Episode 121: Meet the Synergy Publishing Team

[00:00:02] What you want when you want it, where you want it. This is the MESH Team, how we work with our clients and just what makes us amazing. So excited you're here Let's get started. Hello hello welcome everyone to another episode of The Written That Compass,

[00:00:45] Shayna here and I am joined by a big crew today. I have brought my team onto the podcast today. Say hello team. Hello. And I'm excited to introduce you all to them. You've met them in

[00:01:04] some capacity if you've read our collaborative books or listen to other episodes on the podcast. They have all been a part of The Journey with Me with The Written Compass and Synergy Publishing Group.

[00:01:15] But this is the official Meet The Team episode. So I'm super excited for them to be here and for you all listening just to get to know us a little bit better and how we work and how we all

[00:01:27] came together and all of that kind of stuff. So first I want each of them to introduce themselves and kind of just talk about who they are on the team and then anything else outside of

[00:01:37] Synergy stuff that you want to share. Cindy I'm going to start with you. Hi my name is Cindy I'm Vansky, I am the lead writing coach for Synergy Publishing Group. Yay Melissa. I'm Melissa. I think my official title is publication of how it's

[00:01:58] Yes, but I handle design issues. Melissa thanks all of our stuff pretty and inside's pretty and Taylor. And my name is Taylor Edwards. I am the virtual assistant for The Team. So my version of what everyone does is Cindy keeps all of the words going and flowing and

[00:02:22] is our key boots on the ground with each of our writers and authors to make sure the words come out. I kind of say like I hold space for the books and the ideas and the offers and

[00:02:38] direction in many ways and then all of these beautiful people help us make sure that that happens and implemented in the world and Cindy makes sure that all of our writers feel fully supported

[00:02:49] from idea all the way to holding their book in their hand and Melissa does this wonderful magical job but not only contributing her words to our projects as well, but she really helps us birth the books for our clients and our collaborative unveiling the secrets book series and

[00:03:11] does the most integrated embodied designing process that I've ever seen to help our covers matter insides, matter words and the intent for the book and match the authors and all of that

[00:03:23] kind of stuff and it just amazes me. And then Taylor makes sure that all of that can keep going and she is our behind-the-scenes person guru. She helps us make technology work. She keeps our

[00:03:39] websites running. She helps us with social media posts just all kinds of amazing stuff like Taylor helps us hold and glue it all together on the back end with our systems and everything and so

[00:03:53] collectively we are synergy publishing group team. We also have some other people that we work with our amazing editor Dr. Kumi Shawnson is also a part of our team and we actually intentionally

[00:04:08] don't keep her super connected to our authors so that when she gets the books to go through them she is literally coming to them with super, super fresh eyes. We have all particularly

[00:04:20] Cindy and I have looked at things over and over particularly Cindy and again and again and again the authors have looked at it again and again and again so we love having her as kind of this

[00:04:29] really outside reader type of person to give us that final copy editing and proofreading. So I wanted to kind of start with and you can decide who starts first but what

[00:04:41] do you feel like it is like what would you like people to know when they come and start to interact with team synergy? What do you feel like it's like to work with us, yeah Cindy?

[00:04:53] I think it's like a big group hug. So we hold space for people's stories and people's words and we together in this group make it a really safe space that is deeply connected with the individual writer that is within every person we encounter. So I think that distinguishes

[00:05:24] our group from some other groups is that deep connection and that hug like when you are people you are people and we're going to get our hands all in there and support you in any way that you need.

[00:05:42] Yeah I love that. I think one of the things that's really unique about the way we work is it's very customized so yes we know what it's like to take a book from idea all the way through to publish.

