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Welcome to the Coach Wright podcast.
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I'm your host, Helen O'Neill, and this is
episode 41,
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going out on Wednesday, the 30th of
September,
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2026, the day before the release of my new
book,
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Enough: Rethinking Resilience in a World
That Never Stops.
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So today we have something a little bit
different.
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I'll be answering some of the questions
that I've received about my
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own path to publication and some of the
insight from behind the scenes
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of an independent author's book launch.
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So one of the questions all authors are
asked is where do you get your ideas from?
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And you may have heard me say before that
once you tap into them,
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they're a little bit like dust.
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You start to see them everywhere.
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The trick is to know which idea to choose,
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and it's an important decision to make
because when you're writing a book,
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you're going to spend months, possibly
years,
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with that idea and that manuscript.
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Enough came about from conversations with
clients,
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from observations about the post-pandemic
way we work and a need that
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so many of us have. I was delivering a
masterclass.
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And talking about burnout. I shared the
World Health Organization's definition,
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which is that burnout is an occupational
phenomenon.
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It isn't an illness we can catch,
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it's a result of how we're working and how
we're living,
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and yet we're being told that we need to
be more resilient.
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I noticed the disconnect between the life
so many of us aspire
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to live and how we do.
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and the more I looked into the research,
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the more it was clear that reconnecting
with the simpler things
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and questioning the digital bombardment
that so many of us feel was the way
forward.
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And interestingly, it was really nothing
new.
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How to find an antidote was all about
building human connection.
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A pillar I called affiliation.
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It was about doing things that are just
ever so slightly outside
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of our comfort zone, but that challenge us
in a positive way.
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A pillar I called achievement.
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It was about being empowered on a
day-to-day basis and living within
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a system that enables us freedom,
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a pillar I called autonomy. And
underpinning all of that.
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Living a life that's aligned with purpose.
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Writing the book was a different process
from the one I normally follow.
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I started with research and created a
patchwork of ideas,
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concepts, and case studies that became
those pillars that I've just described.
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I created a structure and then I wove the
narrative together,
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choosing terms that were alliterative
because I just like the way the words
sound.
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I really wanted to make sure that the book
was underpinned by research,
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but that it was accessible and
entertaining to read.
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So I used examples from recognizable
people from history
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and contemporary life, leveraging
biographies and film and personal
experience,
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as well as all of the academic studies and
data that you would expect.
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On June the 27th,
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2026, I completed my personal edits and
sent the manuscript off
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to the professional editor. But typing the
end is far from the end of the process,
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and in the three months since,
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I've been doing all of the work to prepare
for publication.
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As an independent author, I'm able to
choose my own pace,
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and giving myself three months to complete
those publication tasks felt like
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a comfortable timeline for me.
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Now that this is book five. Although it's
worth noting it
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is still considerably shorter than if the
book was traditionally published.
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Something to note if that's the route
you're considering for your own book.
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Another question I've been asked is how
the book fits into my business.
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And as I've said, this book came about
because of a need.
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That said, there are now accompanying
courses that I deliver on
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the topic of resilience, one of which is
available via
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the EMCC Organisational Members CPD
program,
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for example. And I deliver ad hoc
workshops and talks on the topic directly
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to clients on request.
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The other way I leverage the book is for
my coach write clients.
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In that space, I am very much a coach
mentor,
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and for those that work with me directly,
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seeing the process and the final product
is useful as they consider their
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own publication choices.
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With a day still to go until the book is
officially published,
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there's no data as yet with regard to
royalties or position in the ranks.
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As I so often say to coach write clients
who are considering their publishing
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options, start with the end in mind.
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For me, the book will form part of my
business model on a long term basis,
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and I do expect it to generate royalties.
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I will also continue to leverage it as a
supporting asset
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for higher ticket delivery, for example,
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and as that all important case study for
clients looking to turn their
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own coaching expertise into published
pages.
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The next question to address is why I
chose independent authorship.
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And interestingly, as I reflect on this,
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I chose the life of the independent author
before I chose the life of a coach.
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The reason this podcast exists is that
when I retrained and launched
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my coaching practice, I was surprised to
note just how many myths.
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existed in the coaching space around the
publishing process.
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With so many of us being business owners,
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there was a disconnect between the
entrepreneurial spirit required
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to run a successful business and the,
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shall we say, snobbery that I encountered
in some corners.
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And I really wanted to do something about
that.
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As a reader, I don't check the publisher
before I make a choice.
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I read the blurb of the book, I check the
reviews,
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and if I can, I'll have a little look
inside and see whether or
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not the writing appeals to me.
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I chose to be an independent publisher for
a number of reasons.
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The first one is I like the control it
gives me over the books I write
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and the publishing timeline. I listen to
my potential readers and I write
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the books to meet.
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those needs. But there are a lot of other
choices that you need to make
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in the publishing process and I wanted to
make those too.
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so for example, I've learnt that certain
formatting choices make books more
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accessible for readers with neurodiverse
traits.
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Why would I not want to do that?
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I was able to make those formatting
choices in my book.
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without having to have contractual
conversations about changing a house
style.
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Those things might sound small,
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but they're important to me and they're
not things that I'm willing to give up.
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The second reason is that timeline.
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Being able to turn a book around from edit
to publication in three months means that
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I can get the words into the world as
quickly as possible and into
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the hands of readers who the book is
designed to help.
