As of the date I’m writing this, many details of Waiting for Beautiful are yet to be ironed out. Please, if you have questions, ask them! For now, these are the ones I’m anticipating:

What is a timeline for this project?

I have no concrete idea, but I’d like to see it finished by spring 2018. This, of course, is largely dependent on the response from contributors.

Will it be independently published?

That’s the plan, although I might pitch it to some agents/editors once I see how it’s shaping up.

What if I’m not a writer? Can I still write a letter?

Absolutely. All letters will be professionally edited for publication, but will maintain the unique voice and content of the writer. The most important thing is to write from the heart.

Will every letter be accepted?

That will depend on the response, the needs of the book, and other factors I likely haven’t though of yet.

Will contributors be paid/recognized for their submissions?

Contributors will not be paid in the traditional sense, though I do plan to provide each of them a copy of the book. The real value in being part of this is the impact it will have on other moms.

As for recognition, because of the emphasis on privacy, I will not attribute individual letters to their authors, but will have a separate contributor section at the back of the book, with small bios of each contributor. Inclusion in this will be totally voluntary.

Who will profit from/pay for publishing this book?

I will assume the risk and responsibility of publishing this book, probably through some form of crowdfunding. As for profit (a bit of a misnomer with most publishing projects!), I have no desire to do more than cover my expenses. I’d love to see this book sell enough to pay for itself AND fund the occasional adoption/orphan care related endeavor, such as scholarships to Empowered to Connect conferences.