Brooke Bentley & Julia Whelan, SIDELINE CONFIDENTIAL

Summary

Totally Booked with Zibby: Episode Summary Featuring Brooke Bentley & Julia Whelan on "Sideline Confidential"

Episode Title: Brooke Bentley & Julia Whelan, SIDELINE CONFIDENTIAL
Release Date: February 3, 2025
Host: Zibby Owens
Guests:

• Brooke Bentley: Author of Sideline Confidential, former television anchor, award-winning sports reporter, and advocate for local nonprofits.
• Julia Whelan: Renowned audiobook narrator with over 600 narrations, founder of AudioBrary, and recipient of multiple awards including the Audiophile Magazine's Lifetime Achievement Golden Voice Award.

---

1. Introduction

Zibby Owens opens the episode by introducing her guests, Brooke Bentley and Julia Whelan, highlighting their impressive backgrounds and latest collaborative work, Sideline Confidential. She sets the stage for an in-depth discussion about the novel, its audiobook adaptation, and the innovative approach Julia has taken with her company, AudioBrary.

---

2. Guest Backgrounds

Brooke Bentley shares her rich history in sports journalism, including her tenure with the Houston Texans and her academic accomplishments. She emphasizes her transition from media to authoring Sideline Confidential, a novel inspired by her experiences navigating a predominantly male environment in professional sports.

Julia Whelan discusses her illustrious career in audiobook narration, detailing her extensive portfolio and the accolades she has received. She also introduces her venture, AudioBrary, aiming to revolutionize the audiobook industry by ensuring narrators receive royalties and providing a direct-to-consumer distribution model.

---

3. Exploring "Sideline Confidential"

Brooke Bentley delves into the genesis of Sideline Confidential. She explains, “[04:07] Brooke Bentley: …I wanted to write about how it's so hard for young women to jump into the sports media world. It is a very much a man's world, and it's just tricky for young women to navigate.” Drawing from her personal experiences as the first female media member to travel with an NFL team, she illustrates the systemic obstacles women face, which are central themes in her novel.

She recounts her initial challenges, such as being assigned her own bus to games, a situation mirrored in the novel where the protagonist, Blake, faces similar professional hurdles. Brooke clarifies that while the book is fictionalized, it reflects broader industry issues, including toxic team cultures and the sexism prevalent in NFL organizations.

---

4. The Collaboration Between Brooke and Julia

The collaboration between Brooke Bentley and Julia Whelan began when Brooke reached out to Julia after discovering her work through Zibby's social media. Brooke mentions, “[05:57] Brooke Bentley: …I thought this would just be a dream for her to give Blake a voice.” Julia adds, “[06:35] Julia Whelan: …as soon as I read it, I fell in love with it.” Their mutual admiration and respect for each other’s work led to a seamless partnership, resulting in the successful audiobook adaptation of Sideline Confidential.

---

5. Introducing AudioBrary: Revolutionizing Audiobook Publishing

Julia Whelan elaborates on her company, AudioBrary, stating, “[08:31] Julia Whelan: …AudioBrary is seeking to fix kind of two problems in audio publishing: narrators don't get royalties, and we are a direct to consumer distribution channel.” She criticizes the traditional model where narrators do not receive royalties despite the industry's substantial revenue growth, noting that “publishers made $2 billion in audio alone last year” while narrators remain uncompensated adequately.

AudioBrary’s model ensures that narrators benefit financially from their work and that consumers have a direct line to support creators without significant cuts taken by traditional distributors. This approach not only empowers narrators but also fosters a sustainable ecosystem for audiobook production.

---

6. Progress and Challenges for Women in the NFL

Brooke Bentley provides an insightful analysis of the evolving landscape for women in NFL operations. “[12:12] Brooke Bentley: …since the Washington team scandal in 2020, there has been an increase of over 140% of women entering the NFL on the football operations side.” She highlights the significant strides made, including women attaining executive and coaching positions previously dominated by men.

Brooke reflects on her personal experiences, such as being the sole woman in rooms during NFL events, and contrasts them with the present where women are now integral to team operations and strategy. This transformation underscores the shifting cultural dynamics within the NFL, fostering a more inclusive and diverse environment.

---

7. Crafting the Audiobook: Julia’s Narration Process

The discussion transitions to the creation of the Sideline Confidential audiobook. Julia Whelan shares her meticulous approach: “[17:45] Julia Whelan: …we had a very extensive conversation about character choices, pronunciations. This is when she gave me a primer on football.” Despite not being a football fan herself, Julia immerses herself in the subject matter to authentically portray each character’s voice and nuances.

