Meet Hannah VanVels Ausbury | Editor, Writer, & Literary Agent

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hannah VanVels Ausbury and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hannah, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Work life balance has always been something I’ve struggled with. I imagine it is for many people when your business overlaps with your areas of passion. And when you’re building your own business, you truly can work every hour of the day and have it not feel as though it’s enough. So I’ve defined what “enough” means for me and my business. What has helped me with balance is having clear goals for my business that are entirely within my control, and accepting that my goals are indeed enough. An overachiever by nature, constantly reminding myself that the work will always be there and reminding myself of my “why”—why I do this work and why I love it—helps me center myself. Part of why I left my corporate job to start my own business was to have a healthier relationship with work, and if I don’t respect my own boundaries, then that “why” becomes null.

Practically, my spouse has helped me enormously when it comes to setting and sticking to healthy boundaries for work time and personal time. Having dedicated “off” hours and unplugging for at least one night a week are how I effectively keep that balance.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I work in publishing, and most of my work centers on supporting the work of other creators. It’s my job to come alongside them and make their work shine. My role is very behind-the-scenes, and I’m proud of the way that I’ve focused my business to uplift marginalized voices and identities who are so underrepresented in the book space. One of the areas that I pride myself on is maintaining and author’s unique voice and story while helping them understand the craft of writing and storytelling and teaching how their work might be received in the competitive publishing landscape.

Working on books from marginalized creators is not easy. In fact, working on books by authors who are not marginalized is so much easier. When one of your goals is to prioritize BIPOC, queer, neurodiverse, and disabled creators, you’re working against a system that has been put in place for a long time that does not serve these communities, so that’s something that’s always in the back of my mind. Each project that I work on is not only a story; it’s a push against a system that’s meant to keep these communities out of this space. In that sense, every project that I work on is a fight for systemic change, which can be so reward, so frustrating, so energizing, and so exhausting.

One of the major lessons I’ve learned along the way is the importance of communities and that we are not reinventing the wheel. There have been many who have come before us who are already doing this good work, so I am not starting from scratch. Recognizing and building on the work of my predecessors in publishing helps to see how far the industry has come in terms of diversity and inclusion.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My number one shoutout goes to my spouse, Lucas, whose support, love, and encouragement helped me take the leap from corporate life to building my own business. Lucas is the answer to my biggest why.

My number two shoutout goes to the RevPit editors and community, a fabulous group of freelance editors who have provided a safe space to vent and seek encouragement, mentorship, professional and personal support, and general silliness to help keep me focused on business goals and remind me over and over of why we love our work.

And my number three shoutout is to my literary agency, the Belcastro Agency. My wonderful colleagues continue to help me navigate the publishing industry in a way that’s both smart and graceful. I am forever grateful.

Website: hannahvanvels.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hannahvanvels