I learned that in writing, the most important thing you can do is surrender to your higher self. It is not about you, it is about your readers who are investing the energy into learning about you. I wrote my book in 2 weeks because I was in a state of flow and extremely connected to the ‘best-selling author’ version of myself…nothing less.
Aspart of my series on the “5 Things You Need To Know To Write A Bestselling Book” I had the pleasure of interviewing Celeste Rains-Turk.
Online Fitness Coach, Self-Love, Confidence, and Mindset Mentor, Celeste Rains-Turk. At 19 years old, Celeste became the #1 Best-Selling Self-Help Author of, “Believe your way to Badass”. She is the host of the podcast, “Confessions of a Bikini Pro” and a National Level Speaker. Celeste is on a mission to help others, Build More than Just a Body, by aligning inner work with physical results.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you share a story about what brought you to this particular career path?
When I emerged into the personal development world, after struggling with self-loathing habits and behaviors for years that left me struggling to overcome my depression and anxiety, I learned so much about creating a life that I love. I was already a certified Personal Trainer running my own business at the age of 18. But I knew something was missing that didn’t exist in the realm of exercising and eating. In my own journey, I found self-love which led me into the self-help world. This experience helped me to discover my true mission on earth which is to help others to Build More than Just a Body. After investing thousands and thousands of dollars into myself and my business, I knew I was capable of bringing this message to the masses. When introduced to the idea of becoming a best-selling author, I teeter-tottered on what I would write about. Then one day, two book ideas hit me. One, ‘Build More than Just a Body’, which I turned into a free e-book and served as a teaser to my best seller, “Believe your way to Badass, the Interactive Guide to Redefining Beliefs, Developing Self-Love, and Manifesting your way to your Best, Most Badass Self”. The number one thing that drove me to writing it, was that I would be acting against my own mission and calling if I held back the principles, ideas, and systems that changed my life and which continue to help myself and others manifest our best self in every area of life.
What was (so far) the most exhilarating or fulfilling experience you’ve had as an author?
MOST exhilarating experience was stepping on stage in front of over 150 people, inviting them to get a signed copy of my book, and literally seeing a long line of people waiting to take photos, connect with me, and get a copy. This was surreal, I will cherish it forever.
What was the craziest, weirdest, wildest experience you’ve had as a bestselling author?
Craziest thing was logging onto Amazon and seeing that not only was I at #1, but I also surpassed Steve Harvey’s latest release!
What is the greatest part about being a successful, bestselling author? What is the worst (if anything) part?
The worst thing about being a best-selling author is learning more, or changing things in your business, and not being able to make those changes within the book. It is like a piece of you is frozen in time, which is really incredibly beautiful actually! But the GREATEST part, is receiving messages, videos, reviews, and photos from people all over the world with my book exclaiming that it has made a massive difference in their life. Nothing excites me more than knowing that my intention when writing the book has been satisfied and, in some ways, even surpassed.
What is the one habit you believe contributed the most to you becoming a bestselling writer?
Before I became a best-selling author, I did my absolute best to give even more to my audience. I knew that friends, family, and online connections would be able to help me out, but it was important to me to be genuine and truly make an impact on people outside of my immediate circle. I didn’t want to be a purchase that was forgot about, I wanted to my customers to value the book and I wanted them to know how much I valued them. I think that writing a free e-book beforehand and giving the people who downloaded that the first announcement of my Amazon book release created a level of appreciation that generated a lot of my success. It was honestly my secret weapon. But of course, there were many factors, I gave a speech a month before and teased it which allowed me to get more names on my ‘first to know list’. And I had already developed such an expansive network. My book hit #1 within 24 hours and topping the ‘What’s Hot?’ List was almost immediate. I am so grateful for the people who supported me in this.
Which writer or leader has had the biggest impact on you as a writer?
I can’t say I look up to anyone specifically or modeled after anyone in my writing. I think that there has been an accumulation of mentors in my life who have helped to bring out more of my own unique gifts. The people I admire most are those who are willing to share so openly with no attachment to an outcome.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in your journey to becoming a bestselling author? How did you overcome it?
The hardest thing was going through personal problems around the time of the launch. It was also tough to not know exactly when it would go live, if I would be able to have enough time to reach the top, and like anything, you just don’t know who your competition is! Mine was tough! But I spent a lot of time and energy on myself so I could put out the proper vibration to the universe that I knew I was worthy, deserving, capable and READY to become a best-selling author; and I did.
What challenge or failure did you learn the most from in your writing career?
Biggest challenge I faced was the concept of a fleeting moment. It felt as if everything happened so quickly. It was an accomplishment I would have forever, but it was a moment that passed in the blink of an eye. I learned that in writing, the most important thing you can do is surrender to your higher self. It is not about you, it is about your readers who are investing the energy into learning about you. I wrote my book in 2 weeks because I was in a state of flow and extremely connected to the ‘best-selling author’ version of myself…nothing less.
What are the 5 things a writer needs to know if he/she wants to become a bestselling author?
1.Vulnerability is the way of human connection. Making an impact that is deeper than surface level requires cracking your heart open and trusting that when it’s all said and done, you would do it over and over again.
2.Monetize your mission. Providing consistent value with your brand should be a top priority. But you are worthy of being valued for the expertise you bring. When it comes time to sell it, you have to believe it deserves to be invested in. Would you pay double or even triple for it? What would you invest in it?
3.Don’t just write a book, hit publish, and expect it to blow up. Go knocking on doors if you have to. Get copies printed and sell it with lemonade on the street corner. But, if you expect it to fall in your lap, you have already lost.
4.Invest in mentors and coaches who have done this before. The process is fairly simple, but implementation beats information any day. Model success. Implement the lessons and golden nuggets in this article even!
5.Becoming a best-selling author doesn’t mean your whole world will shift and you will be lifted up into the heavens. You need to follow-up. Have a game plan. Contact podcast hosts, get in front of bloggers, reach out to influencers, give it away as a gift, create a book club course and monetize it yourself (I did this as well as the e-book prior which helped me not only grow my authority but help people with implementation and taking my principles beyond the pages of the book!)
What are you most excited to work on next? Most excited to read next?
There’s an endless amount of exciting things in my life. If in reference to writing in general, I have a book in the works specifically for bikini competitors. I help bikini competitors with the mindset of prep and post-show blues with self-love, food relationships, and body acceptance. I am really excited to share some of my best in an even more developed book. Only time will tell! You never know what else might spark excitement in me. Always ready to tackle what inspires me most! I have a lot of books on my ‘must read’ list, most are personal development related!
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I wake up every morning asking myself, “how can I further my soul’s calling to eradicate self-loathe on this planet using my knowledge, experience, and unique existence?” And that’s what sparked my “Build More than Just a Body” Movement. Taking fitness beyond surface level by emphasizing the importance of self-love, confidence, mindset, behavior change modification planning, well-being development, and long-term success strategies coming together with exercise and nutrition.
Anything else you’d like to add?
The only thing I would add is that I truly believe that anyone who is willing to commit, honor, and respect the process of becoming a best-selling author (with a genuine desire to make an impact), absolutely can do it. Self-doubt, fears, and other negative emotions are more of your teachers than anything else. Instead of letting them limit you, use them to capitalize on your strengths. Learn from them, be grateful for them, then place them on a shelf and get to work. You have bigger things to focus on, like getting your message out there! You would be doing the world a disservice if you hid your greatness forever.
Thank you so much for these great insights!
Ways to connect: