Greetings Backers!

ACTION ITEM: Please double check your order in Backerkit. I will be locking orders and charging cards this Friday.  You can access your order here: https://structuring-life-to-support-creativity.backerkit.com/  This is your last call to add items to your order, check your shipping cost, and make adjustments.
 

TL;DR: Ebook is almost done. I’ll deliver it to all of you as soon as I lock orders and charge cards. Locking and charging will happen on Friday. Ebook delivery will happen early next week. If you need different timing, please email or message me to let me know. (sandra @ sandratayler.com).  I’ve given you another chapter to read. The audiobook contracts are being set up and signed this week. Your next update will be the week of October 6-10. Details below. 
 

My copy editor did a beautiful job in formatting for ePub. I did not have to do very much work to finish off the file. This means that the ePub is basically ready for you. I will be using the Backerkit system to deliver the file. You’ll get an email with a link to download. In order for this system to work I need to lock orders and charge your cards for shipping and for any add on items that you selected in Backerkit.  I will be charging cards on Friday September 19, 2025. If you need me to delay or charge on a different schedule, please email sandra @ Sandratayler.com and I’ll be happy to accommodate you. You can double check your order and make sure that everything looks the way you want by going here and logging in using the email you used for Backerkit. https://structuring-life-to-support-creativity.backerkit.com/

 

I’m hoping to get this recorded this week. I already have the presentation finished and recorded, but it is a far-away recording taken in an open classroom. I want to deliver a focused lecture with slides similar to the other lectures in the bundle. I just need to transfer my notes into slides and then record it. My plan is to get this done before Friday. Then those of you who have signed up for the Lecture Bundle will get an email with a link to download it. (If you want to add the Lecture Bundle, you can do that any time between now and Friday when I lock orders.)

 

I’ve got my narrator, we’ve reserved studio time in October, and contracts are in process. By the next time I update I’ll be able to give you names and details for when I’ll deliver the Audiobook. I’m hoping that I can deliver this in November, but it might be December depending on the editing schedule of the audio engineer.  

This is the last big piece. I’m going to get rolling on it once I’ve gotten the lecture recorded, the audiobook contracts signed, and the ePub delivered to all of you. Once I get started I’ll have a better feel for how long it is going to take me to do all of the detailed layout and design necessary to do this right. 
 

In September I’m tackling the topic of Creative Interference. I’ve written a post on the topic, created a mini-lecture, and on September 24 I’m hosting a live Q&A + Co-working session. (5-7pm MDT). This session is open to all members of my Patreon even at the free level. I’d love to have some of you there.  Join Sandra's Patreon here. 

 

That’s my update for now! I’ll have another one for you during the week of October 6-10.

Thank you so much for backing this project,

Sandra Tayler

 

Greetings Backers!

Wonderful news: I submitted files to my printer yesterday SLSC is off to print!

TL;DR: The book is off to print. I hope to have the ebook ready to deliver to you before the end of September. The Activities Notebook is going to take another month or more before it is ready for print. I am building up my Patreon so that I can continue to community build and offer information even when this crowdfunding is completed. I’ve given you another chapter to read. Your next update will be the week of September 15-19. Details below. 

I have spent the last week in a highly-focused haze of approving copy edits, creating layout, and drafting back cover copy.  All of it was very fiddly involving close attention to specific words, sentences, punctuation, spacing etc. To give you an idea of how fiddly it gets, Here is a gif of the many iterations of the back cover copy:

According to the timeline provided by my printer I will get books delivered sometime between December 8-22. Obviously I hope for the early end of those dates. The printer is going to do everything they can to accommodate me.  Over the next month there will be several check points where I get to see proofs both physical and digital. Then there is a long latent time where the books are taking a ride on a boat.  I’m so happy to have this piece done. It lets me turn my attention to the next pieces.

The next portion of this project is formatting an eBook for everyone who has that as part of your order. I’m going to take a break from book focus for the rest of this week, but I’ll launch into this early next week. This formatting is largely done because my copy editor paid close attention and delivered files that are essentially ready. I just need to compile separate chapters into a single file and process it into an eBook. I suspect the actual work will only take a couple of days.  Then I can turn my attention to the mechanics of delivering the book to you. I’ll talk more about that in my next update.

There are about 200 of you who selected the Activities Notebook as part of your order. I started work on that during my layout frenzy. Before I sent the book off to print I needed a clear idea of how each activity would work in notebook format. This also gave me a chance to review the wording of each activity to make sure it was clear. So I did a preliminary layout for the Activities Notebook.

You can see it here next to the book layout binder, the book test print cropped to size, and the pre-press edition.  I’ve written notes for each activity. They’re all going to need some graphic design. Some of them need diagrams, others need lined pages, some need charts. Creating all of these things is going to take time and I don’t want to rush it. So the Activities Notebooks will be another month or two behind the physical books on being delivered. I’ll keep you posted about the logistics of all of that.

