Author Support Services | Bringing your book to life

The Hurdles Real People Climb to Write Their Books – guest post by Katrina Murray

Katrina Murray has experienced the reality of the book writing journey.

Despite the best intentions and a great plan, sometimes it all looks too hard and it can be difficult to keep going.

Katrina has shared her story to show that small steps towards the goal can sometimes work better than one giant leap

For over a year I had an idea brewing about putting a book together. I had lots of bits and pieces floating around in my head, and some even made it onto paper! Then I came to Alex’s Book Planning workshop about 18 months ago and got a really clear idea about the steps to bring my book together. I could see it all clearly, but once I came home and tried to make it happen, I became scared, overwhelmed and frustrated by the task ahead.

About six months passed as I gradually put pieces of my book together. Then one day while I was driving and berating myself for not being further ahead in the process, I had an idea. Instead of staying stuck on the plan I’d had of doing a whole book with four chapters and feeling overwhelmed by that, I could give myself permission to break it down into bite-sized pieces.

I could create four small books – a book for each chapter – and launch them first as ebooks to see whether there was actually a market for my idea. I’d launch them separately or people could pay a slightly higher price and buy them all as a bundle. Once I saw whether this was well received, I would have the confidence to combine them and launch the whole book as a hard copy.

So, even when I had only one ebook ready, I decided to go ahead with the idea. I offered one ebook straight away, and the rest by a set date. Now I had a manageable task and a deadline, I stopped procrastinating and got to work.

It’s been a super-empowering experience so far. In the first six weeks I sold 209 ebooks, with most people ordering the four book bundle. Feedback has been fabulous, with plenty of people commenting how they are looking forward to ordering a hard copy when they’re ready! Yipppeeee!

I’ve recently gone back and attended Alex’s Self Publishing workshop and am now so excited by how close I am to being able to see my book come to life in print. The whole journey has given me so much confidence. While it has taken me significantly longer than I initially planned, I’m delighted that I kept taking those baby steps until it all came together.

Katrina Murray

www.proudkiwisabroad.com

Alex Fullerton is an author’s consultant and self-publishing specialist at Author Support Services, based on a pineapple farm in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, Australia. She has spent the last sixteen years working with business people to create concise, compelling, and comprehensive books that complement their businesses and increase their professional standing. Alex is supported by a dedicated team who provide a full self-publishing service, from planning to printing and promotion.

www.authorsupportservices.com

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