The Aspirant Podcast
Hello, incredible entrepreneurs, and welcome to 'The Aspirant Podcast!' I’m your host, Natasha Clawson, a Digital Marketing Educator and Strategist, and I’m here to help you build a business that doesn’t just work but thrives—and feels good while doing it.
🌟 Every week, we explore actionable business wisdom designed to help you create a business that aligns with your values, generates the income you desire, and operates like a well-oiled machine with the right systems, processes, and automation in place.
Imagine a business where taking consistent action is purposeful and attracts the clients you actually want to work with. So doing the work you love is more than just a goal—it’s your everyday reality.
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The Aspirant Podcast
Kelley Sewell - Find the Courage to Write and Publish Your First Book
Ever dreamed of writing a book but don’t know where to start? In this episode, Natasha Clawson sits down with Kelley Sewell, CEO of Redcliff Publishing, author, and writing coach, to demystify the path to publishing. Kelley shares insights into self-publishing, hybrid publishing, and traditional publishing, outlining the pros and cons of each approach.
They discuss the logistics of writing a book, finding time amidst a busy schedule, and overcoming fears of vulnerability and criticism. Kelley also emphasizes the importance of defining your audience and marketing your book early, using creative strategies like local events, social media, and grassroots press to generate buzz.
Whether you’re writing to share your story, establish credibility in your field, or leave a lasting impact, this episode will inspire you to take that first step toward your dream of becoming an author.
Takeaways:
- Hybrid publishing combines professional guidance with author royalties.
- Writing a book takes consistency and a strong "why."
- Marketing starts while writing—engage your audience early.
- Overcome fear by focusing on your message and its impact.
Tune in to learn actionable strategies for writing and publishing your first book, no matter your starting point!
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About Kelley:
Kelley Sewell is the CEO of Redcliff Publishing, a hybrid publisher dedicated to helping authors bring their stories to life. As an accomplished author and writing coach, Kelley provides expert guidance through the publishing journey, offering support at every step. Driven by a passion for storytelling, she empowers writers to overcome self-doubt, craft meaningful books, and share their unique voices with the world. Learn more at kellysewell.com or follow her on Instagram @kellythewriter.
Redcliff Publishing
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Get In Touch:
Hello everyone. Today I'm joined by Kelly Sewell, ceo and head of publishing for Redcliffe Publishing. She's also an author and writing coach. This episode is all about navigating the path to publishing your first book and finding the courage to write the book you were meant to write. Hello, kelly, Welcome to the show.
Kelley Sewell:Thanks for having me. It's great to be here.
Natasha Clawson:I'm so excited to talk to you. We have worked together and known each other for several years. You've been one of my entrepreneurial partners in crime and a mutual mentor as I talked on the show a few episodes past and you've helped several friends write books, whether it's Erin Nichols writing no Matter what, which is a memoir she published last year, or, uh, helen horizon you helped edit her book. Um, so we've just worked on a lot of things and even more recently, uh, children's book, uh, what horses do after racing. I helped one of our nonprofits pull that together and you were the publisher for that. So so many wonderful projects on all of them.
Natasha Clawson:Yeah, it's really a privilege to bring someone's story to light, um light, and pull it together in a way that other people can enjoy. So with that, I'd love to start asking you some questions, and one of the things is just the simple logistics of book writing. A lot of people think that they have to have a traditional publisher to accept their book and write a book, traditional publisher to accept their book and write a book. But there are so many publishing options today, whether it's self-publishing or hybrid publishing, which is what you offer at Redcliffe. So could you talk us through what that might look like for people.
Kelley Sewell:Absolutely. You know we live in a time where it is so easy to get published. It doesn't mean that it's easy to write a book and actually go through the process. There's so many steps to it, but we have what I should say so many opportunities now to publish, as opposed to, say, 50 years ago, right, so there really is no excuse not to write that book that you've got in your head and to get it published one way or another.
Kelley Sewell:I mean, you mentioned we have self-publishing options now, hybrid publishing, which Redcliffe is a hybrid publisher and I can talk more about that avenue, which has just been so accessible to people and is really a great blend of not having to know every step of the way in publishing. You have someone to help you, but you still get to keep all the royalties, which is really great. And then, of course, we still have the traditional publishing route, which so many people still pursue, and it's a wonderful opportunity as well. The royalty opportunities are not there for everyone as much as they are in hybrid publishing, but that still is an avenue too. So there are many different ways that one could go about publishing their book.
Natasha Clawson:Yeah, that's so great. And for the hybrid publishing, could you tell me, or tell our audience, what like? How does that differ from normal publishing?
