I really loved and related to what you said about rejections. They can feel so isolating when you felt you were on the same page, but then the reality turns out to be otherwise. It gives me a lot of hope to see that these rejections led you to a connection that felt more aligned with your goals. It's always a matter of trusting the process
As always, thank you for sharing the trials and tribulations of self authoring with no sugar coating. I'm by no means a writer but I can relate to the almost overwhelming freedom that is being your own boss. Still worth it though. I'll keep an eye out for Big Bad Law in the UK!
thank you so much for these kind words! figuring out your own path after leaving a "blueprint path" truly is one of the biggest challenges i've ever faced. stay tuned for the "actually writing a book" vlog and when the book comes out :) thanks for watching!
This made me tear up several times... thank you for documenting your journey to making one of your big dreams come true! WOW it is so inspiring!!! Congrats Cece!!❤🥳
Incredible journey of perseverance, inner strength, resilience, growth growth and success. So proud of you Cece. I am taking the lsat next week. Wish me luck :)
Congratulations Cece! I can't wait for your book to become a reality, I start law school in a couple days and you are one of the only law-esque people I follow because of your honesty. So excited for you !!! (and honestly excited for all of us as your watch/listeners because we get to read something you have created hehe)
You know, as an aspiring future lawyer who also has other interests in goals, you have always come as an inspiration. As I watched this video and saw the journey in 16 minutes, what really stood out to me was that you set a timeline, and met it. I personally don't have a creative background but have been acquainted with many people who do, and this was an incredible feat. To pursue what you want to but also get a deal in a set amount of time? I see that as a true testament that you are a writer, through and through, with incredible determination. A round of applause, and I hope you take some time to bask and rest in this major accomplishment.
Hello cece, I enjoyed your update video! I really agree about the need to feel constantly validated by a third party. As an incoming second year undergrad, I've been having similar thoughts, especially on how productive or LinkedIn enough I've spent my summer. I feel like the lessons learned are sometimes similar whether the experience provider is myself or someone external, but it's so difficult to believe in that! Always appreciating your insight and some food for thought that your videos never fail to provide :)
i'm so glad you enjoyed this and got something out of it! the never-ending siren calls of hyperproductivity and prestige are definitely things that i've struggled with all my life, and i wish i had started interrogating what *i* truly wanted much earlier. as long as *you* feel good about your summer, don't beat yourself up about how you spent your time 🩷
With your followers across social media, your savings, and what I'm sure you could have secured via business funding, I believe you should have went the indie route by self-publishing your book. You wouldn't have had to opt for validation being paid by a third party you're employed by; your pay would come straight to you from Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google, etc. Also, there's the option of selling direct to customers using a platform like bookfunnel that you integrate payment processors like Shopify or Woo Commerce (direct to customers means you get your money faster than waiting every two months or so from entities like Amazon). The indie route would allow you time to focus more on writing, finishing your book, and connecting with buyers before launch instead of investing a huge chunk of time into pitching proposals, revisions, finalizing a deal, etc. Just wanted to introduce an alternate way of looking at your goal.
I follow you on all your platforms and read your newsletter and have loved watching your journey. You have seemed to be hard on yourself for taking this time to follow your passion project, but from my perspective EVERYONE could benefit from doing the same thing in their lives (me included, still working on that....). Well done :)
i really appreciate your saying that 🩷 i used to think that "taking risks" was just hippie mumbo jumbo but i'm coming around to being less judgmental on myself AND others :)
I can completely see the point of view of taking risks being seen as "hippie mumbo jumbo" but truly, I think when you take a risk with an ambitious goal set in stone and you work hard and ultimately succeed due to it, it speaks for itself, truly! The beginning may have been scary especially leaving such a prestigious job and many may have doubted you, but you will be a PUBLISHED AUTHOR soon and that is absolutely amazing and an amazing accomplishment! Congratulations :)
Thank you so much for sharing your story and experience. It’s been so amazing to watch you flourish throughout this process. Keep staying true to yourself and keep up the good work. As an incoming summer associate at a big law firm, I will be sure to pick up your book. Would love to pre-order if possible.
Cece, this is Amy we talked on a call a long while ago…congratulations!! I was so anxious back then to see you get to where you wanted to go. I am so happy that the day has come. Thank you for inspiring me to be courageous in my own life, and best of luck with writing!!!!
Cece, I applaud all of your success and hard work, it is very inspiring and motivating. However, I just get this strong gut feeling from your videos that you feel inadequate or maybe not good enough, like I don't know if your family or parents or peers ever doubted you or bullied you, I have no idea, but there's just SOMETHING there, I cant put my finger on. I just want you to know that you are a beautiful smart person with various talents and things to offer the world.