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Traditional publishers are enterprise
organizations with processes to match,
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and it's completely understandable why
their timelines are so much longer,
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but for me personally, that doesn't work.
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And the third reason is a commercial one.
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As an independent author, yes,
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I do have to do all of the work or
coordinate the team who are supporting me,
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but as a result, I get all of the
royalties too.
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I have instant access to all of the
distributors' databases so
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I can see pretty much in real time how
many books are being sold
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and how much revenue they are generating.
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That's the what and the why, but what
actually happens after you've typed the
end?
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Well, the first thing that people don't
often talk about is that there's
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a great deal more to do than you think
there is.
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And that can feel a bit unsettling after
you've built a habit of writing words
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on a regular basis. There's a fallow
period.
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when your book is with your editor and
you're waiting for them to respond.
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There's an impatient bit where you've
engaged a cover designer and
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are starting to go backwards and forwards
on the details,
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making sure that your vision comes to
life.
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And there is a lot of administration to
do,
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which is all very important and mustn't be
overlooked.
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One of the things I often find is that as
I come towards the end
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of writing one book, the idea for the next
one starts to take shape.
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And so one of the things I do in that
change over time is to start
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to think about the research I need to do
for that next book.
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So for example, currently I have about
12,000 words of what will become
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a book on coaching, which I'm hoping to
release at some point next year.
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For me, it's really important to keep that
practice alive and keep
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the momentum going. If you've never edited
with a professional before,
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it can be daunting.
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To do. You are literally getting someone
to mark your work.
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The first thing I always say to people is
remember that you have engaged
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a professional qualified editor.
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So the likelihood is that their
recommendations are recommendations that
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you should take on board. There will be
differences of opinion.
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minor points where they say something that
you don't agree with.
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but if you find an editor whose style
matches yours,
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the lion's share of what they provide to
you,
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you will want to incorporate in the final
version.
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For those of you that may be going through
this process for the first time,
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when you receive your feedback from your
editor,
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try and read it in one sitting,
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end to end, and then put it aside for a
few days
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Reflect. Let it settle before you take any
action.
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Next, there's cover design.
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I have worked previously with a company
called Get Covers,
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and so I engage them again for this book.
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They are a very cost effective way of
getting formatted covers,
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which are particularly good for non
fiction,
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where cover design tends to be very simple
in style.
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Unfortunately, this time round.
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They just weren't able to deliver on the
brief.
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And after going backwards and forwards
with them for about six weeks,
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I decided to look elsewhere so launched a
contest with an organization called
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99 Designs. So how this works is you add a
brief for the book cover that you're
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looking for, and then over the next few
days,
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designers will submit their designs for
you.
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I was
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Inundated and received over 200 designs in
24 hours.
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Again, it's worth noting that for a
non-fiction book,
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I was very comfortable with AI-generated
designs being submitted,
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and I've no doubt that volume was because
of that choice.
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For fiction, I tend to err on the side of
using an illustrator
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or more human hands-on designer.
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But again, the choice is yours.
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Once the contest was closed, I selected my
preferred cover.
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And as you can imagine, there was a little
bit of back and forth getting
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all the details right, I am really happy
with the final version
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and would definitely recommend them.
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Note that you're going to need different
formats of your cover
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for different formats of your book.
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The paperback and hardback versions are
different sizes and you will need
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an ebook cover too.
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I decided to make sure that my book is
available wherever people buy their books.
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We call this going wide. And so,
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as well as publishing on Amazon for
paperback and hardback,
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I also published via Ingram Spark,
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which is a distributor to other retailers.
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Annoyingly, Ingram and Amazon have
slightly different requirements for
covers,
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so it's important to make sure that your
cover designer knows you intend
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to publish for both.
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And I do recommend for new authors,
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particularly for those who accessibility
is important,
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to consider having a hardback version as
well as a paperback version and an ebook.
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It's surprising how many people prefer to
read nonfiction titles
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in a hardback format. And for the sake of
a little bit of time and effort,
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it's a really easy thing to implement.
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Less easy is metadata,
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particularly if you've never done it
before.
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These are the keywords and categories that
sit on the distributors
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and enable your book to be found.
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If you're comfortable doing so,
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you can use AI to help you identify these
terms.
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And I also recommend a tool called
Publisher Rocket where you can look them
up.
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It dramatically streamlines the process.
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Of course, you can also do it manually if
you so wish.
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I keep a spreadsheet for all of my books
where I have the ISBNs,
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the book title, the publication date,
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all of the keywords and categories,
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the international pricing across the
different distributors,
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and the version of the book that I've
uploaded.
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I do this because things change and it can
all get complicated very quickly.
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But please don't feel overwhelmed.
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If you are at this stage, I am more than
happy to give you a copy of my
spreadsheet.
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Just drop me a quick email Helen at
coachright.
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co dot uk and I'll send you a copy with my
compliments.
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Next, I want to talk about my advanced
reader team or ARC team.
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As we all know, we live in a world where
we are at the whim of the algorithm,
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and one of the ways to help books be
discovered is social proof.
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It's estimated that around 4 million books
are uploaded on Amazon alone every year.
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And so discoverability is absolutely key.
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One of the ways to do that is to engage
advanced readers.