She emphasizes the importance of character consistency, especially when characters reappear after long intervals in the narration. “[18:38] Julia Whelan: …I have clips that I'm referencing to remember their voices.” Julia’s dedication ensures that listeners experience a seamless and engaging audiobook, where each character is vividly brought to life.

---

8. Promoting AudioBrary and Future Projects

Julia Whelan introduces new features on AudioBrary, such as gifting specific projects through the platform. “[26:37] Julia Whelan: …we are finally getting the gifting capability set on the AudioBrary website.” This feature allows users to gift audiobooks directly, enhancing the platform’s appeal as an ideal gift option.

Brooke Bentley discusses the positive reception of the audiobook adaptation, noting that listeners often feel a stronger connection to the story through Julia’s narration. “[24:40] Brooke Bentley: …the audiobook really triggers that more so than maybe the written book.” She also hints at her upcoming projects, including a novel focused on the intense culture of youth sports in Texas.

---

9. Advice for Trailblazers

In the concluding segment, both Brooke Bentley and Julia Whelan offer inspiring advice for individuals venturing into uncharted territories:

• Brooke Bentley: “[29:14] … remind myself, I'm not alone. There's so many other women trailblazers, and you do it for each other.” She emphasizes the power of community and collective support in overcoming challenges and forging new paths.

• Julia Whelan: “[30:11] … understanding your why, why you're doing something. … follow them when they really interest you.” Julia advises staying true to one’s purpose and being open to unexpected opportunities, as her own career trajectory exemplifies the benefits of embracing unforeseen paths.

---

10. Conclusion

Zibby Owens wraps up the episode by congratulating Brooke and Julia on their collaborative success with Sideline Confidential. She encourages listeners to engage with AudioBrary, sign up for newsletters, and support both the book and the innovative audiobook platform. The episode concludes with warm holiday wishes and a reminder to continue supporting authors and narrators.

---

Notable Quotes

• Brooke Bentley on Writing the Novel:
  “[04:07] …I wanted to write about how it's so hard for young women to jump into the sports media world. It is a very much a man's world, and it's just tricky for young women to navigate.”

• Julia Whelan on AudioBrary’s Mission:
  “[08:31] …AudioBrary is seeking to fix kind of two problems in audio publishing: narrators don't get royalties, and we are a direct to consumer distribution channel.”

• Brooke Bentley on Changes in the NFL:
  “[12:12] …since the Washington team scandal in 2020, there has been an increase of over 140% of women entering the NFL on the football operations side.”

• Julia Whelan on Narration Process:
  “[19:45] …if I could just do like one book a month that would help cover some costs. And I had my tutoring job and I was doing on camera work and I was doing pickup screenplay writing … but I just fell in love with this work.”

• Advice from Brooke Bentley:
  “[29:10] …there's so many other women trailblazers, and you do it for each other.”

• Advice from Julia Whelan:
  “[30:11] … understanding your why, why you're doing something. … follow them when they really interest you.”

---

Final Thoughts

This episode of Totally Booked with Zibby offers a rich exploration of the intersection between sports journalism, female empowerment, and innovative audiobook publishing. Brooke Bentley’s candid reflections on her journey and Julia Whelan’s pioneering efforts with AudioBrary provide valuable insights for listeners interested in literature, sports, and the evolving landscape of audiobook narration. The collaborative spirit and shared commitment to empowering creators and diverse voices make this episode a compelling listen.

Transcript

[Zibby Owens]

Hi, this is Zibby Owens and you're listening to Totally Booked with Zibby. Formerly Moms don't have Time to Read Books in my daily show, I interview today's latest best selling, buzziest or underrated authors and story creators whose work I think is worth your time. As a bookstore owner, publisher, author and obviously podcaster, I get a comprehensive look at everything that's coming out and spend my time curating the best books so you don't have to stay in the know. Get insider insights and connect with guests like I do every single day. For more information, go to zibbymedia.com and follow me on Instagram ibbeowens.

[Brooke Bentley]

Brooke Bentley and Julia Whelan are authors and audiobook narrators of Sideline Confidential, a novel. Brooke is a former television anchor and award winning sports reporter. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Davidson College, she received a Master's in Journal Journalism from the University of Southern California. Brooke then spent two years working for the Houston Texans as a media personality and over a decade working in sports journalism. Brooke now devotes her time to championing local non profits, including Homemade Help where she served as the development director. She and her husband live in Houston and are raising two young boys. Julia Whelan is the narrator of the audiobook of Sideline Confidential. Having narrated over 600 audiobooks in all genres, Waylon is by industry standards consider one of the top narrators recording today. I agree. She's repeatedly featured on Audiophile Magazine's annual Best of lists and is a Grammy nominated audiobook director. Julia has acquired multiple Audis and Sovas Society of Voice Arts awards, including for the performance of her own novel My Oxford Year. She has won dozens of earphone awards, the Audie Award for Best female narrator of 2019, and was presented with Audiophile magazine's Lifetime Achievement Golden Voice Award in 2020. Julia recently received the Society of Voice Arts Legacy Award, which was presented to her by author Taylor Jenkins Reid. Julia attributes her distinctive style of narration to her ongoing passion for literature, fueled by her decades of acting experience. And by the way, this is her second time on this podcast so if you want you can go back and listen to her talk about her own work.

