In Her Words

Happy New Year from Soul Speak Press! Jess shares some thoughts and plans for 2025, including new business "experiments" and opportunities for writers to join our community.  This podcast is hosted by Jessica Buchanan, a NYT Bestselling author, speaker, survivor and founder of Soul Speak Press. Soul Speak Press is a boutique non-traditional publishing company focused on publishing storie...

Becky Ellis shares insights from writing her memoir as well as her extensive experience in the publishing industry. Becky is a Timberwolf Pup and her story confronts the silence surrounding the generational impact of war. The daughter of a highly decorated World War II combat sergeant, she is a veteran of a war fought at home. She earned a BA in English Literature at UC Berkeley and has over twent...

Tune in this week for a candid conversation with Loren Buchanan, Director of Marketing at Soul Speak Press. Jess and Loren discuss the complexities of marketing a book, beyond just sales numbers, and what true success can look like for authors. Loren emphasizes the importance of setting specific marketing goals that align with an author’s vision, rather than focusing solely on book sales. They div...

Our guest this week is Brenda Daly, author of ""I Got Up: A Mother's Story of Grief, Resilience, and Unending Love." Brenda is a Certified Grief Therapist and LCSW with over 40 years of experience in clinical social work, including work with eating disorders, addiction, codependence and alcoholic family systems. As a result of the loss of her son Kevin, Brenda had become a spec...

Jess speaks with Sue Muraida, writing teacher and author of several books including the 2023 memoir Going Back for Me. Sue talks about the joy and satisfaction that comes with finishing a manuscript, what it's like to work with Jess, and the benefits of meeting with a group of writers through the process.  Sue Muraida is a writer, speaker, and pursuer of abundant life, living in Grand Junctio...

This week, join Jess in conversation with Gila Pfeffer . Pfeffer is a fifteen year breast cancer previvor, survivor and prevention advocate. She is the author of the reluctantly inspirational memoir Nearly Departed: Adventures In Loss, Cancer, and Other Inconveniences. Her work includes the widely shared McSweeney’s piece “An Open Letter to Tiffany & Co. About Their Advertising Campaign for th...

This week we hear from Ellen Busch, author of (dis)Empowered. Busch opens up about overcoming stigma and low self-esteem after being diagnosed with dyslexia as a child. After escaping an abusive relationship, achieving the status of bestselling author feels like the ultimate win for Busch. She talks about her experience working with Soul Speak Press, self-publishing vs. hybrid publishing, and the...

In a short episode this week, Jess touches on the emotional aspects of sharing one's story, as well as the power and empowerment comes from taking our stories back. If you're contemplating sharing your story, consider the positive answers to "What if...?" What if writing your story helps someone? What if telling your story is a vital step in your healing journey? What if it ope...

Have you ever thought about curating your own anthology? Are you passionate about a specific subject or theme that you feel is underrepresented? In this week's podcast, learn how Soul Speak Press supports authors who wish to lead their own anthology and recruit contributors around a particular theme. Jess presents 5 Reasons Why You Should Run Your Own Anthology Project and explains how Soul S...

This week, Jess opens up about her personal experience with rejection, redirection, and moving forward in her journey as an author. Despite being a New York Times bestselling author, Jess faced challenges in securing a publishing deal for her second book proposal. Rather than letting rejection hold her back, she transformed it into an opportunity for redirection. In this episode, Jess encourages f...

This week, Jess chats with Ashley Bunting, Head of Publishing at Merack Publishing. Together, they explore the extensive work involved in transforming a manuscript into a polished, meticulously proofread printed book. They also touch on the challenges of working with Amazon, managing realistic expectations for book sales, and coordinating all the logistical elements necessary for a successful book...

This week, Jess delves into the importance of building your author brand—what it means and why it matters. Author branding encompasses many aspects: your identity as a writer, the emotions you want to evoke in your readers, and the core message you want to convey to your growing audience. In this episode, Jess encourages listeners to approach branding from multiple perspectives. She outlines three...

A common question that Jessica receives from prospective authors is, "When can I expect to recoup my investment?" While this question is impossible to answer without the help of a crystal ball, we do have some strategies for making money on your book that go beyond sales. In this episode, Jessica offers 5 Ways to Make Money on Your Book without Having to Sell Your Book. We'll cover...

Jessica is back with Season 2 of the In Her Words Podcast! She kicks off Episode 1 with tales from her summer travels. More importantly, she dives into the difference between a Memoir and a Memoir Manifesto—the type of books published by Soul Speak Press for women ready to tell their stories. A Memoir Manifesto is one part memoir, one part message, and one part manifesto. It is your legacy work th...

You've heard her name dropped in a few episodes, but it's time to introduce the Marketing Director here at Soul Speak Press, Loren Buchanan. Loren has worked with Jessica in a handful of capacities, but in this specific role, she has been able to partner with Jessica to see the vision of Soul Speak Press come to life. Loren talks about her favorite parts of working at Soul Speak and why...

Jessica answers your questions from Instagram about being a memoir writer and showing up on social media! Should you build your brand or personal social media platform? How to move past paralysis by analysis on social media? When to start talking about your story and how to share "your little truths?" What's the deal with BookTok? We will do this periodically, so be sure to follow u...

We get it. The publishing industry information and options are confusing and overwhelming. Here at Soul Speak Press we field a lot of questions about the publishing industry and differences in the all the publishing paths available to authors now.  In this episode, Jessica offers a quick overview of the main 5 pathways for getting your memoir published. Instead of scouring the internet, get the ov...

Welcome to another episode of our podcast, where we dive into the captivating world of authors and their stories! Our mission is to provide writers and aspiring authors with a realistic view of the publishing industry. In this episode, we are thrilled to have Alyssa Ages as our guest. Alyssa is a journalist and the author of Secrets of Giants: A Journey to Uncover the True Meaning of Strength . Be...

Social media is a powerful tool for memoir authors. While it might feel overwhelming at first, it's an important way to get your story out there, build your brand, and grow your audience. In this episode, Jessica discusses her own journey with social media, specifically Instagram, and the changes she made when she decided that this was going to be the tool for her to grow her audience and bus...

How do you evaluate if it's time to change your strategy to get your book published? Can you find a book agent? How long have you been sending out your proposal? Is your story well-positioned for the current times? How important is social media for getting a book deal? Jessica answers all these questions and more.  In this episode, Jessica delves into some honest questions to ask yourself as...

This week's episode is all about our Anthology Projects here at Soul Speak Press! Jessica discusses where she came up with the anthology series name "Deserts to Mountaintops" and why we LOVE having a bestselling book that compiles multiple women's voices instead of just one person's voice. Jessica details 5 reasons why you should consider writing a piece of your story in a...

Krista Clive-Smith talks through her own career journey from a professional organizer to a personal branding expert to visionary founder of Merack Publishing. As Krista wrote her first book, she saw a gap in the publishing industry and started Merack Publishing - a boutique, non-fiction publishing house built by authors, for authors. In this illuminating dialogue with Jessica, Krista discusses the...

Let's talk all things Soul Speak Press! Jessica dives into the origins of Soul Speak Press, the relationship with our mother publishing house Merack, and her heart behind hybrid and professional publishing for women's memoirs. Jessica discusses some of the key differences between our individual Memoir Manifestos and the Deserts to Mountaintops Anthologies.  This podcast is hosted by Jess...

Welcome to the first episode of In Her Words, a podcast for women who are ready speak their truth, write their stories, and inspire the world. In this episode, Jessica discusses her publishing journey and how she ended up writing a New York Times Bestselling book, as well as the origin of Soul Speak Press. Our objective with this new podcast is to connect with women who are interested in writing m...