The Partners: Writing About Sensitive and Emotional Topics

How do you guide authors through writing about sensitive or emotional topics, to bridge the gap between their story and their brand?

Danielle Perlin-Good


I became a certified Quantum Energy Healer in the summer of 2021 and continue to utilize various meditation techniques, listening skills, and more in order to truly unearth my clients’ stories. I also hold emotional space for them by allowing them to be vulnerable with me. When sharing their deepest, darkest truths, it’s so crucial to be fully present. 


Lisa Shrewsberry


Wow… this is a tough question. But I think my years of experience reporting on hard-to-discuss material have equipped me well to coach clients through the process of writing about the hard stuff, to ask the right questions in the right way and to foster transparency and fearlessness within their storytelling, always with an end goal in mind. Obviously, they wouldn’t broach a sensitive subject if they weren’t seeking others who could benefit from their experience, and this is a high calling. I think it was attributed to C.S. Lewis, but really a quote by the character in the play about his life, Shadowlands, that fits best: “We read to know that we are not alone.” I believe that we also write and publish for this very noble reason.


Susie Schaefer


It starts with me. Being grounded and secure myself gives me the opportunity to hold space for my authors and allow them the time to process what they are writing and why their story matters. It’s all about transformation, and me being grounded is essential to supporting them as they share their story.


I meditate daily and write in my journal, use self-care techniques, and make sure that I have plenty of “me” time. This gives me the energy I need to help authors make tough choices and be there when they coaching. Much of publishing can take on a “therapeutic” feel, and if I’m not in balance, I’m not serving my clients with my best self.


One of the tools I use is The Trifecta, which is an exercise we do in our Book Visioning session to help them identify their story, their brand, and their community…and how to connect the three to their mission and message. I also teach The Sticky Note Method; a way to reverse-engineer the book to get authors out of their head and into their heart when writing. The transformation I see in my authors is a beautiful to behold.

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One of the things I mentioned earlier is creating your publishing company, or imprint. Instead of using “self-published,” it’s better to create a publishing company and here’s why: By setting up your own imprint and creating a logo, you can then create the look and feel of a small press, versus looking self-published. Not only does this appear more professional, some book reviewers may not review independently published books. Here's how it works: First come up with your publishing company name, such as Red Rose Press, Blue Sky Publishing, or whatever you want. Then, do an internet search and see if that name’s being used. If not, GREAT! If yes, you might have to make some changes so that your publishing imprint is not an infringement of another company. Next, check with your local Secretary of State, which you can usually do online and make sure that the name isn’t being used. It’s a good idea to talk to your tax accountant to see what is the best type of business to set up, but in most cases, a simple sole proprietorship will work just fine. The reason that you want this set up correctly is that it will legitimize your publishing and also provide you whatever tax incentives are in your state. Again, I’m not a tax professional, so get some guidance on what’s best for you. If you already have an established business, simply create your publishing as a DBA under your company name. Next, search for your domain names. Instead of searching on GoDaddy, it’s best to just do an internet search first, as the more you search on GoDaddy, the domain price goes up. And, when you’ve got your book title finalized, be sure to buy the domain for your book title as well. This allows your webmaster to create a website that is suited to your needs and can use the domains you’ve purchased for your publishing imprint and book title. For your logo, there’s no need to spend a lot of money. If you don’t already have a graphics person available, check and see if you can find someone to create a simple logo for your publishing imprint. Fiverr and Upwork are excellent resources. Keep in mind that your publishing logo will appear on either your copyright page or title page, and on the back cover and spine, so keep it simple. Finally, when opening your accounts and purchasing your ISBNs, do EVERYTHING under your new publishing company name. And don’t forget to keep all receipts, invoices and other items for tax purposes. You’ve now created your own publishing company and can publish all your books under that imprint. Congratulations!
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