Well . . . all the build-up to book launch is coming to a conclusion. It’s an exciting moment in the Pearson household. Self-publishing and getting a book to print was nothing like I expected. Naively, my impression was that the writing was the hard part. Wrong.
The mind-boggling challenge came when I decided how to publish. To my surprise, I discovered that the only way a new writer maintains control of the book content is to self-publish. One split second for evaluation and the decision was clear. Nobody was going to rewrite the stories and experiences of past decades. Succeed or fail, the stories were mine to tell.
And the path began. No advance research or well-documented plan; just the end sight in mind. Not what I’d recommend to anyone. Crazy! But, a search of the web found a local publishing manager, Janica Smith. Great, I thought. She’s experienced and local. No problem; she’d take care of everything but the writing. Again, very naïve on my part.
Although Janica has been the indispensable ringleader of the publishing team, she did not perform the high-wire act or feed the lions. Those were our jobs – my husband, Hank, and me. With zero experience, we stumbled through the process, knowing little, laughing much, and welcoming the journey of learning what to do next. Without Hank’s calm disposition and goofball humor, we would have never gotten the book to print.
Beyond the book team, our world then widened to the outer galaxy of social media – definitely NOT my thing as anyone on that part of the team will confirm. Hank described watching me work in the arena of technology this way: if you were a smoker, you’d be lighting your cigarette with a stick of dynamite. Exactly why he rose to the rank of STO (supreme technology officer).
The team of Age Your Way as of this writing includes the following: Sylvia, Marti, Andrew, Drew, Janica, Dennis, Susie, Tami, Monica, Jason, Denise, Paula, Jim, Meg, Clarisa, and Lisa. These are the interrelated pieces that kept us in perpetual motion so we could never quite fasten one piece to the next.
With each conference call, our “to do” list grew while time shrunk and money flew out of our pockets. Did I forget to mention that? Self-publishing means you pay for everything up front. Somewhere along the way, I learned that you don’t recoup the cost of self-publishing through book sales so you better be doing it for some other reason.
That is where the roar of activity quieted and calm descended.
Yes, there is another reason to publish and that’s my passion – the heartfelt passion for my patients, their families, and caregivers. The passion to give patients what they crave: Control of their lives when control is most threatened.
Gather your information, document your wishes and Age Your Way.
Get your complimentary Medical Planning Worksheet. This is the exact worksheet I’ve developed and use with all my clients. Click here to get the Worksheet.
If you live in the Austin, Texas area, I look forward to seeing you as Age Your Way becomes a reality. Click here for details of my Austin book launch on September 25 at BookPeople.
