Ch 13: The Ebook Coach

What did I know about writing a book? At least I knew how to do research.

Oct 31, 2024

Heady Times

The late aughts were heady times for new authors. Kindles were just becoming mainstream. The internet was abuzz with the new possibilities. The entire publishing industry was changing.

Until that time, the phrase "self-published" meant someone had put up a few grand to get their pet project into print. It meant authors had to buy boxes and boxes of their "baby" to sell or give away. In other words, authors had to store all those books… I suppose those power tools could be moved over to make space under the workbench in the garage. A few more boxes would fit in that little space down low behind the Christmas ornaments in the closet under the stairs. Oh, and a bunch could go up in the attic, right at the top of the pull-down stairs, if we put down a few 2-by-4's for flooring.

Fortunately for me, the timing of my project meant that vanity publishing was no longer the only option for getting my message into the hands of readers. With the advent of the Kindle and Kindle Direct Publishing, new authors like myself could go the route of self-publishing via ebook or via print-on-demand (POD).

There was just one glitch: I didn't know the first thing about how to even write a book, much less publish one.

A quick Google search brought me to a number of sites promising to teach me everything I needed to know to handle the job, from planning to writing to publishing. I found a woman online—Ellen Violette—who had figured out the whole authoring and publishing thing. And whose style appealed to me.

Of course, like many people who share how-to information online, she offered coaching services to help get me started. In fact, Ellen called herself The Ebook Coach. Since cash was tight for us at the time, I knew hiring a coach wasn't an option. Fortunately, in my mind, this wasn't really a problem.

Ellen Violette passed away in 2023. She touched many lives, including mine.

The Art of Reinvention

In my early career, I had spent nearly twenty years at Westinghouse Research, surrounded by some of the world's smartest scientists and engineers. Those years had taught me that, when the time comes to reinvent yourself professionally, scientists and engineers dig in and gain expertise by studying up on published research.

Back in the day, one of my friends at Westinghouse, Bill Partlow, Ph.D., was one of the world's foremost experts in lightbulb technology. Unfortunately, Westinghouse sold the lightbulb division and would no longer be funding his research. Bill had a tough choice to make: switch fields, or start looking for a job at a lightbulb company in another city.

He switched fields, choosing an area Westinghouse was just beginning to get into: plasma depositions. With the help of the awesome, tech-savvy librarians at Research, Bill quickly amassed a collection of all the significant papers on the new topic. He devoured them like his job depended on it (which it did).

It wasn't long before he knew enough about plasma depositions to start proposing and executing new research projects that would help give Westinghouse an edge in the new market. By reinventing himself, he was able to save his job. In fact, it wasn't long before Bill became a leading expert in his newly chosen field.

This was the professional environment I knew well; how could I have done anything except follow in Bill's footsteps?

I began devouring everything Ellen had to say on the subject of writing ebooks, taking my usual copious notes in the process. And before long, I felt like I knew everything I needed to know about how to churn out a respectable book.

Step One, In the Bag

The first instructions God had given me were to assemble everything I had written over the previous twenty years: my spiritual journals, notes on books I had read, every sermon I had given, and any other scrap of writing I could find. I had already completed this sizable task before researching the topic of how to write a book.

As I then discovered, the first rule of book writing is to start with what you already have. No problem. That's where God had told me to start. Step One, then, was in the bag.

From that point on, I was determined to follow what Coach Ellen told me to do. Fortunately, God was on board with that. In fact, the whole time I was writing the book, I was gratified to see how God seemed to know exactly how to write a publishable book. (Then again, why not? In my worldview, the Creator of the Universe knows everything.)

I realize that, for plenty of people, the idea of writing a book for the first time might be intimidating. But my professional training in executing projects based on methodologies new-to-me had prepared me well. I just proceeded as I would for any other research project: glean as much as possible from existing knowledge, experiment with various approaches, keep going until I figure out what works, get it done.

Step Two Was Tricky

The second rule of book writing: find a title that is a hook. By hook, Ellen meant a title intriguing enough to get book store patrons to pull your book off the shelf. (If you're rolling your eyes about now, remember this was in 2009, y'all. We were still debating whether people were going to want to read ebooks, or if Kindle was just a fad. Book stores were still where people bought the majority of books.)

So, off I went, looking. I began with what I figured was the most promising place to find an interesting title: my sermons. (Don’t laugh, it seemed like a good idea at the time.) I was hopeful, in fact, even though it felt like I was looking for the elusive hook in a haystack.

Then I came across a sermon from 2005, delivered on the Sunday before Father's Day (mid-June in the U.S.), in which I talked about how we show our love of God (our Heavenly Father) on a daily basis by using our time and talents to benefit others. A line near the end of the sermon caught my eye: "As Christians, every day is Heavenly Father's Day."

As soon as I read those words, I knew I had found my hook. I would call the book Heavenly Father's Day.

Step Three Came At Night

On to the third rule of book writing: have a clearly defined message that is distinguishable from the messages of others.

Now that I had the title and a general idea of the topic, I could start on my chapter outlines. But I still didn’t know why God wanted me to write. I had a theme, but personal ministry isn’t exactly original. What exactly was my unique message? Based on what I had so far, I sensed the book should be along the lines of The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. But how would my book be different? I needed to clearly articulate how my message differed from his.

God had told me at the beginning, back when I got the original Tedious Assignment, that more would be revealed as I finished each step. What I needed to do was just keep going. Still, the question of the book’s purpose weighed heavily on my heart. Then, on Friday, May 1st, the Spirit woke me (yes, I was sleeping) with the answer. The message of the book should be this: (1) God wants to be a part of your life every day, and (2), as a Christian, you are called to bring the peace of Jesus Christ into others’ lives.

With Step Three put to bed, the flow of the book began to assume a clearer shape. I was even ready to start talking about the project.

Topping Up That List

Although it's not a step on the book-writing checklist, I now know that writing professionals encourage new writers, especially, to look for community. Find an accountability partner, or a mentor, or a writing group that’s a fit for you. Writers need support psychologically, creatively, and otherwise throughout what can be a years-long writing process.

I had probably read that advice somewhere, back in 2009. But, introvert that I am, I wasn't in any rush to act on that advice. There was no one in my life who fit that bill. And I wasn’t the type to go looking. Still, I knew I would need to keep my eyes peeled, and be willing to act if the opportunity presented itself.

In the meantime, I started to open up a bit about the massive project that was colonizing my brain along with my massive dining room table.

For the May 3rd, 2009, Sunday morning church service, I was assigned to present the Focus Moment—a talk on the theme for the day. I decided to share about God’s asking me to write a book, and to say what had been going on with this unlikely project. After the service, people came up to me right and left, happy about what I was doing, and encouraging me to keep at it. My friend Caroline offered, “I can proofread it for you, if you’d like.”

That encouragement made a difference.

The following week, I shared the story with First Son. I gave him even more information than I gave the congregation, including what was in the six pages from that early morning session back in February. "This is great! I'm so excited for you," was his reaction.

Another positive response, this time from family.

For me, these were important signals. While I didn't belong to a writer's group or have anyone helping me through the writing process, I realized that my congregation and my family could serve the same cheerleading purpose.

Cheerleading isn’t everything, of course. Writers need different things at different stages of a project. At some point you need solid critical feedback. You want to graduate from sympathetic teachers or savvy coaches to seasoned editors. And you’ll want readers who will nudge you out of your comfort zone so you can confront your blind spots.

But early on, your cheerleaders are your people. As a creative, I found I thrived on the positive response from family and friends. Their encouragement renewed my energy. It made the whole process easier and more enjoyable.

With all those pieces in place, it was on to Step Four.