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As the name implies, these are a team of
people who get a copy of
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the book before publication, and if they
are so inclined,
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on launch day or when they finish the book
shortly after,
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they go onto the platforms and leave a
review.
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It massively helps discoverability.
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And yet I know on that first book that
you've poured your heart and soul into,
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it can feel incredibly uncomfortable to
give it away for free.
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But remember, it's not free. You are
getting a review.
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And a bit like when you launch your
coaching practice and those first
testimonials
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are so important, those first reviews
really help start the process.
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It is also absolutely heartwarming before
the book goes live when
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one of those readers reaches out to you to
let you know what they plan to post.
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Even though this is my fifth book.
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I still have all the nerves and the
butterflies and the hope that the book
will land
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00:16:26,287 --> 00:16:31,020
and help people. One of my advanced
readers messaged me a few weeks
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ago and said Enough is the kind of book
that takes a subject
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you think you understand and makes you
look at it differently.
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What I particularly loved about this book
was O'Neill's ability
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to take a considerable amount of research
and distill it into ideas that are simple,
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memorable, and most importantly,
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Practical. You can just imagine how that
felt,
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how that feels. I am grinning from ear to
ear as I read that.
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It is just what I was hoping to achieve.
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But of course, as well as giving you the
warm and fuzzies,
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these early reviews are that all-important
social proof that will help potential
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readers decide to read your book.
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Mine is not the only book on resilience in
the market,
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and oftentimes a reader will make a
decision.
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based on the feedback they see from
somebody they don't know.
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As we head towards launch, there are also
promotion activities that I've
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put in place.
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You will hear me ask in nearly every
interview episode of the Coach Write
podcast
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how authors get their books into the hands
of readers.
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Because again, a bit like coaching,
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doesn't matter how good you are at it,
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if nobody knows it exists, no one will buy
it.
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So over the last few months, I've been
posting on social media about
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my path to publication, mostly on LinkedIn
because that's my natural home.
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Although I have cross-posted some of my
content onto Instagram too.
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I've shared quizzes around book titles
asking people which of
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the selection they thought was best.
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It was a brilliant way to get engagement
and lots of responses.
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One of the things that made me chuckle was
how many people tried to guess which
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of the title was AI generated,
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00:18:18,842 --> 00:18:22,534
and everybody except for one person got it
wrong.
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The other thing I did was share a cover
reveal.
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00:18:26,686 --> 00:18:29,786
Again, people will love to see the
creative,
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00:18:29,786 --> 00:18:31,916
and I had a little play around with Canva,
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which was a complete waste of time,
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00:18:33,747 --> 00:18:37,868
but really quite fun. Over the last couple
of weeks,
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as I've received proof copies and those
early reviews,
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I've been sharing those too. Tomorrow on
launch day,
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I will be going out again to let everybody
that I can think of know that
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the book is available for purchase.
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And hopefully the buzz around the book
will mean that people will do just that.
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I've made it an easy buy. I've discounted
the ebook to 99p,
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which will be in place for a very short
period of time after launch,
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and again, is intended to help boost those
early sales and get the book into
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00:19:12,884 --> 00:19:15,115
the hands of as many readers as possible.
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00:19:15,115 --> 00:19:19,706
To support that strategy, I have a number
of promotions lined up.
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00:19:20,220 --> 00:19:23,982
I've worked with written word media to
create a promotion stack,
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00:19:23,982 --> 00:19:28,364
which means that my book will be included
in a number of reader lists over
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00:19:28,364 --> 00:19:33,599
the coming weeks. All of this activity is
intended to drive volume
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00:19:33,599 --> 00:19:37,991
of sales rather than revenue. In these
early days,
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it's all about awareness and making sure
as many people as possible get the book.
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Again,
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I know that can feel uncomfortable when so
much work has gone into creating
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00:19:49,344 --> 00:19:50,845
something that you're proud of.
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00:19:50,845 --> 00:19:56,069
And I always remind people that a book is
a long-term asset.
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00:19:56,069 --> 00:20:00,313
And if nobody reads it, it will sink to
the bottom of Amazon,
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never to be found. And so here we have it,
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my path to publication for enough.
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00:20:06,538 --> 00:20:10,021
Rethinking resilience in a world that
never stops.
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I hope it's inspired you to move forward
with your book project.
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00:20:14,236 --> 00:20:17,818
Know that each and every one of the things
I've talked about today,
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you do not need to do alone. This is
exactly why I created Coach Write
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00:20:24,263 --> 00:20:29,316
I remember what it felt like when someone
first used the word metadata and
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I had no idea what it was, let alone how
to work out how to use it.
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Now I sit down and complete that task in
half an hour.
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There are resources available on my
website,
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00:20:40,694 --> 00:20:42,996
on this podcast, out in the world.
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And if you ever have a question that you'd
like me to cover in the footnotes,
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just drop me an email and let me know.
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00:20:49,237 --> 00:20:52,548
And of course, if you're looking for a
little bit more support,
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00:20:52,548 --> 00:20:56,550
reach out and we can discuss which
coaching option is right for you.
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Thank you so much for listening today.
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00:20:59,100 --> 00:21:03,962
I hope this episode helped you feel more
prepared for your own publishing journey.