[00:05:59] We've done it numerous times now and yes there are steps and processes and all of that and we really work to make everything personalized so we're not turning someone through some system that is the

[00:06:14] same from one person to the next everybody really has a collective but aligned in unique to them experience you know this is what worked for me with my you know getting my words down or this is how

[00:06:29] I chose to approach working with Melissa the cover you know in the interior this is it just all feels very personalizing customized which I think is really an attestimate to our team and how we work yeah

[00:06:44] anybody else Melissa? I would say one of the things that stands out to me is you Shayna and Cindy and the extensive backgrounds that you have in creative writing with the national writing project

[00:07:00] and PhD level studies and writing you know a lot of other publishing groups they're coming from the publishing route or they're coming from some other industry avenue but you're coming through the academic study of creative writing which I think sets you apart from a lot of other people

[00:07:24] yeah that's a really good point like we approach it everything as a writer like as a human not the the the I don't know what the the word is but the production team it's not the publishing

[00:07:40] side it's not from the magazine industry or the book industry it's from the writing industry which is different to me yeah we need to remind ourselves of that the acting is really yummy when you say that and true so thank you Melissa and what was

[00:08:01] cracking me up when you said what distinguishes us is Shayna and Cindy I was thinking what distinguishes us is Melissa and the way she works with covers and interiors so I would love

[00:08:16] it if you would talk a little bit about how you work with individuals and their cover dreams do first I want to know about their story and then I want to know who they're talking to

[00:08:32] and then I want to make sure the cover reflects that that it's going to both speak to their intended audience and draw them in but then also authentically represent who they are and what they're

[00:08:44] trying to say so that everyone's expectations are met um does that answer the question it does answer the question and I will add you do this amazing mind reading thing at least for me

[00:09:02] when you have designed covers for me I can just speak to being a part of this process like things that I didn't even know were important to me you picked up on and put in my cover and it was

[00:09:15] really important to me and I was like oh yeah that's right mm-hmm see sometimes that works better than other times um that is what I try to do every single time yeah that's the idea is to

[00:09:30] take in what the author wants and then return something that is what they want and then things they didn't know they could dream about mm-hmm yeah I think it's really

[00:09:45] something else that's um powerful about our team and that I love is that we each at least for my perspective are not afraid to have our expertise or have you know bring our experience and

[00:09:59] our knowledge to the table and offer that insight and help you know support the writers ideas as well all at the same time right like this it's really this partnership yeah tailored yeah I think just a beautiful partnership between expertise and then in two-ativeness that's really

[00:10:19] where I see those two worlds colliding especially when you talked about the covers Melissa like we have this great background um and the you know the the scholarly illness behind it but then laying into the intuitiveness is what really sets us apart I think in my opinion

[00:10:37] I agree and even as you are supporting us with for instance if you go to anything on our website any if I ever share a link to anything know that Taylor has touched that in some way

[00:10:52] shape or form and I do think that is something that's all in common with us is we do trust that we have this inner wisdom and we want to support other people in trusting that in

[00:11:04] themselves as well which is really the embodied writing piece so we have that permeating which is so cool through everything that you do and I think that touches on maybe Melissa what you were talking about is like we're not coming at it from an industry perspective

[00:11:20] which I think is why like we're so honored to work with the people we get to honor and like it's always I don't know what you guys I know we'd be chat our individual experiences with

[00:11:31] our authors and collectively as well at retreats or in-person events or you know on a zoom call but as different in diverse as a lot of the backgrounds of the people who come to us the one thing

[00:11:45] is they do have that and there's just something inside of me there's just this piece this these things that need to come forward and I trust that and feel that wholeheartedly and then the noise of how that's supposed to look and what a book you know what book

[00:12:01] writing means and what publishing means it's like we focus in on that intuitive piece like you're talking about Taylor yeah I would say the difference maker is we don't believe in the

[00:12:14] word should it should do this you should do this if you're gonna write a book you should for then a publish a book you should we're like what's this crazy thing we can do and then we

[00:12:27] tell Taylor we want to do this crazy thing and she makes it happen yeah yeah we believe each other like we believe the idea and I think Melissa has to do with this most because there are some

[00:12:40] conventions of quirks and things so that a book is legible and readable and all that sort of stuff district and the people will accept it that we're trying to publish through um on KDP and

[00:12:53] Ingrid and whatnot and we're also very open to you know how to where's the both end and all of that can we do this what's possible here and I think we're I mean just to speak frankly we're going

[00:13:07] through this right now with a client supporting publishing we're we're exploring a new platform to publish on and we're having all sorts of fun exploring that but yet like even just talking

[00:13:19] about that like how as a team we work together when we maybe are trying something new or haven't done before I'm curious what that's like it feels like real I think it feels like a lot to really smart people figuring out solving a problem just problem-solving

