"I'm going to have to scrub that..." lol The prego sense of smell is so strong! Until I saw you pull out your freezer compartments, I didn't know mine could do that. They are still taped in from when we bought the refrigerator 5 years ago. lol
Haha it was soooo gross!! And if it makes you feel better, I'd never done it before so I was totally guessing my way through how to take those out too lol!
I'm new here so I can't provide real time reaction, but you mentioned a concern about 'zero progress updates.' I can't speak for everyone, but for me a genuinely find so much validation and relief in updates like that because it's so easy to compare to only what other authors show you. If all their videos are "I made this much progress and never had a single slump" then it's easy to think there's something wrong with me or that I'm not taking this seriously, but even just in this video hearing you like yep, life is lifing, haven't touched this book in a month while still being successful and working towards your goals is so so refreshing to see. Thank you! I'll be following along on these updates and adding a few books to my TBR it seems!
The honesty and vulnerability in your vlogs are so wholesome and helps me feel like these emotions I'm experiencing are valid and not insane. Wishing you all the best with nesting and the butter book!
It's getting so close! Totally normal of course to have low motivation and energy at this stage. You're doing great with whatever feels good. We will be here! ❤
Also just an outside opinion, but I would say the extra sales come from two things. 1. They know they are getting a complete series in one which is really appealing for binge readers. 2. The cover art. 🎉 my two cents
This was such a great episode, you were so real 😂 and I am so impressed with you I didn't have the mental capacity to do anything creative when i was pregnant with littles. My youngest is 2 and I'm just now starting to write again. Good job getting things done! Love the nesting party idea!
That means a lot, thanks Rachel, so glad you enjoyed it! And ugh I really don't have much capacity to do stuff, I just record the one day in the whole week that I have any energy so it "looks" like it but that's really just the highlight reel haha... And that's awesome that you're coming back to writing! We have to remember to go at our own pace, and that they're naturally going to be slower/faster sometimes, that's how we will enjoy our own journeys. :)
Bethany, I totally have been enjoying your vlog series of the butter book, but don't feel pressure to vlog if you don't want too. It's totally understandable because you have so much going on getting ready for your new baby girl. 💝Also, it's so encouraging to see how you still want to write even though you are so busy. I relate so much but in a different way because I am a college student, so watching your vlogs are motivating me to want to find more time for writing and not to give up on my goals for the rest of the year. You are such an inspiration! I love your transparency! Take care of yourself and have fun decluttering and writing! 😃 P.S. I got into pacemaker because of your recommendation. And oh my! I love it! It has definitely help with motivation to write! 🎉 Thanks so much!😃
Thanks Haley, that means a lot!! Yeah we will see how it goes because I am definitely fading lol BUT also super excited to keep sharing the writing process, so we'll just take it a week at a time haha... So glad you enjoy them and that they're encouraging though, that means so much to hear! :D And yayyy pacemaker - so excited you like it! I should totally tell them I'm sending people their way haha!
I love this! Okay - so this March I had my second (a girl) 2 days after my sons 3rd birthday. Best advice I got - and can give - is grace upon grace! Give yourself grace. Don't think you're not successful or accomplishing anything by taking your time to adjust and not writing or creating. Creating and writing helps my mental health, but on baby #2 I found myself in survival mode for the first 2-3 months. Going from one to two for me was hard (it may be easier for you - I've heard baby #3 is a no brainer LOL). What got me with baby #2 is my toddler was down to one nap a day, and starting to give it up, so when that first baby naps and you can get away and escape to either shower, nap, or (in my case) write - that threw me for a loop not having it for baby #2 (when they nap together omg it's amazing). Once you get your groove with baby girl and baby boy you'll know when you're ready to start creating/writing again. I am/was a person who's worth/sense of accomplishment was attached to how much I could produce/publish/create and I had to hard reset myself after kids (more so with #2). You're very established as a creator and an author - don't panic - we will still be here waiting for you but we want you to take care of YOU first. Highly recommend hypnobirthing - very helpful in round #2 (I have a super low pain tolerance and managed so much better then I ever thought I could!). This will be a season - a short and very sweet season for you to enjoy your new baby girl with your family. They don't stay little forever so soak it all in, and your community will be here. Sending so many prayers to your and your family for a safe delivery
Oh wow that's so cool, we will have a super similar age gap and I'm so hopeful that it'll go well!! But thank you so much for the tips for sure, I definitely plan to not do anything work-related for months unless I'm up to it. I even told myself maybe up to six months if it's really hard, but we shall see haha... Survival mode is already happening over here, so I can definitely relate. But gosh I've already been thinking about the whole nap overlap issues and how to handle that, because I'm just like you and absolutely count on that time lol... we'll see how it goes, I have a feeling the first year or so will be pure chaos lol. But thank you so much for the recommendation on hypnobirthing - I'm so happy to hear it was helpful, I definitely neex to check it out asap! Thanks again for all the good advice!