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00:21:03,962 --> 00:21:07,043
And if you want to see what enough is
like,
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00:21:07,043 --> 00:21:12,324
as I've mentioned, the ebook is available
from tomorrow for 99p
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00:21:12,344 --> 00:21:16,225
or the international equivalent for a
short period of time wherever
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00:21:16,225 --> 00:21:20,366
you get your ebooks. And I would be
incredibly grateful for your support.
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00:21:20,366 --> 00:21:24,868
Next week I will be speaking with Faye
Wallice and we'll be talking
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00:21:25,088 --> 00:21:26,248
all about her book.
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00:21:26,624 --> 00:21:30,573
The Essential HR Planner, which is about
to be released for
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00:21:30,573 --> 00:21:35,604
the seventh year running. I'll see you for
the next chapter.
00:00:27,625 --> 00:00:29,487
Welcome to the Coach Wright podcast.
2
00:00:29,487 --> 00:00:33,530
I'm your host, Helen O'Neill, and this is
episode 41,
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00:00:33,530 --> 00:00:37,473
going out on Wednesday, the 30th of
September,
4
00:00:37,473 --> 00:00:41,877
2026, the day before the release of my new
book,
5
00:00:41,877 --> 00:00:46,241
Enough: Rethinking Resilience in a World
That Never Stops.
6
00:00:46,378 --> 00:00:49,339
So today we have something a little bit
different.
7
00:00:49,339 --> 00:00:53,300
I'll be answering some of the questions
that I've received about my
8
00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:58,191
own path to publication and some of the
insight from behind the scenes
9
00:00:58,191 --> 00:01:00,782
of an independent author's book launch.
10
00:01:00,782 --> 00:01:07,184
So one of the questions all authors are
asked is where do you get your ideas from?
11
00:01:07,184 --> 00:01:10,805
And you may have heard me say before that
once you tap into them,
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00:01:10,805 --> 00:01:12,485
they're a little bit like dust.
13
00:01:12,485 --> 00:01:14,616
You start to see them everywhere.
14
00:01:15,248 --> 00:01:18,200
The trick is to know which idea to choose,
15
00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:22,924
and it's an important decision to make
because when you're writing a book,
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00:01:22,924 --> 00:01:26,327
you're going to spend months, possibly
years,
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00:01:26,327 --> 00:01:29,370
with that idea and that manuscript.
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00:01:29,370 --> 00:01:33,673
Enough came about from conversations with
clients,
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00:01:33,673 --> 00:01:39,608
from observations about the post-pandemic
way we work and a need that
20
00:01:39,608 --> 00:01:43,922
so many of us have. I was delivering a
masterclass.
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00:01:44,123 --> 00:01:49,465
And talking about burnout. I shared the
World Health Organization's definition,
22
00:01:49,465 --> 00:01:54,027
which is that burnout is an occupational
phenomenon.
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00:01:54,027 --> 00:01:57,388
It isn't an illness we can catch,
24
00:01:57,388 --> 00:02:01,309
it's a result of how we're working and how
we're living,
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00:02:01,309 --> 00:02:05,811
and yet we're being told that we need to
be more resilient.
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00:02:05,811 --> 00:02:11,533
I noticed the disconnect between the life
so many of us aspire
27
00:02:11,533 --> 00:02:13,394
to live and how we do.
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00:02:13,814 --> 00:02:15,896
and the more I looked into the research,
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00:02:15,896 --> 00:02:20,859
the more it was clear that reconnecting
with the simpler things
30
00:02:20,979 --> 00:02:26,884
and questioning the digital bombardment
that so many of us feel was the way
forward.
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00:02:26,884 --> 00:02:31,087
And interestingly, it was really nothing
new.
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00:02:31,087 --> 00:02:36,721
How to find an antidote was all about
building human connection.
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00:02:37,179 --> 00:02:39,420
A pillar I called affiliation.
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00:02:39,420 --> 00:02:45,502
It was about doing things that are just
ever so slightly outside
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00:02:45,502 --> 00:02:49,384
of our comfort zone, but that challenge us
in a positive way.
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00:02:49,384 --> 00:02:52,185
A pillar I called achievement.
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00:02:52,185 --> 00:02:57,808
It was about being empowered on a
day-to-day basis and living within
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00:02:57,808 --> 00:03:00,469
a system that enables us freedom,
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00:03:00,469 --> 00:03:06,031
a pillar I called autonomy. And
underpinning all of that.
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00:03:06,523 --> 00:03:09,624
Living a life that's aligned with purpose.
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00:03:09,624 --> 00:03:15,407
Writing the book was a different process
from the one I normally follow.
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00:03:15,407 --> 00:03:20,219
I started with research and created a
patchwork of ideas,
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00:03:20,219 --> 00:03:25,531
concepts, and case studies that became
those pillars that I've just described.
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00:03:25,531 --> 00:03:30,013
I created a structure and then I wove the
narrative together,
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00:03:30,013 --> 00:03:34,725
choosing terms that were alliterative
because I just like the way the words
sound.
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00:03:35,889 --> 00:03:39,762
I really wanted to make sure that the book
was underpinned by research,
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00:03:39,762 --> 00:03:43,646
but that it was accessible and
entertaining to read.
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00:03:43,646 --> 00:03:48,910
So I used examples from recognizable
people from history
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00:03:49,191 --> 00:03:56,157
and contemporary life, leveraging
biographies and film and personal
experience,
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00:03:56,157 --> 00:04:00,560
as well as all of the academic studies and
data that you would expect.
