👋 Don't suck up to anyone, anymore.
It's Monday. I'm here for you.
Hi, Friend! It's me - Jen Glantz.
After spending a month and a half watching seven seasons (84 episodes and 42 hours of my life) of the TV show Younger, I decided to step away from the television for a little while.
I'm officially back in my reading era, and the first book I picked up happened to be extremely addicting I couldn't put it down. It came everywhere with me: the bathroom, Gemma's room in the early morning hours when she was in and out of sleeping and wanted mommy to sit next to the crib, on Zoom calls where I was camera-off and only needing to half-listen to the conversation. I finished the book in hours.
The Housemaid. Maybe you've read it. Maybe you haven't. But I swear the pages are lined with sugar it's so addicting.
It also has 483,000 reviews on Amazon and has been on the New York Times best-seller list for 76 weeks and has sold 3.6 million copies in English alone.
An author's dream.
My third book, Finally the Bride, is both laughing that those numbers are possible and crying because we’re on a whole other far away planet from ever reaching them.
The book has sold hundreds of copies. It only has 22 reviews on Amazon. And the only bestseller list it's on is Gemma's favorite things list because she can't believe/understand why her mommy's photo is on the cover of the book. This list alone makes my weeping author heart melt, but when I zoom out, I feel super defeated.
Every month, I take out my own book from the library just to show them there's demand for it! If they think people want the book, maybe they will pay to order more! That's the kind of struggling author I am.
Seeing another author write a book that's so big-time it is being turned into a movie with Sydney Sweeney can make my jealousy fangs come out. So I decided to do a deep dive into who the heck this person is and what made this book explode.
It turns out she's a lot like us. The always the underdog. The one who keeps trying. The one who doesn't seem to ever get to the next level in her career. The one who almost gave up. But didn't.
And in the process of not giving up, decided to own her decision to move forward.
To get a big-time publisher, you need to have an agent. So when this author couldn't get an agent, she crossed out this plan and self-published her first book, and her next one, and so on, until her books started doing soooo well that publishers noticed her and reached out.
She said: I self published my first book on Amazon in 2013. Prior to this, I had gone through the long and incredibly painful process of querying for an agent/publisher, and I was thrilled I could get my work out there without having to suck up to anyone.
The path to success isn't linear. Sometimes other routes are there but they are not so obvious. (I learned that lesson inside this book).
I said you need an agent to get a book published. But you also can just do it yourself, accept that it'll feel less glamorous, write good stuff, get people to read it, and then have a publisher knock on your door and buy all your books.
Another example of this is a Reddit post that’s becoming a movie staring Sydney Sweeney. There are so many wild paths toward your crazy dream. I love seeing real-life reminders of that.
One more example:
The author of Fifty Shades of Grey. She was discovered after she published her own books. She’s now sold 150 million books. Imagine if she just decided to quit trying after agents rejected her the first-time around?
And it happened to a famous author I had a very brief but intense friendship with.
Over dinner at Soho House, after I had just published my first book with a tiny online publisher, I asked him whether it was worth it to continue on.
The book is alive, but I don't feel as alive as I thought I would about it. A few people care but not thousands.
His eyes were tender. He knew what I felt and meant.
You don't understand the process, he said. You just have to keep going.
Success sometimes happens the first time you try. Mostly it doesn't. It happens after you try a dozen times and just refuse to quit.
This author wrote 10 books that he said nobody read. Then he wrote one more. Everyone read it. They turned it into a movie with Tina Fey.
The best part wasn't the movie. It was that finally people started reading all of my other books too, the ones I loved and were so proud of. The ones people ignored for so long.
So listen, maybe you're not an author. But you are a human, and you are probably chasing something. After all, what's the purpose of life if we aren't roaring after something we can hardly seem to hold as our own?
If it's not really what you want, you'll be okay with giving up.
But if it is, it will haunt you. Then it will make you realize that one time isn't enough to try you have to do it again, and again. Take feedback. Be bold. Believe in luck. Agree that you are as good as others who have made it, because you are.
And then remember to look sideways. To not suck up to others. To create your own opportunities if nobody will give them to you.
One day they will, but it will never feel as good as knowing you gave yourself permission to do what you wanted to do, no matter what.
I love an overnight success story because patience isn't in my DNA.
I have the energy of a person desperate to hold a winning lottery ticket. I want to leap on a balance beam once and win the gold medal.
And every now and then I try to shake those desperate fleas off me and remember to focus. To do the work. To stay true to myself. Because it will pay off I believe with every ounce of my tingling spirit that nothing is more true than that.
Hello dear April! It might a rainy month, but here are some easy ways to bring some sunshine into your dazzling days.
Book: I’ve talked too much about this book but if you’re looking for a quick read you can’t put down — remember — this book feels like the pages are lined with sugar. It’s addicting.
Song: Turn the volume on this one and change your mood.
Makeup: I’ve worn the same three makeup products every day for the past 15 years. But last week, I went to Sephora and finally found a handful of new items that I adore. Here are the four products I honestly love and replaced my very old stuff with. Full makeup try-on video here.
Ilia Foundation: I can’t stand foundation that feels thick and globby. I’ve only ever worn powder foundation before but tried this foundation (with sunscreen!!) and am loving it. It’s lightweight but provides good coverage.
Merit Blush: Easy to just slide this blush on and rub it in. Love the color selection too.
Merit Lipstick: I got this in the color millennial (LOL) and I love how it looks natural. Stays on for hours!
Tower28 Lipgloss: I bought this for the 3rd time. It’s a great on-the-go lipgloss.
Kids Gift: If you’re heading to a toddler’s birthday party, here’s my go-to gift. It’s one of Gemma’s favorite toys to play with.
At-Home Workouts: I’m staying super consistent with my nighttime workouts by keeping them simple. I wear these Bala bangles and press play on these free YouTube workouts. I’m always sore in the AM! I also grabbed this workout mat because it folds up nicely and is easy to store. A bit pricey but good quality.
Recent Monday Pick-Me-Ups:
Most clicked items:
Thank you for reading this week’s pick-me-up. I adore you! I’ll be back in your inbox on Monday. Until then, hit reply and say helllloooo!
P.S. I'd be so grateful if you could tap that like button below - it really helps others discover this content! And if you're enjoying what you read, consider becoming a paid subscriber or sharing with friends who might appreciate it too. Your support means the world to me! Thank you for being here! ✨