Maybe you can publish as an ebook, it think it will be easier to partner with someone to turn that into an ebook? also more accessible on global level - I would love to read here in Poland
Thanks for sharing your raw and authentic journey, there's much beauty in that.... when will your next book come out? Do you potentially have a subject in mind...much love ❤❤❤
Very interesting video! Looking forward to more, especially on the actual writing process. (Oh, on a totally shallow note, the gray sweater you're wearing in 13:17 is very cute. May I ask what store you got it in?)
thank you! i'm going to start filming for the "writing process vlog" (wt) next week, so stay tuned :) and my sweater is from urban outfitters but suuuuper old (like i think maybe from college 🙈)
Re: 9:51 I was so heartbroken by that part of the video :( :( :( If you read this Cece please read the entire post and understand my concern for you is coming from a good place :). You are definitely a poster child for what an intelligent, competent and mentally tough person - can accomplish in life. Very very impressive. Light years ahead of what I could ever do. But when I saw you cry like that and in legit emotional pain it was very disturbing I’m sorry but i think its a sign of deep societal decline that its considered OK for a woman to be subjected to that level of emotional pain. Not sure what the solution is but why cant we figure out a way for ultra ultra talented women to accomplish the world and reach the sky without them being subjected to that kind of thing. There has to be a way imho. Absolutely you have every right in the world to put yourself through that...... I also have the right to look at that and say there has to be a better way for ultra talented women to reach their dreams. What you were subjected to broke my heart :( :( for one I think the publishing industry could figure out a better way of doing things, and not put as*holes in charge of dealing with writers. maybe I’m just some small town dude hick who doesn’t understand new york city. Fair enough but if that's what nyc is about then I don't want to understand because its morally repugnant -- if that place makes people like you that upset :( :( I dont think big city left wing feminists would be offended by what I said -- because I’m saying go ahead reach for the stars girl but its on us as a society to try to make sure these ultra talented women aren't put through some kind of emotional meat grinder when they do put themselves out there, even in NYC. Have a great life, you wont hear from me again. Your an awesome talented person, but i had to say what i said because you being that upset, broke my heart at that moment :( :(
How much was the deal more or less than 100k? for transparency purposes since you discussed your salary before i would assume you are comfortable letting us know
i discussed my salary previously because biglaw salaries are public. i'll note here that my deal was for more than 100k, because that information is also public, but i'm going to leave it at that due to the different norms of the publishing industry compared to law. hope that helps!
It was smart for you to walk away from Big Law. I hope you book works out for you, but pretty much any path in life is better than the one you were on. Working at a large law firm is a miserable job, and frankly, for new associates, it does not actually pay that well. An associate earning 190K a year while working 70 hours a week--which is not uncommon in a large law firm--will take home about $50 per hour, pre-tax. On the other hand, a vaguely competent DUI lawyer can earn over $1,000 in about 10 minutes doing a plea deal in the courtroom, and he won't pay taxes on any of it right away. . .the less said about the tax consequences of flat-fee billing, the better, but trust me, you DON'T hand over 1/3 of what you collect in taxes, the way you do if you are issued a paycheck every two weeks.
Hey boo! I’m totally obsessed with your journey. You truly are your ancestors dream come true. ❤
janine, thank you!! i have a lot of support from my ancestors, for sure, as well as you guys!
I really loved and related to what you said about rejections. They can feel so isolating when you felt you were on the same page, but then the reality turns out to be otherwise. It gives me a lot of hope to see that these rejections led you to a connection that felt more aligned with your goals. It's always a matter of trusting the process
exactly--i love amassing approval but am only recently coming to terms with the fact that rejections are more helpful for alignment
As always, thank you for sharing the trials and tribulations of self authoring with no sugar coating. I'm by no means a writer but I can relate to the almost overwhelming freedom that is being your own boss. Still worth it though. I'll keep an eye out for Big Bad Law in the UK!
thank you so much for these kind words! figuring out your own path after leaving a "blueprint path" truly is one of the biggest challenges i've ever faced. stay tuned for the "actually writing a book" vlog and when the book comes out :) thanks for watching!
This made me tear up several times... thank you for documenting your journey to making one of your big dreams come true! WOW it is so inspiring!!! Congrats Cece!!❤🥳
So proud of you - a graduate student who will quit her job in January in order to focus 100% on her business
you got this!!
You go girl! I'm so happy for you and crying along with you. Thank you for sharing this journey with us! You deserve everything.
Yay!!! Huge congrats. I love the editing on in this video and your reflections throughout.
thank you!! definitely a large part of the credit goes to my amazing editor www.youtube.com/@AftonLin 🩷 so glad you enjoyed!