First off, your refrigerator is like mine, Bethany! Random but awesome to discover :) Second, I know you're an enneagram 3 (I'm an enneagram 9), and I'm not sure if you're aware but our types are connected via stress / growth paths. Thus, seeing you cleaning up and keeping busy doing stuff that's vital but not really what you SHOULD be doing lol reminded me of my 9-ness when I default to procrastinating in my writing by cleaning, doing chores, etc instead of, well, writing. Honestly, I think it all works out because when I'm done with the chores and get back to writing, I have so many ideas that was released because my brain got rest while I was cleaning. Clean place = Clean mind. This is why I LOVE your vlogs because you're not afraid to show us the good, the bad, and the ugly side of writing :) Plus, you teach me how to tap into my 3-ness which will FINALLY get me to finish my books and be published one day :) Thanks, Bethany :D
Haha that's awesome! And oooooh yes I could totally see the stress coming out in those ways for me too, it's so real. But you make a good point, at least cleaning is helpful and useful even if it is procrastinating a bit haha...So happy to hear you lke the vlogs, thank youuu!!
Watching this 21 weeks pregnant and I’m starting my nesting list now haha. I wanted to do a nesting party too, so cool to see you doing one! This is my third baby and I already have a boy and a girl so I really don’t need much (just new bottles, a few clothes to replace things that have been used twice and are beyond saving, and a car seat because we got convertibles and my older kiddos are still in theirs 😅) a nesting party sounds amazing!
Love hearing your thought process with everything! Everybody’s different/has different experiences, but I was dreading the newborn stage with my second because the first one was ROUGH. However, it wasn’t bad at all, but I set my expectations so low I had no choice but to exceed them 😂 Writing wise, I took 3 months off and then played it by ear. My mindset is family comes first, but I try to do some sort of “authorly” something each day even if it’s for 5 mins. That might mean scrolling IG for a sound to use or listening to an audiobook while I cook, but it helps me even if my process has slowed down. I’m still learning to be okay with that 😊
ahhh this is SO helpful, thanks Alli!! I feel like I've said this to you before, but you look like you're absolutely rocking it and accomplishing SO much from the outside, so to know that you can make that much progress on what is sometimes just five minutes a day is super encouraging. I definitely agree with you, family is always first. And I'm nervous about the newborn stage too, so I'll follow your lead and set looooow expectations haha!!!
You are correct. The strength of your backlist is likely the driver of the sales on your latest book. And the next book you publish will likely have greater sales than that. Book sales are about synergy and momentum, and the golden rule of book marketing is that the more books you have, the less you have to market each of them. I predict you will be pleased and surprised by what happens with the Butter Book, once you finish it. I sympathize with the bind you find yourself in, balancing your writing time with other responsibilities. But I encourage you to finish this book---if for no other reason than it will drive this lesson home for you, so you can start evangelizing the importance of backlist to other authors. And, of course, it will prove that I was right all along. Can't forget THAT.
Hypnobirthing was GREAT for me! Highly recommend falling asleep to it 😂 your vlogs are always fun to watch and I hope everything works out for you. Don’t push yourself too hard with nesting though! Those ligaments are loose and I aggravated my sciatica when I was nesting and oof it was rough. Sending you all the good vibes ❤
Yay that makes me so happy to hear, I really hope it'll be helpful for me too! I'll try that method, thanks for the tip! :D And thank you so much, I really appreciate it. I will definitely take it easy!
