What a year! I always find it easy to focus on what is undone, but look what we accomplished at this small press for big voices this year! Our authors and interns work so hard (and I work pretty hard myself, I have to say). Together, we gave a pandemic year trying to keep us down a pretty good run for its money:

Published four books (Children’s books From Cotton to Silk: The Magic of Black Hair by Crystal C. Mercer and Cartwheels: Finding Your Special Kind of Smart by Tracy Peterson; Nonfiction anthology Truths We Tell: Stories From The Yarn Stage curated by Hilary Trudell; and Memoir/Relationships book Invitation to Intimacy: What the marriage of two couples therapists reveals about risk, transformation, and the astonishing healing power of intimacy by Dr. Judy Tiesel-Jensen;
Celebrated the highest number of sales in the press’s history with Cartwheels, representing the book’s helpfulness in the lives of kids, families, therapists, and teachers experiencing or working with those experiencing dyslexia and other learning differences;
Earned numerous awards: But First, Save 10: The One Simple Money Move That Will Change Your Life by Sarah-Catherine Gutierrez (Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPYs)Bronze in the Self-Help Category) and The Hospice Doctor’s Widow: A Journal by Jennifer A. O’Brien (Nautilus Book Awards Silver in Death & Dying/Grief & Loss; Indie Book Awards Winner in Relationships; International Impact Book Awards winner in Book Interior Design; and Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPYs)Bronze in the Gift/Specialty/Journal Category).
Sarah-Catherine Gutierrez and her Save10 Movement, co-founded with Stephanie Matthews, created a partnership with the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas through which SC (aka Ladysplaining Money) did an Arkansas College Campus tour of six campuses, delivering essential lessons on saving and preparing for retirement early to hundreds of women before they enter the workforce. Copies of But First, Save 10 were provided for 500 registrants;
Produced our first card pack, Money Talks Conversation Cards, including 70 questions from Ladysplaining Money and personal finance thought leaders to spark empowering, change-making money discussions among women;
Ran two successful Kickstarter campaigns (175 backers pledged $9,528 to fund From Cotton to Silk at 129% of our goal; 120 backers pledged $7,170 to fund Truths We Tell at 102% of our goal);
Provided manuscript editing and publishing advice for dozens of authors;
Donated or worked with a donor to provide copies of Cartwheels and Butterfly Dreams: A Friendship Takes Flight by Carol Dabney to dozens of children at Our House for their summer programming, accompanied by two days of readings, activities, and live music by Tracy Peterson and Carol Dabney;
Et Alia authors appeared on numerous podcasts, on the news, in dozens of articles (including Ladysplaining Money appearing in Real Simple and The Wall Street Journal), on the radio, live on stage, and even in a documentary film (The Mud & The Lotus author Courtney Robinson);
Signed contracts for three 2022 and 2023 books, including a second children’s book by Cartwheels author Tracy Peterson;
Celebrated countless connections of books and readers.

THANK YOU to our readers and supporters for the vital role that you continue to play in the life of Et Alia!

Heading to mailboxes nationwide in print and online in the April issue of Real Simple Magazine is an article about retirement featuring Sarah-Catherine Gutierrez (aka Ladysplaining Money), author of But First, Save 10: The One Simple Money Move That Will Change Your Life.

“How to Stay Focused on Saving for Retirement, No Matter Your Current Financial Situation” by Kara Cutruzzula, author of Do It For Yourself: A Motivational Journal, says that it’s possible to feel good about retirement, whether you have a nice nest egg or not even a fledgling fund.

As Gutierrez tries to hammer home in But First, Save 10 and reiterates in this article, “automation is key.” Relying on behavioral science, Gutierrez says that we can get a leg up on our wily brains by setting savings amounts to automatically transfer so that our retirement builds while we go about our daily lives thinking about other things. Meanwhile, our savings are compounding, and when we are ready to retire, we can have the freedom to do so. Many may find that they don’t miss the 10% (or more) they dedicate to retirement if they commit to it early enough, and that it can be the ticket to financial freedom that allows them to leave an unhappy work situation, start a new business, or retire on their own terms.

In the article, you’ll also glean expertise from says certified financial planner Barbara Ginty, host of the podcast Future Rich, and Gina Zakaria, founder of Saving Whiz, a financial education platform.