Today is the last day The Acknowledgments is open for joining until September! Some of you may have been contemplating and wondering about the group, but not sure if it's for you, or not, so I'm actually going to tell you all the reasons it may NOT be for you.

Your values don't align with the space. Our values need to be shared up front because it's vital to our group culture:

In The Acknowledgments we believe in inclusive, ethical, and sustainable author careers (sustainable is so often missing in the conversation!) We believe in having honest conversations, offering generous support, and making publishing decisions that fit your actual life, not someone else's highlight reel. We welcome diverse perspectives on craft and publishing, there is no "one true way" and we want your voice to be heard.

And further to our values...

You want a space where everyone's politics stay out of it. That isn't this group. The Acknowledgments *is* a refuge from the divisiveness and performative outrage of social media, but *not* from real conversations about justice, identity, or lived experience. For a lot of writers, the things many people call "political" are actually personal--their every day lived experience, and we want people to feel safe showing up fully here. Therefore, we expect respect for all identities and backgrounds that don't promote harmful ideologies.

Harmful ideologies (racism, transphobia, misogyny, ableism, MAGA-aligned extremism) don't belong in this space, and members who can't align with that will be happier somewhere else.

You have expectations of perfection. Whether it's perfection from me, from yourself, from your books, or from other group members...you're going to be disappointed because perfection doesn't exist in any of those things (sorry!) and we're not even trying to pretend. Promoting or striving for perfection is more toxic than it is positive, and we want to embrace being true to ourselves and embracing our reality rather than railing against it.

You're looking for toxic positivity (or a rubber stamp of approval of everything you do.) Support in this group doesn't mean telling you every idea is great, every draft is ready, or every publishing choice you're considering is the right one for you. That's just not how I roll and not the vibe of the group. We'll celebrate you. We'll also challenge you and ask the questions you might not want to hear or hope no one will ask (and yes, we'll do it as gently as possible, we're also not mean!)

You want a group where the only thing we talk about is making money. Could I run a group where all we talk about is how to make more more more money. Sure, and I'd probably sell way more people into the group. But that's not who I am as a coach and mentor, and that's not the culture of the group.

Yes, money is often a big part of the conversation. Selling books is often a big part of the conversation. Paying your bills, sustaining your career, building something that lasts, all part of the conversation and super important. But hustle culture? Nope, not a thing. Treating your health and your creativity as disposable on the way to a sales number? That's not what I'm selling and I hope that's not how you look at your business.

You want one-size-fits-all publishing advice instead of context, nuance, and honest support. I will never stop shouting this one fact about publishing: there isn't one path to "success". And there isn't one version of "success". There's no secret someone can share that guarantees instant results, or results that give a lifetime of guaranteed success (in other words: anyone selling you guarantees is selling you a Threads cheesecake--iykyk**).

What's unique is that instead of one-size-fits all advice, we talk about strategy in context: your books, your goals, your genre, your resources, your energy, your health, your timeline, your life. You can't pick your path based on someone else's desires and needs, and trying to do it that way is how frustration, burnout and, to put it bluntly, despair, happen.

You want to disappear into a giant group. The Acknowledgments is intentionally small. People will learn your name, your books, your patterns, your goals, and probably the thing you keep saying you're going to do and then avoiding (we see you). To make that happen, you don't have to be loud or extroverted, but you do have to show up. You will get out what you put in!

If any of this sounds like the kind of space you've been looking for, come join us.

​The Acknowledgments is open for enrollment through the end of today (Monday) and the sooner you're in, the sooner you stop trying to figure all of this out by yourself and let us support you and help you.

As always, hit reply if you have questions before you join!
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See you in the group!
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~Angela
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**Threads has some of the most delightful random stories that blow up and this weekend, it was a woman who bought a $50 cheesecake from a local baker who'd come recommended via a local group. The cheesecake was a sad, flat, not-cheesecake-looking thing and Threads comments didn't disappoint with bringing the jokes and the joy! It got so much attention that Cheesecake Factory came back to Threads after a several year absence to jump into the conversation.