Kelley Sewell:And when you say normal publishing, do you mean the traditional publishing?
Natasha Clawson:route, yeah, where people think, you know, I think most people when they think about publishing, they think about, you know, submitting to a publisher and being accepted and this publisher, you know, takes it and publishes it for them.
Kelley Sewell:So I think that's what most people are thinking about when they think about that pitch their book to different publishers but that is such that can be such a long process. Regardless if you go through a literary agent or you're just sending your manuscript unsolicited to different publishers, you may not ever hear back from them and if you've got a message that you want to get out into the world, I think hybrid publishing is really the right avenue in terms of getting your word out just as soon as you possibly can. Yes, there is a process and it does take time, but in terms of the finished manuscript getting to publishing, it's so much faster in the hybrid space than it is the traditional publishing space.
Natasha Clawson:Yeah, and for our audience. So in traditional publishing, I don't think you have to pay anything to do that. Is that accurate? Typically, that is absolutely correct. Yes, yeah, and so one of the differences for hybrid would be that you actually do pay to work with someone.
Kelley Sewell:Usually, Right, but it's more of a project fee, natasha. So you would pay for the hybrid publisher to do everything that is required in terms of getting barcodes and the ISBN numbers and filing with the Library of Congress and making sure that your material is protected. That from all of the typesetting, make sure that the formatting is correct, cover, design all of those little details the hybrid publisher would take care of for you and you would pay typically a flat fee for that, or they may have different packages that they offer in addition to marketing.
Natasha Clawson:Yep, okay, that sounds great. And then for self-publishing, you're doing a lot of the same things the hybrid publisher is doing, but you're doing it yourself and there's lots of things you can do. But obviously you'd have to research. There are lots of resources online, but you're paying with your time and you might not always know if you have to hire a cover designer or things like that. You might not know the best people to work with, but it's definitely doable as well. So hybrid is the middle of the road approach to get your message out and get it out quickly.
Kelley Sewell:Yeah, and another way to look at it or an analogy for that, would be if you work with a general contractor on your house, that is going to sub a lot of the work out, that would sort of be maybe a hybrid publisher, or if they have a team in-house, whereas if you were going to work with each and every subcontractor or research and do it yourself, that would be more of the self-publishing model right, and there are self-publishing companies that will help you go through the process, but to your point, you've got to do the work yourself.
Natasha Clawson:Yeah, so they would function as a guide. So that's probably a stepping stone between entirely self-publishing and that, and there's probably courses for that too. Absolutely Awesome. So I know this was one of my questions. I'm sure some of our listeners will have. The same question is is there a ballpark price that someone can expect to pay if they're doing the hybrid publishing route?
Kelley Sewell:Yes, I mean there are different ranges based upon what is included in your publishing package. But you could expect, in working with a hybrid publisher, to pay anywhere from maybe $5,000 to $8,000 on the low end, up to $10,000, $12,000, $15,000, just depending on the package that you purchase and whether or not that would include marketing. But there is a wide range, but that would be a ballpark Awesome.
Natasha Clawson:I think that's a great start for everyone to kind of frame their expectations if they're looking to get a book out, and I do know for so many people that writing a book is a huge milestone. In fact, it's on my bucket list and I know it's on many of the people listening. So many people have a message, a story that they want to share and, like, leave an impact in the world. Right, it's something. Your words are, something that can last longer than your presence on this earth, so I think it's really important to capture those things. So, with that in mind, I'd love to ask what do you think writing a book does for someone? And we can look at this in two ways. Obviously, I'm curious from a business perspective, but also like on a personal level. What does writing a book do for someone? How does that make them feel?
Kelley Sewell:Well, I think it depends on the subject matter and your reason for writing a. I think you should write a book for two different individuals at the same time, and I'll explain what I mean by that. You should write for yourself primarily, but you're writing for an audience. Ask them to get as specific as they possibly can on their target audience. Everyone thinks, oh, you want to cast a wide net, right? Well, I want everyone to read my book.
Kelley Sewell:Well, believe it or not, there's so many books out there and not everyone is going to read your book. And the more that you can dial in who you are really writing for, then I think that goes back to your question of what does it do for someone? How does it make them feel? I mean, obviously, writing a book is a huge accomplishment, and so it's almost like birthing another human into the world, if you will, because a book really takes on a life of its own, because you don't know how it's going to be received by others.
