1st Year as a Published Author

This post was originally shared as a Twitter thread here.

I wrote and self-published a book exactly one year ago.

Here’s why I wrote it, who I wrote it for, and how I did it (while juggling a full-time job at Snap).

I did over 930 hours of research on the world's most successful people and summarized my findings in a 7 step framework to help people from underrepresented groups achieve their goals.

I specifically aimed at helping people from underrepresented groups because we severely lack representation in the self-development industry.

We've got Tim Ferriss, Ryan Holiday, Tony Robbins, and many others.

But I felt we needed a book for us, by us.

From the stories shared to the vernacular used, it was written with a diverse audience in mind.

I was even mindful of the length of the book and the branding.

Not too long for people (especially young black and brown adults) who may be new to reading these types of books.

I personally designed the cover of the book. I was going for a mix of Apple x Supreme x Banksy.

Something welcoming that isn't cheesy (like most books) and would make you feel kinda swaggy as you hold it in a park or at a coffee shop.

I wanted to make reading, "cool".

As for length, I reviewed my top 20 fav books & noticed that the perfect length (for me) was around 200-250 pgs. I ended up cutting it down to 220. Meaty enough so that you feel accomplished & you actually learn a ton but doesn't include unnecessary stories just to fill space.

I knew that authenticity was going to be the main driver for my audience to keep reading.

So, from the very first page of I am authentic. I share some of the most personal stories of my life, how the book impacted me, my lows, highs, & everything in between.

Kept it 100.

Finding time to write the book was probably the toughest part of the entire process, not the writing or editing itself.

I allocated 3 hours every weeknight to write and about 15 hours every weekend, for 8 months.

I used my personal savings to hire 1 designer, a cartoonist, and 2 editors to help complete the project.

I was adamant about not getting a publisher because I wanted full creative control (and to own my own masters as Nipsey would say).

The publishing process was extremely stressful.

I rushed the process & the initial book went live w/ a bunch of mistakes. This is when I hired a 2nd editor to give the entire book another scrub & I re-published it.

I'm sure there are still errors but hey, no one is perfect.

The week that the book went live, I took a few days of PTO.

It was supposed to go live on a Monday but it got delayed by Amazon KDP and didn't go live till Wednesday (I was going back to work on Thursday).

In short, Wednesday was a very, very stressful day. haha

Fun though.

All in all, the experience was phenomenal.

I think everyone should have the opportunity to write a book. It allows you to work on your discipline and be creative at the same time.

It's a daunting task, but with the right framework, the goal can be achieved. 😉

If you haven't yet checked out the book, you can grab yourself a copy here.

And for those who have supported thus far, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

I appreciate every single one of you. 🙏🏽

Cheers,

Ish