September 16, 2025 • 49 mins
Ali Kriegsman burned it all down—then self-published her debut novel. After walking away from a toxic startup and a stalled traditional book deal, Ali brought The Raise, a sharp, satirical thriller set in the girlboss world, to life on her own terms. In this episode, Danielle sits down with the author, entrepreneur, and former Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree to discuss how she built a cinematic book launch from scratch, what she learned about identity and self-worth, and why burning it all down was just the beginning.
Book Mentions:
How to Build a Goddamn Empire by Ali Kriegsman
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Alan Singer
The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
No One’s Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
Ali Kriegsman’s Questions to Reinvent Her Life and Work:
- How did I want to fill my time in the next few months?
- Who did I want to become?
- What problems excited me?
- What desires had I not fulfilled?
- What skills did I want to deepen?
- What signals did I want to send the universe?
- Is there a world in which the answer supports my income in the long run?
You can explore more of her reflections on Substack →
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Bookmarked by Reese's book Club is presented by Apple Books. Hi,
I'm Danielle Robe and welcome to Bookmarked by Reese's book Club.
You know the drill. We have a phone line that
I usually plug at the end of the show, but
I'm thinking we can switch it up a little bit.
I'm going to give you the phone number right now.
(00:20):
It's five zero one two nine to one three three
seven nine. Call me, leave me a hot take, ask
a question, or just tell me what you're reading and loving.
I listen to every single message, and here's the thing.
Most of the messages I get are from writers, people
who have poured their hearts into a book, but feel
(00:42):
really lost when it comes to breaking into the publishing world.
And I get it. It feels mysterious and complicated. So
today I wanted to bring somebody onto the show who
has figured out her own way forward.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
It is so easy to let other people's opinions or
rejection of you become a part of your identity. And
I think this entire process taught me that I can
be right even when gatekeepers don't get what I'm doing,
or if the industry I'm in doesn't see where I'm going.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Ali Kreedsman started her career at Conde Nast. She co
founded the retail startup Bulletin at just twenty four years old,
and then sold it a few years later for eight figures.
She even wrote a book about building an empire with
a major publisher. But about a year ago, she did
something completely unexpected. In her own words, she decided to
(01:41):
burn her life down. She walked away from the traditional
founder track, she overhauled her personal life, and she set
her sights on writing fiction. Now she's debuting The Rays,
a razor sharp satirical thriller set in the cutthroat, absurd
world of startups. And she's not just writing it, she's
(02:03):
self publishing, self promoting, and even creating a full on
cinematic book trailer for Instagram. And guess what, it's working.
So if you've ever dreamed of betting on yourself or
wondered how to take your own creative leap, you are
in the right place. Let's turn the page with Ali Kriegsman.
(02:28):
Ali Kriegsman, Welcome to the club.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Thank you for having me, Danielle, happy to be here.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
I'm so excited that you're here today. You're here with
your new book, The Raise, which is a sharp satirical
thriller set in the girl boss world of startups. Yes,
And the book opens with this scene and she has
to buy the glorified assistant has to buy a wig
for her now dead boss.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Yes. So Darcy has an open casket at her funeral
and her mom, Cecilia, is not happy with any of
the morticians like wigs that they can put on Darcy's
scarred bear scalp. So she calls Alexis and she's like, Hi,
can you pick up a wig for Darcy's open casket.
So the book opens and Alexis is standing at this
wig shop and she's like, I have to find a
(03:16):
wig for my best friend and dead co founder's corpse.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
So my unhinged question to you, Allie, is what wig
would you wear to your own funeral? In an open ket?
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Hundred percent like a more elevated and voluminous version of this, Like,
would I would keep it simple? I would do a
crisp blonde bob. I don't think I would stray. Uh yeah,
I would, just I'd want it to be iconic. I'd
want it to be how everyone has come to know
and love me. If you will tinmless. Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
I was thinking mine would be sort of like Faara
faucet seventies, whind blown, because I always want my hair
that way, and for some reason it'll never stay.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
How did I do that to her?
Speaker 1 (04:02):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
I don't think anyone can get their hair that way.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Yeah, it just I think her hair. You know how
hair kind of does its own thing. I think hers
just did that.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
And I think it was also like the era she
came up in, like the seventies and eighties. It is
just like hair did that then. I don't think it
does that now it's not allowed to do that anymore.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Change. We are going to deep dive into the plot
of your book and actually how you got to write it,
But I really want to start with your story, Ali,
because we met years ago when you founded the company bulletin,
which you ultimately sold, and you were on this very
prestigious founder path. You were Forbes thirty under thirty, there
(04:44):
were lots of accolades, you were in interesting rooms with
interesting people, and then in November of twenty twenty four,
absolutely everything in your life shifted.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
I actually don't know this story what happened.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
I was brought into a company that existed before I
joined it. I joined as co founder earlier that year,
and there were things going on within that company in
partnership with the person that was running the business that
I didn't know about when I joined. And I care
a lot about my integrity, I care a lot about
(05:22):
my reputation, and I just care a lot about transparency,
and so once I started putting the pieces together, I
immediately realized I can't be here anymore, and I quit
on the spot. The year prior, I had worked with
my agents at CIA on selling The Raise. We had
done an initial push to editors and publishers to try
(05:44):
to bring it to market, and that first push to
editors was very interesting. I don't know the editors understood
the genre. I think that the cult of female founder
hadn't really resurged in the way that it's back now
in twenty twenty five, and unfortunately, the publishing industry works
a lot off of comps, so startup fiction had it
(06:06):
sold well for these publishers in the past. I don't
consider The Raise like just a startup fiction thriller. I mean,
you've read it, so you know that it is so
much more. But from a marketing perspective, publishers said, we
love this book. This is voicy, it's amazing, it's so propulsive,
it's delicious, But we don't know what to do with
this from a marketing perspective. So before we went out
(06:28):
to more editors, I just decided, like, maybe traditional publishing
isn't the right route. I'm just going to leave this
bee for now. So I was just in a really
dark place at the end of twenty twenty four. I
didn't know what to do with my book. I didn't
know what to do with my career.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
What I read from your sub stack is you were
also personally going through a lot of transition.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Like you.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Your words were I burned down my life. Yeah yeah,
which is I think something that people fantasize about.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
I'm such a lie. My entire identity was wrapped up
in prestige, accolades, success and status, you know. And so
I did it all, you know. I raised venture capital,
I did a prestigious VC accelerator. I was Forbes thirty
under thirty, as you said, fast companies, most creative people
in business, Like I collected all the titles, I collected
(07:20):
all the accolades and then you know, this venture back
business I had joined was not what I thought it was,
and it burned down. I didn't successfully sell my book
to these gatekeepers, even though I was with CIA, one
of the best agencies in the world, and so it
just kind of felt like all of these things I
had been glomming onto to form my identity and create
(07:42):
this sense of personal validation, these external institutions that were
of high regard, almost like using their validation as a
shorthand for my internal validation. It wasn't working for me anymore.
So I decided that as a way of life, it
can't be how I operate anymore. I have to find
a new way of feeling internally valid. I have to
(08:05):
find some other journey to self belief and self publishing.
The Raise is what got me there, ultimately deciding to
bring the book to market myself, to creative direct every
aspect of the book, the cover, the marketing campaign, the
pr campaign. I decided to make a movie trailer for
The Raise, starring actors and TikTok stars to really bring
people into this immersive world of the book. That process
(08:30):
over the last ten months eleven months has been the
thing that's brought me back to myself.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
One of the coolest aspects of what you've been doing
is that you're very transparent about how you're building. So
you've taken everybody who follows you into the process with you.
You've been documenting much of this journey on your sub stack,
and you talk about how you laid out your plan
with a capital P so in a journal with a
(08:56):
gel pen, which yeah, also a big gelpen girl. Because
I think we're millennials and you know this about me,
but I'm obsessed with questions, and I believe that when
you want better answers, you have to ask better questions.
And you were searching for answers over the last ten
eleven months. As you said, what were some of the
questions that you asked yourself?
Speaker 2 (09:17):
I asked myself, who do I want to become? And
at this point I was thirty three, so I wasn't
like a twenty one year old or a twenty two
year old graduating college. You know, I'm doing a pivot
like I'm in my early thirties, and I'm like, I
can begin again, i can become someone new. And I
always believe that, I always believe in the power of
transformation and that it's never too late to become a
(09:40):
new version of yourself that you can fall in love
with and be proud of. I ask myself, what do
I want to be known for? I have so many
skill sets. I'm a writer, I'm a marketer. I help
other founders raise venture capital. I help other founders bring
their visions to life. I'm a friend, I'm a sister.
I'm so many things. But how do I want the
(10:00):
world in the universe to see and receive me? I
ask myself what do I want to learn? I am
a forever learner and I learned by doing so in
asking myself what do I want to learn? That basically
led me to like who do I want to be
talking to? Who do I want to be meeting? What
projects do I want to be working on to expand
(10:22):
my skill set? And I asked myself, like, what unfulfilled
desires exist in my life that I haven't met yet?
And for me, having readers for this book was a
very serious unfulfilled desire. I had written the book by
the end of twenty twenty four. I was so proud
(10:44):
of it and I loved it. But there is something
so satisfying as an author about connecting with your audience
and connecting with your community.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
They're written in your sub stack, and maybe we can
even publish them in the show notes because I think
they're so useful. But one of the other ones that
I connected to was what signals did I want to
send the universe?