Kelley Sewell:It might be well received, you're going to have mixed reviews, and so producing a book and bringing it forth into the world, number one, should give you a huge sense of accomplishment, but also, number two, that you can help people however you choose to with that book. It might be a self-help book, it might be a memoir telling about your own you know, adversity and how you overcame that adversity. That's huge and that can have such an impact on people. But I think fiction can have just as much of an impact on people as nonfiction. Both types of books are extremely important, and so, you know, looking at the accomplishment for yourself and writing the book is really, really important, but also the potential impact that you will have on your readers is truly an amazing accomplishment as well.
Natasha Clawson:Yeah, it's so true. And, looking at it from the business perspective, I think a lot of people have a message. Like you said, they want to help people and this gives them. It can really position you as credible, because we do see writing a book as a big accomplishment. It shows that you can put all your thoughts, you know, together that you can do this project and it gives you something to talk about and promote, because I know some business owners struggle with. You know what is my message and if you've taken the time to write a book, you have very clearly defined your message and you can now take bits and pieces of that like and use it to talk about your business and help other people.
Kelley Sewell:It establishes your credibility number one, as you mentioned. Number two it establishes you as an authority on your subject matter. You can use the material in that book, the content, over and over again, whether it be in a course creation or through blogs or just in your social media posts. So once you have that body of work, you can build upon that. So it's really something that, to your point earlier, you will have for the rest of your life and even beyond. You'll have an impact on other people's lives. But it really, especially in business, is a way to establish yourself as an authority and also give people a how-to guide in whatever subject matter you're talking about?
Natasha Clawson:Yeah, definitely. So I want to get down to some of the nuts and bolts about the actual writing of this, and I know one of the big questions is the time it takes to write. So the first question is how long does it take someone to write a book, and how do they find the time and balance that with the other things that we have going on in our day to day?
Kelley Sewell:You know, you hear these stories of people writing a book in 30 days. It can be done. A first draft, I do believe, can be done in 30 days. I think those people are really exceptional, so I just want to put that out there. Can it be done in a very short period of time? Yeah, and it also depends on the length of your book, right? How many words, how many pages?
Kelley Sewell:That being said, I think that putting that sort of pressure on yourself is really unreasonable and I think that for many of us, I should say and that you know it you need to figure out for yourself what is going to be realistic given your, given your schedule. But consistency is really key in writing, and so if you can write a schedule for yourself, you know, maybe it's once a day, maybe it's three times a week that you're going to write, and if you figure that the typical nonfiction book is anywhere from 40,000 to, say, 70,000 words 50,000 equates roughly to about 200 pages then you know you can sort of back into that sort of equation. But, that being said, just developing the habit of writing, I think, is the first thing that's really important. So to give yourself time to actually ease into the writing process is really, really important. So I have a six month writing coaching program that has been very successful for my clients. It's enough time where if you've got to go on a week vacation or you're you know you're ill for a week and you can't write, that you have some buffer there, which is really important.
Kelley Sewell:But that deadline is actually very important. Can it be moved? Yes, but I find, natasha, that if it's not urgent it won't get done, like so many things in our lives, and that it has to be a have to for you. It must get done, otherwise it's just too easy to keep pushing it out. So I know that's a roundabout way to answer your question, but I would say that six month period of time is is an adequate amount of time. You know, life does happen and sometimes those deadlines get pushed out or timeframes get pushed out, but three to six months is is probably an average for a lot of people. Yeah, is probably an average for a lot of people.
Natasha Clawson:Yeah, and the other thing I heard too, as you say, the writing coaching is just the support of meeting with someone, because I know this is true of myself and many people I've worked with we are our own worst client. We miss deadlines and showing up for ourselves more than anyone else in our lives. This is true for most people that I work with Maybe not everyone, but this is what I've seen. And so having that accountability of having a writing coach who can say, hey, you know, this time schedule does look realistic based on what you've told me Someone to check in with and say, hey, you actually are meeting your deadline or not. And also, I find when you pay for something like writing coaching, you're a lot more likely to show up and put in the work than if you just say you're going to write it. And the other thing I've heard from people is just how overwhelming it can be when they sit down to start writing the book and that can become a huge block, and I'm sure you've seen that.
Kelley Sewell:It's so true and everything that you're saying is true.
Kelley Sewell:I mean, how many times do we tell ourselves or at least I tell myself oh, I can just work out at home, but there's something about paying for that gym membership and actually going to the gym that makes you so much more effective. So I do believe that there is that financial accountability component to it as well, but also just having a partner who wants to see you succeed, I think, is just so immensely helpful. Yes, you have the accountability, but there are going to be some weeks where you just get stuck and it's like I need to get around this roadblock, this mental block, this writer's block that I have, and coaching definitely helps with that. Also, coaching will help you write an outline for your book and you can always modify it if you need to, but you have a roadmap so you know where you're going. So coaching is really important for all of that and just helps you be more successful. There are lots of people who can write a book without coaching, but it can really make a difference for some.
