Until Further Notice

Hi everyone,

For strategic reasons, I will hold off on writing anymore posts on this blog until further notice. I'm working on a change which will be announced in due time. 

Any inconvenience is deeply regretted. All the best, and have a great weekend, everyone!

---Kingston.

Write Your Book Anyway

We all have that friend who says they want to write a book, right? 

And surely, that’s a good thing, but most don’t do it  for a few fears. I say write it anyway.

And here are a few reasons why it will make a difference for at least one, which is where it all starts.

You may be thinking: There are so many books out there, why write mine?

Okay, while that’s not the mindset to adopt, let’s take a closer look: Although there are so many book out there, there are also so many outdated books out there, there are dead books out there (books that are not worth reading because they add nothing to anyone’s life) books that are hard to read, books that lived out their usefulness, and books that are not on the topic you will be writing about, or from the perspective you will take it. 

This takes out a lot of the mental barrier of thinking there’s too much out there already. Write your book.

Won't sell? You don’t know that. Until you offer your book you will never know, and that can torment you. I recently shared with a friend that the pain of failure is far greater than the regret of not trying. And even if you fail, you will have failed forward, and means you will have moved the chains, made some progress.

Also, the experience of writing a book is also a benefit in and of itself because the exercise will leave you a better writer than before, and surely you will write a better book on your next try, if the first one’s not that great. Nothing is lost in the attempt.

To help you see how the sale could happen, here’s a possible situation that makes people buy books: Let's say, for example, John is struggling with something you know a lot about---say, how to work on an oil rig, how to buy a home, or how to create a successful meetup group, and others like that. 

And he is strapped for time, doesn't want to read a big book, he has very little money or doesn't want to spend a lot to get the knowledge, and he finds himself online searching for a book on the topic you are writing about. If your book is well packaged, an easy read, and is affordable, there's a good chance he will buy it. 

Yet until you offer the book, the chance of this happening is not even there. Create the chance. Write your book, at least for John.

A Key Habit To Help You Write A Book

I know, I know, a lot of people want to write a book, right? And surely it’s a good desire. 

Why I think so? Every living human has a story to tell, because to live is to live out your story. And if every story is unique, and stories have lessons, then everyone has something to say, something to teach, something to give. 

And to give, you need a medium to do it. If you choose to use a book to share what you know, here are a few baby steps.

The writing process comes out of life, out of living, and you know living happens every day and everywhere. And that’s why your content can be found anywhere. 

But how do you capture your content? One of the easiest ways to do so is to keep a notepad with you. A notepad should not be far off wherever you are---the ideas for your book can hit you at any time, and some of the best hit when you least expect them. Some of the finest lines could come to you when you are eating, walking about, in a conversation with someone, and so on. You get it.

And since a short pencil is better than a long memory, capture it before it flies off. There's often too much going on in our lives to commit things to our memory, but a pencil keeps it noted. 

Why wait till you sit down to think up your ideas? Heard of the writers block, right? Yeah, often it hits the very moment you sit to punch the keys.

And this note-taking habit is shown in one of my favorite movies,  Finding Forrester. Ever seen it? Derek Luke, who plays the Jamal, the young man who befriends William Forrester, Sean Connery's character in the movie, always carried a back pack with him. 

In his backpack, he had a little notebook  which he used to write down some of his favorite lines. In the movie, he ends up losing his backpack while he and his friends, out of curiosity, visit William Forrester’s apartment. To them the old man was mysterious and they wanted to find out who he was. 

They get spooked and ran off, and Jamal leaves his bag behind. William ends up looking through his backpack and notices the young man’s writing habit and some of the lines he had penned. These little pieces of sentences are what the renowned author sees and likes, even comments on them in his notations in Jamal's book. This ultimately became the tissue/link to their friendship.

 Great pieces equals a great book, and these pieces could come to you at the beach, the grocery store, in a conversation. So always have a pen at the ready or your own writing software.

Why Deciding Can Be Hard

I saw the headline: 1,142 Decisions For Christ — Hill Country Bible Church sign.

 

Decisions? Decided? To decide?

Break down the word and you see why it can be hard. To decide is to kill.

Surely ‘cide’ means to kill, right? As we see in homicide, pesticide, and germicide. To decide, then, means to kill a choice in favor of another. 

Surely few people ran happily to kill or take something or someone out. This is where the heart tugs leave many of us undecided, indecisive. It can be uneasy. 

Yet, we must decide, for we can’t have it all, and progress depends on deciding, choosing. So kill the less desirable alternative for the better one.

An Easier Way To Gain People Skills

We all need skills. Nothing worthwhile is possible without them.

And one of the best is people skills. Technology cannot touch that.

Without much labor on this point, people skills are important. The whole thing starts and ends with people, you know. So gaining a good handle on how to deal with people is key to a whole lot.

How, then, can you start working on yours, if you feel unsure when interacting with people? How can you get comfortable having meaningful conversations with others?

A simple conversation where you set out to learn is all it takes. Interview others as a way of learning from them, and get the by-product that comes with it: experience and a relationship.

Here’s an easy way to get started.

Take out your smartphone, and look for the voice recorder that came with it (it should be one of the apps that came pre-installed). Plug in headphones that have in-line microphones and test it out. Say some words into it. Play back the audio to yourself. Good? Works?

The voice recorder on my LG phone. This works.

Okay, now find someone you know and interview him. Someone you are close to and are comfortable around. You can place the phone on a table that can take both voices and begin, if you don’t have headphones.

