We were lucky to catch up with Cynthia Fails recently and have shared our conversation below.

Cynthia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project that I’ve had the chance to work on this far? Well, there are two books that come to mind.

The first is the book, “So Okay…” is about my grandfather. Just before he turned 94, I noticed how much he enjoyed telling us, his family, some of the stories from his life. We’re talking about everything from growing up in small town Missouri and moving to the big city, to raising a big family, starting a business, going off to war, and a lot of stories in between. I had a fleeting thought to capture these stories before we lost them to time and asked if he’d be willing to document them for a book about his life. As he and I started capturing and documenting his life, I noticed as I reviewed the transcription of his recorded interviews that he was so much more expressive in telling the stories than any plain words on paper could ever be. So I made it a mission to figure out how to document both (print and audio) and include them within the story. Enter the use of QR codes. I decided that they would make a quick and easy solution to allow us to retain the heart of the story through Grandpa’s telling of it himself. Now, readers not only have the chance to glean from his wisdom surrounding 10 universal human themes, but they can do so while being transported to Grandpa’s couch for story time. The latter is something I’ve found adults still hold dear.

Along the same lines of infusing technology with an impactful book, the tail end of 2022 brings the title, “Love with No Place to Land,” a Virtual Interactive Book Experience on grief. Part print book and part online course, readers are guided through their grief journey in a way that honors where they are and allows them to apply the content to their unique experience thus enabling their growth.

Both books aspire to create ripples of good and offer a salve to help mend some of the things we most need to address. Most importantly, their approach is similarly rooted in love.

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 am a former educator and full-time creative (muti-genre author, illustrator, musician, videographer, publisher, audio engineer, etc.) who through many leaps of faith, found their way into a position that allows me to use my talents to help the greater good. My background in education and coaching allows me to connect with writers and authors where they are, to help guide them through the creation of their most powerful stories.

My first leap of faith came at the tail end of a reorg. that gave me the opportunity to revisit and honor my core values. Without knowing my next “assignment”, I left a position that I loved, working with and for people I adored. In hindsight it sounds a bit wild, but you know in your gut when it’s time to leave. So, I followed my intuition and in the 5 month window of time between when I started my next position, I picked up quilting and had conducted heaps of research on the publishing industry after I wrote, illustrated and self-published my first book, “The Christmas Cookie.”

I’ve come a long way since that first book, but the core message about trusting your intuition still rings true in all the work I do. Whether that’s helping others learn to listen to the story within them through our manuscript writing master course, Idea to Editor, or the 1:1 coach I provide through our publishing services and to the authors who sign with LaunchCrate, the company I left higher ed to develop full-time in 2017, each client we serve is encouraged to and coached through the process of listening to the still voice within.

We just celebrated our 5 year anniversary with a Book Fair, just for those who are signed as LaunchCrate authors. I couldn’t imagine celebrating any other way than by continuing to elevate those who have entrusted us with the telling of their stories. Each book we’ve published thus far is positioned to create ripples of impact wherever they land, whether it’s a book of poetry that helps empower you to live the life you want, or a book on transforming to truly fit, or one of our many children’s books that inspire creativity and encourage self-expression and acceptance of all, each title seeks to inspire in some form or fashion.

We’re a small but mighty team that works hard to educate all authors we work with, whether through publishing services or as signed LaunchCrate authors, on the power of showing up authentically in your writing and in the world. As a result, the books created through our independent publishing house can stand side by side with those created by the Big 5, but it’s most important to us that creators are being fairly compensated for their work.

It’s the reason I took my second leap of faith, from doing work I loved in higher education to helping tip the publishing industry on end in favor of creatives. This is the foundation of LaunchCrate. It is that which drives our work in educating others and helping them create good books; one author, one story, one reader at a time.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

During one of the most challenging moments in recent history, the pandemic, I like many others found myself in a position where I had to pivot in business. The good news, is that I’d already gotten pretty good at recognizing when and how to pivot in life.

I left for college undeclared, then returned home after 3 semesters when I still didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, only to return again after I figured out who I wanted to be – instead of what. I graduated from college the first spring semester following 9/11 – a time that was full of fear and uncertainty. Not too long after my entry into the workforce, we faced the recession of 2008. Most of my adult life has been spent adjusting and modifying so I can thrive (not just survive). I chalk this up as an almost par for the course experience of my other the Oregon Trail sub-generation members.

So when 2020 came in hot, the Picture Book Camp we had been planning to host in-person, like everything else at that time shifted to a virtual experience. Our podcast recordings shifted from in-person to virtual. All of these helped me streamline our programming and service, and allowed me to lean on the online learning certification I picked up before I left higher education. More than anything though, it helped everyone refocus on the importance of human connection. So each pivot we made, strengthened our intentionality in finding a connection point with each person we interacted with, even virtually.

This ultimately amplified our core message and gave us new opportunities to collaborate with likeminded people and businesses.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Relationships are key. The blueprint my family laid out in front of me, parents, brother, aunts/uncles/cousins, grandparents, is to treat everyone like family. Following that people-first model, I learned to stay present and in the moment, it became part of the core of my being.

Who we are at our core, leaks into our business, which is why it’s so important to be authentically you. When you show up to see how you can be of service to others, that gets returned to you ten-fold, sometimes more when you’re not expecting it.

Without truly leaning into a human-centric approach, honoring people’s unique journeys and keeping family first, building a strong reputation in business would be nearly impossible. With it, it fosters authentic connections that allow all parties to continue to grow and evolve, not just in business, but also in life.

Contact Info:

• Website: clfails.com or launchcrate.com
• Instagram: @clfails or @launchcrate
• Facebook: @authorclfails or @launchcrate
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clfails/
• Twitter: @clfails or @launchcrate