Queen’s Rise is my first Bethany Atazadeh read…..loving it….and need no other proof that the Butter Book (and your other works) are absolutely worth it
Have you considered sending out a survey via all your various platforms to find out why people bought/pre-ordered the book? That's the kind of question I and likely many others would be happy to answer and then learn from (I'm curious now too!) I think from watching the Butter Book planning progress that we can say with certainty that this community quite loves a good survey. :)
That's a really fun idea!! I hadn't considered that, but if I have the energy to do it soon before the release is too far out, I will totally do that, thanks for the idea! I'm super curious too haha, but I always feel a little weird bugging readers about stuff like that, like I know on the reader side I don't think to hard about my "why" and just randomly pick up books haha... But heck yes, surveys are fun!
Oh you put your Butter Book on Kickstarter already? I'd be so interested to hear why and your reasoning for what to put on kickstarter and what not to, since I think most of your books weren't ever on Kickstarter? I'm so happy you're not sick anymore, I'm sensitive my whole pregnancy and would have definitely thrown up finding that in that drawer 😂
I love your vlogs. I'm ten weeks pregnant and currently writing my third book. My goal is to right as much as possible before giving birth so I'll have a few books ready when I'll get back to it :)
Thank you so much, that means a lot!! And you've got this! Take it easy when you need to though, I've definitely had to let go of some of my goals and realized they can happen after baby is here too haha!
LOL I literally have clothes I haven't worn in 15 years because "maybe I'll fit it into one day..." I will be cleaning out my closet soon in preparation for winter, so I think I really need to be strict with myself and finally get rid of some of that clothes. Especially because my weight loss goals have changed, so, like, some of that clothes I probably really never will fit in again and that's okay!
Yessssss this! I don't know why we do this to ourselves, but I definitely am working on letting go! I'm telling myself it's not about weight loss anymore, it's about starting fresh!
I am curious on what your organization looks like? How you keep track of tasks, book info, how you stay on top of deadlines and timelines? I don't know if you already have a video on this or if you have any tips or programs regarding the way you organize things?
That’s a great video idea, idk that I’ve done anything on that but the simple answer is just writing tons of lists and keeping weekly/‘monthly calendars in a bullet journal :)
I got the nesting bug for the first time with my fourth (and last baby). Then surprise, surprise my water broke seven weeks early and he was a preemie! Hopefully your bebe stays put, but man, than nesting thing was wild.
Ooooh my goodness that's wild! I have slightly wondered if this is some internal sign that she's coming early, so I will absolutely keep that in the back of my mind haha! But thank you, and yes it is lol
I don't know where you have the energy! lol. I'm 33 weeks, and I barely have energy to clean or to move lol. I haven't wrote anything for a month too lol. You sure is a super mom lol
Well to be honest most of the time I don't haha! But when my mom watches my toddler, I always push myself to get as much done as possible because that's an opportunity I can't waste lol! Thank youuu!
Last time I struggled with DMER (you can google it if you're curious) and had to let it go and do formula after six weeks of struggle, so this time I want to be prepared either way.
"I'm going to have to scrub that..." lol The prego sense of smell is so strong! Until I saw you pull out your freezer compartments, I didn't know mine could do that. They are still taped in from when we bought the refrigerator 5 years ago. lol
Haha it was soooo gross!! And if it makes you feel better, I'd never done it before so I was totally guessing my way through how to take those out too lol!
I'm new here so I can't provide real time reaction, but you mentioned a concern about 'zero progress updates.' I can't speak for everyone, but for me a genuinely find so much validation and relief in updates like that because it's so easy to compare to only what other authors show you. If all their videos are "I made this much progress and never had a single slump" then it's easy to think there's something wrong with me or that I'm not taking this seriously, but even just in this video hearing you like yep, life is lifing, haven't touched this book in a month while still being successful and working towards your goals is so so refreshing to see. Thank you! I'll be following along on these updates and adding a few books to my TBR it seems!