[00:13:44] and finding a way to make our clients dream come true so this client really wants a spiral bound something and we're trying to make that happen it's not as easy as it sounds it's not as easy

[00:14:00] as we thought it was going to be and yet nobody's like well we just can't do this everybody's like oh we can do this there is a way how about this how about that how about just other thing and

[00:14:11] everybody is in the channel contributing fantastic ideas and just trying stuff out and nobody is afraid to just try stuff out yeah and I love to like whenever I interject and y'all have already handled something y'all are so gracious to me of like yeah lady

[00:14:33] we've already done that or we know what we're doing over here and I'm like okay let me just shut up then like even if we don't know the thing that's going on you know whatever we're working on

[00:14:43] or that's not our area on the team of expertise we're we're supporting the others like keep going let me know if you need anything how can I support you or we got this please go away

[00:14:54] whatever maybe I love that about our work as well what do you think I'm curious what are some things that you love most about like our offers and just the work that's being the books

[00:15:10] and things that are coming out and have been put out and are getting ready to come out and all of that kind of stuff what do you love the most I mean the retreat stand out that's something that's

[00:15:25] magical um we get that group of people a group of creative people in a house for a few days and their energy start to sync up and amplify each other and um it's just it's a cool thing to be around

[00:15:46] it really is there's almost like a vibration that kind of suddenly starts buzzing and connecting and I always have the moment during retreats of like I don't I don't think I need to do anything else because it's just everyone's energies have just come

[00:16:05] together and everybody's found their pathway and they're supporting each other and they're coming to me or Cindy or Melissa you know as they need to um and it just it's just this hum that just

[00:16:18] kind of constantly goes yeah and I'll say also I retreat a very different from any sort of retreat and happen retreating for 30 years you sort of retreat I've ever been on before because I don't come back drained you don't need a retreat from their retreat

[00:16:39] right I don't return drained I return energized and ready and excited and pumped up and amped up and I am an extreme introvert so being peopleing for four days at a time is usually a

[00:16:56] drain for me no matter how lovely the people we might own family I have to piece out from but I don't feel that drain in this retreat space because everything just flows if you need to go

[00:17:13] be by yourself you just zip-doodle out and take care of that business you need to go for a walk if you need to go for a run we had people at the last retreat turn the garage into a gym and they're like

[00:17:26] planning sprints and riding on big sticky notes on the wall or roller skating them straight and then coming back it just it in our retreat space what makes it different is

[00:17:42] people get what they need because we trust people to ask for what they need and in doing so we create something that's very different from anything outside that we're experienced yeah totally so playing off of that I think with other

[00:18:04] that I comparing us to other publishing groups again but I don't think there's a sense of community whereas our authors are in community we feature they have opportunities to through the retreats through

[00:18:19] the writing group it's not author here author here standing on the pillars I mean they are strong independent pillars but they have opportunities to come together and create together and you know build all each other's energies absolutely I always love telling story of being on a call

[00:18:38] in one author who had not published yet had just bought like five copies of an author who had published in our community and she was sharing with that newly published author she was saying oh yeah

[00:18:51] every time I have a client comes in and they talk about XYZ I think of your book and I just hand them a copy of your book the newly published author lived in Canada right chatem Canada this

[00:19:02] other aspiring author who hadn't published yet she lived in Charlotte with Carolina there's no marketing there's no like anything that could have made that kind of like where

[00:19:12] those humans could get that book and it's that kind of stuff like we are age I see it on the social media post it happened just the other day somebody got a copy and you know they're in

[00:19:23] upstate New York and sharing you know with that author that they got a copy of their book and it's just this ripple effect this butterfly effect that just keeps going on and on and that really

[00:19:34] you know just connects to our intention I think overall is that we are building this space and in this community for people to share their voice realize their story matters realize people want to

[00:19:48] hear what they have to say and to have the support that they need to get those messages out there so I'm curious what would be something if someone is you know considering working with us

[00:20:04] what would be something you would want them to maybe know if the idea has been living in your head and the play around and they're knocking around and they're making it hard for you to think

[00:20:24] about other things it's probably time to give birth to that idea and I think working with the writing coaching that YouTube provide helps just take that baby yeah yeah it's time to deliver that book baby love it I am happy to be known as a book midwife absolutely