One of the things I realized as I attended in person events in August and as I’m looking toward completing this crowdfunding: I want ways to keep in touch and to build community for people who need it. I’m going to try using Patreon as one of my tools for that.  Starting in September I will be picking a topic from this book as the discussion topic for the month. Then I’ll host a mini-lecture and a Q&A for various pledge levels. The full details of the plan are posted here on my Patreon. As backers for this project, you’re also welcome to join my Discord community. There is an invite link in the backers only section of this post that is good for 7 days. 

I’m sure I’ll talk more about community building via Patreon in future updates. 

 

That’s my update for now! I’ll have another one for you in two weeks.

Thank you so much for backing this project,

Sandra Tayler

Greetings Backers!

Thank you so much for your patience while I was traveling and slow to update.

TL;DR: No action items for you. Copy edits are almost complete. After that it is layout for print and formatting for eBook. I hope to have eBooks in your hands by mid-September and physical copies in time for Christmas. I'm in negotiations with an audiobook narrator. I have plans for creating ongoing community spaces that I'll explain in the next update. Your next update will be the week of September 1-5.

In August I attended two large events: Gen Con and Worldcon. These events are different in size, location, and focus. They were both exhausting and both wonderful. The most important thing I gained from each of them was reconnection to community. I was able to help and be helped. I laughed in the joy of others, I cried in communal moments of grief. Mixed into the small talk conversations were the gems where I got to discuss topics dear to my heart. I'm still sorting through thoughts I collected. One of the things I've realized is that I'm coming up on the end of this project. Once I deliver everything into your hands there is no need for me to continue sending Backerkit updates. But the need for conversation around the topics in this book will not stop. I want to build community spaces where I get to connect with readers and watch readers connect with each other. I have a partially formed plan for this. I'll be ready to announce it and invite you all in when I post the next update in about two weeks.

Prior to running off to Gen Con, I did a big edit push and handed all of the book files off to my copy editor. She was hard at work while I was traveling and reports that she'll have the edits complete and ready to hand back to me this Friday. As soon as I have those files, I will get to work approving her edits and formatting changes. Then I will put all of the book into layout. That needs to happen as soon as possible because there is a three month turn around from me delivering my files to my printer and having books in hand. If I deliver files on September 1, I probably get books December 1, which is cutting things close for the December holidays. Right after submitting for print, I will do formatting for eBook which doesn't have such a long delay. I hope to have eBooks in your hands by Mid-September. 

Gen Con was wonderful. We created a corner space in our booth that was specifically for SLSC.

In that corner I had 40 copies of the book. I figured that many would last me through both Gen Con and Worldcon. We sold out of copies by mid-day on Saturday. There is a magical moment when a reader spots a book and has an instant "I need this" reaction. I feel so happy that this book got to connect with its audience. I'm really looking forward to having the final edition so that I won't have to explain that the book has bonus typos. I made a thing that people want and that feels like magic. A gift. I need to hold onto the memory of that experience for when things get difficult again.

I spent lots of time away from the booth as well as being at the booth. I met with friends long-time and new.

And I finished out the event by spending time with my Gen Con family:

These are the people who still like me when I'm dripping sweat and irritable. We've been coming back together for over a decade and it is amazing. 

When I considered attending Worldcon only a week after Gen Con, I decided that the thing I did not want to do was exhaust both Howard and myself with running a booth or table. Instead we exhausted ourselves with being on programming and socializing. That was absolutely the right call. Several of our events were related to the Writing Excuses podcast. There was a meet up:

And the podcast team hosted an evening suite party:

Because I didn't have a sales table, I equipped a small rolling bag with books and promo tools in case they were useful.

It amuses me to realize that the chapter I'm giving you all today is about Cultivating Confidence, and this bag really is a demonstration of the work I've put in to believe that I have useful things to offer. It is also a source of tools to bolster confidence at the low moments. Even in an event that is overwhelmingly full of wonderful connections, there are always low moments when I doubt the value of everything I've ever done. 

I am back home now and glad to be settling back into my routines. Events are wonderful for generating stories and photographs, but it is at home that I need to build my steady happiness. Home is where the work gets done and where the foundation is built to support the shiny temporary structures of conventions or retreats. This is part of what I'm thinking about as I consider how to build community that folds into and is part of the home schedule. 

Thank you so much for being part of this project. I'll be back the week of September 1-5 to give you another update.
All the best,
Sandra

Greetings Backers!

TL;DR:  No action items for you. I've completed my paper edit. I just need to enter those edits and hand the files off to a copy editor. I'll be at Gen Con booth 1349 with pre-press copies. I'll also be at WorldCon in Seattle. If you are going to be at either of these events, please come say hello! I've posted schedules below. Your next update will be after Gen Con and WorldCon the week of August 18-22.

The weeks since arriving back home have been a flurry of activity. This is always the case when I return from a trip and have to pick up projects in the middle. We've been working on a slow kitchen remodel, I needed to finish up work for Locus Magazine. I'm getting started on work for StoryCon next February. I've pitched panels to two events in 2026. And, of course, I've been working on SLSC.

Last time I told you I needed to bring all of my edit passes into alignment. I've made fantastic progress on that!  I've finished my edit pass on paper. I see things differently when I view them on paper.

I've gone through every chapter in the book with pen in hand, making changes and scribbling notes. The next step is to transcribe those notes back into digital format.

