Impressive! From Beginner to First Book Deal | How Evelyn Skye Became a 6-Figure NYT Bestselling Author

Being a writer is one of the world's most desired careers. It’s the second most popular career search in the world. Want to know how to start writing your book and make a living from it? This week’s podcast guest is Evelyn Skye and she has all the answers. She's gone from zero to New York Times bestselling author, number one Netflix film and literary collaborator with Damsel (one of the most watched Netflix films ever). “It's really important for aspiring writers not to look at where a successful author is now and think: “I need to jump from point A to point M.” There are so many steps along the way.” She’s an incredible example of what you can build when you wholeheartedly believe in your vision. I bet you'll be totally inspired after this interview that you can write the book that’s inside you. Before our conversation, Evelyn told me that she would be happy to talk to me about “really anything”. So here are my top #3 highlights from our interview: Evelyn’s own magical bookstore love story I asked Evelyn about her magical first date with her husband Tom in a bookstore which most people don't know about, but which was every book lover's dream come true. Their love story began with a blind date set up through an app. They planned to meet at a cafe next to Kepler's, a local bookstore. Before their date, Evelyn was hosting an author event at the bookstore. He, being a huge book lover, decided to attend the event to see her. As she walked onto the stage, she spotted him in the audience before he noticed her. That was the first time they saw each other, and it felt special. After the event, Evelyn had some work to finish, so she told him she would be back soon. When she returned, he stood up with a big bag full of books and admitted, "I can never leave a bookstore without buying books." She thought: Who is this guy? Like, is he for real? So yeah, it was a wonderful first date. Obviously it worked out. 18 months later, he proposed. A few weeks later, Evelyn almost lost the love of her life, Tom, a man who had always lived life with a certain curiosity, as if there was a miracle to be discovered at every moment. In her 30s, Evelyn started writing with a kid in the house and quit her job as a lawyer Evelyn is 45 years old. As I’m also in my thirties, it was very inspiring to me that Evelyn started her writing journey in her thirties when her daughter was still in the house. She was on maternity leave from her job as a lawyer in a giant international firm when she rediscovered her love for books. With some help from her parents, who babysat her daughter, Evelyn started writing her first novel—a young adult (YA) fantasy about a time-traveling Russian prince. Although she loved the story, her writing skills weren't quite there yet, and she faced many rejections from agents. Determined to improve, Evelyn decided to learn as much as she could about writing. She read everything she could find online and bought books about writing techniques. Over time, she wrote more manuscripts, each better than the last. She faced setbacks, but she never gave up. Finally, Evelyn's perseverance paid off. Her ninth manuscript, The Crown's Game, caught the attention of a new agent, and she landed her first big book deal with a major publisher. This book led to more opportunities. Evelyn continued to write more YA novels and brought a new princess for Disney to life. Evelyn cracked the code of how to become a New York Times bestselling author Many writers dream of becoming an author and if they dare to dream even bigger, they wish they’d be on the New York Times bestseller list. For this, traditional publishing is usually the way to go. It's almost impossible for a self-published author to get on that list because of how the New York Times selects books. They use a special formula that isn't just about how many books are sold. Success means different things to different writer. For Evelyn, success meant aiming for big goals, like a six-figure deal and becoming a New York Times bestseller. But she knows this isn’t everyone’s dream. Some writers are more focused on the joy of creating and sharing their stories, no matter how many people read them. For those writers, self-publishing might be a better fit. For Evelyn knowing your Ennegream type is key Evelyn also told me about the different paths writers can take: traditional publishing, self-publishing, or a mix of both called hybrid publishing. Each path has its own challenges and rewards and her’s where the Ennegram types come to play. They help you find out more about your personality. Evelyn encourages you to think about what drives you and to choose the path that aligns with your personal goals and values. It's all about knowing what makes you happy and sticking to that. Whether you're aiming for a bestseller list or just want to share your story with the world, there’s a place for everyone. Of course we talked about so much more. In this week’s interview you’ll find an A to your Qs: * Is Evelyn Skye her real name? * What to wear on the red carpet? * Is preselling books still worth it? * How to celebrate a launch party for my book? * Can I quit my job if I get a 6-figure book deal? * Self-publising vs. traditional publishing - what’s better? * Is it true that Evelyn wrote “The Hundred Loves of Juliet” for her hubby Tom? If you say: Let me listen to the interview! You can listen to it as Substack podcast and/or watch our interview on YouTube: ✅TABLE OF CONTENTS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:07 Evelyn’s Love Story with Her Husband 00:04:26 Who is Evelyn Skye? 00:05:41 Evelyn’s Story of Being an Author 00:20:52 How Evelyn Uses Real Stories in her Books 00:26:38 Backstory Behind “One Year Ago in Spain” Book 00:29:15 Self Publishing vs Traditional Publishing 00:44:40 Evelyn’s Marketing Strategy 00:47:15 The Reality of Making Money as an Author 00:53:11 Does Evelyn Have other Income Streams? 00:55:24 Evelyn’s Opinion on Pre-Selling Books 01:01:08 Does Evelyn Have a Book Club? 01:03:25 How Evelyn Hosted Her Recent Book Launch 01:07:57 What Was It Like Being on the Red Carpet? 01:11:35 Evelyn’s Magic Superpower 01:14:01 How Evelyn is Using Substack 01:21:35 Importance of Guest Posting 01:26:33 How Evelyn Uses Substack Notes 01:32:28 Evelyn’s Goals for 2024 and 2025 01:34:26 Advice to Someone Wanting to Start a Writing Business 01:40:29 What’s the Deadline for Writing a Book? 01:42:24 What's Evelyn's Favourite Thing To Do With Her Daughter and Hubby on a Date Night 🥳You don’t have to be 100% ready to take the first step Want to start writing your first book or need help promoting it? Don’t waste your time. Sometimes, the only thing standing between you and your dreams is that first small move. Let’s do this together! Inside my “Online School Membership” you can connect with 250+ other like-minded writers in our “community of family”, find an accountability buddy, share your dreams, failures and wins and learn from book authors, freelance writers and other successful writers who have gone before you in our LIVE sessions. ⭐Win a signed book from Evelyn Skye! Today’s interview is already included in Evelyn Skye’s Google Knowledge Panel, which is amazing. Amazing is also the feedback we already received: 🙏🏻🙏🏻Thanks for being such an amazing and supportive community 🙏🏻🙏🏻 Surprise! For the first time in my Online Writing Club show you can win a signed book. How to win a signed book of “Last Year in Spain”? You can win Evelyn’s fiction for adults book by… ⭐ Leaving a thoughtful comment here and/or on YouTube*⭐ ❤️‍🔥Your feedback is just a spark but it’s enough to keep me, a part-time writer, going.❤️‍🔥 Want to win a signed book? Then jump in the comments. Keep believing in yourself and never give up, P.S. Liked it? Please share, like, and let me know what you think about my new show 💗 Your feedback is important and can spark many ideas. Thanks sooooo much! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.onlinewritingclub.com/subscribe