Four months ago, my life took an unexpected turn. I’d been plodding along in my 9-to-5 job wondering when I would finally find the time to start working on my book idea. As a Project Manager, I knew instinctively that I needed a plan—a roadmap to guide what I wanted to accomplish with a start date, an end date, and milestones identified along the way to act as beacons.
Even though I’d always wanted to write a book and even after making plans, I just wasn’t ready.
The truth was that I lacked the confidence and know-how. Becoming an author happened to other people. Other very lucky people.
My life changed when my job was eliminated after working at my company for fifteen years. My layoff ended up being the jump start I needed to finally throw myself into writing a book. With no idea where to begin, I read books and blogs from other authors on self-publishing. And I thought, “Why not try this? It’s not impossible.”
Using my skills as a Project Manager, I was able to break down the work involved in self-publishing. It was more attainable than I’d thought, and I found that I could do it—fast. I ended up writing my first book in thirty days and self-published to Amazon in another thirty. No one was more surprised than me!
By writing a book, I stepped out of my comfort zone. When I look back at the times in my life when I took chances and tried new things—traveling, moving overseas, trying a new sport—those were my most enjoyable moments.
Anyone can write and self-publish a book. Today’s authors are no longer bound by the traditional rules of publishing companies. Those companies, formerly gatekeepers, are no longer in total control. Amazon and other players have disrupted the publishing industry. Now, authors can reach their readers directly.
Do you have a book in you?
I’ve met many people who tell me they want to write a book someday. I faced a huge learning curve starting out, too. I want other beginning writers to know that it is possible to self-publish a book that makes you proud. It’s an incredible feeling to see your finished book for sale.
If you dream of being an author or ever wondered “What if?”—I’m here to tell you it can happen. The end-to-end process of writing a book increased my creativity, helped me grow, and improved my clarity of thought.
I am creative. You are creative. It’s time to admit this to ourselves.
You CAN write your first book, and it’s easy to self-publish, but you must commit to it. By writing daily—even just for 30 minutes—and breaking up the writing process into small chunks, you can complete your first draft in as little as 30 days even if you work full time.
Sounds like a pain, you’re probably thinking. Why bother to write a book at all? I started out writing simply to prove to myself that I could publish a book. The thought of accomplishment first drove me. I didn’t expect the process to be anything more than a learning experience.
But the deeper I got into my book, the more I learned—fast—about the new world of self-publishing. My brain perked up. I was full of ideas.
Suddenly, I was waking up early, full of energy and excited to write. Wait, what? Since when was I eager to give up precious sleep? Certainly not when I was working my 9-to-5 job.
Writing a book gave me a deeper satisfaction than my office job ever did. I was creating. I was getting my art (in whatever shape or form) OUT.
If you’ve ever even remotely wondered about writing a book, then you owe it to yourself to step out of your comfort zone. Just for a bit. You may be pleasantly surprised at what you learn about yourself.
I’m Courtney Kenney, author and book launch consultant. Like you, I’m on the author’s journey. My focus is to improve my craft, learn new marketing techniques, and sell more books as I grow my authorpreneur business. I want to share what I’ve learned to help you become a more productive and prosperous author.
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