Thank you so much, that means a lot to hear, I really appreciate it!
The honesty and vulnerability in your vlogs are so wholesome and helps me feel like these emotions I'm experiencing are valid and not insane. Wishing you all the best with nesting and the butter book!
Aww yay thank you so much, that means a lot to hear! I'm glad we're not alone! And thank you!!
It's getting so close! Totally normal of course to have low motivation and energy at this stage. You're doing great with whatever feels good. We will be here! ❤
Also just an outside opinion, but I would say the extra sales come from two things. 1. They know they are getting a complete series in one which is really appealing for binge readers. 2. The cover art. 🎉 my two cents
Thanks Sarra, that means a lot!!
"Maybe it was me." I love that part. So funny!
Bahaha I was like, shoot I probably shouldn't blame him, it totally could've been me lol!
@@BethanyAtazadeh Been there! 😂
This was such a great episode, you were so real 😂 and I am so impressed with you I didn't have the mental capacity to do anything creative when i was pregnant with littles. My youngest is 2 and I'm just now starting to write again. Good job getting things done! Love the nesting party idea!
That means a lot, thanks Rachel, so glad you enjoyed it! And ugh I really don't have much capacity to do stuff, I just record the one day in the whole week that I have any energy so it "looks" like it but that's really just the highlight reel haha... And that's awesome that you're coming back to writing! We have to remember to go at our own pace, and that they're naturally going to be slower/faster sometimes, that's how we will enjoy our own journeys. :)
Bethany, I totally have been enjoying your vlog series of the butter book, but don't feel pressure to vlog if you don't want too. It's totally understandable because you have so much going on getting ready for your new baby girl. 💝Also, it's so encouraging to see how you still want to write even though you are so busy. I relate so much but in a different way because I am a college student, so watching your vlogs are motivating me to want to find more time for writing and not to give up on my goals for the rest of the year. You are such an inspiration! I love your transparency! Take care of yourself and have fun decluttering and writing! 😃
P.S. I got into pacemaker because of your recommendation. And oh my! I love it! It has definitely help with motivation to write! 🎉 Thanks so much!😃
Thanks Haley, that means a lot!! Yeah we will see how it goes because I am definitely fading lol BUT also super excited to keep sharing the writing process, so we'll just take it a week at a time haha... So glad you enjoy them and that they're encouraging though, that means so much to hear! :D And yayyy pacemaker - so excited you like it! I should totally tell them I'm sending people their way haha!
I love this! Okay - so this March I had my second (a girl) 2 days after my sons 3rd birthday. Best advice I got - and can give - is grace upon grace! Give yourself grace. Don't think you're not successful or accomplishing anything by taking your time to adjust and not writing or creating. Creating and writing helps my mental health, but on baby #2 I found myself in survival mode for the first 2-3 months. Going from one to two for me was hard (it may be easier for you - I've heard baby #3 is a no brainer LOL). What got me with baby #2 is my toddler was down to one nap a day, and starting to give it up, so when that first baby naps and you can get away and escape to either shower, nap, or (in my case) write - that threw me for a loop not having it for baby #2 (when they nap together omg it's amazing). Once you get your groove with baby girl and baby boy you'll know when you're ready to start creating/writing again. I am/was a person who's worth/sense of accomplishment was attached to how much I could produce/publish/create and I had to hard reset myself after kids (more so with #2). You're very established as a creator and an author - don't panic - we will still be here waiting for you but we want you to take care of YOU first.
Highly recommend hypnobirthing - very helpful in round #2 (I have a super low pain tolerance and managed so much better then I ever thought I could!).