[00:20:55] yeah I do think they're I love all of those words and we do talk it is the process and it feels very much like a birthing of sorts because we've all been there when our words are about to

[00:21:08] come out and be seen yet Cindy just made the great face that mimics that and it's the oh you know what and it's this deep exhale all at the same time so that's really really awesome yeah

[00:21:20] yeah that aside that always reminds me of the myth of Athena spring from Zeus's head so every time we talk about that I think of Athena I love that you know that she's she's the

[00:21:36] goddess of both wisdom and warfare which hmm there can be some of those feels good to me like it I think that's a good connection in analogy to what writing can sometimes be like

[00:21:52] is this battle internal battle usually and that's one thing we didn't touch on is part of what I think is unique about that the way we work with people as a team is we coach the writer just as

[00:22:06] much as we coach their words and support their words so I would want people to know you're not just getting help with your words you're getting help with the plot the full top-to-bottom process of

[00:22:18] what it is like to do what Melissa's saying follow that tug get that book birth those ideas get them out in a book there's a lot of amazing transformative stuff that happens when you allow yourself

[00:22:32] to have those words come forward put them out for others to to read and experience there's a ton that comes up and to have support around that as well as the actual writing and the words

[00:22:46] and the publishing and all of that I think is just a powerful combat that I don't personally know of other entities or groups who have all of those elements kind of combined and working together

[00:23:01] makes me think of two things fun fact I'm also a yoga teacher and can often be heard saying if you are currently in an epic struggle with yourself on this mat back off he's up a little bit

[00:23:20] and we say the same thing to our writers like if you're in this epic tense struggle where can you where can you back off where can you give space so that's the kind of coaching we do

[00:23:34] and another example that comes to mind is our client who said her book was about to come out and she said I'll be over here behind my couch with my dog we're here for that right yeah okay

[00:23:48] I got you behind your couch with your dog and this book is coming out the dog is out of the garage and it's about to happen and it's all gonna be okay and I will continue with you and hope space for

[00:24:02] and your dog. Absolutely I want to yeah go what was the name of that yoga thing is it effort in ease, effort in ease yeah the ease and effort effort in the ease yes I'll let those ideas

[00:24:19] and by the way send me yes and send you's also we do we offer yoga at our retreats it is very optional I am usually one who's like nope I thank you and sometimes I do but she's also

[00:24:32] are nourisher to at our retreats and provide some of the amazing food which we all get to enjoy so again I love all of the ways Taylor make sure that we had we just have all of the things

[00:24:45] that we need to support everyone, Melissa makes everything beautiful, Cindy makes us get connected the words out it's just a really amazing thing and I'm just so honored for each and every one of you

[00:24:59] so thank you for being you and for being a part of this team and they all entertained my crazy ideas as they show up which I'm very very grateful in anyone who's in the business entrepreneur

[00:25:12] world knows you need those kinds of people behind you. I want to wrap us up by sharing our don't need created we created this last year at our community which is our mission for synergy

[00:25:26] publishing group I think it's a fitting way to end so our mission here at synergy publishing is that we envision a world where all voices are heard and all experiences are valued we believe writing

[00:25:38] is a pathway to connecting with self and honoring our experiences. We encourage the sharing of our voices with the world because we believe it promotes community connections and collective healing through embodied writing experiences synergy publishing group guides and supports writers,

[00:25:54] scribblers and storytellers on their unique journeys to leave a legacy with their works. Thank you to my team thank you for being here and we can't wait to hear what you thought of this

[00:26:07] episode it's definitely a different one so be sure to go to all the places and leave all the comments and share and we will catch up with you next time thanks everyone.

[00:26:18] Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the written comments. If you are enjoying this content do me a favor and go and review the podcast this allows me to share and get these messages out

[00:26:30] to the people who really need them who we want to read their books in the future. You can also go and share your thoughts and tag me at Shaina Hartman underscore on Instagram. Again this is just

[00:26:42] a way for us to get connected and share the writing plot and if you know that you are ready to write your book that message that's been burning inside of you for a long time then I want to talk to

[00:26:55] you my team and I want to talk to you. Head on over to shainaheartman.com and click work with us from there you'll see an application to explore and see if writing your book is your next best step.

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