Ask anyone who knows me, I have a difficult time sitting still. On a long car rides, my leg is always tapping or moving to the music. I believe it’s called restless-leg syndrome. If I’m home on a lazy, rainy day, I struggle to just lay in bed or watch tv. Instead, I’m cleaning the garage, straightening out my workshop in the basement, or thinking of ideas to improve my work, my home life, or my investments.
I think it’s my inability to sit still that inspired me to write my first book. When COVID-19 hit and we were all forced to stay home, we were also all presented with this “extra time” that we didn’t previously have in our lives. No more commuting to and from work. No more dining at restaurants or going to the theater. The absence of time with friends meant we were all presented with more time at home.
Unable to sit still, I used some of that time to read through more than twenty years of notes I had taken throughout my career. I compiled some of those experiences into short stories that began to come together in the form of a book. Without any formal writing experience, I decided to take on the new challenge of becoming a published author. Thanks to the help and support of so many of my peers, coworkers, friends, and family, I eventually launched my first book, “Don’t Wait, Lead Now,” in September of 2021.
Since then, I’ve learned many things about publishing a book. Things like:
· Just because you’ve never done it doesn’t mean you can’t do it
· Spending money on a photographer is worth it
· Running ads on social media is not as easy as it should be
· Despite your best effort to dot your i’s and cross your T’s, someone will find fault
· Editing can take just as long as the writing itself
· People would start asking me for advice on writing books
· That special feeling when you learn how your book is helping others makes it all worth it
Two years later, my wife and I recently dropped our second child off at college. With all of our kids out of the house attending college, I feel that restless leg syndrome starting to kick back in. One of the things I was never entirely pleased about with my book was its cover. I did the cover art myself, convinced that I wanted every aspect of the book to be my own. I’m not too proud to admit when I’m wrong. I think it was Steve Jobs who once said, “Great things are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.”
Recently, I hired a graphic artist to redo the cover art for my book. (Instead of doing everything myself, I’ve decided to follow Steve Jobs’ advice.) With the two-year anniversary approaching, I thought it would be a great idea to re-launch the book with its attractive new cover while announcing that I’ve decided to take the advice so many of you provided. I’ve decided to write a second book.
PS: Let me know what you think of the new cover art