Publishing my own book
Gabriel (
Ghana
)
Publishing my own book – Gabriel’s goosebump moment
Gabriel: “My name is Gabriel. I come from Ghana. My goosebump moment was the day my supervisor handed me a book I helped him publish. I solely edited the book from the first word in the first chapter to the last word in the last chapter. I was shocked how he gave me such a task when he knew I had no professional knowledge in editing and publishing. But I tried my best to do what I had to do, attaching some level of professionalism. He was impressed and we published two more books after the first one. I was happy I didn’t let him down after believing in me.”
The satisfaction of publishing a book
The satisfaction that overwhelms anyone when they publish a book after a long time of work is only comparable to the birth of a child. If, in addition, you find a reader who can appreciate not only the content, but also the effort to get there, then you have truly succeeded.
The experience of writing is very rewarding. You enjoy the writing itself, and you enjoy it when you review what you have written. You see that you like what you read, you think it is well written and that it transmits something valuable. Something that somehow represents you and is worth telling.
Reasons to write a book
Most people want to write a book. Some like the idea of publishing, some think it’s easy, and some just enjoy writing. No matter how you got to the point of wanting to write a book, there are many reasons to do so and all of them can be perfectly valid.
Writing is an act of introspection. It forces you to concentrate, to think. The writing process will force you to look inside yourself (something we usually don’t do). Through writing, you may get a better picture of what really matters.
Writing a book will also teach you a lot about the value of willpower. It used to be very difficult to publish a book. You were either very lucky and it was the publisher who contacted you, or you had to pay a self-publishing publisher to see your book published.
But thanks to other self-publishing platforms those times are gone. Today, it’s enough to have a story to tell to be a published writer. Self-publishing is within everyone’s reach, although it does require you to know how to handle some software.
Moreover, since you are the publisher, you will be the one who manages absolutely everything: the timing, the platforms and the prices. And most importantly, you will charge more than if you were published by a publishing house.
Tips for writing a book
Writing and editing a book implies, apart from effort, a certain discipline. However, there are also many special moments, moments of emotion and moments that make you feel very good: when you finish writing, when you see your book published, when you present it and when you talk to readers.
Undoubtedly, it is an exciting project. For many, it is a long way off though. Part of this is because of the disabling belief that “writing a book is an impossible challenge”.
However, if your goal is to write a book, make a list of your main doubts and try to solve them in any way you can: ask others who have done it, search in forums, etc. Also use your own motivational techniques to motivate yourself and find out where this adventure will force you to work on yourself.
Other tips include reading books, guides and various courses on the market that will guide you through the writing process and letting yourself be accompanied by a mentor.
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