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (11:04):
And is there a world in which the answer supports
my income in the long run? Which I think the
answer to that question was the raise you wanted to
become a novelist.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Yeah, going the self publishing route and bringing this book
to market myself and publishing the book myself, and paying
these actors for the trailer and you know, paying for
the photo shoot for the cover. Like, all of this
upfront spending like terrorized me at night. But asking that
question of like, is this going to support me somehow
(11:35):
in the long run, it helped me reframe all of
this anxiety as just kind of a temporary feeling I
had to stomach with the hope that ultimately it would
pay off.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
I love that you have created a business.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Out of I know, of course creativity. Of course you did.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
There's this saying that makes it rounds on social media.
I'm sure you've seen it. But there's so many graphics
or memes that say your new life is going to
cost you your old one. Yeah, and you've written about
this saying saying that it is trite but true.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Yes, And.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Every time I see this saying, I don't understand what
it means, and you are. You are so insightful. Ali,
I'm wondering if you can break it down for me
in terms of what it means to you. What does
that saying actually mean in your day to day life?
Speaker 2 (12:29):
What changed for me? Your new life is going to
cost you your old one basically means that in order
to become the person you want to be in order
to build the life you want to build, in order
to live the creatively fulfilled life you want to live,
in order to have the people in your life you
(12:50):
want to have, in order to be treated the way
you deserve to be treated. It really demands a fundamental
mindset shift and almost like a complete overhaul of your
internal software and your internal operating system. So the life
that you live is reflective of your beliefs about yourself
(13:12):
and your mindset and how you think you deserve to
be treated and how it's a complete reflection of how
you value yourself in space and in relationship to other people,
and in the world and in your career. And I
had a certain framework for that, and that meant my
life looked like X right as a reflection of all
of those beliefs. And if I wanted my life to
(13:35):
look like why, it meant I needed to do a
full software update inside. It means I needed to rewrite
how I related to other people. It means I needed
to rewrite the software for what I believed about my career.
It means I needed to rewrite the software for how
I thought about the value of my creativity. It means
(13:56):
I needed to rewrite the software for how I valued myself. Right,
it's spent so long latching onto how other people valued
me and perceived me instead of finding that value within.
Because I believed I was talented, I believed I was skillful.
I needed to stop using these external shortcuts for that
self belief and really build that self belief from the
(14:18):
ground up inside. So I think that that's what that
phrase means. It means that you have to do these
internal shifts and these internal overrides in order for the
new life you want to reflect the life that you deserve.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
I'm feeling so inspired hearing you say that, because sometimes
the wanting of the shift, or at least for me,
the wanting of the shift, I feel powerless in it.
I'm like, why can't I get to that level or
have that thing or that person or whatever it is.
And the way that your mind thinks is sort of like,
(14:56):
let me backtrack the blueprint and you actually write things
down and ask yourself questions and create the momentum for yourself,
which feels really good and empowering. Well, you just Chief
(15:17):
Operating officered your life into pub day, which.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Is exactly exactly.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
And you know, unlike a lot of other authors that
we've had on this show, you are self publishing. I
think you're our first self publishing author.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
And I'm so honored for that. I'm like, hell, yes,
that is so exciting.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
I want to ask you what tomorrow is going to
look like for you.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
Well, my family is obviously going to be in town.
My brother lives in Dallas and my mom's in LA
but we are so close, the three of us, and
they're flying into New York to support me. I have
nothing planned, I have nothing on my calendar. We're all
just going to like sit around and basking it. So
that is hopefully what it's going to look like, and
(16:02):
hopefully nothing crazy happens that's going to derail my my
plans for peace.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
I really hope there are no fire drills for you tomorrow.
But take me, Take me into the self publishing world.
What is the actual process? What was your what was
your first step?
Speaker 2 (16:21):
So my first step was hilarious. I actually, I Danielle,
I literally started looking for a physical bookbinder in New York,
Like I didn't realize that there are these companies that
you can partner with to handle, you know, the interior
design of the book and the printing and then getting
(16:43):
it uploaded. I thought I was going to have to
physically like old timey days. Hilarious. The reason I bring
this up is because I want the audience to know, like,
you can be that much of a novice before you
do something, as long as you have enough lead time
and you give yourself enough buffer. I figured it out
pretty quickly, like within a week. But that was my
(17:04):
first step.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
I would have thought that too, or to like upload
photos and writing to the Apple software that prints out
books exactly.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
I was like, am I going to Staples. What ultimately
happened was I traditionally published my first book, which taught
me a lot about traditional publishing, the pros, the cons,
the inner workings of the industry, and that experience definitely
influenced my decision to self publish. Another author named Chelsea
Fagan is similarly a nonfiction author who traditionally published multiple
(17:35):
nonfiction books and decided to self publish her very successful
fiction books. And I got in touch with her team
and found out the publishing partner she worked with to
bring her book to market and handle all the ops
and logistics. So that was step number one, and step
number two was I have to build my team. I
had a very specific creative director I wanted to work with.
(17:55):
I had a very specific director for the cinematic trailer
I wanted to work with. And I basically decided, if
these specific women don't work with me, I'm not going
to do it. So I decided Step two is I
have to take them to dinner. I have to sell
them on my vision, and I have to get them
bought in because the raise isn't going to happen unless Allison,
Ava and Sophia decide to say yes to me. And
(18:19):
do this in partnership with me.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
When people think self publishing, I think their first reaction
after impressive is like, wow, that sounds like a lot
of work, like you just don't really know where to start.
But I'm going to flip it on its head for
a second because what it also means is freedom over
the entire process.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
A million percon A lot of.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
People don't know that when you publish a book with
a publisher, you don't get to choose the cover, for instance,
or the title sometimes not even the title right, and
you definitely don't get to choose the marketing plan. So
you are an expert marketer, you had freedom over this
entire process as detailed as you possibly can take me
(19:02):
through this marketing plan as detailed as possible.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
So everything you said about traditional publishing is true. And
that's another thing that motivated me to self publish. I
knew that I wanted The Rays to come out September seventeenth,
right after Burning Man from a marketing perspective, so I
couldn't you know, the book couldn't shift when it came out.
I knew that I wanted it to come out that
exact date, So my kind of philosophy as a marketer,
(19:30):
as a book marketer is marketing is visual. Now everything
is visual. There's a reason that Addison Y, you know,
our Queen Lord and Savior, made a music video for
every single song that she released on her debut album.
There's a reason that unfortunately the average American consumes way
(19:53):
more Netflix they than they read. It's because we are
visual creatures and to meet, books are not just competing
with other books anymore. They are competing with all forms
of media. And so for me, if I'm launching a book,
I need to show up where the audience is. I
(20:15):
need to do something visual too. So I decided from
the very beginning the Raise is not going to be
this one dimensional book. It's going to be a universe.
There is going to be a brand behind this book.
It is going to have a look and feel, It
is going to have an atmosphere. So the first thing
was I gave it a dedicated website, read the Raise
dot com. I cast actors to play characters in the
(20:40):
book so that when you go to the website you
have this look and feel and energy of what the
book is about and who these characters may be. I
decided to do a whole photoshoot to create postcards that
would come with the book when I gave it to
influencers for early copies. Victoria has a face, you know,
(21:03):
Darcy has a face and a style. Alexis has a
face and a vibe. I decided that for this cinematic trailer,
this movie trailer, that I was going to pull you
into the world of the Rays, the same way that
when you watch a movie trailer for a movie or
a trailer for a series, You're like, this is so yummy,
this is so intriguing. What comes next, what happens next?
(21:26):
I can't wait for it to stream. This, I can't
wait to watch this. I wanted to do something like
that for my book, especially because I was self publishing
and it's so competitive and so crowded, but also because
I think that's just how people consume entertainment these days.
It's visual, had brand colors. The brand colors are black, white,
(21:46):
and red. It had a soundtrack, you know, there's a
playlist to go with the book, and I also made
an original score because I produced music as well to
go with the trailer. That was that was kind of
what anchored the entire marketing.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
It's so exciting for me to hear you talk about
this because this is a very similar marketing approach to
how you build a company from the ground. Yeah, this
is the startup marketing approach. You think about exactly who
your audience is, the brand colors, the fonts, all of it.
I think one of my favorite things that you've done
is hire professional actors to play characters from the book
(22:23):
on TikTok and Instagram and they're filming these POV posts
meaning point of view posts. Tell talk to me about
the strategy behind that.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
So what's really funny, Danielle is that was an off
the cough decision I made while we were filming the trailer.
So I actually had a whole shot list of pre
planned social posts that were going to be highly edited
that I like painstakingly put together before we went to
make the trailer. And we had a few different locations
(22:55):
for the trailer. So we're at this beautiful church, We're
at my friend Lula's amazing restaurant, breakfast by Salts, Cure
and cobble Hill were in my apartment. We're everywhere, and
I'm like paying for these actors and this crew and
all these amazing people and I was like, I need
to get social content while we're here, you know, I
(23:16):
need to make the most of this investment. I was like,
what can I do that's really quick, that is also
native to TikTok, that's kind of a visual language that
people understand. So I just thrust the phone on the
actress Evy, who plays Alexis, and I'm like, just cry
into camera, Just cry into camera. And then I gave
it to you know, Ethan on the roof of my
(23:39):
building and I'm just like, okay, just look out, just
look out and look frustrated. I gave it to an
extra and I'm like, just roll your eyes into camera
and then pan to the casket and then look back.
