We were lucky to catch up with Meghan Stevenson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Meghan, so great to have you with us today. There are so many topics we want to ask you about, but perhaps the one we can start with is burnout. How have you overcome or avoided burnout?
My business has grown exponentially over the past few years and there were numerous times when I felt burnt out. I specifically remember a time when I asked a friend to hold me accountable to a 36-hour break from work. Often, I would not keep that break because I felt like I couldn’t.
Something that really helped me was setting boundaries around replying to people’s requests. I automated how my team and I qualify leads, and began to delegate literally everything I couldn’t do myself. From there I was able to really focus on what mattered.
I still struggle to get everything done but recognize that my industry (book publishing) is not incredibly time sensitive and that most of the time the pressure we put on ourselves to “do” is cultural.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
At Meghan Stevenson Books, our mission is to enable entrepreneurs and experts to become bestselling authors. We do that by helping our clients to navigate the publishing industry, grow their audience and influence, secure a book deal, and write a how-to book that changes lives.
The entrepreneurs and experts we work with know that their words make a positive impact – and dream of being published authors. As industry insiders, we are passionate about helping our clients to make an informed choice on whether traditional publishing is right for their business and book, offering support and guidance throughout their book journey, and co-creating the amazing and authentic editorial content that’s necessary to secure a six-figure book deal with a major publisher.
Our clients save time, money, and energy – while avoiding the endless Google searches, unanswered emails, and inevitable feelings of confusion and frustration that come from trying to navigate publishing as an outsider. Instead, our clients gain the knowledge, clarity, and accountability they need to become a published author while enjoying the support and camaraderie of a supportive, dedicated book team throughout the process.
As insiders, we recognize that traditional publishing has lacked diversity for decades. We also believe in the power of diverse books to change and inform readers. That’s why we are committed to making traditional publishing more equitable and diverse by eliminating barriers to entry and supporting entrepreneurs and experts from diverse backgrounds and marginalized identities to become authors. We take pride in the fact that the majority of our clients come from diverse backgrounds and marginalized communities (89% female, 21% Asian, 14% Black and 10% LGBTQIA+), and are committed to changing the statistic that less than 1/4 of authors are people of color.
At Meghan Stevenson Books, we make dreams come true. And while we take that seriously, we also believe that pursuing your dreams should feel exciting, delightful, and fun.
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?
1. Optimism — I’m generally a positive person, but focusing on what’s going right can be really helpful (and challenging to do!) while trying to grow a business OR publish a book.
2. Resilience — Any business owner or dreamer is going to get a LOT of nos. Learning how to bounce back from rejection and find other ways forward is key and has been really helpful to my own professional and personal journey.
3. The invisible string — Taylor Swift has a song I love where she talks about how life comes together in truly magical ways and that only later we can see the parallels, the connections, the coincidences. I truly believe in this concept and see how it’s influenced my career. For example — I was a communications major in college, which is where learned to put together quick, extemporaneous speeches that were effective and persuasive. Today, putting together presentations — including reels for social media — is easy and comfortable for me. I encourage my clients to look at what they’ve done in the past that gives them an advantage today. That’s the invisible string at work!
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
I love THE BIG LEAP.
The author Gay Hendricks describes the mindsets that hold people back, as well as what to focus on in order to move forward. This book blew my mind when I read it, and I see the upper limit problems he describes in a lot of aspiring authors.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.meghanstevenson.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megstevenson/