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00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:03,303
On June the 27th,
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00:04:03,550 --> 00:04:09,162
2026, I completed my personal edits and
sent the manuscript off
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00:04:09,162 --> 00:04:15,305
to the professional editor. But typing the
end is far from the end of the process,
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00:04:15,305 --> 00:04:16,904
and in the three months since,
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00:04:16,904 --> 00:04:20,906
I've been doing all of the work to prepare
for publication.
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00:04:20,906 --> 00:04:25,568
As an independent author, I'm able to
choose my own pace,
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00:04:25,568 --> 00:04:30,310
and giving myself three months to complete
those publication tasks felt like
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00:04:30,310 --> 00:04:32,051
a comfortable timeline for me.
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00:04:32,241 --> 00:04:36,219
Now that this is book five. Although it's
worth noting it
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00:04:36,219 --> 00:04:41,008
is still considerably shorter than if the
book was traditionally published.
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00:04:41,008 --> 00:04:44,835
Something to note if that's the route
you're considering for your own book.
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00:04:44,992 --> 00:04:49,334
Another question I've been asked is how
the book fits into my business.
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00:04:49,334 --> 00:04:53,457
And as I've said, this book came about
because of a need.
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00:04:53,457 --> 00:04:58,890
That said, there are now accompanying
courses that I deliver on
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00:04:58,890 --> 00:05:02,492
the topic of resilience, one of which is
available via
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00:05:02,492 --> 00:05:06,244
the EMCC Organisational Members CPD
program,
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00:05:06,244 --> 00:05:12,247
for example. And I deliver ad hoc
workshops and talks on the topic directly
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00:05:12,247 --> 00:05:14,168
to clients on request.
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00:05:15,426 --> 00:05:19,320
The other way I leverage the book is for
my coach write clients.
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00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:23,164
In that space, I am very much a coach
mentor,
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00:05:23,164 --> 00:05:25,266
and for those that work with me directly,
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00:05:25,266 --> 00:05:30,571
seeing the process and the final product
is useful as they consider their
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00:05:30,571 --> 00:05:32,313
own publication choices.
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00:05:33,574 --> 00:05:36,767
With a day still to go until the book is
officially published,
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00:05:36,767 --> 00:05:41,591
there's no data as yet with regard to
royalties or position in the ranks.
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00:05:41,591 --> 00:05:46,735
As I so often say to coach write clients
who are considering their publishing
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00:05:46,735 --> 00:05:50,037
options, start with the end in mind.
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00:05:50,037 --> 00:05:56,093
For me, the book will form part of my
business model on a long term basis,
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00:05:56,093 --> 00:05:58,885
and I do expect it to generate royalties.
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00:05:59,226 --> 00:06:03,270
I will also continue to leverage it as a
supporting asset
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00:06:03,491 --> 00:06:06,033
for higher ticket delivery, for example,
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00:06:06,033 --> 00:06:10,218
and as that all important case study for
clients looking to turn their
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00:06:10,218 --> 00:06:13,502
own coaching expertise into published
pages.
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00:06:13,641 --> 00:06:18,943
The next question to address is why I
chose independent authorship.
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00:06:18,943 --> 00:06:22,184
And interestingly, as I reflect on this,
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00:06:22,184 --> 00:06:27,645
I chose the life of the independent author
before I chose the life of a coach.
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00:06:27,645 --> 00:06:33,877
The reason this podcast exists is that
when I retrained and launched
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00:06:33,877 --> 00:06:39,309
my coaching practice, I was surprised to
note just how many myths.
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00:06:39,633 --> 00:06:43,416
existed in the coaching space around the
publishing process.
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00:06:43,416 --> 00:06:46,759
With so many of us being business owners,
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00:06:46,759 --> 00:06:51,016
there was a disconnect between the
entrepreneurial spirit required
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00:06:51,016 --> 00:06:54,810
to run a successful business and the,
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00:06:54,810 --> 00:06:59,130
shall we say, snobbery that I encountered
in some corners.
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00:06:59,130 --> 00:07:02,193
And I really wanted to do something about
that.
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00:07:02,193 --> 00:07:06,496
As a reader, I don't check the publisher
before I make a choice.
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00:07:06,496 --> 00:07:09,618
I read the blurb of the book, I check the
reviews,
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00:07:09,618 --> 00:07:12,800
and if I can, I'll have a little look
inside and see whether or
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00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:14,781
not the writing appeals to me.
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00:07:14,781 --> 00:07:20,105
I chose to be an independent publisher for
a number of reasons.
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00:07:20,105 --> 00:07:25,128
The first one is I like the control it
gives me over the books I write
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00:07:25,189 --> 00:07:30,392
and the publishing timeline. I listen to
my potential readers and I write
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00:07:30,392 --> 00:07:31,573
the books to meet.
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00:07:31,774 --> 00:07:36,806
those needs. But there are a lot of other
choices that you need to make
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00:07:36,806 --> 00:07:40,458
in the publishing process and I wanted to
make those too.
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00:07:40,458 --> 00:07:44,969
so for example, I've learnt that certain
formatting choices make books more
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00:07:44,969 --> 00:07:47,801
accessible for readers with neurodiverse
traits.
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00:07:47,801 --> 00:07:50,242
Why would I not want to do that?
