It felt too early. But it was right on time—for me.
Reader,
In 2018, I sat in a cozy little bistro in Vancouver, notebook cracked open, heart pounding. I was nervous—but excited—to share an idea that had been whispering to me for weeks.
I had just started playing with this phrase over and over again in the margins of my thoughts: author care.
I shared it with someone I deeply admired—a fellow creative with long-standing ties to the publishing world.
She looked at me warmly but with a touch of confusion. “That’s nice, you seem really passionate about it,” she said gently, “but… what do you mean by that?”
Looking back, I didn’t quite know how to explain it—at least not in the polished, professional way the industry tends to reward. But in my body, I knew. I was trying to name a missing piece. I let myself fumble for a bit longer.
Back then, I wasn’t interested in conversations about what I should be writing (I’d already learned how to say no with love to the shoulds). I didn't want to be concerned with how I should be showing up, according to people who had never once asked what I wanted from having a book in the world.
No shade—capitalism has shaped much of how we view success. But I needed something different.
What happens when a publisher says yes? Or what COULD happen after a publisher says yes?
What about if they say no? What changes? What stays the same?
What if you don't want to publish at all, just write and create? What happens after the tour (if there is one)? After the high of publication fades.
I wanted to talk about what happens after the manuscript is finished. I've read plenty of books (great books) that offer general advice about what to do pre and post publication, but none of them talked about creating an author launch plan focused around all the data you had about yourself as a unique person in this world.
There seemed to be just one template and we were are all passively ushered into it.
I wanted to ask: How do I create something for myself that isn’t just a replica of what everyone else is doing? What if I want to build a creative life that feels like mine?
I wanted to talk about creative exhaustion. About how easy it is to disappear inside the machine of “what’s next.” About what it would look like to take care of the writer first.
But folks in the industry seemed taken aback—how dare I? And as a sensitive, introverted creative, I felt every subtle eye-roll, every dismissive pause, like a quiet sting to the heart. Still, I couldn’t let it go. The idea had its own pulse, its own gravity. And despite the discomfort, I followed it—because the feeling beneath it was louder than the doubt.
The more I published and worked with writers, the more the questions kept coming:
What if some writers don’t want to be “visible,” but still want to make a living from their books? What if someone wants to focus only on podcast appearances, or run slow, spacious workshops, and that’s enough?
What if a book could sell slowly, over time—and still be considered a success (success as defined by the writer)?
Photo of me from my launch the FIRST time I started doing things the way I wanted. The first time I felt what was possible when I said no with love and followed my heart.
Fun fact: I’m still getting royalties from a book I wrote almost 10 years ago. It’s not a fortune, but it’s enough to remind me of the quiet power of the backlist. It reminds me that not everything needs to happen in the first six months ... despite the narrative we've been told over and over.
Back then, most folks weren’t ready to have these conversations. It felt too tender, too soft, too niche too emotional (all the glorious things that make me, me haha). But even as I walked home under that grey Vancouver sky, I knew I had to follow this thread.
So I did.
And when the pandemic reshaped nearly everything, people started to listen more closely—not just to me, but to themselves. The questions softened. The urgency shifted. What once felt too early became… foundational.
Then I wrote and published a narrative nonfiction book that covered my life as a Black female creative in today's world, Let it Go. Then a guided journal, Safekeeping.
My work in author care evolved. It became something deeper: Helping writers shape not just their manuscripts, but their creative lives.
And this work looks different for every single person I work with.
And now, it’s evolving (or maybe, expanding) again.
I’m asking new questions—about what it means to launch a book in a way that actually feels good.
About how we can stop chasing “platforms” and instead build an author ecosystem—a sustainable, aligned way of being that reflects how we want to live.
When I held my first and second books in my hands, I felt the weight of assumption: that I would define success like everyone else. But I didn’t. And I still don’t.
We all write for different reasons. And being a writer today requires more than submitting your manuscript.
It asks for clarity. Self-awareness. A shift in mindset.
A sense of creative entrepreneurship that’s deeply personal.
So if you’re sitting with an idea that feels too early, too quiet, too different—this is your reminder that timing isn’t always about the world.
Sometimes, the idea is right on time for you. And that’s more than enough.
Next week, I’ll share part two of this story—what I’ve built over the past 12 years in publishing and 5 books deep. I’ll share how it all led to something I’ve been working on quietly behind the scenes—a way for writers to launch their books with care, clarity, and yes, love.
But for now, a question for you to carry:
What’s one idea that keeps tapping you on the shoulder—even if no one else sees it yet?
With care, Chelene
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What I'm saying YES to ...
As we know, with every "no" we are also saying yes to something else that we've now organically created the space for. Each week, I'll share what I'm saying yes to whether it's a book, a project, and event, a food ... the possibilities are endless!
Something new, from my heart.
Next week, I’ll share part two of this story—what I’ve built over the past 12 years in publishing and 5 books deep. I’ll share how it all led to something I’ve been working on quietly behind the scenes—a way for writers to launch their books with care, clarity, and yes, love.
