The Reality of a Traditional Book Deal (& Balancing Business Through It All) with Sam Vander Wielen

If you’ve ever dreamed of seeing your book on a Barnes & Noble shelf, you need to hear this episode.Today, we are joined by the amazing Sam VanderWielen, an attorney-turned-entrepreneur who scaled her digital product business to over $10 million using just two products. We're celebrating the one-year anniversary of her incredible book, When I Start My Business, I'll Be Happy!Most people think getting a book deal means instant wealth and a massive team doing all the heavy lifting. Sam is pulling back the curtain on the grueling 4-year process of getting a Big Five book deal. She shares why an advance doesn't actually pay the bills, and how she managed to grow her business by several hundreds of thousands of dollars while writing a manuscript and navigating profound personal grief.In this episode, we cover:The actual timeline and steps of traditional publishing (hint: for non-fiction, you write a proposal, not a manuscript!).Why 100% of the book marketing falls on the author, and Sam’s genius "B-roll by month" evergreen content strategy.How to keep your creative business afloat using established email marketing and ads when your capacity is completely maxed out.Navigating the emotional toll of writing a book while experiencing loss, and learning to give yourself permission to let your work just be "good enough".What to include in influencer marketing boxes to make sharing your work foolproof.🌟 Join The Break Room!You don't have to navigate the marathon of entrepreneurship alone! Come join us inside The Breakroom, our membership community for creative service providers who crave honest conversations, actionable strategy, and real support. We actually read Sam's book together in our book club (and she even showed up to our call!). 👉 Click here to join The Break Room today!Connect with Sam VanderWielen:Grab her book: When I Start My Business, I'll Be HappyInstagram: @SamVanderWielenNewsletter: Subscribe to Sam's Sidebar Podcast: Listen to On Your TermsConnect with Jo & Lyndon:Website: joandlyndon.comInstagram: @joandlyndon Podcast Instagram: @thesustainablecreator If you enjoyed this episode, please do us a favor and share it on socials (tag us and Sam!), and leave a review to help other creators find the show. We appreciate you!