It was not like a brilliant, masterminded thing. It was
honestly done in this reactive heat of the moment where
I realized this carefully calibrated shotless I had put together
was not going to happen. Because I was a novice,
(24:01):
I had not really been on set before, and I
was like, oh, my thing is not going to happen,
so I have to pivot and do something else.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
And it's working, which is working.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
I know, It's so cool.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Is there anything that you learned along the way that
really surprised you.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
I think that it is so easy to let other
people's opinions or rejection of you become a part of
your identity. And I think that that has happened to
(24:38):
me a lot in my life. If people don't understand
what I'm doing or disprove of what I'm doing, I
immediately take their word as gospel. And I think this
entire process really reversed that for me and taught me
that I can be right even when gatekeepers don't get
what I'm doing, or if you know, the industry I'm
(25:02):
in doesn't see where I'm going. I think about so
many artists like Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga. There was a
Facebook group made about Lady Gaga when she was in
college titled Lady Gaga, you will Never be Famous. And
if Lady Gaga had let that Facebook group define her
sense of herself and her talent and her skill set,
(25:24):
we would have no Lady Gaga. God forbid, I need
Lady Gaga. We all need Lady Gaga. And so I
think that the biggest lesson for me in this has
been if you have that spidy sense inside, or that
gut instinct that you are talented. Your creativity is worth
investing in. You have a project or a vision that
(25:44):
you need to bring to life, and it just won't
shut up, Like it's clawing at you every day. You
have to listen to it and to let other people
dissuade you or knock you off. Course is giving them
way too much agency and way too much credibility over
your dreams and your future.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
Okay, Ali, we got to get into the raise. Let's
talk about your book. Your first book was How to
Build a gd Empire. It was nonfiction and it was
really demystifying entrepreneurship. It was your experience in your own voice. Now,
this book, which is self published, is a mystery thriller novel.
(26:36):
I kind of want to add satire in there because
it's very funny. Yeah, why did you feel drawn to
this genre? And is this a genre? Tech murder, mystery, satire?
Speaker 2 (26:47):
I think this is a genre. I mean this to
me is an archetypal psychological thriller that has satirical moments
and also deep, vulnerable emotional moments. But it is quite
genre bendy. It's I do like to say, it's it's
its own thing. I mean, it's raw, it's real, but
it does have the same pacing as an archetypal psychological thriller.
(27:11):
If you love Jessica Nole, if you love Lisa Jewel,
if you love Freedom McFadden, like you will like this book.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
And it has this overarching question that I think all
of those authors play with, which is how well do
you actually know the people you think you know?
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Exactly exactly? I wrote in this genre because this is
the genre I like to consume, and I think as
a creative person, you can't help but consume these things
and naturally start asking yourself could I do this? And
I'm the type of person where if I start asking
(27:50):
myself could I do this? I naturally get to the
answer of well, let me try. So I felt like
I wanted to write It's something that I knew people
would just obsessively read. I mean, my goal was to
write a book that was insanely gripping, insanely suspenseful, that
someone would be addicted to that they feel like they
(28:11):
had to finish within twenty four to forty eight hours.
And if you look at the Goodreads reviews, that is
that's the consensus. Like I think I did my job.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Did you write it chapter by chapter or was it
a puzzle? Did you start with the dead person the
reveal somewhere in the middle. What was your process?
Speaker 2 (28:27):
Like the first scene came to me where Alexis is
at the wig store looking for a wig to put
on Darcy's bear scalp, you know, for Darcy's open casket
at her funeral. That came to me on a flight
back home. And I wrote the first three chapters in
this like feral ferocious state on a flight. Then I
(28:48):
took a break, and then I started working with post
its to cobble together the plot. But I did write
it in sequential order. I feel like, because it was
my first book, it was my time doing fiction. It
that's how my brain works. My brain works in a
very linear way, so I did write it in order,
chapter by chapter. That said, I've been working on this
(29:10):
book for five years, so I did revisit it in
the past year to tune things up, tighten things up,
you know, deepen and layer certain characters. So in that regard,
it has been revisited. And I did at that point
kind of hop around between different chapters and not necessarily
do everything in order.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
And while this is fiction, I mean, you did write
about a world you knew, which is tech and entrepreneurship.
What parts of yourself, if any, did you put into
the main character.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
What I like to say is every character is fiction,
but there are very deep emotional truths in this book.
This is a very vulnerable piece. This is a very
i would say, emotionally confessional piece within a fictional world.
I think that Alexis, the protagonist, is deeply codependent, and
(30:02):
I think that the truth of the codependency is a
truth of mine. I have struggled with codependency a lot,
and I think that I haven't seen that in a
lot of literature, and I have loved it when I
have seen it in literature. I really like it when
Sally Rooney covers codependency in her fictional characters. So that
is definitely an emotional truth. So I always like to
(30:25):
say about creatives and about fiction authors, our characters are fiction,
but they're rooted in emotional truths that we kind of
analyze and process and work through by bringing the work
to life.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
So we kind of alluded to the fact that we
know each other at the beginning of this conversation, but
the full truth in speaking of emotional truth and honesty,
the full truth is that we had a coffee in
Los Angeles years ago, and I had been telling you
about my dreams and you shared your dreams, and I said,
(31:01):
I wanted to work with Hello Sunshine and Reese's Book Club,
and I had this idea for a podcast or a show.
And you said that you were writing a book that
is this mystery thriller novel set in the girl Boss
tech era that you had experienced yourself. And I'll never
(31:22):
forget Ali how lit up you were talking about it,
like it felt like if you didn't get this out
of your body and onto the page, you were going
to explode. Yeah, And I think a lot of times
when creative projects feel that way, we're sort of writing
the book or the we're putting the project out for
our younger selves. Even who did you write this book for?
Speaker 2 (31:49):
I wrote this book for women in their twenties. I
think that women in their thirties and women in their
forties will love the book for its thrilleriness and for
the mystery, and for the characters, and for yeah, more
(32:09):
of like the superficial elements of what makes it like
an amazing commercial thriller, if I do say so myself.
But the emotional truths of the book are for women
in their twenties who feel lost, who feel really ambitious
and driven but confused about where to put that or
(32:30):
what to do with that, and who don't necessarily look
inward for internal validation and worthiness and self belief, because
that is Alexis, that is our protagonist. Our protagonist is
on a hero's journey of finding internal worth and value within.
(32:54):
So this book is really for women, but people in
general in their twenties who need a bit of themselves
reflected back to them to feel inspired and motivated, that
they will get there and they will figure things out.
And so I guess in that way, it's for like
(33:15):
twenty three year old meat, it's for twenty four year
old's me. And I hope that the right people find
it and that it transforms people in that way. And
I hope that for people who don't need that transformation
they love it as the commercial crazy, you know, wild
(33:37):
roller coaster, edge of your seat, you know, keeps you
guessing ride that it is.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
At the same time, I think the quote, the Mark
Twain quote that you open with actually sets the tone
for that idea. It says, it ain't what you don't
know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know
for sure that just ain't so. Yes, yes, Why open
with that quote.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
For two reasons? I think number one, I wanted to
tell the reader what you're reading and what you're receiving
as truth and fact in this book. You should maybe
in the back of your head always have this scratchy
noise of maybe I shouldn't take this at face value.
I think the second thing is that, to me, is
(34:26):
so much the moral of the story of the Raise
that you can walk into situations, relationships, your life. You
can kind of build a whole life and think it's this,
it's X, it's why. Maybe it's a work thing, a marriage,
a friendship, and you are so certain this is good,
(34:48):
this is perfect, this is valid, this is going to
be forever you know. This is what gives me value,
this is what makes me like who I am. But
that's not always necessarily the case.
Speaker 1 (35:03):
I've been looking on Goodreads and it is so funny
that all of these people have been saying that your
book needs a trigger warning, and it's not for what
you think it would be it's not for sensitive content
like we're used to. It's for people who have worked
in tech startups.
Speaker 2 (35:19):
Oh my god, I know, I'm it's it's it's I
do think it's it's very immersive. It's a very textured,
real feeling world like it really, I do think I
do a good job placing you there. And it's because
I lived it for eight years.
Speaker 1 (35:37):
And that's something you said at coffee that you had
not read any novels that really felt akin to your experience.
So yeah, I just I think it's so satisfying for
me to read those reviews and feel like all these
women in tech feel seen by your writing.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
I I think so too. And I think what's what's
extra validating is that for people that don't come from
that world, it's not alienating for them. They actually really
enjoy it. They're like, I loved this in the same
way that I think Succession had such mass appeal even
though you didn't have to come from corporate or you know,
be a NEPO baby or be you know, in in
(36:19):
that world. I think the Raise does a good job
of making that world really accessible and really palatable and
just kind of like a really fun thrilling atmosphere to
be in.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
So Ali, I always ask guests what they've bookmarked this week.
It can be a weird fact, a fun quote, something
you saved on Instagram, something you texted your mom about.
What have you bookmarked this week?
Speaker 2 (36:45):
It is a wo woo Instagram quote?
Speaker 3 (36:48):
I mean, you know, I love the wu So the
wu woo Instagram quote that I have bookmarked for this
week is nature desires a trade your courage in exchange
for your dream.
Speaker 4 (37:01):
Ooh who.
Speaker 1 (37:04):
Yeah, it's hot in here. Allie's waving at her face.
That is great, and I think that that's shown to
be true with this process of self publishing for you.
Speaker 2 (37:17):
Yeah, definitely. You know, you bet on.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
Yourself and all of these great things are coming to you.
Speaker 2 (37:22):
Yes, in including this opportunity. So thank you again.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
You're so sweet. Are there any book wrecks for people
who want to follow in your footsteps?