My plan is to get that done in the next week. Then I'll hand the whole book off to a copy editor. One of the important skills in self publishing is to recognize where your skills are week. I am competent at grammar and spelling, but I do not have the precision and expertise of a copy editor. Handing it off also means that while I'm away at conventions, the project can still be moving forward.

Speaking of conventions, I've got a small number of pre-press copies that I'll have with me at Gen Con and WorldCon.

This is a lower quality book that what you all will be getting. It has the typical production errors and odd page cuts that happen with Print on Demand tech. However it does have all of the text in place. And it means that I can use the presence of uncorrected copies as a sales pitch for the final version. (I'll have this handy sign.)

I am also weirdly excited to have my own free standing banner.

It is fully kitty approved.
One of my major goals around the upcoming conventions is to spread the word about SLSC so that the finished book can go out to more people. I've got flyers, business cards, and bookmarks.  When I get back, I'll have pictures to share and I can talk about the promotion strategies I applied. (If that interests anyone.)

I've made progress on the warehouse organization. This will help tremendously when it comes time to mail out packages.
The side room in December:


The side room this week:

Other, less photographable, areas of organization have made similar progress as well. 

Booth 1349 in the Dealer's Hall (where you can find me most of the time)
Imposter Syndrome (panel)
Thursday1:00 PM EDT  Marriott: Marriott Ballroom 2

Social Commentary in Your Writing (panel)
Thursday3:00 PM EDT   Marriott: Atlanta

Writing Despite Existential Crisis or Despair (Workshop 2hr)
Friday3:00 PM EDT  Marriott: Atlanta

The Joys of Speculative Poetry (panel)
Saturday3:00 PM EDT  Marriott: Atlanta

Kickstarter Spotlight (Interview with Oriana Leckert of Kickstarter)
Saturday4:00 PM EDT  Marriott: Marriott Ballroom 4

How to Create When the World is On Fire (panel)
Saturday5:00 PM EDT  Marriott: Marriott Ballroom 2

Fri 10:30am-11:30am  Table Talks 29
 
Sat 12:00pm-1:00pm  Spilling the Tea and Coffee: Women in the Industry Meetup
For industry pros only. Bring a beverage and let's network!

Sat 3:00pm-4:00pm  Writing & Publishing in Different Genres

Sat 6:00pm-7:00pm   Autographs


So that is my update for now. If there are specific things you'd like to hear more about in the next update, please feel free to ask in the comments. 
Your next update will be the week of August 18-22.

Thank you for being part of this project!
Sandra

Greetings Backers,

TL;DR: No action items for you. The Minnesota Retreat was wonderful. Blank journals are in hand. I'm excited to get back to organizing the warehouse and putting finishing touches on this book. You get Chapter 16 to read. Your next update will be the week of July 14-18. 

Being in person with other writers is always a joy. I'm very pleased that my role as safety officer was not used or needed very much. No one got sick in a way that needed more than mild management, and the support people needed emotionally was not burdensome. Being a featured instructor was a new experience. I've taught at retreats before, but usually as a small bonus class. This time I got to teach the first and last classes. Making sure I was fully prepared to teach and critique occupied a large portion of my time. I was still able to turn my focus to SLSC at various points during the retreat. In fact I referenced SLSC frequently while preparing my classes.

I had an enlightening moment during the final Q&A of the retreat. DongWon Song (who is a literary agent) was answering a question about the timeline for a book and mentioned that books spend 8 months in editorial. I realized that it has been about 8 months that I've been working on edits. This made me feel much better about my progress. Perhaps it is not that I'm slow, but that I was expecting too much?  I've been trying to push faster than was reasonable, in part because I want to get the project to all of you, but also because I need to see what financial support this book can give to my family once it is done. I'm letting financial anxiety affect my project timelines and that isn't ideal.

Related to that thought, I was listening to Mary Robinette Kowal talk about the novel she was working to edit, and I had another realization. When Mary Robinette finishes her edit, she will hand it off to someone else who will do another pass on it. During that time the project continues to move forward, but her brain is free to refresh and explore other projects. When I finish an edit pass, I hand off the project to ... me.  This means I don't get breathers between edits. Not only that, but I keep starting the next pass before I've fully finished the previous one. At the time it seemed like a way to make things go faster, but I think it just fragmented my focus and made things feel messy.



In order to clean up the mess, I need to bring everything into alignment on the same edit pass. I'll be creating a few pre-press copies that I hope to have at Gen Con, and I'll be hiring out the copy-edit pass on final text. (Yes I attempted to do a copy edit earlier, but my latest edit had some significant revision, so the copy edit needs to be done again.) During that copy edit pass I'll be able to take a breather and then come back with fresh eyes for the final layout.

I have definitely learned a lot about how to build good processes for this sort of nonfiction book. I will be applying my learnings to future projects in a way that hopefully helps me do better at not breaking my brain.

I have most of July before I leave for Gen Con. I plan to get a lot done. I'll give you all an update the week of July 14-18.

Thank you for following along with this project. Below are some photos from my retreat in Minnesota and another chapter for you to read.