A book is born.
My journey from writing barely 100 words to self-publishing a book of 150+ pages.
My friend was amazed that I self-published 2 books in the past 3 months.
Today, I am sharing my story and my writing journey from 2016: When I could barely write a hundred words to today, where I self-published four books (five years later).
A Broken Teacup: Filling the cracks with mindfulness, essentialism and self-care
audiobook | ebook | paperback | goodreadsFearless: Be the Authentic Leader you will Follow
audiobook | ebook | paperback | goodreadsA Book is Born: Guide to Self-Publishing
audiobook | ebook | paperback | book template | goodreadsProduct Marketing: Mastering the art and science of PMM
audiobook | ebook | paperback | goodreads
I've learned a lot, but the biggest lesson is discipline and consistency.
It's the art of the craft. It's making sure you show up with your true authentic self. Every time you sit down to write, it's having the discipline and fighting the urge to do a million other things than to write.
It's having the discipline the right to write your thoughts and ideas on paper or word or google doc. For me, I record my thoughts on my Google Pixel recorder and it transcribes my first draft into a google doc. That’s how this blog came into being. I am not good working on a blank page.
It's asking the questions, that you have not asked before.
It's challenging the status quo and uncovering the the hidden treasure.
It's peaking your curiosity and walking the road less traveled.
Now, that's how my book was born. It's amazing how some dates can be so crystal clear that you are in awe with the serendipity of the universe.
Start small.
When I'm made a promise in Feb 2020 to help others, I didn't know what that meant or how I was going to do it. All I knew was that I started one step at a time. First I wrote a blog about my journey with stress, anxiety and GAD (Generalized anxiety disorder).
Then I had my first few conversations with folks that read the blog and connected with me and they opened up and said I was brave to share my story. Then I knew there was more to this truth. Then I continued to write every month on the topics that mattered, most to me: to break the stigma and be a voice for the unspoken on stress and anxiety, mental wellbeing, mindfulness and essentialism, authentic leadership, career growth and product marketing.
Now, these topics didn't all come at once. I kept reading and learning more about the world that I am in. And the world that I want to create: these topics became central to who I am and the themes took shape in the form of blogs and narratives.
On December 21, 2020, when I looked at my 100-day emotional journey document, I realized that I actually want to turn my story into a book to help folks around the world heal from stress and anxiety with mindfulness, essentialism and self-care.
Actually, a dear friend had inspired me to share my learnings - how I was able to overcome stress and anxiety without medication and minimal CBT (cognitive behavior therapy) sessions.
And a year after, in November 2021, there was a strong force within, urging me to finish the book. Initially, I had a grand plan of self-publishing this book on 21 May 2021 on my birthday. But that didn't happen and time just slipped away. I continued to work on the book content during my time at the beach in Sept 2021 and compiled around 50 pages. Now that was progress.
In November, when my anxiety peaked in a stressful work environment: I left my job, and the only meaningful work I could think, was to finish this book. I knew that a year ending in 21: 2021 was not going to come back in my life time.
That's all I needed to have the discipline and focus for the next five weeks:
To finalize the themes and refine the final stories to add to the book.
To edit, format and structure the book, how I wanted the book to be
To find an image for the book cover that spoke to the book narrative, the way the stories spoke to me.
To find a community for online creators, like gumroad, which felt more true to my values, than Kindle digital publishing(KDP).
Mar 2022 Update: Take it one step at a time. I found a self-publishing with print on demand option with lulu.com for the print version of the book (paperback). And they are in North Carolina - the universe is amazing.
Share what you learn.
Since I self-published 2 books, I'm going to write a book about how a book is born and the hidden discoveries and aha moments within. Stay tuned. #Sharingiscaring
Follow me for updates
Gumroad | Lulu Publishing
I read one of Paulo Coehlo books: The warrior of the light, in which, the warrior of light knows wisdom and shares what he learns. I would like to believe that is 100% true and that's why I'm sharing my learnings with you.
During one of my lunch club meetings, I connected with an amazing soul who was passionate to write. But life always got in the way. So, this work is for my dear friend: to discover the moments in life to help in writing your book.
I've been fortunate to read all the books from amazing authors who taught me to write - The artist way, Writing down the bones, Malcolm Gladwell, and his master class on writing.
And the authors, whose books inspired me, who showed me the way, who helped me find the words when I didn't know what I was looking for.
Each of my blogs became chapters within my book. And that felt more doable, than the idea of writing a whole book from a blank page. So to those who would like to share their stories or have a message you want to put out there in the world, start with something small.
Where to start?
In the past two weeks, I have had mentees from ADPList and GrowthMentor ask me: How do you create or write blogs? And my answer is always the same: Start with a hundred words and if 100 feels like a lot, start with 50, whatever number feels right for you and slowly, and steadily, you will start to write. A little more, each day and month and year.
I also want to thank my first editor from Forbes that helped me with style and structure. She taught me, the three basic rules of writing:
Break it into small paragraphs so it's easy to read
Include sections and headings for a better flow of language.
Connect the dots and share a summary with actions on what the reader can do, when they get inspired after reading your story.
These are three things that I always keep in mind, every time I pick up my pen or type on the keyboard for that matter, when I write the next story, or the next blog.
Write on topics that matter to you!
In your own voice, your perspective matters. Only you can tell your story.
It doesn’t matter if a topic has been covered many times.
Your narrative is unique. And you may inspire or uplift someone and bring a smile. Always worth it!
When I shared my experience with a dear friend, this is the text that I sent to her.
You asked me how I was feeling and I didn't know how to describe. So I do what I do best, when I cannot reason with my mind. I write with my heart and soul, and that's what I encourage all of you to do.
When I cannot reason with my mind, I write with my heart and soul!
I invite you to write with your heart and soul!