Speaker 2 (37:33):
The books that I will recommend for like my Journey
to self publishing, are not super prescriptive on like here's
how you find the right publishing partner. It's more emotional
and mindset shifty stuff. So number one, the Untethered Soul
is an unbelievable Internal Transformation book. I highly recommend it.
(37:59):
The other book I recommend, obviously The Artist's Way. I
feel like everyone is doing or recommending The Artist's Way
right now by Julia Camrad Doc because of DOCI, but
it is such an incredible book. Another book that I
love is called Designing Your Life. It's by two Stanford
educators that actually are designers, and they talk about how
(38:26):
to construct your life and your creative process and your
work process and your professional existence in response to how
you naturally operate. I feel like, instead of kind of
shoehorning yourself into a professional identity or a career that
really goes against the tides of who you are, whether
it's when you want to wake up in the morning,
(38:46):
or how busy you want to be, or how extroverted
or introverted you want to be, it really helps you
kind of formfit yourself into a career that aligns with
who you naturally are as a person.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
I also really like looking at self publishing as an
opportunity instead of this sort of like a grudging thing
that you have to do if a publisher says no,
because it really can be an opportunity.
Speaker 2 (39:11):
Yeah, and I think what people don't know about traditional
publishing is it's a business, right Like there's a reason
that Romanticy has been so huge the serrits because if
a single title takes off for traditional publisher they're going
to double down on that category. It's the same way
that like Gillian Flynn was a huge hit with Gone Girl,
(39:32):
and then titles similar to Gone Girl were like the
titles of the moment. So whether you get accepted, rejected, whatever,
it's really just a reflection of what's trending in the
market right now and what is the safest bet for publishers.
But the thing I also wrote about on substac is
the safest bet is never the thing that usually like
(39:53):
breaks through and makes the loudest noise and like transforms
the culture. For me self, publishing was a way of saying,
I I'm willing to take the risk, you know, I'm
willing to take the hit, but also if this goes well,
I get all the credit.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
In that same vein Ali, you talk about the system
with a capital s all the time and how to
operate outside of it, which is what you've done with
this whole process. So many people feel like they have
a book or a company or an idea inside of them.
And people are coming from different backgrounds, different life situations.
(40:29):
What is the single best thing that you can share
with them about how to break out of a pattern
that is making them feel unhappy or unfulfilled.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
My best piece of advice would be to chip away
at your dream a little bit every day. You don't
need crazy amounts of capital or crazy resourcing or the
network overnight to become who you're meant to become. I
(41:02):
think that confidence and self belief and conviction in yourself
comes from taking action, even if it's making a promise
to yourself that you're going to live out that dream
thirty minutes a night, you know, working on your poetry
or working on your script, or working on your business,
or you know building a beautiful playroom for your son,
(41:26):
or you know working on your garden, or learning a
new recipe because you want to become a better cook
for your family, or working on a scone recipe because
you want to open a coffee shop, whatever it is.
You don't need to hold yourself to the highest standard
of I'm going to be this thing tomorrow. Like think
(41:48):
about me thinking I had to get a physical bookbinder
in New York again, like I'm in medieval times, like
walking over with stray papers, like going to get this
book smush together, like in some basement, Like that's where
I was, And now I have a book that's in
market that is performing super well. I'm on the rece
(42:11):
Wetherspooon book Club podcast. But this all started with a
few chapters on a flight and just keeping going a
little bit day by day and trusting myself and believing
in myself a little bit a little bit over time.
So that's the advice that I would give is stop
(42:33):
putting yourself and your dreams and this opportunity that you
want on this crazy pedestal. Give yourself grace and give
yourself the breathing room to chip away at it little
by little, because that's how it's going to get done,
and that's how you're going to build the confidence up
necessary to do the full version of it when the
(42:55):
time comes. That's what's going to get you ready.
Speaker 1 (42:57):
Okay, Ali, I think you could moonlight as an inspirational speaker.
But as we wrap up this podcast, I want to
do a little speed reef with you. So we're going
to put sixty seconds on the clock and see just
how many rapid fire literary questions you can get through?
Your mind thinks so fast. I have a feeling we
can get through them all. Are you ready?
Speaker 2 (43:19):
Yeah? I'm scared?
Speaker 1 (43:20):
Ok eight three two? One? Your favorite book to.
Speaker 2 (43:24):
Recommend yellow Face rf Quang.
Speaker 1 (43:27):
An author whose book you'd love to publish?
Speaker 2 (43:30):
Raven Leilani.
Speaker 1 (43:31):
Favorite book that nails.
Speaker 2 (43:32):
Ambition, Oh, the talented mister Ripley.
Speaker 1 (43:35):
A book that nails female friendship?
Speaker 2 (43:38):
Ooh, my brilliant friend.
Speaker 1 (43:41):
The best book that you've never.
Speaker 2 (43:43):
Read, The best book I've never read.
Speaker 1 (43:46):
Yeah, Like for me, there's all these classics that I
really like. They're on my list, and I just can
never get.
Speaker 2 (43:50):
To wait it's over here.
Speaker 1 (43:53):
I love that it's on your bookshelf.
Speaker 2 (43:54):
Patricia Lockwood. No one's talking about this. I haven't read
it yet, but I need to.
Speaker 1 (43:59):
Which fiction character do you secretly think you're most like?
Speaker 2 (44:02):
Hannah horror Bath.
Speaker 1 (44:06):
Oh my god, what book shape the way you see
the world? You are the voice of our generation Hannah.
Speaker 2 (44:15):
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Nole.
Speaker 1 (44:19):
Who would you cast as you in your memoirs? Film trailer?
Speaker 2 (44:23):
Zara Larson?
Speaker 1 (44:25):
Ooh good one? Okay, Ali, I'm so proud of you.
I'm so excited for you. I'm so inspired by you. Truly,
it takes a lot for me to feel inspired in
this way, and I think a lot of it is
coming from the fact that you took such a big
swing and a bet on yourself. And I will root
(44:46):
for anybody who bets on themselves, but you did it
in such an elevated way. So congratulations on pub day tomorrow.
And I just feel so lucky to know you.
Speaker 2 (44:57):
I feel so lucky to know you. Thank you for
the this opportunity. I love this conversation and everyone enjoy
the rais. I can't wait to hear what you think
about it. And yeah, buckle up, it's a wild ride.
Speaker 1 (45:11):
That it is, okay friends. Before we wrap up today's episode,
I'm bringing back our monthly comfort segment from Cotton called
the Booknook. It's where we explore the rituals that make
reading field just right. As you know, Cotton is a
part of so many of life's everyday comforts, from the
(45:32):
soft tease we live into, the sheets and blankets we
wind down with, and it's especially present in those moments
when you're lost in a book. Last month, I shared
my ideal setup, which always involves something cozy and cotton,
definitely some iced coffee and a warm patch of sunlight.
Speaker 2 (45:49):
Now it's your turn.
Speaker 4 (45:52):
Hey Bookmark, Hey Danielle, this is Lauren calling in from
breezy Rhode Island. So I'm mostly a nighttime reader. My
reading ritual involves being nowhere near any devices. I've turned
down the lights in my house. I've got my PJS on,
my teeth are brushed, like I'm totally ready for bed,
(46:13):
but I've got the warm glow of my bedside lamp on.
I have this gigantic pillow that I kind of put
against the hard wall and then I sort of lean
my back against it, and then I usually pull my
blankets all around me. I draw my knees up so
that they sort of act like a book prop, and
(46:34):
then you know, I open the book. I let the
weight of the book fall open, and I just dive
right in and like, sometimes I can be there for
you know, a page. But other times, even if I'm
so tired, I just can't close the book and I
keep reading while everyone sleeps around me. And sometimes those
are the best nights. Anyway. Love hearing these. I wish
(46:57):
you all happy reading.
Speaker 1 (47:00):
Hmm, that sounds super cozy. Thanks Lauren. Listening to you
makes me want to curl up in my own cotton sheets,
tuck under a blanket and read all night too. I
love how these rituals are as much about the little comforts,
the fabrics, the lighting, the quiet as they are about
the books themselves. Right, So keep your ideal reading setups coming.
(47:20):
What are you wearing, what's around you? Are you reading
by sunlight or lamplight, under a cotton throw or in
your favorite lounge setup. Take me right into your perfect
reading ritual. Leave me a voicemail at five zero one
two nine to one three three seven nine, or email
a voice memo to bookmarked at Reese's Bookclub dot com.
(47:41):
I want to hear from you. Thanks to Cotton for
bringing this segment to life and reminding us that comfort
and style can go hand in hand. Don't forget to
check the tag for Cotton. And if you want to
learn more, head to the Fabric of OurLives dot com.
And if you want to little bit more from us,
(48:01):
come hang with us on socials. We're at Reese's book
Club on Instagram, serving up books, vibes and behind the scenes,
Magic and I'm at Danielle Robe, Roba Y, come say
hi and df me and if you want to go
nineties on us, call us. Okay, our phone line is open,
so call now at one five zero one two nine,
(48:21):
one three three seven nine. That's one five oh one
two nine, one three three seven nine. Share your literary
hot takes, book recommendations, questions about the monthly pick, or
let us know what you think about the episode you
just heard and who knows, you might just hear yourself
in our next episode, So don't be shy, give us
(48:44):
a ring, and of course, make sure to follow Bookmarked
by Reese's book Club on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast,
or wherever you get your shows until then, see you
in the next chapter. Bookmarked is a production of Hello,
Sunshine and I Heart Podcast. Its executive produced by Reese
Witherspoon and me Danielle Robe. Production is by a Cast
(49:07):
Creative Studios. Our producers are Matty Foley, Brittany Martinez, Sarah
Schleid and Darby Masters. Our production assistant is Avery Loftus.
Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rutterer are the executive producers for
a Cast Creative Studios. Maureene Polo and Reese Witherspoon are
the executive producers for Hello Sunshine. Olga Caminha, Kristin Perla
(49:28):
and Ashley Rappaport are associate producers for Reese's book Club.
Ali Perry and Lauren Hansen are the executive producers for
iHeart Podcasts.
Bookmarked by Reese's book Club is presented by Apple Books. Hi,
I'm Danielle Robe and welcome to Bookmarked by Reese's book Club.
You know the drill. We have a phone line that
I usually plug at the end of the show, but
I'm thinking we can switch it up a little bit.
I'm going to give you the phone number right now.
(00:20):
It's five zero one two nine to one three three
seven nine. Call me, leave me a hot take, ask
a question, or just tell me what you're reading and loving.
I listen to every single message, and here's the thing.
Most of the messages I get are from writers, people
who have poured their hearts into a book, but feel
(00:42):
really lost when it comes to breaking into the publishing world.
And I get it. It feels mysterious and complicated. So
today I wanted to bring somebody onto the show who
has figured out her own way forward.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
It is so easy to let other people's opinions or
rejection of you become a part of your identity. And
I think this entire process taught me that I can
be right even when gatekeepers don't get what I'm doing,
or if the industry I'm in doesn't see where I'm going.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Ali Kreedsman started her career at Conde Nast. She co
founded the retail startup Bulletin at just twenty four years old,
and then sold it a few years later for eight figures.
She even wrote a book about building an empire with
a major publisher. But about a year ago, she did
something completely unexpected. In her own words, she decided to
(01:41):
burn her life down. She walked away from the traditional
founder track, she overhauled her personal life, and she set
her sights on writing fiction. Now she's debuting The Rays,
a razor sharp satirical thriller set in the cutthroat, absurd
world of startups. And she's not just writing it, she's
(02:03):
self publishing, self promoting, and even creating a full on
cinematic book trailer for Instagram. And guess what, it's working.
So if you've ever dreamed of betting on yourself or
wondered how to take your own creative leap, you are
in the right place. Let's turn the page with Ali Kriegsman.
(02:28):
Ali Kriegsman, Welcome to the club.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Thank you for having me, Danielle, happy to be here.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
I'm so excited that you're here today. You're here with
your new book, The Raise, which is a sharp satirical
thriller set in the girl boss world of startups. Yes,
And the book opens with this scene and she has
to buy the glorified assistant has to buy a wig
for her now dead boss.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Yes. So Darcy has an open casket at her funeral
and her mom, Cecilia, is not happy with any of
the morticians like wigs that they can put on Darcy's
scarred bear scalp. So she calls Alexis and she's like, Hi,
can you pick up a wig for Darcy's open casket.
So the book opens and Alexis is standing at this
wig shop and she's like, I have to find a
(03:16):
wig for my best friend and dead co founder's corpse.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
So my unhinged question to you, Allie, is what wig
would you wear to your own funeral? In an open ket?
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Hundred percent like a more elevated and voluminous version of this, Like,
would I would keep it simple? I would do a
crisp blonde bob. I don't think I would stray. Uh yeah,
I would, just I'd want it to be iconic. I'd
want it to be how everyone has come to know
and love me. If you will tinmless. Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
I was thinking mine would be sort of like Faara
faucet seventies, whind blown, because I always want my hair
that way, and for some reason it'll never stay.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
How did I do that to her?
Speaker 1 (04:02):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
I don't think anyone can get their hair that way.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Yeah, it just I think her hair. You know how
hair kind of does its own thing. I think hers
just did that.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
And I think it was also like the era she
came up in, like the seventies and eighties. It is
just like hair did that then. I don't think it
does that now it's not allowed to do that anymore.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Change. We are going to deep dive into the plot
of your book and actually how you got to write it,
But I really want to start with your story, Ali,
because we met years ago when you founded the company bulletin,
which you ultimately sold, and you were on this very
prestigious founder path. You were Forbes thirty under thirty, there
(04:44):
were lots of accolades, you were in interesting rooms with
interesting people, and then in November of twenty twenty four,
absolutely everything in your life shifted.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
I actually don't know this story what happened.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
I was brought into a company that existed before I
joined it. I joined as co founder earlier that year,
and there were things going on within that company in
partnership with the person that was running the business that
I didn't know about when I joined. And I care
a lot about my integrity, I care a lot about
(05:22):
my reputation, and I just care a lot about transparency,
and so once I started putting the pieces together, I
immediately realized I can't be here anymore, and I quit
on the spot. The year prior, I had worked with
my agents at CIA on selling The Raise. We had
done an initial push to editors and publishers to try
(05:44):
to bring it to market, and that first push to
editors was very interesting. I don't know the editors understood
the genre. I think that the cult of female founder
hadn't really resurged in the way that it's back now
in twenty twenty five, and unfortunately, the publishing industry works
a lot off of comps, so startup fiction had it
(06:06):
sold well for these publishers in the past. I don't
consider The Raise like just a startup fiction thriller. I mean,
you've read it, so you know that it is so
much more. But from a marketing perspective, publishers said, we
love this book. This is voicy, it's amazing, it's so propulsive,
it's delicious, But we don't know what to do with
this from a marketing perspective. So before we went out
(06:28):
to more editors, I just decided, like, maybe traditional publishing
isn't the right route. I'm just going to leave this
bee for now. So I was just in a really
dark place at the end of twenty twenty four. I
didn't know what to do with my book. I didn't
know what to do with my career.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
What I read from your sub stack is you were
also personally going through a lot of transition.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Like you.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Your words were I burned down my life. Yeah yeah,
which is I think something that people fantasize about.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
I'm such a lie. My entire identity was wrapped up
in prestige, accolades, success and status, you know. And so
I did it all, you know. I raised venture capital,
I did a prestigious VC accelerator. I was Forbes thirty
under thirty, as you said, fast companies, most creative people
in business, Like I collected all the titles, I collected
(07:20):
all the accolades and then you know, this venture back
business I had joined was not what I thought it was,
and it burned down. I didn't successfully sell my book
to these gatekeepers, even though I was with CIA, one
of the best agencies in the world, and so it
just kind of felt like all of these things I
had been glomming onto to form my identity and create
(07:42):
this sense of personal validation, these external institutions that were
of high regard, almost like using their validation as a
shorthand for my internal validation. It wasn't working for me anymore.
So I decided that as a way of life, it
can't be how I operate anymore. I have to find
a new way of feeling internally valid. I have to
(08:05):
find some other journey to self belief and self publishing.
The Raise is what got me there, ultimately deciding to
bring the book to market myself, to creative direct every
aspect of the book, the cover, the marketing campaign, the
pr campaign. I decided to make a movie trailer for
The Raise, starring actors and TikTok stars to really bring
people into this immersive world of the book. That process
(08:30):
over the last ten months eleven months has been the
thing that's brought me back to myself.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
One of the coolest aspects of what you've been doing
is that you're very transparent about how you're building. So
you've taken everybody who follows you into the process with you.
You've been documenting much of this journey on your sub stack,
and you talk about how you laid out your plan
with a capital P so in a journal with a
(08:56):
gel pen, which yeah, also a big gelpen girl. Because
I think we're millennials and you know this about me,
but I'm obsessed with questions, and I believe that when
you want better answers, you have to ask better questions.
And you were searching for answers over the last ten
eleven months. As you said, what were some of the
questions that you asked yourself?
Speaker 2 (09:17):
I asked myself, who do I want to become? And
at this point I was thirty three, so I wasn't
like a twenty one year old or a twenty two
year old graduating college. You know, I'm doing a pivot
like I'm in my early thirties, and I'm like, I
can begin again, i can become someone new. And I
always believe that, I always believe in the power of
transformation and that it's never too late to become a
(09:40):
new version of yourself that you can fall in love
with and be proud of. I ask myself, what do
I want to be known for? I have so many
skill sets. I'm a writer, I'm a marketer. I help
other founders raise venture capital. I help other founders bring
their visions to life. I'm a friend, I'm a sister.
I'm so many things. But how do I want the
(10:00):
world in the universe to see and receive me? I
ask myself what do I want to learn? I am
a forever learner and I learned by doing so in
asking myself what do I want to learn? That basically
led me to like who do I want to be
talking to? Who do I want to be meeting? What
projects do I want to be working on to expand
(10:22):
my skill set? And I asked myself, like, what unfulfilled
desires exist in my life that I haven't met yet?
And for me, having readers for this book was a
very serious unfulfilled desire. I had written the book by
the end of twenty twenty four. I was so proud
(10:44):
of it and I loved it. But there is something
so satisfying as an author about connecting with your audience
and connecting with your community.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
They're written in your sub stack, and maybe we can
even publish them in the show notes because I think
they're so useful. But one of the other ones that
I connected to was what signals did I want to
send the universe?
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (11:04):
And is there a world in which the answer supports
my income in the long run? Which I think the
answer to that question was the raise you wanted to
become a novelist.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Yeah, going the self publishing route and bringing this book
to market myself and publishing the book myself, and paying
these actors for the trailer and you know, paying for
the photo shoot for the cover. Like, all of this
upfront spending like terrorized me at night. But asking that
question of like, is this going to support me somehow
(11:35):
in the long run, it helped me reframe all of
this anxiety as just kind of a temporary feeling I
had to stomach with the hope that ultimately it would
pay off.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
I love that you have created a business.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Out of I know, of course creativity. Of course you did.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
There's this saying that makes it rounds on social media.
