Thinkingdog Publishing

So - here we go again: it’s 7:13 AM. I’m in my robe. I have one sock on. The dog is staring at me like I just told her I threw out all the treats. My laptop is open, the cursor blinking like it’s judging me, and I’m staring at my manuscript thinking: Who gave me permission to write a book? Was there a form? A permit? Did I miss the licensing exam? Welcome to Tuesday. Also known as: “Imposter Syndrome’s Favorite Day.” Here’s the thing—I thought imposter syndrome was something that happened only to other people. People who accidentally got promoted to CEO when they meant to send an email. Or someone who woke up famous and didn’t know how to use Instagram filters. But no. Imposter syndrome is an equal opportunity mischief-maker. And for writers? It’s practically a roommate. Don’t believe me? Let’s talk about John Steinbeck. You know, Of Mice and Men , The Grapes of Wrath , East of Eden —that guy. He once wrote this in his journal: “My many weaknesses are beginning to show their head...

There’s nothing quite like pouring your heart, soul, and an irresponsible amount of coffee into a novel—only to have someone on the internet declare it “the worst book I’ve ever read” right after publication day. First of all… dramatic much? If you’re reading this post and you’ve ever gotten a bad review, welcome to the club . We have cookies. And tissues. And a secret spreadsheet where we compare the most dramatic one-star zingers and rate them for flair and emotional devastation. There's even an entire podcast where they read one-star reviews out loud - and make fun of them. But seriously. Let’s talk about it. Bad reviews happen to everybody. And I mean everybody . I once looked up reviews for a wildly famous author who’s sold more books than there are cats on the internet (and that’s saying something), and guess what? One-star reviews galore. Someone said their “writing style reminded them of damp lettuce.” I don’t know what that means, but I know it’s harsh. So what do we ...