Brenda Haire is an author, speaker, and coach who has been sharing transformative messages since 2006. Through her writing, coaching, and speaking, she serves the defeated, discouraged, and distracted. She and her husband Darren are both military veterans living in Texas with their blended family. Her book Save the Buttertubs: Discover Your Worth in a Disposable World combines her own journey of self-discovery with her grandmother’s story.
Host: Richard Lowe | Guest: Brenda Haire
Interview Transcript
Richard: Why did you become an author?
Brenda: In 2003, I felt like God was calling me to become an author. It took me 15 years to get there. I did publish an anthology in 2012, but I wasn’t in control of the editing and it turned out poorly. With this project, I was in complete control. It’s all God — he brought me here. I’m just being obedient.
I ran into an old colleague who had published a book and was quitting her job. I had never known an author personally, and it triggered something in me. She had a workshop, so I took it, and it snowballed from there. But this particular project came from marrying two things together — my earlier writing with my grandmother’s story. She knew I was a writer and asked me to write about all the good in her life.
Save the Buttertubs
Richard: What is the book about?
Brenda: It’s about discovering your worth. It’s my journey of discovering my worth, partnered with my grandmother, who discovered her worth and used her gifts and talents to serve others. It’s me coming of age at 45, helping others discover that they already have what they’re searching for.
Your pain can be your platform. I’ve had more jobs than I can count. I’m a workaholic and I like to learn, but I hadn’t found what I really wanted to do until now. Along the way, there were bits of different jobs that I loved. Now I’ve been able to make my own perfect position as an author, speaker, and coach.
The title came to me first. My grandmother’s butter tubs — she had them on the counter all the time, sending us home with leftovers. One day I was at her house wondering what to call the book, looked across her kitchen, saw a stack of butter tubs, and said, “That’s it. Save the Buttertubs.” It wasn’t until a year later at a conference that it was revealed to me — I’m the butter tub that she saved. It became a metaphor. The title came before the metaphor, which was really cool.
The book is a mix of biography, memoir, self-help, and history. My grandmother attended school at Mission Espada in San Antonio, one of the five historical Hispanic missions and a World Heritage Site. There are photographs of students from the 1930s in the book.
Unfortunately, she passed in 2017 and didn’t get to hold a completed copy. But she did get to hold some early writings.
Writing Through the Block
Brenda: In the beginning, I tried to keep God separate from the book. My grandmother was faithful but not boisterous about her faith. I was struggling, getting writer’s block. I stopped and prayed: “Okay, God, this is your book. I’m trying to lead you out.” And he said, “You’re right, you can’t. I’ve always been part of the story. How can you lead me out?”
Once that happened, I went from nine chapters to 15 overnight, and from 26,000 words to 60,000 words in a two-week period.
I’m also developing a 15-week course based on the book. I have a group meeting in my home testing it now. I hope people discover they have more than they think they do, and that leaving a legacy doesn’t require a grand title or tons of money. It’s what happens in the daily things — how we treat people daily.
Tips for Writers
Brenda: Don’t edit when you write. Speech-to-text works really well for some people — it helped me a lot during those days going from 26,000 to 60,000 words. Sometimes ideas flow better when you’re talking. The hard part is speaking clearly. My tip to fix garbled text is to read it really fast, like that scrambled word game.
Sometimes you have to step back and freewrite by hand versus on a keyboard. There’s something about that that helps with writer’s block. I also created a playlist of motivational songs. If I ever got stuck, I’d put on the playlist, sing through it, and go back to writing.
Building a 700-Person Launch Team
Richard: What would you recommend for promotion and marketing?
Brenda: Create a launch team. If you try to do it on your own, it’s a lot to conquer. I started mine as a prayer team early in the process, getting people behind the scenes and feeling ownership. Then I turned it into an official launch team. My launch team is over 700 people strong right now.
I do themes — every day of the week was different. Tuesdays were “Add Two Tuesday,” where members added two people. I’d say things like “tag people who bring back childhood memories” or “your favorite person to laugh with.” People would start adding others that way, and it just grew.
They promote all over social media with the hashtag #WorthSaving. They agreed to purchase a copy, share reviews, and come to the launch party. The engagement has been great.
Book Cover Tips
Brenda: I have really good cover tips. I see so many poorly drafted covers. People tell me they have six books on Amazon and aren’t selling any. I look at their covers and I can’t even read the title from the thumbnail. You have one inch to get someone’s attention. You work so hard to fill the pages — put a pretty bow on it.
Even my branding right now is intentional. I’m wearing yellow earrings and a yellow shirt, and my book is yellow. Everything in my life is yellow right now, getting that over and over in people’s minds.
Writers need to think beyond writing. Think through how you’re designing the book — for a coaching course, speaking engagements, back ads. Think about the marketing aspect too.
Authenticity in Branding
Brenda: Branding is key. Let people see your face and be professional, but be yourself. My very first YouTube video, I’m wearing my pajamas. I said, “This is me. I’m a writer, I work from home, this is what I wear every day.”
People buy into the author as well as the book. Letting people get to know you, being authentic, showing a little behind the scenes — that’s how you build fans. I told my husband I had some fans in another state, and he said, “You have fans?” They weren’t my friends before this book, so what else do I call them?
Brenda: I would tell people who are on the fence to press on. Fifteen years of saying “I’m a writer” — I can now actually say I’m an author, and it feels incredible. Had I given up, I’d still be dreaming. Now I’m holding my dream in my hand.
Learn more about Brenda Haire at brendahaire.com.
Find Richard Lowe at TheWritingKing.com.
Video edited by Bonnie Dillabough.