Natasha Clawson:Definitely, and you shared a story with me earlier which I would love for you to share, and it's about finding the time to write, because we do have lots of, you know, different, competing priorities. Where do people find time and how did you find time to write your first book?
Kelley Sewell:Well, it's an interesting story and you know my story. But I actually started a novel right out of college and worked on it on and off for about a year or two and then I had to start working and I got a job and before I knew it, not only was I really in deep with my career, I got married. Then, before I knew it, the kids started coming. And it's like I always had that in the back of my head what am I going to write? Oh, I just don't have time to write. I would say that. And as I got closer and closer I hate to admit to my 50th birthday, I got I was about 48, 49. And that little nagging voice in the back of my head said when are you going to stop making excuses and when are you going to finally write your book? And it goes back to it. It has to be a must do for you. It has you have to build a sense of urgency. If you knew that you absolutely had to make the rent next week or you had to make that mortgage payment, you would do whatever it took. Say, you just lost your job but you still had to make that payment, or whatever, you would do everything in your power you would somehow turn the moon and sun and stars in alignment to get that done right, to make that payment. And it has to be the same for your writing. That you have to have a sense of this is part of who I am, this is part of my identity, so I better start carving out the time. So, for me, I will tell you that I used to drop my son off at school. I had about 15 minutes before I had to get to work and so I pulled over into this parking lot of a chiropractor every morning. It was before they opened, otherwise they'd probably think who is this woman in our parking lot. But I spent 10 minutes writing on my book every morning during the week and at the end of the week I'd be astonished at actually what I was able to accomplish. And the thing is, once I really got into the project and the writing, I started loving it more. And when you really like doing something, you can find time to do it. You really like doing something, you can find time to do it. So I found that, hey, maybe I can carve another 15 minutes after I put the kids to bed or whatever it is. It was. And so I found myself carving more and more, finding more time to work on it, until I said you know what? Until I said, you know what, I am going to finish my book by my 50th birthday. And I actually was able to do that. But it was something that I felt like it was a do or die. It was.
Kelley Sewell:I had to have that sense of urgency, and I do encourage people to carve out any time that they can. You don't need that was a. That was a misassumption I had, that I had to have hours at a time in order to do quality writing. The more time that you can carve out, the better. But you can plot out a scene. If you're writing nonfiction I was writing fiction at the time In 10 minutes you can plot out a scene and you can be thinking about it.
Kelley Sewell:Also, at the time, in 10 minutes, you can plot out a scene and you can be thinking about it. And also at the time I was driving a lot for work and I would have to drive two to three hours at a time. Well, obviously I couldn't be writing while I was driving, but I could do a lot of voice memos and so I would think through my plot as I was driving and I could get a lot done in two hours. So if there is a will, there is a way, and if it's important, it will get done, and if it's not important I know it sounds harsh it's not going to get done. So it's really a matter of coming down to who are you. Are you a writer? Is this story or this message, this book, really important for you to write? You will find a way to get it done.
Natasha Clawson:That's a beautiful story, and the things I love out of that are that you did not have a lot of time, but it was consistent action over time. I feel like almost anyone could find 10 minutes a day to write their book, yes, so this is doable for anyone. So one of the things that I also have a question about is some of the topics that we have that we want to share can be vulnerable. What advice do you have for someone to find the courage to share a topic that might take some personal exploration and might be kind of tender Looking?
Kelley Sewell:back at my first book I was.
Kelley Sewell:I realize now that a lot of my postponement, my procrastination, had to do with me being worried about how people were going to receive my book.
Kelley Sewell:Were they going to judge me, were they going to criticize the subject matter, or you know just the way that I wrote.
Kelley Sewell:I was my own worst critic and I think that that can really stand in the way of so many people actually finishing a book or even starting it to begin with.
Kelley Sewell:And I would say that you need to block out all the other voices in your head, whether it be the voice of your parents when you were young or you know that teacher that said oh you, you should, you know, just concentrate on math. You know all of those voices you need to just put aside and focus on the message that you have to write and the impact, the positive impact that it's going to have on others. And I just think that you know, working very hard at just drowning out all of the negative self-talk is really, really important and like so many of our goals, or really all of our goals, right, natasha, that there's always those negative voices in our heads that we have to combat, but if we can focus on the message that we have to give to the world and the lasting impact that it will have, then I think that that really does serve as a beacon of light that can keep you going.
