Christmas of 2023, I self-published a book.
It was a non-fiction fitness book, 7000 words long, and it took me about three months to write.
Books are not hard to write because platforms like Amazon KDP allow self-publishing. Now, by putting no thought into what change they seek to make, people can generate text, buy an ISBN barcode, slap a cover together, and pump it up with thousands of algorithm-hugging keywords in an attempt to make money.
That paragraph, I just wrote, I did that. I used Amazon KDP, bought an ISBN barcode, I used AI to help me write it, I slapped a cover together, and used keywords to help promote it. As of this writing, I have sold 22 copies.
I wrote most of it and sprinkled my love throughout it, but I didn’t tell the truth.
I did seek to change people, but I missed the mark.
What I mean is I didn’t write how I talk. I wrote how I thought I needed to write. I held back. I didn’t say what I needed to say. So people didn’t know if the book was for them or not.
I’m not going to write my follow-up book the same way.
For this next book, I will be clear in my prose. I will write for a specific audience and that audience will know it’s for them.
I will write plainly and authentically and take time to ensure that if someone reads it, they have a clear choice to make, change or not change.
Good books that change people are written by professionals and are hard to write.
My next book will be better than my first, but I have a few more books before I can create the change I seek to make.
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