These days pretty much anyone can have their own media outlet. The gatekeepers who used to control access to the airwaves and printing presses are pretty much gone. If you have something to share, especially something that focuses on or services a niche market, then this is the best time to be alive. And here in the midst of Covid-19 this just might be the perfect momnet to work on that book you’ve been noodling on as a “some day” project.
Digital technology has been disrupting the various communications industries for a few decades now. The downside is anyone with a computer and some gumption can get their message out to the world, and that can make for some pretty lousy content. The upside is that anyone with a computer and some gumption can get their message out to the world, which means you can contribute the crowd you want to serve. But you’re going to have to learn to use the tools of digital publishing properly, and be responsible for the workflow and design. It’s not so much of a DIY, Do It Yourself project as much as it is a MIY, Manage It Yourself enterprise.
In this conversation with Oran Kivity, author of Moxa in Motion with the Ontake Method and Sean Sumner, a consultant on self-publishing, we explore the basics of the brave new world of digital on-demand publishing.
Listen in and find out why there has never been a better time to publish your own book.
In This Conversation We Discuss:
- Common challenges people run into with the publishing process
- Staying motivated and on-track
- Some things people don’t think about
- Why it’s help to read your book out loud
- Main steps, broad over view
- What's a launch team
- Launching to a niche market
- The power of title and subtitle
- Using your book as a gateway to other services and business
- Oran’s biggest surprises
- Top three things people should do when working on their book
The best advice I can give to anyone that is thinking about writing and publishing a book is to start with a plan. Schedule time in your day just as you would for your job, then make it a priority not to miss that time. Map out your chapters just like you would if you were giving a speech on the topic and you wanted to create a slide show for it, then go back and fill out the chapters one by one. If you have a message you believe in, then it is your job to get that message out to other people and a book is the best way to share your message.
Oran Kivity, L.Ac
I’m a British acupuncturist living and working in Malaysia. I graduated from a TCM college in the UK in 1987 but after about ten years I retrained in Japanese acupuncture methods, namely Manaka-Style Acupuncture and later, Toyohari. Dr Manaka’s work introduced me to ideas about meridian frequencies and studying with the blind acupuncture teachers of the Toyohari Association opened my eyes (and hands) to the information stream from channel palpation.
In 2009 I got introduced to a very simple moxibustion tool in Japan, a piece of bamboo stuffed with moxa, and this triggered a Eureka moment, integrating all my previous disparate learnings and setting me on the path to become that Ontake guy, balancing channels with meridian frequency moxibustion.
Japanese acupuncture is usually very light, meaning treatment is minimal and palpation is soft. I take this lightness literally. While it’s important to be present when people are in pain, it’s also important to be make sessions fun, where appropriate. This is also true of teaching. People should enjoy what they learn and enjoy what they teach. I’ve had thirty years of fun practising acupuncture. I’m looking forward to thirty more.
Sean Sumner, PT
I am a physical therapist and best-selling author who has been able to find a new career in helping other health professionals like myself get their message out to the world through self-publishing. I have been practicing as a physical therapist for over 15 years with most of that time as an orthopedic clinical specialist working as the lead therapist in one of the nation's top Spine Centers. I have been lucky enough to be featured in peer-reviewed journals and textbooks, as well as speak on stages for both authors and medical professionals and I am happy to be a resource and help anyone that I can with the knowledge that I have gained.
As a family man and father of two beautiful girls, I spend most of my off time now coaching their sports teams and trying to stay as involved as I can. This includes everything from volleyball, soccer, softball, and even downhill skiing where I recently became a certified USSA Alpine Ski Coach so that I could help coach them down the mountain on the ski team.
Links and Resources
Oran's book Moxa in Motion With the Ontake Method is an excellent example of what you can do with self-publishing and it's a terrific method to bring into your clinical work.
To learn more about the process that Sean used to get his book and that he uses to help others, vist selfpublishing.com for more information and some informative blog posts.
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