[Zibby Owens]

Welcome to two fabulous Women here together today. See now this time my intro is better. Julia Whelan and also Brooke Bentley, author of Sideline Confidential and Julia, audio narrator extraordinaire and founder of Literati Spirits too. Which is amazing. Actually.

[Julia Whelan]

No, I didn't found Literati Spirits. I was just. No I did not. I was just Brisa is a friend of mine, and we collaborated on doing a reading of Pride and Prejudice for to launch her line through AudioBerry. So I wish I could also add vodka tycoon to my list of accomplishments, but that's not.

[Zibby Owens]

Instead, more like vodka booster in a way.

[Brooke Bentley]

Yeah, exactly.

[Julia Whelan]

Collab partnership.

[Zibby Owens]

Collab in the sports terminology. Like an assist. You gave an assist to the vodka. Okay, so. Well, we're here today to talk about Sideline Confidential. Brooke, congratulations. Why don't you tell everybody about your novel?

[Brooke Bentley]

Well, thank you, Zibby. Thank you for having me on. By my confidential. It was a long birth for this book because it really started when I was working in the NFL. I worked for the Houston Texans, and I had this idea to write the Devil Wears product that said in the NFL. But then I kept working and I was in it, and then I had children, and it really kind of. I would write bits and pieces. And in 2020, I took a step back from my career and decided I was going to make this book happen. And I really wanted to write about how it's so hard for young women to jump into the sports media world. It is a very much a man's world, and it's just tricky for young women to navigate. And so, yeah, I wrote Sideline Confidential between my career and having kids, and it came out and it felt like my third child.

[Zibby Owens]

Oh, my gosh.

[Julia Whelan]

Folks have a way of doing that.

[Brooke Bentley]

They do.

[Zibby Owens]

So in the book, Blake is the new PR person for a sports team and gets hired by Johnny, who is immediately putting her in her own category. She gets the Blake bus, where she can't even ride the bus with the players. She's not allowed in the locker room. And basically, he's raising as many obstacles as humanly possible while still giving somebody a job. Did you feel like that was your experience in professional sports?

[Brooke Bentley]

Well, yes. So the book is not my memoir. It's not my story. It's very much fictionalized, but it did draw from my experiences. And when I started working for the Texans, I was the first female to travel with a team. And at that point, they didn't know really what to do with me. And so I. I started riding my own bus to games because they were worried I might distract the players, which I thought was so strange because they play in front of 70,000 plus fans and next to cheerleaders. And I was like, I am in a gap suit and I really don't even know what I'm doing right now. How could I be distracting them? So that really gave me the impetus to write this book, I wanted to start with that scene, which the book does start with. When Blake finds out she can't ride the bus with the rest of her co workers. Then what happened to me was very different. They decided to put me on the bus with everyone else and everything worked itself out. It did not. It was not dramatic like it is in the book. But in the book, she keeps encountering these obstacles with her boss, which were very much drawn from real life, from other women who've worked for other NFL teams. And, you know, you really saw what happened with the Washington Bend Redskins. Now they're the commanders. And their owner was basically forced to sell the team because of this culture of toxicity there. And cheerleaders were propositioned. There was a note writing scandal. A lot of that I incorporated into my book. So some of it is based on my life, but I will say it is highly fictionalized, and a lot of it is based on other women who work for other NFL teams.

[Zibby Owens]

And how did the two of you team up?

[Julia Whelan]

That is a good question. I think. Brooke emailed audiobrary, my new company, right?

[Brooke Bentley]

Yes. Actually, Zibby, you have a part in this. You may not know this. I saw a post about Julia on your social media. And so then I. I love Julia as a narrator, and I. I find I found out about Audio Brewery through your post, Zibby. And so I just reached out and I've been a longtime fan of all of Julia's audiobooks. And I thought this would just be a dream for her to give Blake a voice. And I thought she may not know about football. That may not be of interest to her, but maybe somehow I can sell her on this book.

[Julia Whelan]

And you did. And it came together very quickly, actually, because as soon as I think this was sometime early summer, and we decided that it would, I read it and I fell in love with it. And I can talk about that. Why this book really resonated with me, but thought we should try to get this out in time for football season. So scrambled and got it done and got it out there, and it's really resonating with people, and I love that.

