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Hello, dear friends!
Thanks to our generous backers, we have unlocked the paperback, hard-cover, and audiobook editions of the book!
Thank you for helping me to bring this message to even more readers (and listeners!)!
Want to continue supporting the cause?
- Ask your local book store (and every bookstore you pop into!) if they have the book :)
- Ask your local library if they have the book :)
- Ask your favorite podcaster to interview me about the book :)
- Ask your HR department to host a conversation with me :)
And please stay in touch!
With gratitude,
Sharon Podobnik Peterson, author of It's Not (All) Your Fault
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The Story of It's Not (All) Your Fault
What if self-help doesn't actually help?
My name is Sharon Podobnik Peterson and I am the author of It’s Not (All) Your Fault.
When I was just 25 years old, I found myself on my own personal hamster wheel of hell. I felt like I was too young to burn out, yet there I was - tired, angry, depressed, and anxious. I popped Xanax to make it through each day, and Ambien to make it through each night. I drank heavily to hide my social anxiety, which left me feeling somehow even more alone.
I knew something had to change.
So, I turned to self help.
Over the next few years, I read hundreds of self-help books, and over time, found myself fatter, sadder, and feeling more alone and flawed than ever. I needed to understand how the books that promised us all the answers could leave us with even more questions, frustrations, and feelings of inadequacy.
I started exploring the questions that weren’t sitting well with me, questions like:
- How can rates of depression and self-help be growing at the same time?
- How can rates of obesity and dieting be growing at the same time?
- How is it that the vast majority of self-help authors and speakers are white men over 60, while the majority of readers are women in their 40s?
- If the personal development industry is slated to be worth a whopping $269 Billion by 2024, why aren’t we seeing more change?
Part memoir, part guide, It’s Not (All) Your Fault chronicles not only my experience in personally grappling with these issues and questions, but also my deep-dive into the long history of looking to others for answers.
In reading this book, you will discover new insights into the relationship between fault and responsibility, personal development and social change. I hope you will see this book as an opportunity to explore why so many of our personal development efforts fail, and how we can orient ourselves towards a more beautiful, peaceful, and just future, together.
You will love this book if you love self-help. You will also love this book if you hate self-help. You will love this book if you've ever been curious about why some folks thrive, and others merely survive in an unending stream of coping mechanisms. This book is for personal development lovers and skeptics alike who want to grapple with the effects of capitalism, injustice, and inequitable societies on us as individuals, and especially on women.
Ultimately, I hope that It's Not (All) Your Fault inspires reflection and fruitful dialogue, pressing into engaging questions like:
- What's actually wrong with me? Is it my fault? Does it matter?
- What am I experiencing that is the result of the society, family, and moment in time that I'm living in?
- How are these things affecting me as a friend, as a partner, as a member of society, and as a leader?
- How do I take individual responsibility for my life and demand systemic change at the same time?
I really look forward to exploring these questions and beyond with my readers!
What We Need & What You Get
This book will be published with New Degree Press. I set up the pre-order tiers to help cover the costs for publishing my book. Money raised will go towards the following:
- The Editor I will work with to revise and publish my manuscript in May, 2022!
- The Cover Design of my book. (The mockups you see currently are a placeholder!)
- The Layout Design for the interior of my book (physical copy, ebook formats).
- The Copyediting for my book to polish the grammar and spelling prior to publication.
- The Launch & Promotion Efforts for my book when I ultimately publish in Spring 2022.
I am also offering some exclusive rewards for people who pre-order my book now:
- You will receive a personally signed copy of my book when I publish and a handwritten thank-you note.
- Your name will appear in the Acknowledgments section of my book (“with Special Thanks to”).
- You will receive early access to the Introduction and some excerpts from my book, with the opportunity to review it and give me early feedback.
- You will have the opportunity to be involved in selecting my cover and title.
- You will be invited to join my Author Community and get behind-the-scenes sneak peeks into the publishing process.
- And much more!
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Campaign Goals
- Tier 1: Hit $6,500 and the ebook/softcover editions get published (this is the minimum needed)
- Tier 2: Hit $7,500 and the book will get a hardcover edition
- Tier 3: Hit $9,500 and we’ll get an audiobook edition.
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About the Author
Sharon Podobnik Peterson is a highly acclaimed author, educator, entrepreneur and thought leader. She is the founder and CEO of The Center for Conscious Leadership, where she supports leaders in leveraging individual development for collective transformation. Sharon created The Go Love Yourself Box, a self-help subscription box for women, and delivered personal growth to women’s doorsteps globally, which was recognized by Oprah Magazine, Good Morning America, and the Washington Post.
Sharon is unendingly curious about people, power, and potential. She has studied psychology, sociology, education and social change from the University of Pittsburgh, University of Miami, and Harvard University, and earned her leadership coaching certificate (ACC) through Georgetown University and the International Coach Federation. Sharon teaches classes on education and transformation at Johns Hopkins University and organizes pro bono leadership development services for organizations supporting the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
When Sharon’s not coaching or writing, you can find her exploring the world with her husband, Mark, or hanging out with her spunky kitty, Annie, in Seattle, WA.
For more information, you can connect with Sharon on Instagram, on LinkedIn, or at sharon@thecenterforconsciousleadership.com. You can join her author community on Facebook.
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International Preorders
I love my international friends! For international preorders, please do the following:
- Identify the perk that interests you (e.g. 1 or 2 paperbacks)
- Select the pink "Back it" button to "Make a contribution" for the same amount (this choice bypasses the shipping address page)
- Please complete this form (link here) to share your mailing address, so I can calculate the international shipping costs and invoice you for that amount via PayPal/Venmo!
Risks & Challenges
The biggest challenge with publishing a book is delivering the finished book to the backer, specifically my mailing of the book to you. Luckily, I've run a subscription box and know how to get books to your doorstep! I have also eliminated this risk by building into the campaign the mailing and shipping costs of your signed copies to you within each pre-order tier.
The risk of delivering the pre-sale copies of my book is also contingent on the publisher we use. I will be working closely with New Degree Press to make sure we get the earliest possible ship date of the signed book copy to you. We will keep all pre-sale backers up-to-date as my book hits each key milestone and publishes. You will know when the copies are expected to ship.
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Other Ways You Can Help
Not everyone can contribute, but that doesn't mean you can't help and get something out of it!
I will reward the top 3 people who refer the most backers at the end of the campaign (30 days!). Here's how:
- At the top of the campaign page, you will see the "share" buttons. Click on the "chain" icon to get a custom link just for you. (Note: Please don't use the URL in the browser window as it won't work to track referrals and you won't get credit!)
- Copy that link and paste it on your social media, email it to a friend, or text a fellow book lover.
- When someone clicks on that link and backs the book, you get 1 entry!
- The top 3 people who refer the most backers will win an incredible reward!
Please share my book and message with 5 friends, family members, or co-workers who you think would enjoy it via text, email, or social media.
Please use #ItsNotAllYourFault and tag me as well as my publisher, @NewDegreePress, so we can help amplify your efforts!
Tags:
- Instagram - @sharonpodobnik / @newdegreepress
- Facebook - @Sharon Podobnik / @NewDegreePress
- Twitter - @SharonPodobnik / @NewDegreePress
Thank you so much for of all of your love and support!
I appreciate you more than you know,
Sharon Podobnik Peterson