I'm sure you've seen it. But there's so many graphics
or memes that say your new life is going to
cost you your old one. Yeah, and you've written about
this saying saying that it is trite but true.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Yes, And.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Every time I see this saying, I don't understand what
it means, and you are. You are so insightful. Ali,
I'm wondering if you can break it down for me
in terms of what it means to you. What does
that saying actually mean in your day to day life?
Speaker 2 (12:29):
What changed for me? Your new life is going to
cost you your old one basically means that in order
to become the person you want to be in order
to build the life you want to build, in order
to live the creatively fulfilled life you want to live,
in order to have the people in your life you
(12:50):
want to have, in order to be treated the way
you deserve to be treated. It really demands a fundamental
mindset shift and almost like a complete overhaul of your
internal software and your internal operating system. So the life
that you live is reflective of your beliefs about yourself
(13:12):
and your mindset and how you think you deserve to
be treated and how it's a complete reflection of how
you value yourself in space and in relationship to other people,
and in the world and in your career. And I
had a certain framework for that, and that meant my
life looked like X right as a reflection of all
of those beliefs. And if I wanted my life to
(13:35):
look like why, it meant I needed to do a
full software update inside. It means I needed to rewrite
how I related to other people. It means I needed
to rewrite the software for what I believed about my career.
It means I needed to rewrite the software for how
I thought about the value of my creativity. It means
(13:56):
I needed to rewrite the software for how I valued myself. Right,
it's spent so long latching onto how other people valued
me and perceived me instead of finding that value within.
Because I believed I was talented, I believed I was skillful.
I needed to stop using these external shortcuts for that
self belief and really build that self belief from the
(14:18):
ground up inside. So I think that that's what that
phrase means. It means that you have to do these
internal shifts and these internal overrides in order for the
new life you want to reflect the life that you deserve.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
I'm feeling so inspired hearing you say that, because sometimes
the wanting of the shift, or at least for me,
the wanting of the shift, I feel powerless in it.
I'm like, why can't I get to that level or
have that thing or that person or whatever it is.
And the way that your mind thinks is sort of like,
(14:56):
let me backtrack the blueprint and you actually write things
down and ask yourself questions and create the momentum for yourself,
which feels really good and empowering. Well, you just Chief
(15:17):
Operating officered your life into pub day, which.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Is exactly exactly.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
And you know, unlike a lot of other authors that
we've had on this show, you are self publishing. I
think you're our first self publishing author.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
And I'm so honored for that. I'm like, hell, yes,
that is so exciting.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
I want to ask you what tomorrow is going to
look like for you.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
Well, my family is obviously going to be in town.
My brother lives in Dallas and my mom's in LA
but we are so close, the three of us, and
they're flying into New York to support me. I have
nothing planned, I have nothing on my calendar. We're all
just going to like sit around and basking it. So
that is hopefully what it's going to look like, and
(16:02):
hopefully nothing crazy happens that's going to derail my my
plans for peace.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
I really hope there are no fire drills for you tomorrow.
But take me, Take me into the self publishing world.
What is the actual process? What was your what was
your first step?
Speaker 2 (16:21):
So my first step was hilarious. I actually, I Danielle,
I literally started looking for a physical bookbinder in New York,
Like I didn't realize that there are these companies that
you can partner with to handle, you know, the interior
design of the book and the printing and then getting
(16:43):
it uploaded. I thought I was going to have to
physically like old timey days. Hilarious. The reason I bring
this up is because I want the audience to know, like,
you can be that much of a novice before you
do something, as long as you have enough lead time
and you give yourself enough buffer. I figured it out
pretty quickly, like within a week. But that was my
(17:04):
first step.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
I would have thought that too, or to like upload
photos and writing to the Apple software that prints out
books exactly.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
I was like, am I going to Staples. What ultimately
happened was I traditionally published my first book, which taught
me a lot about traditional publishing, the pros, the cons,
the inner workings of the industry, and that experience definitely
influenced my decision to self publish. Another author named Chelsea
Fagan is similarly a nonfiction author who traditionally published multiple
(17:35):
nonfiction books and decided to self publish her very successful
fiction books. And I got in touch with her team
and found out the publishing partner she worked with to
bring her book to market and handle all the ops
and logistics. So that was step number one, and step
number two was I have to build my team. I
had a very specific creative director I wanted to work with.
(17:55):
I had a very specific director for the cinematic trailer
I wanted to work with. And I basically decided, if
these specific women don't work with me, I'm not going
to do it. So I decided Step two is I
have to take them to dinner. I have to sell
them on my vision, and I have to get them
bought in because the raise isn't going to happen unless Allison,
Ava and Sophia decide to say yes to me. And
(18:19):
do this in partnership with me.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
When people think self publishing, I think their first reaction
after impressive is like, wow, that sounds like a lot
of work, like you just don't really know where to start.
But I'm going to flip it on its head for
a second because what it also means is freedom over
the entire process.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
A million percon A lot of.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
People don't know that when you publish a book with
a publisher, you don't get to choose the cover, for instance,
or the title sometimes not even the title right, and
you definitely don't get to choose the marketing plan. So
you are an expert marketer, you had freedom over this
entire process as detailed as you possibly can take me
(19:02):
through this marketing plan as detailed as possible.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
So everything you said about traditional publishing is true. And
that's another thing that motivated me to self publish. I
knew that I wanted The Rays to come out September seventeenth,
right after Burning Man from a marketing perspective, so I
couldn't you know, the book couldn't shift when it came out.
I knew that I wanted it to come out that
exact date, So my kind of philosophy as a marketer,
(19:30):
as a book marketer is marketing is visual. Now everything
is visual. There's a reason that Addison Y, you know,
our Queen Lord and Savior, made a music video for
every single song that she released on her debut album.
There's a reason that unfortunately the average American consumes way
(19:53):
more Netflix they than they read. It's because we are
visual creatures and to meet, books are not just competing
with other books anymore. They are competing with all forms
of media. And so for me, if I'm launching a book,
I need to show up where the audience is. I
(20:15):
need to do something visual too. So I decided from
the very beginning the Raise is not going to be
this one dimensional book. It's going to be a universe.
There is going to be a brand behind this book.
It is going to have a look and feel, It
is going to have an atmosphere. So the first thing
was I gave it a dedicated website, read the Raise
dot com. I cast actors to play characters in the
(20:40):
book so that when you go to the website you
have this look and feel and energy of what the
book is about and who these characters may be. I
decided to do a whole photoshoot to create postcards that
would come with the book when I gave it to
influencers for early copies. Victoria has a face, you know,
(21:03):
Darcy has a face and a style. Alexis has a
face and a vibe. I decided that for this cinematic trailer,
this movie trailer, that I was going to pull you
into the world of the Rays, the same way that
when you watch a movie trailer for a movie or
a trailer for a series, You're like, this is so yummy,
this is so intriguing. What comes next, what happens next?
(21:26):
I can't wait for it to stream. This, I can't
wait to watch this. I wanted to do something like
that for my book, especially because I was self publishing
and it's so competitive and so crowded, but also because
I think that's just how people consume entertainment these days.
It's visual, had brand colors. The brand colors are black, white,
(21:46):
and red. It had a soundtrack, you know, there's a
playlist to go with the book, and I also made
an original score because I produced music as well to
go with the trailer. That was that was kind of
what anchored the entire marketing.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
It's so exciting for me to hear you talk about
this because this is a very similar marketing approach to
how you build a company from the ground. Yeah, this
is the startup marketing approach. You think about exactly who
your audience is, the brand colors, the fonts, all of it.
I think one of my favorite things that you've done
is hire professional actors to play characters from the book
(22:23):
on TikTok and Instagram and they're filming these POV posts
meaning point of view posts. Tell talk to me about
the strategy behind that.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
So what's really funny, Danielle is that was an off
the cough decision I made while we were filming the trailer.
So I actually had a whole shot list of pre
planned social posts that were going to be highly edited
that I like painstakingly put together before we went to
make the trailer. And we had a few different locations
(22:55):
for the trailer. So we're at this beautiful church, We're
at my friend Lula's amazing restaurant, breakfast by Salts, Cure
and cobble Hill were in my apartment. We're everywhere, and
I'm like paying for these actors and this crew and
all these amazing people and I was like, I need
to get social content while we're here, you know, I
(23:16):
need to make the most of this investment. I was like,
what can I do that's really quick, that is also
native to TikTok, that's kind of a visual language that
people understand. So I just thrust the phone on the
actress Evy, who plays Alexis, and I'm like, just cry
into camera, Just cry into camera. And then I gave
it to you know, Ethan on the roof of my
(23:39):
building and I'm just like, okay, just look out, just
look out and look frustrated. I gave it to an
extra and I'm like, just roll your eyes into camera
and then pan to the casket and then look back.
