at once, there was a lot of work I did on myself along the way. But I realize now that I haven’t felt anxious before a meeting in several years. I know who I am and I love that person unconditionally.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I started working in publishing in 2005 at a small press in Boston. There, I spent my days surrounded by books, digging through the slush pile hoping to find a gem. The thrill of the hunt never left me as I continued my career at Thomas Nelson Publishers in Nashville. There, my love for great content evolved into a passion for discovering new authors, helping them tell their stories, and working to shape their careers. When Thomas Nelson was purchased by HarperCollins, I got to see a different side of the publishing industry—working for one of the Big 5.
Now, as a ghostwriter, I focus on writing non-fiction books and proposals that sell. My clients have been published by Thomas Nelson Publishers, HarperCollins, Hachette, BenBella Books, Simon & Schuster, and more, and are represented by some of the top literary agents in the industry. I love visceral storytelling and live for books that can’t help but change you.
I am especially passionate about working with individuals who are processing grief and trauma. Following my own experience with traumatic loss, I joined The Dinner Party, a worldwide community of 20- and 30-somethings who have each suffered the loss of a parent, partner, child, or close friend. I spent three years as a leader with the organization, which taught me to gently conduct triggering conversations and to carefully extract universal truths from my clients’ struggles. Not only does this elevate the narrative, it simultaneously reshapes the individual’s relationship to the pain associated with trauma and loss. In the recent past, I have partnered with clients unpacking sexual abuse, death of a loved one, violent attacks, spiritual warfare, rape, and chronic illness, and near catastrophic injuries. I am especially moved by clients looking to use their experiences to catalyze systemic change or add to cultural conversation.
I am a genuinely happy person who strives to build safe creative relationships free of judgment. I have found that my overlapping abilities to talk through trauma, write creatively, and meticulously manage processes make me a highly-effective, sought-after partner.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Tenacity: I am incredibly driven, so much so that I will do literally anything to make my dreams come true. When kids were getting summer jobs scooping ice cream in college, I was chasing internships and apprenticeships. And when I got them, I made sure to stand out. I was the first one in the office in the morning, the last to leave, and was always sure to raise my hand when tasks needed to be completed, even if they were lame tasks, like making copies. When I landed my first job in publishing, I was hired on as a temp, but I got in front of the publisher every day and asked for more and more tasks until they literally had to hire me on full-time. Nothing is going to be handed to you; show up with everything you’ve got and take action to move the needle. Your drive will be recognized and rewarded!
Willingness to make mistakes: I am 10 steps ahead of most people, and that’s because I never sleep on my ideas. In 2023, I launched my publishing company, and I really didn’t know what I was doing. After all, I had been a freelancer for 9 years, and knew little about business outside of being an independent contractor. I didn’t let that stop me, though. Within 10 days of having the idea, I bought my url, got an email system set up, and had the photos taken for the website. I had my first client within the first 4-weeks of becoming operational, and did six-figures in my first year. Most people will sit around and wait for the perfect moment to start a business, and the majority of those people don’t accomplish much! I’m okay with the fact that I won’t always have all the answers, so I focus on surrounding myself with people who know more than I do!
Empathy. My clients always comment how loving and kind I am, and how available I make myself. This is because I spend a lot of time thinking about the process from their perspective. They’re making a big investment, and they’re using this process not just to write a book, but to heal. There have been a handful of times where clients have had awful trauma triggers, and their trauma responses have had a big impact on me. In these instances, the clients who walked away from the project in a fiery rage have come back and asked for another chance. I almost always offer those people a second chance, and that has allowed me to bring books to life while healing people who believe they are broken.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
I spent a lot of my career feeling completely overwhelmed and was therefore painfully anxious nearly all the time. I finally had to let myself admit that I just couldn’t do everything alone, and that’s when I made the choice that helped my business explode. I hired my first assistant, Kim, about five years ago, and with that one change to my workflow, I started to feel free. I no longer needed to tackle things like accounting or calendar management, instead I was able to be laser focused on work that really mattered. Kim was able to take the mess of my workdays and fit them into schedules and processes that make sense. Good help is less expensive than you might think, and when you have that help, your capacity greatly increases, so you can take on even more work. Hiring an assistant will help you take your business to the next level, I guarantee it.
Contact Info:
- Website: aleeandersoneditorial@gmail.com
- Instagram: @heyyoungwriter
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alee-anderson-5186903b/
Image Credits
Photos by Jimi Anderson Photography
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