How I Published Three Books Over Three Years

When I was thirteen, our class did this yearbook exercise where each of us got sketched as a ‘grown up’ based on collective vote. I got sketched doing a book signing. I always knew that I would end up writing books, not just because my class picked that as my nerdy future, but because I sort of sensed it. It was what I most enjoyed doing when I was on my own: writing stories, exploring ideas, babbling on, trying to make sense of things.

What I did not know is that writing books would be like what I imagine childbirth is like: fucking hard, but ‘totally worth it’ in the end. I released my first book about the MBA debate in 2014. In 2015 came Leaving Law: How Others Did It and How You Can Too. In 2016, I released Finding Fulfilling Work: A 21st Century Career Guide for Millennials.

Having learned the hard way most of the below, I wanted to share it with anyone else who’s thinking of writing a book themselves.

First of all, this quote really helps me to stay motivated:

“The power of focusing can be seen in light. Diffused light has little power or impact, but you can concentrate its energy by focusing it. With a magnifying glass, the rays of the sun can be focused to set grass or paper on fire. When light is focused even more as a laser beam, it can cut through steel.”

It’s infinitely easier to say ‘no’ when you know what you’re saying ‘yes’ to. The decision to risk failing at something I really cared about instead of coasting on autopilot only occurred after serious emotional defrosting. But overcoming those emotional hurdles sped up the writing process. The issues around the writing took forever to sort out:

1. Deciding to want it more than fearing it. There is no such thing as ‘becoming’ a writer. You write, or you don’t. If you want to write, you need time to write. If you ‘don’t have time’, you make time. If it’s important, you’ll find a way; if not, you’ll make excuses.
2. Sticking to a sustainable writing routine. After various failed attempts, I found that what works for me is to block out four-hour writing chunks in my calendar — these usually happen on evenings or weekends, but sometimes I’ll wake up super early if I’m hungry to finish a particular draft. I try to do at least four of these a week.
3. Unblocking resilience and momentum. Until this year, writing had always been a sacred dream that I protected from day-to-day reality. I knew how to write but I didn’t know how to make it a priority in my life. I found this video so helpful. Basically, it tells you that you’re going to be shit when you first start out, and you know you’re shit, and that’s okay, in fact, that’s wonderful! I watch it often:

In terms of practical tips, the following have been helpful:

1. Work with a coach.

Greet your demons, face them, keep going. Friends and family are great but professional coaches can be much better at holding you accountable. I recommend Rikke Hansen, Allison Clay and Charly Cox. Nils Parker offers an editing service and Tim Grahl offers book marketing advice. I’ve worked with all of them and found them really helpful.

2. Find a job and write for love.

Lots of people have varying opinions about this but I have found having a job invaluable. I end up going insane if writing is my sole activity plus I can’t actually write properly for more than 4-5 hours a day. When you’re not putting pressure on your writing to pay your bills, you have this beautiful freedom to write about whatever the hell you want to write about.

3. Use the publishing platform that works for you.

I released my first book on Gumroad and subsequent books through CreateSpace, after learning about self-publishing from Joanna Penn and tinkering around with platforms like BookBaby. CreateSpace made more sense than BookBaby because it didn’t require upfront cash investment. It’s up to you though and the only way to find out is to play around and see what works for you.

4. Assemble a production team.

I work with Streetlight Graphics to get my books ready for Amazon formatting. The covers were designed by my best friend’s husband Ivan Cruz and an old friend from Auckland, Catherine Chi. My friend Alex started We Make Websites and they built the e-commerce website for the publishing company which I started to produce the books (Outbound Books).

5. Go ‘management consultant’ on creativity.

Management consultants often need what springs naturally in creatives — new ideas, fresh outlooks, emotional intuition. Creatives often need the structure, discipline, and firm grasp of economic reality that most consultants come with. This Zapier post helped my inner management consultant to become friends with my inner creative. It made me way more clinical and helped me to stop being so emotional about my writing process.

6. Become BFFs with Google Docs.

In the past, I would vaguely earmark an hour here and there to ‘work on writing’. I would waste time at the start of each session deciding what to work on. When I got more focused, I treated writing as a proper work project and made a quarterly spreadsheet with chapter goals. I actually rarely stuck to what I’d planned but this gave me direction and helped me to get further than I would have without the plan. I use Google Docs.

7. Find cheerleaders.

Chasing something you fiercely believe in moves you at a different speed. It’s crucial to meet up with others who are also crazy about something they are passionate about, so that you can feel more normal together. I meet up every fortnight with a writing buddy and every month with two entrepreneurial girlfriends (one is building a fertility consultancy and the other is starting a charcoal kebab kitchen). This has really helped.