[Zibby Owens]

And what was it about the book? Are you a football fan?

[Julia Whelan]

First of all, I'm not a football fan. Brooke had to explain a lot to me so that I sounded like I knew what I was talking about in the audiobook. But what I loved about it is that you could tell this was a writer who had a very specific story that she wanted to tell, and she wasn't getting pushed into making it one thing or the other. So we've talked about, Brooke and I have talked about this a lot, but I love it as a kind of standalone coming of age story. And all of the usual pitfalls that you might find in a book like that of like a woman making terrible decisions, self sabotaging decisions that don't actually make any sense don't really apply here. Blake is incredibly smart. She prioritizes her work and the goals that she wants to accomplish and she doesn't really get waylaid, but she is challenged. And so it was refreshing for me as someone who has narrated 600 books and done a lot of, you know, these kinds of stories, to see a refreshing female main character who was young but driven and didn't let herself fall in with the bad crowd or something, was just making the right decisions at every step, but learning from the situation that she was thrown into. So I found that really fresh and exciting. I liked that it wasn't a central love story. This so could easily have become a romance and that would have distracted from what the story is actually about. So everything that made the just unique and its own thing was everything I was totally in for.

[Zibby Owens]

That's amazing. And explain the new company, your company, audiobrary, how that works, why you started it.

[Julia Whelan]

Oh, thank you. Yeah. So then this is, this is the other thing is that Brooke and I think we connected because having come out of very difficult kind of mail driven fields, we saw each other in that. So AudioBrary is seeking to fix kind of two problems in audio publishing as I see them. One is that narrators don't get royalties. And that's an antiquated holdover from back when audiobooks were basically just servicing a library market. And that's not the case anymore. Publishers made $2 billion in audio alone last year. And none of that is trickling down to the narrators who helped build the industry. So I have a problem with that personally. And that's why I needed to create an audio publishing company that would give narrators royalties. And the other thing is we are a direct to consumer distribution channel. So all of our projects, including Sideline Confidential, will be available on other retailers early next year. I've spent time putting those agreements in place. But when you purchase through audiobrary, you're really directly supporting the artists because distributors aren't taking a huge percentage off the top and you're getting bonus features. Like Brooke and I did an interview at the end where we talked about the book. So it's our way of Supporting artists and trying to create a sustainable model for audio publishing moving forward.

[Zibby Owens]

And, Brooke, did you know all about this? Was that an appeal to you or just Julia? Because she's awesome.

[Brooke Bentley]

Well, both. I mean, I am the gateway drug, though. Yeah, she is. So, I mean, I'm a huge fan of all of Julia's work. But then when I got to know audiobrary and its model, I think that drew me in even more, because, like Julia mentioned, I was really frustrated when I was going through my traditional publishing queries and then, you know, talking to agents. I was really being pushed to write a romance novel and have Blake fall for the quarterback and have, you know, have the. Have a typical romance, you know, I love. I love.

[Julia Whelan]

I know. I was like, I read that. I want to read it.

[Brooke Bentley]

Yeah, I love them, and I am all in for them, but that's just not the book that what I thought this book would be. And so I was struggling on that front. And so when I saw what Julia was doing, I really connected with it, and I just kind of was like, all right, I'm going to go for this, because I feel like there's a connection there that she doesn't that hopefully I can sell her on. And she may not know about yet, but it just. It came together beautifully. And her voice for Blake, just. The character comes alive in such a wonderful way that I didn't even expect. You know, you have this voice in your mind, and then when I heard hers and heard her give voice to all the characters, they just came alive in my head in such a profound way. And so. And I'm hearing that from other people who listen to the book.

[Zibby Owens]

So you wrote this, right? As things were shifting. Right. I feel like now there are so many women on the sidelines. Like, it's almost rare not to see a woman interviewing a football player at the end. And my husband is a huge football fan, so if I can stay awake, I watch the night games with him, and definitely they're on all day Sunday. And the other day, I'm like, oh, my gosh, I forgot. I made plans. And it's a Sunday. Like, so sorry about that. But I do, you know, I am struck by just how many women are doing it. It's almost like women have taken over that job that used to be traditionally male. It's like overcorrection sounds like a negative, but it's almost like it's been completely usurped. In a way, being the first of any anything right is being a trailblazer is hard. Right so what do you think the experience is? Like now I know you talk to other publicists and people in this field as research for the book, but I'm sure you've talked to them since like, how is it now? Do you wish you were starting now? Is it still bad? Like, what do you think?

