COVER REVEAL for my next book: Don’t Overthink It!

Readers, I have some big news and I’m thrilled to finally be able to share it. My next book Don’t Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy to Your Life, is coming your way on March 3, 2020.

Today I get to show you the cover, which I adore, and which my incredible designer Patti Brinks nailed in the first round. (That never happens. Related: this cover is final, so if you don’t like it, do me a favor and don’t tell me?)

Seasoned authors say every book is different—and this book has been vastly different from my others, beginning to end.

About the title

Of all my books, this is the only one that began with the title; my other books were titled after completion. (I came up with Reading People at the eleventh hour, and my publisher titled I’d Rather Be Reading during the editing process.) But I landed on this title on the Oregon Coast way back in January 2018 (and then received an eerily serendipitous text from a friend that night confirming I was on the right track), and haven’t wavered on it.

That’s not to say we didn’t debate the subtitle endlessly; we did! The biggest question we faced was, Is overwhelm a noun? (The answer is it depends, and so we cut my initial phrase “stop overwhelm” in the sub so as not to rile the grammar geeks.)

About the content

The content of this book has shifted dramatically since its initial conception. I thought I knew what a book about overthinking needed to address; I was only partly right. If you saw this photo on Instagram, you should know there are 20 chapters represented in that stack of index cards. The final book has 14, but only five of those chapters were ones I originally planned on writing.

When I began, I knew that some helpful information existed on this topic, but I quickly discovered that books about overthinking focused on rumination. I wanted to read a book with a broader focus, written for women, by a relatable expert, not a psychotherapist—and, as Toni Morrison says, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”

More importantly, I couldn’t find any existing books or resources that addressed all the ways I knew I was overthinking myself, or shared strategies that helped me avoid more than just ruminating. As I learned more and more about overthinking, I grew more and more surprised by just how many facets of our lives overthinking touches. I wanted to write a book that reflected both the far-reaching, destructive effects of overthinking, and the not-always-obvious ways we can learn to do better.

I got my start writing here, in this space. My favorite posts over the years have been those that combine unexpected, seemingly unrelated elements in a way that both makes sense to the reader and provides fresh insight, by letting her see a situation—and herself—in a new way. This book reflects that same approach in subject and scope: it divides things along lines you might not expect, covers topics you may not anticipate, and takes a broader view than previous books on the subject have done. I’ve done this on purpose, because I believe the subject merits it. And we, as women, need it.

What happens next

Next comes the entirely different work of figuring out how to get this book into readers’ hands. I’ll keep you posted on the launch team, preorder perks, and event scheduling as those details become known.

What I know for sure right now: your pre-orders mean a lot. They truly make a big difference for authors, by creating buzz among readers and booksellers, by influencing how many copies retailers order for release day (thus no terrible OUT OF STOCK situations), and they influence where my book will be sold come September. This is even more important because of the ongoing paper shortage. The more pre-orders, the more my book will be stocked in actual, physical bookstores—everywhere from Barnes & Noble to Target to your local indie. As a book and bookstore-lover, I would dearly love the actual, physical book to be available wherever YOU get your books.

If you’re interested in reading Don’t Overthink It, you can pre-order from any of these retailers. Order anytime, and hang on to your receipt for the to-be-announced perks:

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble
• Indiebound
• Books-a-Million
• Book Depository

And don’t forget about your local indie! You can preorder wherever new books are sold, although it’s probably best to wait till September 3—that’s six months out—before preordering there. (I’ve heard too many horror stories about orders placed more than six months in advance getting canceled!)

You may want to follow me on Bookbub, because when I reach 1000 followers I can send out a preorder notification for Don’t Overthink It when the time is right. And it’s not too early to put in a purchase request at your local library.

I’m so excited to share more about this book as publication day draws near. I have lots of behind-the-scenes goodness to share: alternate covers, photos of the content creation process, and more.

I so hope you enjoy this book.

xoxo
Anne

COVER REVEAL for my next book: Don’t Overthink It!

About the title

About the content

What happens next

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Find your next read with:

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for every mood

About the title

About the content

What happens next

103 comments

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Find your next read with:

100 Book recommendations for every mood

100 Book recommendations
for every mood