Elizabeth Suarez – Book Journeys Author Interview – Dec. 15, 2016

On this episode of Book Journeys, Vice President for The Author Incubator, Jenn McRobbie, interviews Elizabeth Suarez, author of The Art of Getting Everything: How to Negotiate for What You Want and More.

Elizabeth started her career in the corporate world as an engineer and an MBA. Her work required that she transfer from place to place every now and then, and even though she did move up the corporate ladder she eventually got to the point where, when she was asked to move yet again, she said “No,” resigned and then reinvented herself as an alternative dispute resolution strategist and business coach, working to help organizations and individuals alike figure out what they want to achieve their particular goals.

 

As a coach, Elizabeth had learned, from several of her clients, that a lot of people forget about themselves as they go after something they think is worthwhile for them, such as a client who wants to become the vice president of a company, achieves that position and then find himself bored, lonely and unhappy; or, alternatively, those women who focus entirely on their children and then wonder what their life is all about once the kids are gone. She wrote the book with these kinds of people in mind, people who haven’t really asked themselves what they want, so they could eventually lead fulfilling lives through proper negotiation.

Elizabeth had always thought about writing a book, and she was glad to have joined the Author Incubator so she could do so. Elizabeth admitted that she complained throughout the sixteen weeks that she wrote out the book and that she got frustrated throughout the process, but she notes that she was glad for the structure offered her by the Author Incubator program, particularly because she knew there was a team that was backing her up and because of the structured approach that made a finished book an inevitability.

Elizabeth structured her time during the writing process, and what worked best for her was working from 10pm in the evening until beyond midnight; and while she only slept around five hours a night in that time, she caught up on her sleep on Sundays, when she would sleep for twelve hours straight, with her family keeping quiet so she could do so. She also developed the habit of making notes on her iPhone throughout the day, which she would work on later that evening. Elizabeth compared the writing process to pregnancy and childbirth, with the reward being worth it.

Elizabeth remarked that finally seeing a completed draft of the book gave her a thrill, and that the “fun part” came after it was electronically published, as she is now working with a publisher to bring it out in hard copy. She also noted that the book has given her a listening, among other people, as an authority, even amongst clients she had worked with prior to publishing the book, which she finds “hysterical.”

 

Listen to the Elizabeth Suarez Interview on Book Journeys Radio

(Transcript) Elizabeth Suarez – Book Journeys Author Interview – December 15, 2016

DOWNLOAD the PDF: Book Journeys Author Interview – Elizabeth Suarez – Dec. 15, 2016

Watch out for Angela’s interview with another exciting author.