[Brooke Bentley]

It is very different from when I worked in the NFL. And I will say, you know, working for a news outlet like a Fox Sports or ESPN is different from working for NFL teams just because the NFL itself has been these male owners and their coaches and anyone on the football operations side is usually a man. They're just not many women who have held those jobs. But I do think 2020 was a big turning point for the NFL. And what happen with Washington was a real shakeup. And since then there have been, and it's been an increase of over 140% of women entering the NFL on the football operation side, which is huge. I mean, I would say, you know, I think now there's over 220 women working in football ops and full time positions and over 10 of them are coaches, which before. Yeah, no, I mean before 2020 that did not happen. And I mean, I could tell you all these crazy stories of being, you know, the only woman working for a team going to an NFL scout combine where they watch the players go through all these different drills and that's what they do to evaluate for the draft. And I mean, I was like the only woman in the room at one point.

[Zibby Owens]

And we also watched the combine footage.

[Julia Whelan]

No, you don't.

[Brooke Bentley]

Oh, yes.

[Zibby Owens]

And we watched the draft. All the rounds of the draft. So yes, I'm well versed.

[Brooke Bentley]

You are well versed. All right, you got what I'm saying. But it's changed. I think it's changed profoundly. And women are getting high roles. I mean, you're talking about vice president roles like for the Cleveland Browns and you have, you know, assistant GMs who are women. And that just did not happen before 2020. And I think also, I mean one, I think there was one executive, one top brass that NFL team said, we also realize all these women are such good multitaskers.

[Zibby Owens]

I'm like, yeah, yeah, you think, you think your strengths.

[Brooke Bentley]

Yeah. And you know, but they just, you know, I think this is a very, it's new territory for a lot of these NFL teams. But you are seeing a huge rise and you're seeing that these women are successful in their positions.

[Julia Whelan]

That's actually why I'm remembering now. Brooke, I read the book and I Said, can we timestamp this? I actually wanna make this historical fiction. And we added, with obviously Brooke's approval, I said, you know, what year do you feel like this story really lives in? Like there's a moment where she gets her first kind of team phone, like a smartphone. There's music references in the book. There's a certain feel that felt very like 2012 to me. And so we actually timestamped it because I do think that as the industry continues to progress and develop, this is gonna feel more like, wow, that's what it was like back then in the dark ages. And there's certain things that unfortunately haven't changed in any industry. And I think that that's where that book, that's why the book succeeds on the level of a view into this world that I personally knew nothing about, but also something that is very universal. And I think women in a lot of industries can see themselves represented in it. But yeah, we chose to essentially make it historical fiction.

[Zibby Owens]

I am still caught up in the fact that you could even define what 2012 was. I can't even remember the. I can't remember the difference between like, I don't know, it's all a blur from like 2000 to 2020. It all just like blurs together.

[Julia Whelan]

I agree. I actually was just having this conversation the other day that I was like, anytime I think something has been only five years, I have to double it. Any, any distance of time is, is. I'm safer if I just double it in my head.

[Zibby Owens]

Yeah, same way.

[Julia Whelan]

Disappear.

[Brooke Bentley]

And Zinnia. What's been so fun too is that, I mean, that sounds silly, but there's like a full on Taylor Swift effect with the book because it came out and I had a lot of people say, I think this is just going to fill a niche of women who like sports. And I will say, I mean, there is a big. Actually I listened to your interview with Megan Patey about Blooper Day and I loved how she was talking about leaning into women's sports because there has been this big movement with coco golf and you just, you see all these like big time women, you know, athletes getting their due. You know, Serena Williams was it for a while, but now she's like a powerhouse mogul. And so. But anyways, I sort of thought I might fall into a niche then that would just be women in sports, which is great, but I felt like it could really relate to women in all different types of industries. And Taylor Swift, if that came into play. And people said I had different people Reviewers say, listen, I love Taylor Swift. I'm actually more interested in football right now. Can you send me a copy of the book? I was like, okay, so, you know, it got play from that. It got, you know, digital play, social media play, which is the boost.

[Zibby Owens]

Nothing like the Taylor effect.

[Brooke Bentley]

Nothing like the Taylor effect.

[Zibby Owens]

So how did it work in terms of your Collaboration? And does AudioBerry do things any differently? Like, traditionally, from my understanding and from the books that I've worked on and whatever, you either get assigned a narrator, which obviously you got to pick in this case, and then you don't hear it until the end. Or maybe because I was so low on the totem pole. But anyway, how did it work with you? Did you have to wait till the end to hear it? Or, Julia, did you send takes or, like, how did it work?

[Julia Whelan]

No, she did, because we did this very quickly and just put it into our workflow as soon as possible and had the audio ready pretty much the day before we launched. Brooke didn't hear anything ahead of time, but we did have a very extensive conversation about character choices, pronunciations. This is when she gave me a primer on football. And so there was. It was a very collaborative creative process, like, leading up to the recording of it. But, yeah, she heard it along with everyone else.

[Zibby Owens]

And how much do you listen back? Like, do you do all the pickups yourself? I know these are stupid. Like, no.

[Julia Whelan]

I mean, yeah. I mean, we have a post team, and there's many rounds of QC on our projects. Because I feel, personally, I've always been upset as a narrator that little mistakes that slip through that end up, you know, going wide and then trying to get that toothpaste back in the tube is always super complicated. So we do a pretty rigorous editorial and proofing and mastering process on our stuff. But, yeah, I mean, I. Doing the pickups, I am listening back, especially with characters and voices, especially if they're, like, gone for 50 pages and then they come back in. I always have clips that I'm referencing to remember their voices. And on a phone, final listen through, I'll say, no, I think I can do that better and slip it in. So I'm a bit of a perfectionist on that stuff.

[Brooke Bentley]

I actually have a question for you, Julia. You did all these Oklahoma accents, but there's nuances to it. Was that. How did you nail those? Like, how do you do that?

[Julia Whelan]

That's a. Yeah. I mean, I. I think that there's. Well, you have such great character detail. And I write all of that down when I'M prepping a manuscript. So I am looking at what biographical detail is the author giving. What is this person's lived experience? Johnny, you know, may be from that area, but he's gone around, he's done his tour of duty in many other places and kind of come back. And so he would have a different polish than someone who has just never left, you know, so I'm just building character. And I know that's like a very ephemeral kind of thing to say, but that's as the best I can do as an actor is just saying I'm just building character.

[Zibby Owens]

And for those who don't know, and obviously I've interviewed you before, but in terms of becoming an audiobook narrator and leaning into this and becoming an expert in the way that, you know, perhaps Blake is trying to become an expert in her field as well. How did that happen?

[Julia Whelan]

I mean, I fell backwards into this job. I actually just got a lifetime achievement award from the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences. And when I was trying to write a speech, I had a little bit, I was paralyzed a little bit because first of all, I'm so focused on audioberry and building and moving forward in the future that I'm not even thinking like I'm not looking back to how I even got here. So I had to just take a minute and kind of take stock. And the other thing is a kind of disturbing thing that occurred to me is it's been hard for me to take credit for this career because I didn't intentionally set out to do. Just sort of snowballed and you know, if you follow that thinking through to its logical conclusion, then no one should ever be able to take credit for anything they didn't intend to do. And that's absurd. But, but it did just. You know, I remember when I started thinking if I could just do like one book a month that would help cover some costs. And I had my tutoring job and I was doing on camera work and I was doing pickup screenplay writing and you know, I was doing that living that multi hyphenate 25 year old Los Angeles life and I just ended up, I just fell in love with this work and I got super charged by it. And then, you know, I was able to finally get back to my own writing. And now I just looked up and it was like, I live in books, I live in publishing. That's what makes me happy. But the industry itself doesn't make me happy. And that's what needed to change. But I absolutely love this work and I think it's valuable and that's. But I did. I just fell backwards into it like everyone did then.

[Zibby Owens]

It's amazing. So for both of you, do you have more books that you've written yourself coming out or different projects or.

[Brooke Bentley]

Nikki.

[Julia Whelan]

Well, I'm excited about Brooke. I'm excited about what she's working on right now.

[Zibby Owens]

Oh, tell me, tell me.

[Brooke Bentley]

Well, mine is a Little League kind of drama book. It's about the culture of parents over obsessing about youth sports and sort of the drama with family and a mom who sort of finds herself as a baseball mom and very unfulfilled in life. And so there's going to be lots of layers. But I don't know if you experience this at E, but I found that in, at least in Texas, the culture of youth sports is out of control right now. It's like its own world.

[Zibby Owens]

Yeah. I took a different tact and we do not do U sports. After I followed my son around to travel baseball and I was like, we're not doing this anymore. You don't even like it. I'm not giving up my, like, weekends with all the other kids, like the other three kids to like sit here and watch you eat snacks in the dugout and like lay down on the field when it was your turn to be in the outfield. Like, we're not doing this anymore.

[Julia Whelan]

My parents had a hard role in that too. I did gymnastics, but my parents also would not let me do team sports because they also just. They also just were like, we don't want to deal with the parents. It's the main reason. But yeah, I'm super excited about that coming out of Brooke. I am. Yeah, I am actually. So I launched AudioBerry. Launched with my third book, which was a romance novel. That's the book within a book from thank youk For Listening. So the book that the main characters were recording I wrote and turned into. And it's hilarious. Cause it ended up being like my best reviewed book and it's just very funny. But I am currently working on. Yeah, I'm working on the next thing, but it's too early to talk about. But there's so. I mean, all of the energy this year and most of last year has been going toward building audiobrary. And you know, I'm not. I can't say I'm in an active writing practice at the moment. There's just.

