We were lucky to catch up with Connie Bauldree recently and have shared our conversation below.

Connie , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.

After I had the idea for the Writer’s Block Boxes, I knew that I would need useful products and a great website. I had basic experience in setting up websites, but I had no idea how much of a monster this particular website would be. I’m a stay-at-home mom to a toddler and a teenager so time was limited. For one month straight, I would put the baby to bed around 7pm and then I would spend approximately 4-5 hours each night learning everything I could from themes to plugins to E-commerce. There were nights when I wanted to give up because it was hard putting it all together myself. Thank goodness for YouTube! During the daytime hours, I worked on creating my vision for the company. This included creating each and every product whether it was graphics for a custom made product already available, or low content workbooks created from scratch. I created them all. I spent weeks looking into different printing companies to determine which ones would be most cost effective. The actual boxes were probably the most difficult, next to the website. The first design and vendor turned out to be horrible. However, I like to think that horrible experience was a blessing in disguise because it led me to a different vendor and a much better design. I made lists of ideas for box contents and then determined which products would go in which months box. Within 3 months, I had inventory and a plan for the first 3 boxes. The website went live and of course, there were problems. Launch day was actually quite a disaster but luckily, I pushed through and within a week, things were running smoothly. Rather than give up, I simply labeled it “launch week” and kept moving forward.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’m a stay-at-home mom, author, and entrepreneur. I’ve loved to write since I was in high school. I had a Creative Writing teacher who really made writing fun for me. But as life went on, I got busy going to college, working full time and then marriage and kids. The desire to write was always there, but time was not. In 2011, my sister convinced me to write and publish my first novella. It was a steamy romance and it did quite well. However, 3 young kids and a full time job pulled me away once again. I figured I’d get to it “some day”.

Some day ended up being in 2015, when the need to write my memoir kept me up at night. It took me 2 years to write it, but once it was published, I knew I could keep writing. It was as though finishing that first full length novel was what I needed to realize my abilities. So, I kept writing. But by the time I started my 8th book, I was frustrated with my organization, or, lack thereof. I’m a tactile person so I had hundreds of templates on my computer; character diaries, world building worksheets, outline templates, etc. It took forever just to find all the documents I needed to get started.

I remember sitting at my computer one day thinking, if there was just one workbook that had all of this stuff in it, the process of starting would be so much easier. That’s when the lightbulb went on and I quickly found my way to Amazon in search of such a workbook. It wasn’t there. It didn’t exist. I decided right then and there to put that 8th book on the back burner. That’s when Author by Design was born.

I wanted to create something that would make the tactile authors writing process easier. So, I created my own workbook, the Book Bible. It was exactly what I was looking for – one place for everything relating to the creation of a book. I quickly decided to create a companion book, the Series Bible, for those of us who love to write series. Within a month, I published both books and got back to that 8th book.

The Bible’s did well, but the use of the word “Bible” seemed to bring out some pretty weird people. After 5 months, I was getting creepy messages and actually started being stalked by one man. It was then that I decided the title of the book had to change. Of course, it seemed only logical to change the cover art at the same time. And so the Builder Series was born. By the end of 2021, I published the rebrands. The Book and Series Builders. While I was at it, I broke out 2 very key components and created the Character Builder and the World Builder. That’s when the idea for the Writer’s Block Box came to me.

I am someone who loves subscription boxes. I’d tried out a few, including make-up and clothing. It was like my birthday once a month. But the writing boxes I tried out left me feeling unsatisfied. The products weren’t helpful. They didn’t further my writing. I was looking for a box that provided useful tools that I could use to be more successful. Well, me being me, decided that since that type of a box didn’t exist, I would simply have to create one.

Once again, I put writing on the back burner and brought this idea to life. I wanted the boxes to be something authors could get excited about. Something they’d look forward to. I knew it would be a lot of work because every idea I had for the box involved me curating each and every item. An idea my creative mind was in love with but my logical mind was afraid of.

I also wanted my box to matter. The idea of highlighting a local artisan felt like a great way to showcase other arts. So we chose local Colorado Artisan, Gichi’s Custom Crafts, to help give the box that personal touch and show our support of art. Again, I wanted the box to matter; to make authors feel like they were giving back in some way. I did a ton of Googling and finally chose Project Night-Night as the companies charity to support. They are a non-profit organization that makes sure books get into the hands of homeless children. Something I and every author I know are very passionate about.

Then there’s the contents of the box. Those had to be helpful toolsl, something authors could use to further their craft. Each box contains 5 useful items. 1. A Mini Builder. Most of them are extension excerpts from the Book Builder, however, as we grow, fresh Mini Builders are being created. 2. Writing prompts, because you can’t fight writer’s block without writing prompts. We pride ourselves on creating unique prompts. Our fan favs have been the Prompt Dice, Prompt Deck and the Writing Prompt Word Search and Scramble. 3. 30 word count stickers. 4. A hand crafted item made by Gichi’s Custom Crafts. Her bookmarks have been a huge hit. 5. This product changes from month to month. Our Halloween Box hosted the Spell Book For Authors. One box had a Nightstand Notebook for Authors. The fifth item is generally something my brain decided I needed as an author so I want to share with other authors. Additionally, each month we include the Writer’s Block Monthly, a Zine that provides helpful tips and tricks for authors.

Since our launch in March, 2022, we’ve added Theme Boxes and anticipate adding Genre Boxes in 2023. We also have individual items for sale on our website.

I think what sets us apart from others is our goal to help authors be successful. If the item isn’t useful, it doesn’t go in the box. We listen to our customers feedback and adjust accordingly. For 2 months, I did fun stickers with little sayings on them. I received several emails requesting that I go back to word count stickers. Of course I listened because that’s what this is about – making a fellow authors process easier. If word count stickers are what they need, word count stickers are what they get.

It’s hard to say what I’m most proud of because I’m proud of it all and I’m proud of myself. In 2020, my husband and I took custody of our granddaughter. So many people told me that my writing life was over and that I’d have to put it on the back burner until she was older. I’m glad I didn’t listen to them because look at where I am. Since she was born, I’ve published 7 books and I’ve created this fun and amazing box. One of my pen names has been accepted by a small publisher for a Mafia Romance book. I have 3 books in line to be self-published in 2023 under another pen name.

Is it hard? You bet it is. Some days I am exhausted. 16 year olds, 2 year olds, and 65 year old mother-in-laws are really hard to raise. Add in a husband, dogs, cats, chickens, a house and you’ve got one busy mama. Top it off with a new business that requires constant care and I’m trying to write 2000 words per day. There are days where I think I’m not doing enough and days where I think I’m doing too much. Days where I want to give up and days where I want to do more. But I do it. Every single day I just keep doing it. That’s what I’m most proud of.

I want other authors to be able to look at me and see that they can do it too. Regardless of what’s going on in their lives and in spite of what other people might tell them, they can do this. My brand was created for the sole purpose of helping make the process of writing just a little bit easier. Because the process of living, gets in the way. Anything that can make a dream easier to attain is important by my standards.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I had known that Instagram was such a powerful tool for business. I had always looked at Instagram as just a place to post my pictures and I didn’t use it very often. I had no idea how many people looked to that social media outlet for branding. I saw an add on FaceBook for an Instagram class by Brian Moran at CreatorU. It was super cheap and I had been seeing a lot of different ads/comments about how powerful Instagram could be. So I figured, what the heck, I’ll spend the $19 and take the class. By the time I finished the second video, I knew it was $19 spent wisely. My number of followers is still low, but I’m growing and I have the confidence to keep working at it. I think every creative needs to know about the power of Instagram. There are all kinds of classes you can take to learn how to use it to your advantage. I wish I would’ve known how powerful this outlet was when I first launched the box.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I am a perfectionist so being flexible can be very difficult for me. As a creative who is putting her work out there for the whole world to see, that perfectionism takes hold quite often. Over the past 9 months, I’ve had to learn to accept my craft as art. It’s my art.

At first, I wouldn’t put anything in the box if I didn’t think every single subscriber would love it. Do you know how hard it is to try and please a bunch of people you don’t actually know? It’s impossible. It led to missed deadlines and late nights.The stress was causing me to have sleep problems and stomach problems. It was really quite silly.

I finally sat back and took a good hard look at what was causing all that anguish. I realized, it was the perfectionism. I had to force myself to accept the fact that I cannot be perfect for everyone. This is my art. I create all of these items. Not everyone is going to like or appreciate my art. But the ones that do will stay and that has to be enough. I am now to the point that I perfect my art to the extent of the original vision I had. Once it’s done, it’s done.

Yes, it’s easier said than done. But every time I’m close to finishing a product, I ask myself, am I happy with it? Is it my vision? If it is, then it’s done. No obsessing. No revision. It’s done.

The same concept goes for your writing. Once the book is done, it’s done. Perpetual editing will prevent the book from ever seeing publication. Write it. Edit it. Put it out there. Don’t let yourself fall into the trap of not letting the world see your art because it’s not “perfect”.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.writersblockboxes.com
• Instagram: @authorbydesign
• Facebook: @authorbydesign
• Twitter: @author_by
• Youtube: @authorbydesign