Episode 015: Elf on the Shelf, Writing, and …with Jen Mann [PODCAST]
Jen Mann is best known for her wildly popular and hysterical blog People I Want to Punch in the Throat. She has been described by many as Erma Bombeck―with f-bombs. Jen is known for her hilarious rants and funny observations on everything from parenting to gift giving to celebrity behavior to politics to Elves on Shelves. Her blog received the 2014 Bloggie Award for Best Parenting Blog. Jen is the author of several books and shorts stories. Her New York Times Bestseller People I Want to Punch in the Throat: Competitive Crafters, Drop-Off Despots, and Other Suburban Scourges was a Finalist for a 2014 Goodreads Reader’s Choice Award. Her newest book Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat was released in October 2015 and is available everywhere books are sold.
If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like (and what to do) when you go viral, the book writing process or why it is important to stay true to who you are as a brand, this episode is for you. Let’s dive right in.
Listen to the podcast:
Subscribe to the Boss Mom podcast in iTunes.
In this episode you’ll hear:
- The birth of Jen’s blog.
- Jen’s viral blog post story, how she capitalized the traffic and converted over 700,000 fans.
- The large role Jen’s husband played in the process of developing her blog and sustaining her writing.
- How and why Jen protects her children’s identity online.
- Jen’s biggest challenges in motherhood and running her business.
- The lens that Jen filters her business through – especially as technology and trends change.
- The constants in Jen’s business and where her brand is going moving forward.
- How Jen’s husband helps in their business and where she goes to when she needs to find inspiration for essays.
- Why Jen keeps a treadmill in her office.
- The healing power of a good cry.
- The big book vs movie debate, what Jen thinks of every movie that was a book first and why books that are made into movies make her cry.
- Jen’s book writing process and her journey from self publishing to traditional publishing.
- The ups and downs of working with a traditional publishing house.
- How self published authors can get their books in libraries.
Recommended resources and links (affiliate links present):
- Jen’s blog post that started it all: Over Achieving Elf on the Shelf Mommies
- Dane Cook talks about crying
- Movies to induce crying: The Notebook and PS I Love You
- Books Jen is reading: Furiously Happy and She’s Not There
- Books Dana recommends: Bitter With Baggage Seeks Same: The Life and Times of Some Chickens
Can I quote you on that?
- I would write and vent on my blog, and then feel better about my day. -Jen
- I am a good mom, my kids are happy and healthy and I do some magic, but I don’t do crazy magic. – Jen
- It’s not enough that I run a business full time and am a mom. I ran the PTO too, because I’m crazy. -Jen
- It was just one mom sharing it to another mom. That’s how I went viral. – Jen
- It’s a matter of seizing the opportunity. Strike while the iron is hot. -Jen
- My kids are 9 and 11. I sleep and everyone wipes their own butts. It’s great. – Jen
- I think it is always going to be a challenge to find time to do my work and be with my kids and husband. -Jen
- You can’t get complacent. You’re always looking for a new way to grow your business. -Jen
- Find out what your stress reliever is and make time for that thing. – Jen
- Whatever book you’re looking for, a librarian has a book list. – Jen
- I love it when my readers tell me where they’ve seen my books. – Jen
Connect with Jen Mann:
Jen is a married mother of two children whom she calls Gomer and Adolpha in her writings―she swears their real names are actually worse. Laugh at Jen on Facebook with 750,000 other people on her two pages: People I Want to Punch in the Throat and I Just Want to Pee Alone or follow her on Twitter.
As mentioned in the podcast, Jen has several books and anthologies published.
Spending the Holidays With People I Want to Punch In The Throat
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iTunes
People I Want To Punch In The Throat
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iTunes
Jen’s Anthologies
Connect with Dana:
Did you know that I’ve created an awesome community online just for you? Whether you haven’t started either yet or you are a veteran, the Boss-Moms group is a place of support, collaboration, and motivation. We know that raising a business and a family is tough…and even tougher to do both at the same time. The Boss-Moms Facebook Group is place to talk about challenges without being judged, get true support and great ideas from women who have gone through it.
You can also find me on these social media channels.