It was not like a brilliant, masterminded thing. It was
honestly done in this reactive heat of the moment where
I realized this carefully calibrated shotless I had put together
was not going to happen. Because I was a novice,
(24:01):
I had not really been on set before, and I
was like, oh, my thing is not going to happen,
so I have to pivot and do something else.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
And it's working, which is working.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
I know, It's so cool.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Is there anything that you learned along the way that
really surprised you.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
I think that it is so easy to let other
people's opinions or rejection of you become a part of
your identity. And I think that that has happened to
(24:38):
me a lot in my life. If people don't understand
what I'm doing or disprove of what I'm doing, I
immediately take their word as gospel. And I think this
entire process really reversed that for me and taught me
that I can be right even when gatekeepers don't get
what I'm doing, or if you know, the industry I'm
(25:02):
in doesn't see where I'm going. I think about so
many artists like Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga. There was a
Facebook group made about Lady Gaga when she was in
college titled Lady Gaga, you will Never be Famous. And
if Lady Gaga had let that Facebook group define her
sense of herself and her talent and her skill set,
(25:24):
we would have no Lady Gaga. God forbid, I need
Lady Gaga. We all need Lady Gaga. And so I
think that the biggest lesson for me in this has
been if you have that spidy sense inside, or that
gut instinct that you are talented. Your creativity is worth
investing in. You have a project or a vision that
(25:44):
you need to bring to life, and it just won't
shut up, Like it's clawing at you every day. You
have to listen to it and to let other people
dissuade you or knock you off. Course is giving them
way too much agency and way too much credibility over
your dreams and your future.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
Okay, Ali, we got to get into the raise. Let's
talk about your book. Your first book was How to
Build a gd Empire. It was nonfiction and it was
really demystifying entrepreneurship. It was your experience in your own voice. Now,
this book, which is self published, is a mystery thriller novel.
(26:36):
I kind of want to add satire in there because
it's very funny. Yeah, why did you feel drawn to
this genre? And is this a genre? Tech murder, mystery, satire?
Speaker 2 (26:47):
I think this is a genre. I mean this to
me is an archetypal psychological thriller that has satirical moments
and also deep, vulnerable emotional moments. But it is quite
genre bendy. It's I do like to say, it's it's
its own thing. I mean, it's raw, it's real, but
it does have the same pacing as an archetypal psychological thriller.
(27:11):
If you love Jessica Nole, if you love Lisa Jewel,
if you love Freedom McFadden, like you will like this book.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
And it has this overarching question that I think all
of those authors play with, which is how well do
you actually know the people you think you know?
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Exactly exactly? I wrote in this genre because this is
the genre I like to consume, and I think as
a creative person, you can't help but consume these things
and naturally start asking yourself could I do this? And
I'm the type of person where if I start asking
(27:50):
myself could I do this? I naturally get to the
answer of well, let me try. So I felt like
I wanted to write It's something that I knew people
would just obsessively read. I mean, my goal was to
write a book that was insanely gripping, insanely suspenseful, that
someone would be addicted to that they feel like they
(28:11):
had to finish within twenty four to forty eight hours.
And if you look at the Goodreads reviews, that is
that's the consensus. Like I think I did my job.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Did you write it chapter by chapter or was it
a puzzle? Did you start with the dead person the
reveal somewhere in the middle. What was your process?
Speaker 2 (28:27):
Like the first scene came to me where Alexis is
at the wig store looking for a wig to put
on Darcy's bear scalp, you know, for Darcy's open casket
at her funeral. That came to me on a flight
back home. And I wrote the first three chapters in
this like feral ferocious state on a flight. Then I
(28:48):
took a break, and then I started working with post
its to cobble together the plot. But I did write
it in sequential order. I feel like, because it was
my first book, it was my time doing fiction. It
that's how my brain works. My brain works in a
very linear way, so I did write it in order,
chapter by chapter. That said, I've been working on this
(29:10):
book for five years, so I did revisit it in
the past year to tune things up, tighten things up,
you know, deepen and layer certain characters. So in that regard,
it has been revisited. And I did at that point
kind of hop around between different chapters and not necessarily
do everything in order.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
And while this is fiction, I mean, you did write
about a world you knew, which is tech and entrepreneurship.
What parts of yourself, if any, did you put into
the main character.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
What I like to say is every character is fiction,
but there are very deep emotional truths in this book.
This is a very vulnerable piece. This is a very
i would say, emotionally confessional piece within a fictional world.
I think that Alexis, the protagonist, is deeply codependent, and
(30:02):
I think that the truth of the codependency is a
truth of mine. I have struggled with codependency a lot,
and I think that I haven't seen that in a
lot of literature, and I have loved it when I
have seen it in literature. I really like it when
Sally Rooney covers codependency in her fictional characters. So that
is definitely an emotional truth. So I always like to
(30:25):
say about creatives and about fiction authors, our characters are fiction,
but they're rooted in emotional truths that we kind of
analyze and process and work through by bringing the work
to life.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
So we kind of alluded to the fact that we
know each other at the beginning of this conversation, but
the full truth in speaking of emotional truth and honesty,
the full truth is that we had a coffee in
Los Angeles years ago, and I had been telling you
about my dreams and you shared your dreams, and I said,
(31:01):
I wanted to work with Hello Sunshine and Reese's Book Club,
and I had this idea for a podcast or a show.
And you said that you were writing a book that
is this mystery thriller novel set in the girl Boss
tech era that you had experienced yourself. And I'll never
(31:22):
forget Ali how lit up you were talking about it,
like it felt like if you didn't get this out
of your body and onto the page, you were going
to explode. Yeah, And I think a lot of times
when creative projects feel that way, we're sort of writing
the book or the we're putting the project out for
our younger selves. Even who did you write this book for?
Speaker 2 (31:49):
I wrote this book for women in their twenties. I
think that women in their thirties and women in their
forties will love the book for its thrilleriness and for
the mystery, and for the characters, and for yeah, more
(32:09):
of like the superficial elements of what makes it like
an amazing commercial thriller, if I do say so myself.
But the emotional truths of the book are for women
in their twenties who feel lost, who feel really ambitious
and driven but confused about where to put that or
(32:30):
what to do with that, and who don't necessarily look
inward for internal validation and worthiness and self belief, because
that is Alexis, that is our protagonist. Our protagonist is
on a hero's journey of finding internal worth and value within.
(32:54):
So this book is really for women, but people in
general in their twenties who need a bit of themselves
reflected back to them to feel inspired and motivated, that
they will get there and they will figure things out.
And so I guess in that way, it's for like
(33:15):
twenty three year old meat, it's for twenty four year
old's me. And I hope that the right people find
it and that it transforms people in that way. And
I hope that for people who don't need that transformation
they love it as the commercial crazy, you know, wild
(33:37):
roller coaster, edge of your seat, you know, keeps you
guessing ride that it is.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
At the same time, I think the quote, the Mark
Twain quote that you open with actually sets the tone
for that idea. It says, it ain't what you don't
know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know
for sure that just ain't so. Yes, yes, Why open
with that quote.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
For two reasons? I think number one, I wanted to
tell the reader what you're reading and what you're receiving
as truth and fact in this book. You should maybe
in the back of your head always have this scratchy
noise of maybe I shouldn't take this at face value.
I think the second thing is that, to me, is
(34:26):
so much the moral of the story of the Raise
that you can walk into situations, relationships, your life. You
can kind of build a whole life and think it's this,
it's X, it's why. Maybe it's a work thing, a marriage,
a friendship, and you are so certain this is good,
(34:48):
this is perfect, this is valid, this is going to
be forever you know. This is what gives me value,
this is what makes me like who I am. But
that's not always necessarily the case.
Speaker 1 (35:03):
I've been looking on Goodreads and it is so funny
that all of these people have been saying that your
book needs a trigger warning, and it's not for what
you think it would be it's not for sensitive content
like we're used to. It's for people who have worked
in tech startups.
Speaker 2 (35:19):
Oh my god, I know, I'm it's it's it's I
do think it's it's very immersive. It's a very textured,
real feeling world like it really, I do think I
do a good job placing you there. And it's because
I lived it for eight years.
Speaker 1 (35:37):
And that's something you said at coffee that you had
not read any novels that really felt akin to your experience.
So yeah, I just I think it's so satisfying for
me to read those reviews and feel like all these
women in tech feel seen by your writing.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
I I think so too. And I think what's what's
extra validating is that for people that don't come from
that world, it's not alienating for them. They actually really
enjoy it. They're like, I loved this in the same
way that I think Succession had such mass appeal even
though you didn't have to come from corporate or you know,
be a NEPO baby or be you know, in in
(36:19):
that world. I think the Raise does a good job
of making that world really accessible and really palatable and
just kind of like a really fun thrilling atmosphere to
be in.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
So Ali, I always ask guests what they've bookmarked this week.
It can be a weird fact, a fun quote, something
you saved on Instagram, something you texted your mom about.
What have you bookmarked this week?
Speaker 2 (36:45):
It is a wo woo Instagram quote?
Speaker 3 (36:48):
I mean, you know, I love the wu So the
wu woo Instagram quote that I have bookmarked for this
week is nature desires a trade your courage in exchange
for your dream.
Speaker 4 (37:01):
Ooh who.
Speaker 1 (37:04):
Yeah, it's hot in here. Allie's waving at her face.
That is great, and I think that that's shown to
be true with this process of self publishing for you.
Speaker 2 (37:17):
Yeah, definitely. You know, you bet on.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
Yourself and all of these great things are coming to you.
Speaker 2 (37:22):
Yes, in including this opportunity. So thank you again.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
You're so sweet. Are there any book wrecks for people
who want to follow in your footsteps?
Speaker 2 (37:33):
The books that I will recommend for like my Journey
to self publishing, are not super prescriptive on like here's
how you find the right publishing partner. It's more emotional
and mindset shifty stuff. So number one, the Untethered Soul
is an unbelievable Internal Transformation book. I highly recommend it.