Congrats Cece! I’m so happy for you 💛 wish you all the best and can’t wait to read your book
congratulations, cece! thanks for sharing a lot of the vulnerable parts of your journey. excited for you!
thank you!! definitely more ups and downs to come, but i'm so grateful to be able to share the vulnerable parts thus far with y'all 🫶
So excited for you! Well deserved you've worked really hard, I've enjoyed watching your journey. Thanks for sharing!
Incredible journey of perseverance, inner strength, resilience, growth growth and success. So proud of you Cece. I am taking the lsat next week. Wish me luck :)
omgosh YOU GOT THIS!! GOOD LUCK!!!!
Congratulations Cece! I can't wait for your book to become a reality, I start law school in a couple days and you are one of the only law-esque people I follow because of your honesty. So excited for you !!! (and honestly excited for all of us as your watch/listeners because we get to read something you have created hehe)
wow, that means so much to me, thank you!! i can't wait to share more with you guys too :)
You know, as an aspiring future lawyer who also has other interests in goals, you have always come as an inspiration. As I watched this video and saw the journey in 16 minutes, what really stood out to me was that you set a timeline, and met it. I personally don't have a creative background but have been acquainted with many people who do, and this was an incredible feat. To pursue what you want to but also get a deal in a set amount of time? I see that as a true testament that you are a writer, through and through, with incredible determination. A round of applause, and I hope you take some time to bask and rest in this major accomplishment.
This is so incredible! Congrats CeCe!! Looking forward to reading your book
Hello cece, I enjoyed your update video! I really agree about the need to feel constantly validated by a third party. As an incoming second year undergrad, I've been having similar thoughts, especially on how productive or LinkedIn enough I've spent my summer. I feel like the lessons learned are sometimes similar whether the experience provider is myself or someone external, but it's so difficult to believe in that!
Always appreciating your insight and some food for thought that your videos never fail to provide :)
i'm so glad you enjoyed this and got something out of it! the never-ending siren calls of hyperproductivity and prestige are definitely things that i've struggled with all my life, and i wish i had started interrogating what *i* truly wanted much earlier. as long as *you* feel good about your summer, don't beat yourself up about how you spent your time 🩷
Congratulations Cece!! It's so amazing to follow your story. Thank you so much for sharing!
thank you for watching!
With your followers across social media, your savings, and what I'm sure you could have secured via business funding, I believe you should have went the indie route by self-publishing your book. You wouldn't have had to opt for validation being paid by a third party you're employed by; your pay would come straight to you from Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google, etc. Also, there's the option of selling direct to customers using a platform like bookfunnel that you integrate payment processors like Shopify or Woo Commerce (direct to customers means you get your money faster than waiting every two months or so from entities like Amazon). The indie route would allow you time to focus more on writing, finishing your book, and connecting with buyers before launch instead of investing a huge chunk of time into pitching proposals, revisions, finalizing a deal, etc. Just wanted to introduce an alternate way of looking at your goal.
YASSS congrats Cece!!
I am so exited for your book! ❤
I follow you on all your platforms and read your newsletter and have loved watching your journey. You have seemed to be hard on yourself for taking this time to follow your passion project, but from my perspective EVERYONE could benefit from doing the same thing in their lives (me included, still working on that....). Well done :)
i really appreciate your saying that 🩷 i used to think that "taking risks" was just hippie mumbo jumbo but i'm coming around to being less judgmental on myself AND others :)
I can completely see the point of view of taking risks being seen as "hippie mumbo jumbo" but truly, I think when you take a risk with an ambitious goal set in stone and you work hard and ultimately succeed due to it, it speaks for itself, truly! The beginning may have been scary especially leaving such a prestigious job and many may have doubted you, but you will be a PUBLISHED AUTHOR soon and that is absolutely amazing and an amazing accomplishment! Congratulations :)
Thank you so much for sharing your story and experience. It’s been so amazing to watch you flourish throughout this process. Keep staying true to yourself and keep up the good work. As an incoming summer associate at a big law firm, I will be sure to pick up your book. Would love to pre-order if possible.
i'll definitely let y'all know about preorders!! i would super duper appreciate that
Cece, this is Amy we talked on a call a long while ago…congratulations!! I was so anxious back then to see you get to where you wanted to go. I am so happy that the day has come. Thank you for inspiring me to be courageous in my own life, and best of luck with writing!!!!
This video has really opened my eyes and put into perspective the publication world. Thanks for sharing!
Huge congrats! Thanks for sharing your journey.
Congrats CeCe! I can’t wait to read your book :)
Congratulations! I think your book will really help people thinking about law school as well as other young biglaw associates.
Mazel tov! Look forward to reading your book as someone who is living the big law circus.
Congratulations, Cece! 🎉
Your writing journey itself is already inspiring - cannot wait for your book to come out and read it! All the best from Hong Kong.