This will be a season - a short and very sweet season for you to enjoy your new baby girl with your family. They don't stay little forever so soak it all in, and your community will be here. Sending so many prayers to your and your family for a safe delivery
Oh wow that's so cool, we will have a super similar age gap and I'm so hopeful that it'll go well!! But thank you so much for the tips for sure, I definitely plan to not do anything work-related for months unless I'm up to it. I even told myself maybe up to six months if it's really hard, but we shall see haha... Survival mode is already happening over here, so I can definitely relate. But gosh I've already been thinking about the whole nap overlap issues and how to handle that, because I'm just like you and absolutely count on that time lol... we'll see how it goes, I have a feeling the first year or so will be pure chaos lol. But thank you so much for the recommendation on hypnobirthing - I'm so happy to hear it was helpful, I definitely neex to check it out asap! Thanks again for all the good advice!
First off, your refrigerator is like mine, Bethany! Random but awesome to discover :) Second, I know you're an enneagram 3 (I'm an enneagram 9), and I'm not sure if you're aware but our types are connected via stress / growth paths. Thus, seeing you cleaning up and keeping busy doing stuff that's vital but not really what you SHOULD be doing lol reminded me of my 9-ness when I default to procrastinating in my writing by cleaning, doing chores, etc instead of, well, writing.
Honestly, I think it all works out because when I'm done with the chores and get back to writing, I have so many ideas that was released because my brain got rest while I was cleaning. Clean place = Clean mind. This is why I LOVE your vlogs because you're not afraid to show us the good, the bad, and the ugly side of writing :) Plus, you teach me how to tap into my 3-ness which will FINALLY get me to finish my books and be published one day :) Thanks, Bethany :D
Haha that's awesome! And oooooh yes I could totally see the stress coming out in those ways for me too, it's so real. But you make a good point, at least cleaning is helpful and useful even if it is procrastinating a bit haha...So happy to hear you lke the vlogs, thank youuu!!
Watching this 21 weeks pregnant and I’m starting my nesting list now haha. I wanted to do a nesting party too, so cool to see you doing one! This is my third baby and I already have a boy and a girl so I really don’t need much (just new bottles, a few clothes to replace things that have been used twice and are beyond saving, and a car seat because we got convertibles and my older kiddos are still in theirs 😅) a nesting party sounds amazing!
Love hearing your thought process with everything!
Everybody’s different/has different experiences, but I was dreading the newborn stage with my second because the first one was ROUGH. However, it wasn’t bad at all, but I set my expectations so low I had no choice but to exceed them 😂
Writing wise, I took 3 months off and then played it by ear. My mindset is family comes first, but I try to do some sort of “authorly” something each day even if it’s for 5 mins. That might mean scrolling IG for a sound to use or listening to an audiobook while I cook, but it helps me even if my process has slowed down. I’m still learning to be okay with that 😊
ahhh this is SO helpful, thanks Alli!! I feel like I've said this to you before, but you look like you're absolutely rocking it and accomplishing SO much from the outside, so to know that you can make that much progress on what is sometimes just five minutes a day is super encouraging. I definitely agree with you, family is always first. And I'm nervous about the newborn stage too, so I'll follow your lead and set looooow expectations haha!!!
Instant sub! I love how real - and therefore relatable - you are 😊
Yay! Thank you so much! ☺️
You are correct.
The strength of your backlist is likely the driver of the sales on your latest book. And the next book you publish will likely have greater sales than that. Book sales are about synergy and momentum, and the golden rule of book marketing is that the more books you have, the less you have to market each of them.
I predict you will be pleased and surprised by what happens with the Butter Book, once you finish it. I sympathize with the bind you find yourself in, balancing your writing time with other responsibilities. But I encourage you to finish this book---if for no other reason than it will drive this lesson home for you, so you can start evangelizing the importance of backlist to other authors.
And, of course, it will prove that I was right all along. Can't forget THAT.
Hypnobirthing was GREAT for me! Highly recommend falling asleep to it 😂 your vlogs are always fun to watch and I hope everything works out for you. Don’t push yourself too hard with nesting though! Those ligaments are loose and I aggravated my sciatica when I was nesting and oof it was rough. Sending you all the good vibes ❤
Yay that makes me so happy to hear, I really hope it'll be helpful for me too! I'll try that method, thanks for the tip! :D And thank you so much, I really appreciate it. I will definitely take it easy!