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00:07:50,242 --> 00:07:53,503
I was able to make those formatting
choices in my book.
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00:07:53,717 --> 00:07:58,530
without having to have contractual
conversations about changing a house
style.
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00:07:58,530 --> 00:08:00,831
Those things might sound small,
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00:08:00,831 --> 00:08:04,813
but they're important to me and they're
not things that I'm willing to give up.
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00:08:04,813 --> 00:08:08,556
The second reason is that timeline.
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00:08:08,556 --> 00:08:14,329
Being able to turn a book around from edit
to publication in three months means that
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00:08:14,329 --> 00:08:18,141
I can get the words into the world as
quickly as possible and into
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00:08:18,141 --> 00:08:20,893
the hands of readers who the book is
designed to help.
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00:08:21,857 --> 00:08:27,230
Traditional publishers are enterprise
organizations with processes to match,
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00:08:27,230 --> 00:08:31,633
and it's completely understandable why
their timelines are so much longer,
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00:08:31,633 --> 00:08:34,345
but for me personally, that doesn't work.
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00:08:34,497 --> 00:08:37,178
And the third reason is a commercial one.
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00:08:37,178 --> 00:08:39,698
As an independent author, yes,
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00:08:39,698 --> 00:08:44,920
I do have to do all of the work or
coordinate the team who are supporting me,
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00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:49,461
but as a result, I get all of the
royalties too.
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00:08:49,461 --> 00:08:55,273
I have instant access to all of the
distributors' databases so
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00:08:55,273 --> 00:08:59,744
I can see pretty much in real time how
many books are being sold
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00:08:59,844 --> 00:09:02,405
and how much revenue they are generating.
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00:09:04,483 --> 00:09:10,597
That's the what and the why, but what
actually happens after you've typed the
end?
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00:09:10,597 --> 00:09:15,060
Well, the first thing that people don't
often talk about is that there's
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00:09:15,060 --> 00:09:17,641
a great deal more to do than you think
there is.
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00:09:17,641 --> 00:09:23,725
And that can feel a bit unsettling after
you've built a habit of writing words
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00:09:23,845 --> 00:09:27,267
on a regular basis. There's a fallow
period.
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00:09:27,460 --> 00:09:31,201
when your book is with your editor and
you're waiting for them to respond.
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00:09:31,201 --> 00:09:35,952
There's an impatient bit where you've
engaged a cover designer and
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are starting to go backwards and forwards
on the details,
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making sure that your vision comes to
life.
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And there is a lot of administration to
do,
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which is all very important and mustn't be
overlooked.
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One of the things I often find is that as
I come towards the end
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of writing one book, the idea for the next
one starts to take shape.
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00:09:57,889 --> 00:10:02,452
And so one of the things I do in that
change over time is to start
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to think about the research I need to do
for that next book.
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So for example, currently I have about
12,000 words of what will become
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a book on coaching, which I'm hoping to
release at some point next year.
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For me, it's really important to keep that
practice alive and keep
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the momentum going. If you've never edited
with a professional before,
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it can be daunting.
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To do. You are literally getting someone
to mark your work.
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The first thing I always say to people is
remember that you have engaged
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a professional qualified editor.
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So the likelihood is that their
recommendations are recommendations that
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you should take on board. There will be
differences of opinion.
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minor points where they say something that
you don't agree with.
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but if you find an editor whose style
matches yours,
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the lion's share of what they provide to
you,
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you will want to incorporate in the final
version.
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For those of you that may be going through
this process for the first time,
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when you receive your feedback from your
editor,
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try and read it in one sitting,
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end to end, and then put it aside for a
few days
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Reflect. Let it settle before you take any
action.
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Next, there's cover design.
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I have worked previously with a company
called Get Covers,
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and so I engage them again for this book.
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They are a very cost effective way of
getting formatted covers,
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which are particularly good for non
fiction,
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where cover design tends to be very simple
in style.
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Unfortunately, this time round.
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They just weren't able to deliver on the
brief.
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And after going backwards and forwards
with them for about six weeks,
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I decided to look elsewhere so launched a
contest with an organization called
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99 Designs. So how this works is you add a
brief for the book cover that you're
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looking for, and then over the next few
days,
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designers will submit their designs for
you.
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I was
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Inundated and received over 200 designs in
24 hours.
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Again, it's worth noting that for a
non-fiction book,
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I was very comfortable with AI-generated
designs being submitted,
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and I've no doubt that volume was because
of that choice.
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For fiction, I tend to err on the side of
using an illustrator
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or more human hands-on designer.
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But again, the choice is yours.
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Once the contest was closed, I selected my
preferred cover.
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And as you can imagine, there was a little
bit of back and forth getting
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all the details right, I am really happy
with the final version
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and would definitely recommend them.
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Note that you're going to need different
formats of your cover
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for different formats of your book.
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The paperback and hardback versions are
different sizes and you will need
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an ebook cover too.
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I decided to make sure that my book is
available wherever people buy their books.
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We call this going wide. And so,
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as well as publishing on Amazon for
paperback and hardback,
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I also published via Ingram Spark,
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which is a distributor to other retailers.
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Annoyingly, Ingram and Amazon have
slightly different requirements for
covers,
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00:13:24,452 --> 00:13:28,833
so it's important to make sure that your
cover designer knows you intend
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00:13:28,833 --> 00:13:29,973
to publish for both.
