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About Heidi Richards Mooney and the Inspiration Behind The Expectant Author
I’ve been an entrepreneur for more than 45 years, an author and publisher for decades, and someone who has spent much of my career helping people turn ideas into opportunities. But writing The Expectant Author was a journey all its own.
The idea began more than 20 years ago when I realized how much writing a book reminded me of having a baby. An idea is conceived. It grows. You nurture it, worry about it, prepare for its arrival—and eventually, you have to deliver it into the world.
As a mother of three daughters, that metaphor felt especially natural to me. As an author, I also understood the doubts, distractions and obstacles that can keep a book inside us far longer than we intended. In fact, The Expectant Author became proof of its own premise: some books take longer to deliver than others!
I wrote this book for the person who keeps saying, “Someday I’m going to write a book,” as well as the author who wants a more intentional journey the next time around. I wanted readers to feel as though they had a mentor beside them—someone encouraging them, asking the right questions and reminding them that publishing isn't the end of the journey.
Because ultimately, writing a book isn't simply about becoming an author. It's about getting the story, wisdom, experience or message inside you into the hands of the people who may need it.
Reviewed by Justin Du for Readers' Favorite
Heidi Richards Mooney covers all the stages of publishing in her book The Expectant Author. Mooney developed a trimester-by-trimester publishing framework containing three key phases: conception and early growth, development, and delivery. But just because publishing has clear phases doesn't mean the journey is easy. As a mother of three daughters and a business owner, she knows the obstacles and inner struggles better than most expectant authors. The point is, she did it and published one book after another. In this book, she teaches readers how to handle those problems like a kind-hearted mentor, based on her own stories and experiences. This is a valuable guide for anyone who dreamed of writing a book but couldn't finish it for one reason or another.
As a self-publishing author, I often felt Mooney was telling my stories in this book. In particular, the checklist after every chapter listed the toughest questions I needed to clarify in my writing and publishing journey. What exceeded my expectations was that Mooney showed me how to interpret obstacles positively. This applies not only to publishing, but to many aspects of my life. Also, creating more connections with the world after publication was very valuable for me, such as setting up speaking engagements with local groups and sharing my thoughts. Even after publishing two book series, I still missed this. Because Mooney wrote this book in everyday language, I easily finished it over a weekend. I highly recommend The Expectant Author by Heidi Richards Mooney to anyone who wants to write a book, and even to anyone who has already published a book successfully.