[Zibby Owens]

I mean, you can't do everything.

[Julia Whelan]

No, I can't. No, apparently not. Which I just have a problem with that. I Don't. That doesn't sit well with me. But here we are.

[Zibby Owens]

I can relate to that. Yeah, yeah.

[Julia Whelan]

You of all people.

[Zibby Owens]

I feel like I can relate. I like to do everything. So what is most helpful for both of you? Like, what's most helpful? Brooke, for getting the word out about the book and Julia, like, what's most helpful for not only getting the word out about the audiobook, but how to help you build your audioberry business and all of that? Like, what would be the dream thing? Things to happen for both of you next.

[Julia Whelan]

That's very sweet. On our end, I really encourage people to go to the website, sign up for our newsletter, not only will you get 10% off your first order, but we don't spam. We really only send out messages when there is something to actually say. A new project, a pre order, some cool new feature that we've put into the app and there's good stuff happening right now particularly. So do that. Because again, the whole point of this is if you can purchase your books through AudioBrary, our projects through AudioBrary, you're making such a difference to the people that are actually involved in it. So that's for me, that's really it. Right now. It's word of mouth and we're building the library and there's great stuff coming down the pike. So that's for me, that's really all I ask.

[Brooke Bentley]

Yeah. You know, Debbie, it's the same thing for the book and how I feel about the audiobook. I just trying to get the word out there about the audiobook and about audiobrary and how it does support artists, writers. It just, you know, it's interesting because I've had people listen to it and they, when they listen to it also, they really get this feel for seeing it on screen. And it's funny how the audiobook really triggers that more so than maybe the written book. And maybe it's just because those are the people who are listening are, you know, plugged into that. But they. I've had a few people reach out to me and say when I listen to the book, I really feel like it needs to be on screen. And so I think that the voices lend to that.

[Julia Whelan]

Well, again, I think that's a very underappreciated part of audio is that it really is the first adaptation of a project. And in a lot of ways it's gonna be the closest you're ever gonna get. You know, everyone watches the movie and goes, you know, oh, the book was so much better. Well, yeah, the audiobook is the best, most faithful true adaptation you are ever going to get and it should spark that in people. And I think it often does. Does. So I'm happy to hear that. It does deserve to have that treatment for sure.

[Zibby Owens]

Are either of you listening to other books right now?

[Julia Whelan]

No, just my own projects. I mean, just Audioberry projects. I don't have time for elective listening, unfortunately.

[Zibby Owens]

Reading too.

[Julia Whelan]

Yeah, same thing I have a list of. I mean, here we are like gearing up for the holiday time and I'm just like, it'll be great. I'm not gonna work. And then I looked at my reading list and it's about 25 books. And I was like, oh, well, okay.

[Zibby Owens]

Yeah. Somebody today was just like, oh, well, I'll read this over the holidays. And I was like, do you know how many books I've said I'm going to read over the holidays at this point? No, I don't even have time. What about you?

[Brooke Bentley]

Well, Blue Bird Day, that's the one I just got. I'm excited to read it.

[Julia Whelan]

I know.

[Brooke Bentley]

Well, it really spoke to me because of the women in sports and I love to ski and so. And she's great getting it.

[Julia Whelan]

It's.

[Brooke Bentley]

Yeah, I'm so. And I'm giving it to some friends for the holidays as well.

[Zibby Owens]

Meg, Teddy will be very appreciative and we all are as well, actually, speaking.

[Julia Whelan]

Of giving and I'm very. Brooke, I need to. I don't know when you're thinking of having this air Zippy, but we are like maybe even today finally getting the gifting capability set on the Audioberry website. So you can actually gift specific projects now, not just gift cards, which we've had forever. But I know, I'm very excited about that because that will allow people, like people want to support us and they'll buy a project. And remarkably, we have such a high level of return, like more multiple purchases, which, considering we're not doing the same type of book each time, I'm really. I take. I think that's very impressive and I'm very proud of that. But now it's giving people the ability to actually gift the things that they loved. And so, so if I were to.

[Zibby Owens]

If I were to go online and gift Sideline Confidential to someone, would it come as a card branded with Sideline Confidential?

[Julia Whelan]

Yep, it'll come as an individual. You can like put in your own message. You can schedule delivery and you can also pick like a cute little gif if you want and it sends them an e Card, essentially, with a link to redeem the product through audiobrary, and then it will walk them through signing into the app, and it'll be in the app for them.