Natasha Clawson:Yeah, you have to have a strong why to get through anything that you're doing, right? I think that's so true. So I'd like to shift our attention to the marketing piece of the book, and some people might cringe at this, and I think sometimes people think that the marketing is you know, you write a book and people just come and they buy it. But you and I both know that's not necessarily the case. You have to market. We know that's not the case at all. Actually, you do have to market it and marketing is work and you can pay people to market, you can do it yourself. But what should someone expect when they have finished writing their book? What does that process look like, you know, for someone?
Kelley Sewell:The earlier you can start thinking about marketing your book, the better. I know that so many people are just focused on writing the book and making the book the best it can be, and you should book the best it can be and you should. But, looking back, if I would have focused on maybe getting the word out about the book as I was writing it and you do see authors now who, as they are writing, they share that process with their audience, and that is a wonderful way to engage your audience early. So I encourage all of my writers to build their audience as soon as they possibly can and if they have an audience around their subject matter ahead of time, selling that book is going to be so much easier than if you're just, you know, putting a book out in the world, publishing it and saying, hey, you know, I wrote a book. You certainly can do that too. But really, marketing as soon as you possibly can, even while you're writing, is the ideal time to do that.
Kelley Sewell:And you might ask well, how can I do that? Well, social media gives us a great platform. There are many platforms to just get the word out and tell people that you're writing a book and what it's about and what you hope to accomplish with it, and start. You know, I've seen people even share different cover designs for their book and have people vote which one do you like better? Or help me build my fiction story what do you think about this for a protagonist? So there are a number of different ways that you can go about that, but I think grassroots, local marketing is a great way to go. So, the more that you can talk about your book locally, see if you can get on some local radio stations, tv stations, to create a buzz locally while you're still doing your marketing, or while you're doing your marketing on the social media larger, grander platform I think that anytime that you can go and speak about your book go to writers conferences, go to reading groups just any opportunity you can to get that word out is what you need to do.
Natasha Clawson:And local press is fantastic and I think sometimes with social media it doesn't get as much love, because if you have something new and noteworthy in your community, it's highly likely that you'll be featured on one of those local channels, versus if you're going to something larger, like Forbes is something that comes to mind.
Natasha Clawson:Those things are out there and you can definitely pitch for those, but it's so much easier to get on your local media and it really does, like we were talking earlier, position you in a space of authority and credibility and again just gets the word out more. So absolutely love local press and like doing a book launch and working with local bookstores, do book signing. People love events and community and things that they can come, you know, together around. So, and then using this as content is beautiful too, right. So we've got a few months before we even launched this book where we can be talking about it, because I know a lot of business struggle with what do I talk about? Well, now you have something exciting to talk about, something new and noteworthy, and it's, you know, not just the same things you've been talking about. So creating a buzz and giving yourself something to talk about is hugely helpful.
Kelley Sewell:That's so true and I have found in my experience that local media stations they eat this up. They really want to promote local authors and usually local bookstores too, whether it be like just a local mom and pop bookstore, but even your Barnes and Noble, they are very, very supportive of local authors. They usually have a section in the bookstore that's devoted to local authors, so you really have a lot of opportunities locally to local authors, so you really have a lot of opportunities locally.
Natasha Clawson:Yeah, that's really great, great to know for anyone looking to do this. So we've talked about a lot of wonderful things today. As we start to wind this down, are there any topics that we haven't touched on that you'd like to share about before we start to close this down?
Kelley Sewell:I just want to reiterate that if anyone is listening to this podcast and they have any fear about writing, to just be gentle with yourself and just remember your why. Going back to what you were saying, natasha, is that just really getting in touch with why you wanted to write this book in the first place and focusing on that and making a daily habit of writing. Even if you're not writing specifically or directly on the book, just getting into the habit of writing can really fortify your habits so that you can take the next step to really commit to writing that book.
Natasha Clawson:Yeah, and Kelly, I know you offer hybrid publishing and writing coaching, so someone listened today who is really interested in working with you. Where can they find out more about you?
Kelley Sewell:So for coaching they can find me at kellyswoolcom, also on Instagram at Kelly the writer, and if they're interested in publishing they can reach us at redcliffpubcom.
Natasha Clawson:Awesome. Well, it has been a pleasure to have you on the show today. I am so thankful for your expertise in coming here. Thank you so much.
