Writers Like You: An Interview With Jodi Grubbs
As a friend of mine said recently, traditional publishing feels mysterious. It’s seen as an exclusive club that you have to have a key and a secret password to get into. And while it’s true that it’s hard to be traditionally published… it’s also true that writers like you do it every single day!
In the next couple months, I’ll be interviewing several writers who have recently signed with agents, had proposals accepted by publishers, and are looking forward to publishing their books so that you can hear in their own words what it’s like to go through the process, and how you can do it, too.
Traditional publishing isn’t for everyone, but if it’s your dream, then I hope that these interviews inspire and encourage you on your journey!
First up, I’m talking to my friend Jodi Grubbs. In this interview, Jodi shares how joining a writing group helped her take her writing seriously and meet her goal of getting a book deal before her 50th birthday! Listen for some of these highlights and lessons from Jodi’s experience:
- Relationships are key to growing as a writer and getting a publishing deal.
- Have a long-term perspective—relationships take time and persistence to grow.
- Things happen at the right time. Pace yourself!
- Stay open to direction from your agent and publishing team.
- Jodi’s advice for aspiring first-time authors!
Jodi H. Grubbs is an author, podcast host, speaker, and Slow Living advocate. Through her writing and speaking, Jodi invites busy women to find joy, peace, and gratitude in the simple pleasures of the beautifully hard lives we have been gifted. Jodi is the author of a children’s book, The Island Adventures of Lili and Oliver, and co-author of a Bible study on friendship called The Friendship Cafe. She is looking forward to publishing her first adult nonfiction book with InterVarsity Press in 2023.
Jodi is married to Dean and they have an artsy teen daughter, Lili. Jodi’s family, including their feisty Yorkie-Poo, Bella, live in a restored 1952 bungalow in downtown Garner, North Carolina, one of the fastest-growing Raleigh suburbs in the South.
You can connect with her on Instagram.
