Discovery

        Publishing an e-book was my first goal as a writer. I wanted to make a book for people who are distressed about getting a hip replacement surgery. I needed such a thing, and reading the available books and watching YouTube videos did not help. I found a niche to fill and began a multilayered process of discovery. The layers piled up between my starting point and my goal so thick I almost gave up numerous times. New layers would pop into existence as I was weeding through and force me to stop and backtrack before I could make progress. The layers consisted of time, learning curves, experimentation, practice, money issues, new gear, new software, and all manner of unfamiliar terminology for DIY research:

Writing, formatting, book design, and layout.

Photography and video.

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing process.

ISBN registration and significance.

Start a business – business name, local, state, federal government documentation, permits, and fees.

Hire a lawyer and an accountant for assured accuracy, explanations, and a speedy process for:

        A lawyer is needed for Copyright filing, LLC formation, and Articles of Incorporation.

        An accountant to answer tax, business money/property, and income issues.

Build a website – I chose Shopify at the time because of its user-friendly format.

Publish the e-book on Amazon and discovering video playback is only allowed on Amazon tablets.

Create a YouTube channel and a playlist for the videos featured in the e-book.

People tell me they would prefer a physical book.

I reformat the e-book for paperback, buy another ISBN, and publish it to Amazon.

Amazon advertising – I need to publish three unique titles to qualify.

Social media, marketing, analytics, new projects, the list will only stop when I do.

        I prefer a predictable schedule and things to be in their place, but it is rarely how things are for long, so I enjoy the calm in my bubble of order while it lasts. In such static moments, I reflect on how I arrived at this state, and reinforce the organization to be as efficient as possible before the bubble bursts. The learning I gain aids me through the next process of discovery. There is always another such process, and it is usually messy. I will continue to share my process of discovery and learning with you, the reader. The items listed above, in previous blog posts, and more, are on the menu.