Queen’s Rise is my first Bethany Atazadeh read…..loving it….and need no other proof that the Butter Book (and your other works) are absolutely worth it
Awww YAY! So happy to hear that, thank you so much!!
I love this style of videos ❤❤
Have you considered sending out a survey via all your various platforms to find out why people bought/pre-ordered the book? That's the kind of question I and likely many others would be happy to answer and then learn from (I'm curious now too!) I think from watching the Butter Book planning progress that we can say with certainty that this community quite loves a good survey. :)
That's a really fun idea!! I hadn't considered that, but if I have the energy to do it soon before the release is too far out, I will totally do that, thanks for the idea! I'm super curious too haha, but I always feel a little weird bugging readers about stuff like that, like I know on the reader side I don't think to hard about my "why" and just randomly pick up books haha... But heck yes, surveys are fun!
Oh you put your Butter Book on Kickstarter already? I'd be so interested to hear why and your reasoning for what to put on kickstarter and what not to, since I think most of your books weren't ever on Kickstarter? I'm so happy you're not sick anymore, I'm sensitive my whole pregnancy and would have definitely thrown up finding that in that drawer 😂
wonderful video love your writing videos has inspired me to start on my own story have a good day
Yayyy thank you so much, that means a lot! You too!
I love your vlogs. I'm ten weeks pregnant and currently writing my third book. My goal is to right as much as possible before giving birth so I'll have a few books ready when I'll get back to it :)
Thank you so much, that means a lot!! And you've got this! Take it easy when you need to though, I've definitely had to let go of some of my goals and realized they can happen after baby is here too haha!
Wow, Camille! Keep going!
LOL I literally have clothes I haven't worn in 15 years because "maybe I'll fit it into one day..." I will be cleaning out my closet soon in preparation for winter, so I think I really need to be strict with myself and finally get rid of some of that clothes. Especially because my weight loss goals have changed, so, like, some of that clothes I probably really never will fit in again and that's okay!
Yessssss this! I don't know why we do this to ourselves, but I definitely am working on letting go! I'm telling myself it's not about weight loss anymore, it's about starting fresh!
I am curious on what your organization looks like? How you keep track of tasks, book info, how you stay on top of deadlines and timelines? I don't know if you already have a video on this or if you have any tips or programs regarding the way you organize things?
That’s a great video idea, idk that I’ve done anything on that but the simple answer is just writing tons of lists and keeping weekly/‘monthly calendars in a bullet journal :)
I got the nesting bug for the first time with my fourth (and last baby). Then surprise, surprise my water broke seven weeks early and he was a preemie! Hopefully your bebe stays put, but man, than nesting thing was wild.
Ooooh my goodness that's wild! I have slightly wondered if this is some internal sign that she's coming early, so I will absolutely keep that in the back of my mind haha! But thank you, and yes it is lol
Loving this video!! I feel like were on facetime 🤣
That makes me so happy to hear, thank you! :D
That Pacemaker Planner looks so cool! Have you done a video about it? 17:22
Lol😂 Got the answer 15 seconds later!
Haha okay awesome! Hope you like that other video too! :D
Totally do the new book. You can just drop old book hints here and there to remind people you wrote those too.
Love that vote, thanks Brooke! I think that's probably the best route to go too!
Aah! I'm 28 weeks pregnant with my second child AND writing a book 😂😂😂😭 bestie?
I don't know where you have the energy! lol. I'm 33 weeks, and I barely have energy to clean or to move lol. I haven't wrote anything for a month too lol. You sure is a super mom lol
Well to be honest most of the time I don't haha! But when my mom watches my toddler, I always push myself to get as much done as possible because that's an opportunity I can't waste lol! Thank youuu!
6th to like and also plan to get one of your books one day
Yayyy thank you, and hope you'll enjoy reading!
Hello can I ask you a wired question do you nod breastfeed your babies do you use formula instead
Last time I struggled with DMER (you can google it if you're curious) and had to let it go and do formula after six weeks of struggle, so this time I want to be prepared either way.
this reminds me i have to get working on my sequel soon, haha
Haha you've got this!
21st to view
Woohoo!