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00:13:30,100 --> 00:13:32,792
And I do recommend for new authors,
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particularly for those who accessibility
is important,
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to consider having a hardback version as
well as a paperback version and an ebook.
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00:13:41,817 --> 00:13:46,078
It's surprising how many people prefer to
read nonfiction titles
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in a hardback format. And for the sake of
a little bit of time and effort,
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it's a really easy thing to implement.
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Less easy is metadata,
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particularly if you've never done it
before.
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These are the keywords and categories that
sit on the distributors
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and enable your book to be found.
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If you're comfortable doing so,
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you can use AI to help you identify these
terms.
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And I also recommend a tool called
Publisher Rocket where you can look them
up.
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It dramatically streamlines the process.
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00:14:16,919 --> 00:14:20,420
Of course, you can also do it manually if
you so wish.
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I keep a spreadsheet for all of my books
where I have the ISBNs,
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00:14:25,434 --> 00:14:27,916
the book title, the publication date,
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00:14:27,916 --> 00:14:30,038
all of the keywords and categories,
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00:14:30,038 --> 00:14:33,641
the international pricing across the
different distributors,
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00:14:33,641 --> 00:14:36,804
and the version of the book that I've
uploaded.
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I do this because things change and it can
all get complicated very quickly.
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But please don't feel overwhelmed.
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00:14:44,901 --> 00:14:49,275
If you are at this stage, I am more than
happy to give you a copy of my
spreadsheet.
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Just drop me a quick email Helen at
coachright.
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co dot uk and I'll send you a copy with my
compliments.
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00:14:56,127 --> 00:14:59,980
Next, I want to talk about my advanced
reader team or ARC team.
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As we all know, we live in a world where
we are at the whim of the algorithm,
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and one of the ways to help books be
discovered is social proof.
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It's estimated that around 4 million books
are uploaded on Amazon alone every year.
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And so discoverability is absolutely key.
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One of the ways to do that is to engage
advanced readers.
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As the name implies, these are a team of
people who get a copy of
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the book before publication, and if they
are so inclined,
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00:15:32,874 --> 00:15:36,257
on launch day or when they finish the book
shortly after,
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they go onto the platforms and leave a
review.
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It massively helps discoverability.
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00:15:43,582 --> 00:15:49,686
And yet I know on that first book that
you've poured your heart and soul into,
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00:15:49,686 --> 00:15:53,779
it can feel incredibly uncomfortable to
give it away for free.
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00:15:54,507 --> 00:15:59,101
But remember, it's not free. You are
getting a review.
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00:15:59,101 --> 00:16:03,985
And a bit like when you launch your
coaching practice and those first
testimonials
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00:16:03,985 --> 00:16:08,769
are so important, those first reviews
really help start the process.
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00:16:08,769 --> 00:16:14,575
It is also absolutely heartwarming before
the book goes live when
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00:16:14,575 --> 00:16:19,519
one of those readers reaches out to you to
let you know what they plan to post.
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00:16:19,519 --> 00:16:21,581
Even though this is my fifth book.
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00:16:21,944 --> 00:16:26,287
I still have all the nerves and the
butterflies and the hope that the book
will land
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00:16:26,287 --> 00:16:31,020
and help people. One of my advanced
readers messaged me a few weeks
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00:16:31,020 --> 00:16:35,993
ago and said Enough is the kind of book
that takes a subject
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00:16:35,993 --> 00:16:39,305
you think you understand and makes you
look at it differently.
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00:16:39,305 --> 00:16:43,458
What I particularly loved about this book
was O'Neill's ability
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00:16:43,458 --> 00:16:48,591
to take a considerable amount of research
and distill it into ideas that are simple,
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00:16:48,591 --> 00:16:50,883
memorable, and most importantly,
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00:16:51,353 --> 00:16:55,536
Practical. You can just imagine how that
felt,
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00:16:55,536 --> 00:16:59,920
how that feels. I am grinning from ear to
ear as I read that.
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00:16:59,920 --> 00:17:02,622
It is just what I was hoping to achieve.
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00:17:02,622 --> 00:17:06,005
But of course, as well as giving you the
warm and fuzzies,
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00:17:06,005 --> 00:17:11,529
these early reviews are that all-important
social proof that will help potential
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readers decide to read your book.
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00:17:13,611 --> 00:17:18,054
Mine is not the only book on resilience in
the market,
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00:17:18,054 --> 00:17:20,997
and oftentimes a reader will make a
decision.
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00:17:21,337 --> 00:17:24,480
based on the feedback they see from
somebody they don't know.
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00:17:24,618 --> 00:17:29,211
As we head towards launch, there are also
promotion activities that I've
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00:17:29,211 --> 00:17:30,211
put in place.
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00:17:30,472 --> 00:17:35,316
You will hear me ask in nearly every
interview episode of the Coach Write
podcast
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how authors get their books into the hands
of readers.
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00:17:38,740 --> 00:17:41,182
Because again, a bit like coaching,
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doesn't matter how good you are at it,
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if nobody knows it exists, no one will buy
it.
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00:17:46,627 --> 00:17:51,712
So over the last few months, I've been
posting on social media about
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00:17:51,712 --> 00:17:56,006
my path to publication, mostly on LinkedIn
because that's my natural home.
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Although I have cross-posted some of my
content onto Instagram too.