Congratulations 🎉! Such a rollercoaster ride! ❤❤🎉🎉❤❤
thank you--it really was!
Cece i loved you when you were a lawyer and i love you even more now, keep shinning
i can’t wait to read your book!!!
i can't wait to share it with y'all!
I have no idea about law but i watch your videos to learn about it. Congrats on the book!! I hope to buy it when it comes out
woooo!!! thank you for sharing your story!!! also an aspiring author here
I'm so happy for you!
Cece, I applaud all of your success and hard work, it is very inspiring and motivating. However, I just get this strong gut feeling from your videos that you feel inadequate or maybe not good enough, like I don't know if your family or parents or peers ever doubted you or bullied you, I have no idea, but there's just SOMETHING there, I cant put my finger on. I just want you to know that you are a beautiful smart person with various talents and things to offer the world.
thank you for saying that
Maybe you can publish as an ebook, it think it will be easier to partner with someone to turn that into an ebook? also more accessible on global level - I would love to read here in Poland
Oh girl, I’ve been following yiu since you left BL. And HELLLL YES! Haha.
Congratulations!!!! Would you mind sharing what camera you’re using? The quality is so good!
so proud of u
ILY!!
congratulations cece👌👌👌👌
Congratulations!
congrats!!!!!!
Congratulations!!! 🎊🎉
Thanks for sharing your raw and authentic journey, there's much beauty in that.... when will your next book come out? Do you potentially have a subject in mind...much love ❤❤❤
Very interesting video! Looking forward to more, especially on the actual writing process.
(Oh, on a totally shallow note, the gray sweater you're wearing in 13:17 is very cute. May I ask what store you got it in?)
thank you! i'm going to start filming for the "writing process vlog" (wt) next week, so stay tuned :) and my sweater is from urban outfitters but suuuuper old (like i think maybe from college 🙈)
@@CeceXie Can't wait for the video, and thanks for the sweater answer :)
Congrats!!!!🎉❤😊
Congratulations 🎉
congrats!! how long are book proposals typically?
it really depends, but typically 30-85 pages. mine was about 45 pages, single-spaced
Re: 9:51
I was so heartbroken by that part of the video :( :( :(
If you read this Cece please read the entire post and understand my concern for you is coming from a good place :). You are definitely a poster child for what an intelligent, competent and mentally tough person - can accomplish in life. Very very impressive. Light years ahead of what I could ever do.
But when I saw you cry like that and in legit emotional pain it was very disturbing I’m sorry but i think its a sign of deep societal decline that its considered OK for a woman to be subjected to that level of emotional pain.
Not sure what the solution is but why cant we figure out a way for ultra ultra talented women to accomplish the world and reach the sky without them being subjected to that kind of thing. There has to be a way imho.
Absolutely you have every right in the world to put yourself through that...... I also have the right to look at that and say there has to be a better way for ultra talented women to reach their dreams. What you were subjected to broke my heart :( :( for one I think the publishing industry could figure out a better way of doing things, and not put as*holes in charge of dealing with writers.
maybe I’m just some small town dude hick who doesn’t understand new york city. Fair enough but if that's what nyc is about then I don't want to understand because its morally repugnant -- if that place makes people like you that upset :( :(
I dont think big city left wing feminists would be offended by what I said -- because I’m saying go ahead reach for the stars girl but its on us as a society to try to make sure these ultra talented women aren't put through some kind of emotional meat grinder when they do put themselves out there, even in NYC.
Have a great life, you wont hear from me again. Your an awesome talented person, but i had to say what i said because you being that upset, broke my heart at that moment :( :(
How much was the deal more or less than 100k? for transparency purposes since you discussed your salary before i would assume you are comfortable letting us know
i discussed my salary previously because biglaw salaries are public. i'll note here that my deal was for more than 100k, because that information is also public, but i'm going to leave it at that due to the different norms of the publishing industry compared to law. hope that helps!
Aw, it breaks my heart to see you cry after getting rejections
It was smart for you to walk away from Big Law. I hope you book works out for you, but pretty much any path in life is better than the one you were on. Working at a large law firm is a miserable job, and frankly, for new associates, it does not actually pay that well. An associate earning 190K a year while working 70 hours a week--which is not uncommon in a large law firm--will take home about $50 per hour, pre-tax. On the other hand, a vaguely competent DUI lawyer can earn over $1,000 in about 10 minutes doing a plea deal in the courtroom, and he won't pay taxes on any of it right away. . .the less said about the tax consequences of flat-fee billing, the better, but trust me, you DON'T hand over 1/3 of what you collect in taxes, the way you do if you are issued a paycheck every two weeks.
❤💫🙏🙏
Why do I get the impression that you have not read any literary book in the last few years?