Nerves. You need steady nerves when you publish a book.
My book, Youthful Aging Secrets: Live Better For Longer is now published on Amazon, but my nerves are still jangling. There are a lot of moving parts to get right, once you’ve completed your final draft.
During my journey from idea to published book, I realized what I most enjoy writing is narrative nonfiction. This means joining good research with compelling, character-driven storytelling.
Let me give you a quick example from my book, Youthful Aging Secrets. It’s the story of Cliff Young.
The 61-year-old farmer showed up in overalls and work boots.
Instead of lycra, he was wearing long pants with holes cut for ventilation. A hush fell when Cliff went to the registration desk and picked up a race number.
“You gonna race?” one of the competitors called out.
“Yep,” Cliff said.
“In your boots?” the guy continued. People in the crowd chuckled.
Then, a reporter asked him if he thought he could win. “Yep. I’ll give it a go,” Cliff said. He was willing to try anything!
Cliff Young had lined up for one of the world’s most grueling endurance races, the Sydney to Melbourne ultra-marathon which stretches over 875 kilometers.
When the starter gun sounded, the field of fit, young guys breezed past him. The crowd laughed out loud when they saw that Cliff couldn’t run properly. He seemed to shuffle along at a snail’s pace.
In this race, competitors would usually complete the course over five days, running about eighteen hours a day and sleeping for the remaining six. But nobody told Cliff about this.
When his competitors woke up after the first night, they asked how the “old looney” was doing. “Oh, he’s doing good,” one of the organizers said. “He ran all night and is two hours ahead of you guys.” As you can imagine, this wiped the smile off their faces.
Cliff kept on running with minimal stops, lengthening the lead each day. During the first few days, he fell and injured his shoulder. But Cliff soldiered on.
Cliff’s performance-enhancing diet consisted of Weet-Bix, cold tinned spaghetti, boiled potatoes, egg flips, and pumpkin.
Halfway through the race, the weather turned bad and it started to bucket down. Someone tried to hand Cliff a water-proof jacket, but his shoulder was causing him so much pain that he couldn’t lift his arm to put it on.
Finally, Coleman, the race director, caught up with Cliff and suggested he should have a pain-killing injection in his shoulder. ‘‘He told me where I could stick my needle in no uncertain terms,’’ Coleman recalled. ‘‘Then he just plodded on.’’
How did this race end? Well, to find out, you might have to download a copy of Youthful Aging Secrets...
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The Long Pathway From Concept to Published Book
It’s taken me a little over five months from having the initial idea to seeing my book, Youthful Aging Secrets on Amazon.
And I’ve written about every step here on WTD to make things easy for you.
First there was the agile development of the book idea. Next, I had to battle the dreaded mid-way slump and find a way to keep myself motivated.
I had to overcome self-doubt and confusion. And, once the first draft was ready, I had to master editing. Next, I had to come up with a bestselling book title and write an ‘imperfect’ author bio.
When it came to deciding on the book cover design, I got so confused, I asked some WTD readers for help. And this wonderful group of readers—whom I call the YA Posse—also gave me excellent feedback as beta-readers.
When faced with the last phase of publishing and marketing, I knew I couldn’t find my way through on my own. I bought Chandler Bolts excellent guide, Book Launch. In chapter 24, Chandler offers a Kindle Book Launch Blueprint which I followed religiously.
Chandler Bolt suggested publishing my book as an ebook for Kindle, and as a paperback. This is easy to do with Amazon KDP. The feedback I got from the YA Posse gave me the idea of creating a companion workbook as well.
What Matters Now
The most important thing now is to get as many downloads of the Kindle version as possible so that the book climbs up the Amazon ranks. For the first four days, the Kindle edition is free.
Click here to grab Youthful Aging Secrets.
Another crucial factor is getting 5-star reviews on Amazon. I’m praying that readers think my book deserves a top review and take the trouble to write one.
What about YOU?
If you are thinking of writing a book, please don’t delay. Start now!
It’s a wonderful journey, and the satisfaction when you see your book in print is immense. In fact, I'm just about to start writing the second book in the Youthful Aging Secrets series!
Please download Youthful Aging Secrets. You'll be inspired, and will also help this book on its way. I'll happily do the same for you, when your book is ready!