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00:18:00,671 --> 00:18:06,034
I've shared quizzes around book titles
asking people which of
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00:18:06,034 --> 00:18:07,955
the selection they thought was best.
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00:18:07,955 --> 00:18:12,158
It was a brilliant way to get engagement
and lots of responses.
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00:18:12,158 --> 00:18:16,901
One of the things that made me chuckle was
how many people tried to guess which
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00:18:16,901 --> 00:18:18,842
of the title was AI generated,
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00:18:18,842 --> 00:18:22,534
and everybody except for one person got it
wrong.
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00:18:23,785 --> 00:18:26,686
The other thing I did was share a cover
reveal.
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00:18:26,686 --> 00:18:29,786
Again, people will love to see the
creative,
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00:18:29,786 --> 00:18:31,916
and I had a little play around with Canva,
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00:18:31,916 --> 00:18:33,747
which was a complete waste of time,
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00:18:33,747 --> 00:18:37,868
but really quite fun. Over the last couple
of weeks,
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00:18:37,868 --> 00:18:41,549
as I've received proof copies and those
early reviews,
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00:18:41,549 --> 00:18:46,557
I've been sharing those too. Tomorrow on
launch day,
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00:18:46,557 --> 00:18:51,172
I will be going out again to let everybody
that I can think of know that
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00:18:51,172 --> 00:18:52,852
the book is available for purchase.
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00:18:53,148 --> 00:18:57,729
And hopefully the buzz around the book
will mean that people will do just that.
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I've made it an easy buy. I've discounted
the ebook to 99p,
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00:19:03,351 --> 00:19:07,662
which will be in place for a very short
period of time after launch,
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00:19:07,662 --> 00:19:12,884
and again, is intended to help boost those
early sales and get the book into
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00:19:12,884 --> 00:19:15,115
the hands of as many readers as possible.
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00:19:15,115 --> 00:19:19,706
To support that strategy, I have a number
of promotions lined up.
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00:19:20,220 --> 00:19:23,982
I've worked with written word media to
create a promotion stack,
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00:19:23,982 --> 00:19:28,364
which means that my book will be included
in a number of reader lists over
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00:19:28,364 --> 00:19:33,599
the coming weeks. All of this activity is
intended to drive volume
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00:19:33,599 --> 00:19:37,991
of sales rather than revenue. In these
early days,
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00:19:37,991 --> 00:19:43,895
it's all about awareness and making sure
as many people as possible get the book.
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00:19:43,895 --> 00:19:44,895
Again,
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00:19:45,020 --> 00:19:49,344
I know that can feel uncomfortable when so
much work has gone into creating
295
00:19:49,344 --> 00:19:50,845
something that you're proud of.
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00:19:50,845 --> 00:19:56,069
And I always remind people that a book is
a long-term asset.
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00:19:56,069 --> 00:20:00,313
And if nobody reads it, it will sink to
the bottom of Amazon,
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00:20:00,313 --> 00:20:03,655
never to be found. And so here we have it,
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00:20:03,655 --> 00:20:06,538
my path to publication for enough.
300
00:20:06,538 --> 00:20:10,021
Rethinking resilience in a world that
never stops.
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00:20:10,021 --> 00:20:13,884
I hope it's inspired you to move forward
with your book project.
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00:20:14,236 --> 00:20:17,818
Know that each and every one of the things
I've talked about today,
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00:20:17,818 --> 00:20:23,903
you do not need to do alone. This is
exactly why I created Coach Write
304
00:20:24,263 --> 00:20:29,316
I remember what it felt like when someone
first used the word metadata and
305
00:20:29,316 --> 00:20:33,729
I had no idea what it was, let alone how
to work out how to use it.
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00:20:33,729 --> 00:20:37,132
Now I sit down and complete that task in
half an hour.
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00:20:37,132 --> 00:20:40,694
There are resources available on my
website,
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00:20:40,694 --> 00:20:42,996
on this podcast, out in the world.
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00:20:43,464 --> 00:20:47,146
And if you ever have a question that you'd
like me to cover in the footnotes,
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00:20:47,146 --> 00:20:49,237
just drop me an email and let me know.
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00:20:49,237 --> 00:20:52,548
And of course, if you're looking for a
little bit more support,
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00:20:52,548 --> 00:20:56,550
reach out and we can discuss which
coaching option is right for you.
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00:20:57,270 --> 00:20:59,100
Thank you so much for listening today.
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00:20:59,100 --> 00:21:03,962
I hope this episode helped you feel more
prepared for your own publishing journey.
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00:21:03,962 --> 00:21:07,043
And if you want to see what enough is
like,
316
00:21:07,043 --> 00:21:12,324
as I've mentioned, the ebook is available
from tomorrow for 99p
317
00:21:12,344 --> 00:21:16,225
or the international equivalent for a
short period of time wherever
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00:21:16,225 --> 00:21:20,366
you get your ebooks. And I would be
incredibly grateful for your support.
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00:21:20,366 --> 00:21:24,868
Next week I will be speaking with Faye
Wallice and we'll be talking
320
00:21:25,088 --> 00:21:26,248
all about her book.
321
00:21:26,624 --> 00:21:30,573
The Essential HR Planner, which is about
to be released for
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00:21:30,573 --> 00:21:35,604
the seventh year running. I'll see you for
the next chapter.