[Zibby Owens]

Okay, good. Okay, that's another good idea. We were talking at the beginning about how we're going to finish all of our shopping. I'm like, well, that's a good idea. That's very easy.

[Julia Whelan]

Give the gift of audioberry. Great stocking stuffers. Yeah, exactly. So, yeah, no, I think it's. I'm excited about that. And yeah, so that's the point is, like. And I think that's the other thing is Brooke is seeing that every time we have a new project, it brings people back to the site, it builds. Our mailing list of the authors are benefiting from the ecosystem that's being created over there. And it's been great. And I'm so appreciative of authors like Brooke for taking that initiative to come to me and say, I know your work. I think you might like this, and I totally agree with what you're doing and what you're trying to fix and, you know, giving me that confidence and that. That partnership. And it's been wonderful. So.

[Zibby Owens]

So I guess just. Just in closing, since both of you are sort of fearless trendsetters, if you will, in different areas, going into industries that might not have a clear path for you when you start out, what's advice you could give or what keeps you going when you start to feel doubt, if you start to feel doubt, like, what is the thing you say to yourself? Or how do you convince yourself this is the right move?

[Julia Whelan]

That's such a good question.

[Brooke Bentley]

Oh, wow. Yeah.

[Julia Whelan]

Punting to Brook.

[Brooke Bentley]

Oh, and good football term in there.

[Zibby Owens]

I wasn't saying that. I was like, no, I can't.

[Brooke Bentley]

You know, I think with Sideline Confidential, the reason why I wrote it is that I wanted young women to feel like they weren't alone. And starting off in an industry where you feel like you're walking this impossible tightrope, or it's like, be pretty, but not too sexy. You need to know a lot, know your football stuff, but don't know more than in the room. And so I wanted them to realize, like, they have a voice and they're not alone. And a lot of times when I think about, gosh, can I do this? And forging this path ahead, and I'm putting myself out there, and it can be scary, I just remind myself, I'm not alone. There's so many other women trailblazers, and you do it for each other. We are in this together. And I believe in partnership and raising everyone up and not like that there's one person who can do this. We all can be lifted up and do things together. And I just feel like, like when you have that mentality, that more collective mentality, then, yes, you can do these hard things and you can forge these paths.

[Julia Whelan]

That's so valuable. It's such a good point for me. I think it, it comes down to really understanding your why, why you're doing something. I mean, go back to that, like Simon Sinek Ted talk from 10 years ago or 14 years ago at this point. That's like every major company, successful, game changing company starts with what is the why? Not the what, not the product, but the why are we. Why are we doing this? And I will say that, as you know, I've conscripted my poor husband into doing this with me. This has eaten up our lives. You know, we don't have children. And in many ways, I feel like we just created a child here and a toddler that you can't look away from for more than 10 seconds or it's gonna hurt itself. And like, this is not the lifestyle that we wanted. But I have such a strong why for this. And that's what gets me up every day and makes us go, we're gonna keep going. We're gonna keep moving this forward. And I think also, I will also say that not having a. My first book is a little bit about this. My Oxford year is a little bit about this thing we tell ourselves of. You've gotta follow your dreams. Like, never give up on your dreams. And like I said with audio, I fell backwards into this. This was not the dream. This was not the plan. And if I had been resistant to letting something else into my life, I would have never found this thing that I love. So I think that it's healthy actually to reevaluate your dreams and to say, I have more information now, maybe this isn't the best thing for me to be doing. And that openness to other influences, to the world at large, like, just be curious about the things around you and I think follow them when they really interest you. That's how I got here.

[Zibby Owens]

That's great advice. Yeah. Podcasting was not my dream either.

[Julia Whelan]

Right.

[Zibby Owens]

But I love it. I love it so much. And who knew? I mean, it didn't even exist, so.

[Julia Whelan]

Right, exactly. Yeah. Perfect.

[Zibby Owens]

All right, well, congratulations to both of you. Sideline confidential. The book, the audiobook, the whole package. Congrats on this fabulous team.

[Julia Whelan]

Thank you.

[Brooke Bentley]

Thank you, Zibby.

[Zibby Owens]

You're welcome. Okay, Happy holidays.

[Julia Whelan]

Thanks. Bye, guys.

[Zibby Owens]

Bye.

[Julia Whelan]

Bye.

[Zibby Owens]

Thank you for listening to Totally Booked with Zibby, formerly Moms don't have Time to read books. If you loved the show, tell a friend, leave a review. Follow me on Instagram, ibbeowens and spread the word. Thanks so much. Oh, and buy the books.