6 Lessons from Publishing My First Book
To this day, writing my book was one of the most challenging projects I’ve ever accomplished, and I feel like that’s saying a lot given that I don’t shy away from a challenge if it’s something I’m passionate about.
This summer marks the two-year anniversary of publishing my first book, Little Failures: Learning to Build Resilience Through Everyday Setbacks, Challenges, and Obstacles. Writing Little Failures taught me how to write a book, and I still want to write more, but I also feel like I’m still recovering from writing the first one.
Here are six key lessons I learned from writing a book:
1. Community is Key: From writing partners to champions of my book, beta readers to those who pre-ordered or shared my posts—this book could not have made it into the world without community. Since writing this book, I have tried to view any offering or work I do through the lens of my community. How can I support them? What do they need? What problem will my work help them solve?
2. Accountability and Deadlines are Paramount: Part of my value as a coach is being an accountability partner to my clients. Each time we meet, they have to report back on how they did or didn’t follow through on their homework. In writing a book, I had numerous small deadlines and accountability to both a developmental editor and a marketing editor. These built-in accountability checks kept the project moving forward when it otherwise might have stalled.
3. A Good Developmental Editor is Crucial: Maybe some folks can write an amazing book on their own, but I had a developmental editor throughout my entire first draft who kept me on track. Each week, I’d send her what I wrote, and we’d work through whether it worked, needed expansion, or required more research. She was a great advisor, suggesting improvements and ensuring my points were clear and engaging.
4. Finishing the Book is Just the Beginning: With a book, publishing is just the start. It’s crucial to plan your book launch, speaking engagements, and outreach to bookstores and podcasts. Marketing and launching your book is a full-time job.
5. A Book is Not a Magic Ticket to Success: Many seek a silver bullet to success. While a book can be an avenue, it’s not a silver bullet. It’s just one piece of the puzzle. A book can help, but it’s not the end-all-be-all for achieving success, speaking engagements, or new clients.
6. A Book Will Not Validate Your Worth: In some circles, writing a book seems like the pinnacle of success, but it won’t validate your worth. You have to do that on your own. I take inspiration from Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy’s books 10x is Easier Than 2x and The Gap and The Gain. I measure myself by what I’ve accomplished, not just by future goals. Yes, I’m proud of birthing Little Failures into the world and the impact it’s had on others' lives, but that’s just part of my journey.
What have been the most challenging projects you’ve worked on, and what have you learned from them?