(37:59):
The other book I recommend, obviously The Artist's Way. I
feel like everyone is doing or recommending The Artist's Way
right now by Julia Camrad Doc because of DOCI, but
it is such an incredible book. Another book that I
love is called Designing Your Life. It's by two Stanford
educators that actually are designers, and they talk about how
(38:26):
to construct your life and your creative process and your
work process and your professional existence in response to how
you naturally operate. I feel like, instead of kind of
shoehorning yourself into a professional identity or a career that
really goes against the tides of who you are, whether
it's when you want to wake up in the morning,
(38:46):
or how busy you want to be, or how extroverted
or introverted you want to be, it really helps you
kind of formfit yourself into a career that aligns with
who you naturally are as a person.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
I also really like looking at self publishing as an
opportunity instead of this sort of like a grudging thing
that you have to do if a publisher says no,
because it really can be an opportunity.
Speaker 2 (39:11):
Yeah, and I think what people don't know about traditional
publishing is it's a business, right Like there's a reason
that Romanticy has been so huge the serrits because if
a single title takes off for traditional publisher they're going
to double down on that category. It's the same way
that like Gillian Flynn was a huge hit with Gone Girl,
(39:32):
and then titles similar to Gone Girl were like the
titles of the moment. So whether you get accepted, rejected, whatever,
it's really just a reflection of what's trending in the
market right now and what is the safest bet for publishers.
But the thing I also wrote about on substac is
the safest bet is never the thing that usually like
(39:53):
breaks through and makes the loudest noise and like transforms
the culture. For me self, publishing was a way of saying,
I I'm willing to take the risk, you know, I'm
willing to take the hit, but also if this goes well,
I get all the credit.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
In that same vein Ali, you talk about the system
with a capital s all the time and how to
operate outside of it, which is what you've done with
this whole process. So many people feel like they have
a book or a company or an idea inside of them.
And people are coming from different backgrounds, different life situations.
(40:29):
What is the single best thing that you can share
with them about how to break out of a pattern
that is making them feel unhappy or unfulfilled.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
My best piece of advice would be to chip away
at your dream a little bit every day. You don't
need crazy amounts of capital or crazy resourcing or the
network overnight to become who you're meant to become. I
(41:02):
think that confidence and self belief and conviction in yourself
comes from taking action, even if it's making a promise
to yourself that you're going to live out that dream
thirty minutes a night, you know, working on your poetry
or working on your script, or working on your business,
or you know building a beautiful playroom for your son,
(41:26):
or you know working on your garden, or learning a
new recipe because you want to become a better cook
for your family, or working on a scone recipe because
you want to open a coffee shop, whatever it is.
You don't need to hold yourself to the highest standard
of I'm going to be this thing tomorrow. Like think
(41:48):
about me thinking I had to get a physical bookbinder
in New York again, like I'm in medieval times, like
walking over with stray papers, like going to get this
book smush together, like in some basement, Like that's where
I was, And now I have a book that's in
market that is performing super well. I'm on the rece
(42:11):
Wetherspooon book Club podcast. But this all started with a
few chapters on a flight and just keeping going a
little bit day by day and trusting myself and believing
in myself a little bit a little bit over time.
So that's the advice that I would give is stop
(42:33):
putting yourself and your dreams and this opportunity that you
want on this crazy pedestal. Give yourself grace and give
yourself the breathing room to chip away at it little
by little, because that's how it's going to get done,
and that's how you're going to build the confidence up
necessary to do the full version of it when the
(42:55):
time comes. That's what's going to get you ready.
Speaker 1 (42:57):
Okay, Ali, I think you could moonlight as an inspirational speaker.
But as we wrap up this podcast, I want to
do a little speed reef with you. So we're going
to put sixty seconds on the clock and see just
how many rapid fire literary questions you can get through?
Your mind thinks so fast. I have a feeling we
can get through them all. Are you ready?
Speaker 2 (43:19):
Yeah? I'm scared?
Speaker 1 (43:20):
Ok eight three two? One? Your favorite book to.
Speaker 2 (43:24):
Recommend yellow Face rf Quang.
Speaker 1 (43:27):
An author whose book you'd love to publish?
Speaker 2 (43:30):
Raven Leilani.
Speaker 1 (43:31):
Favorite book that nails.
Speaker 2 (43:32):
Ambition, Oh, the talented mister Ripley.
Speaker 1 (43:35):
A book that nails female friendship?
Speaker 2 (43:38):
Ooh, my brilliant friend.
Speaker 1 (43:41):
The best book that you've never.
Speaker 2 (43:43):
Read, The best book I've never read.
Speaker 1 (43:46):
Yeah, Like for me, there's all these classics that I
really like. They're on my list, and I just can
never get.
Speaker 2 (43:50):
To wait it's over here.
Speaker 1 (43:53):
I love that it's on your bookshelf.
Speaker 2 (43:54):
Patricia Lockwood. No one's talking about this. I haven't read
it yet, but I need to.
Speaker 1 (43:59):
Which fiction character do you secretly think you're most like?
Speaker 2 (44:02):
Hannah horror Bath.
Speaker 1 (44:06):
Oh my god, what book shape the way you see
the world? You are the voice of our generation Hannah.
Speaker 2 (44:15):
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Nole.
Speaker 1 (44:19):
Who would you cast as you in your memoirs? Film trailer?
Speaker 2 (44:23):
Zara Larson?
Speaker 1 (44:25):
Ooh good one? Okay, Ali, I'm so proud of you.
I'm so excited for you. I'm so inspired by you. Truly,
it takes a lot for me to feel inspired in
this way, and I think a lot of it is
coming from the fact that you took such a big
swing and a bet on yourself. And I will root
(44:46):
for anybody who bets on themselves, but you did it
in such an elevated way. So congratulations on pub day tomorrow.
And I just feel so lucky to know you.
Speaker 2 (44:57):
I feel so lucky to know you. Thank you for
the this opportunity. I love this conversation and everyone enjoy
the rais. I can't wait to hear what you think
about it. And yeah, buckle up, it's a wild ride.
Speaker 1 (45:11):
That it is, okay friends. Before we wrap up today's episode,
I'm bringing back our monthly comfort segment from Cotton called
the Booknook. It's where we explore the rituals that make
reading field just right. As you know, Cotton is a
part of so many of life's everyday comforts, from the
(45:32):
soft tease we live into, the sheets and blankets we
wind down with, and it's especially present in those moments
when you're lost in a book. Last month, I shared
my ideal setup, which always involves something cozy and cotton,
definitely some iced coffee and a warm patch of sunlight.
Speaker 2 (45:49):
Now it's your turn.
Speaker 4 (45:52):
Hey Bookmark, Hey Danielle, this is Lauren calling in from
breezy Rhode Island. So I'm mostly a nighttime reader. My
reading ritual involves being nowhere near any devices. I've turned
down the lights in my house. I've got my PJS on,
my teeth are brushed, like I'm totally ready for bed,
(46:13):
but I've got the warm glow of my bedside lamp on.
I have this gigantic pillow that I kind of put
against the hard wall and then I sort of lean
my back against it, and then I usually pull my
blankets all around me. I draw my knees up so
that they sort of act like a book prop, and
(46:34):
then you know, I open the book. I let the
weight of the book fall open, and I just dive
right in and like, sometimes I can be there for
you know, a page. But other times, even if I'm
so tired, I just can't close the book and I
keep reading while everyone sleeps around me. And sometimes those
are the best nights. Anyway. Love hearing these. I wish
(46:57):
you all happy reading.
Speaker 1 (47:00):
Hmm, that sounds super cozy. Thanks Lauren. Listening to you
makes me want to curl up in my own cotton sheets,
tuck under a blanket and read all night too. I
love how these rituals are as much about the little comforts,
the fabrics, the lighting, the quiet as they are about
the books themselves. Right, So keep your ideal reading setups coming.
(47:20):
What are you wearing, what's around you? Are you reading
by sunlight or lamplight, under a cotton throw or in
your favorite lounge setup. Take me right into your perfect
reading ritual. Leave me a voicemail at five zero one
two nine to one three three seven nine, or email
a voice memo to bookmarked at Reese's Bookclub dot com.
(47:41):
I want to hear from you. Thanks to Cotton for
bringing this segment to life and reminding us that comfort
and style can go hand in hand. Don't forget to
check the tag for Cotton. And if you want to
learn more, head to the Fabric of OurLives dot com.
And if you want to little bit more from us,
(48:01):
come hang with us on socials. We're at Reese's book
Club on Instagram, serving up books, vibes and behind the scenes,
Magic and I'm at Danielle Robe, Roba Y, come say
hi and df me and if you want to go
nineties on us, call us. Okay, our phone line is open,
so call now at one five zero one two nine,
(48:21):
one three three seven nine. That's one five oh one
two nine, one three three seven nine. Share your literary
hot takes, book recommendations, questions about the monthly pick, or
let us know what you think about the episode you
just heard and who knows, you might just hear yourself
in our next episode, So don't be shy, give us
(48:44):
a ring, and of course, make sure to follow Bookmarked
by Reese's book Club on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast,
or wherever you get your shows until then, see you
in the next chapter. Bookmarked is a production of Hello,
Sunshine and I Heart Podcast. Its executive produced by Reese
Witherspoon and me Danielle Robe. Production is by a Cast
(49:07):
Creative Studios. Our producers are Matty Foley, Brittany Martinez, Sarah
Schleid and Darby Masters. Our production assistant is Avery Loftus.
Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rutterer are the executive producers for
a Cast Creative Studios. Maureene Polo and Reese Witherspoon are
the executive producers for Hello Sunshine. Olga Caminha, Kristin Perla
(49:28):
and Ashley Rappaport are associate producers for Reese's book Club.
Ali Perry and Lauren Hansen are the executive producers for
iHeart Podcasts.
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