Ask simple questions. Ask questions around something you are both knowledgeable about. For example, if you both like soccer, start with that. Like these:

1. What do you think makes soccer unique from other sports?
2. What got you interested in the game? Is there a particular personal story behind it?
3. Is there a particular aspect of the game that you really like — tackling, scoring, dribbling, passing, teamwork, etc? Least favorite?

Just those. Start there, and leave enough time for a response from whoever you are interviewing.

Now playback the interview. How does it sound? What can you improve?

This is critical because you can only improve on something you have done, not something in your head. And the most important thing is to start.

With your lessons from this one, interview another person — your mom, dad, teacher, or brother. Review that one, too, and learn from it.

This series of interviews should give you a good degree of comfort to start with. Take it a step further and interview someone you are not very close to — like a co-worker or a neighbor. Do this enough times, like say 10 of them.

Do that, and now you have something under your belt, some experience. Don’t worry about mistakes, action is what matters, at this point. Many ideas have failed for lack of action and fear of mistakes.

Finally, to really use this skill to advance your career, find someone who is doing something you’d like to do — a professional, most probably, and interview them on their personal story in that industry, or what they’d like to share with a newbie in the industry. Just simply humble yourself and learn from them through the interview.

(If you’d like to be a teacher, find a good teacher in your town/city and interview him/her; if you’d like to be a chef, stop by a good restaurant and schedule a 15 minute interview with their top chef and learn; if you’d like to be a football coach, pick the brains of the local high school football coach in 15 minutes)

Or, like David Rogier, if you become really good at it, you can use it to land a job/internship. David wanted to land an internship at IDEO (a reputable product design consultancy company), so he used his interviewing skills to interview 23 people at an airport about baggage claims, created a book on all the insights he gained from the interviews and how he would improve the process. He found a way to share his findings with the company. He got the internship.

Or, use it to gain more skills by doing a local interview project around something you are passionate about. Like I did over 21 days with small business owners here in Austin, Texas. Seeing the initiative behind my project and the fact that I was documenting my journey online, one of the owners offered me a job application while I interviewed him, and another brought up the possibility of working on a project together.

So to keep it simple, you can organize a 14-day interview project around culinary skills, for example, and interview 10 chefs in local restaurants, and work on your writing skills by blogging your daily lessons on a simple blog.

You will come away with not only people skills, but you will work on your writing skills, your pitching skills (an ability to present your project’s idea to a professional to set interview appointments), create a relationship with whoever you interview, and come away with a story to tell.

But the most important thing is to start. Interview the first person.

Virtuosity

A) Identify one thing you love that is really hard for you.
 B) Do it
 C) Repeat B a lot.

Then you move from incompetent to competent. From competent to mastery. From mastery to virtuosity. [Thanks to my friend, Mark Ford, for breaking it for me into these four categories. It’s very true.] — James Altucher.

Virtuosity.

I saw it and thought about it for a bit. Why is it so termed, this degree of excellence? Okay, surely the root word is ‘virtue.’ What, then, is ‘virtue’?

Good moral standards, right? And then you think further, and realise that virtue is ‘vertical’s’ cousin. ‘Vertical’ is what we know as the upright, what leads upward, heavenward.

Is it a stretch, then, to say the highest form of excellence, the ‘virtuoso’ kind, is the performance that gives God glory? That shows forth God’s goodness as the giver of the gifts, the talents, the life, the strength, the wisdom, and all?

Surely, there’s a reason why the winner of the trophy lifts it upward at the end— not necessarily to thank the fans but to show the reward of the work to his Maker above.

Virtuosity.

Grammar Is Not Unimportant

Okay, this is a quick response to a recent feeling about grammar.

Grammar is understanding's aid, it helps people think clearly about things, and lends respect to the reader. There's a reason why order is needed with all things useful. Grammar is order.

Writing is an exchange, an investment. A man takes his time, which he could have used somewhere else to do something else, but chooses to spend it--invest it---in reading your work. Respect that. Think like this: Is this piece of writing worth his time? After he is done reading will he be better off as a person? Make your piece worthwhile.

Grammar helps the mind think, and a person's mind is his privacy, a very delicate part of him. So feeding this part of him with a rushed jumble--forgetting grammar---hurts the mind---and is harsh to it. Few people spend time hurting. So write, and write well.

Yet, in saying all this, there are still audiences for whom grammar may not be necessary, because it may not lead to understanding, and understanding should be the chief reason for writing. But then again, for most literate audiences grammar is crucial to helping the mind properly process what the writing is about.

Ever heard this saying by B.J Chute: "Grammar is to a writer what anatomy is to a sculptor and the scales to a musician, you may loathe it, it may bore you, but nothing will replace it, and once mastered, it will support you like a rock."

Alright, off to your slate. Write.

Write It Down

Write it down. You got something you want to do? Write it down. What is the topic? It doesn't have to be perfect. Just write it down. Do you want to start a small group ? Write down everything that comes to your mind about it. You can delete the bad stuff later. But when your mind's hot, ideas flow and come to you. Catch them all. Strike the hammer while the iron is hot, the old saying goes.

Why? Because there will come a time when your motivation wanes, and then you'll not feel as fired up, and ideas don't come to you as readily. This is not the time to try remembering what came to you when you were feeling good. A short pencil is better than a long memory, and strike the hammer while the iron is hot.

I Use A Pencil: The Experimenter's tool

Yeah, a pencil gives me freedom to experiment. A pencil is great for what's at it's butt---the eraser. We are not at the commitment stage yet, so let's feel free to try things out---check if a sentence is good or not, and use the eraser if not. A pen puts an indelible mark on the work, and makes changes messy---not time for that yet. On the bus, at the gas station, on the flight, I can quickly pull out a pencil and be off to writing.

Let's write.

What Do You See?

As a boy, I was making my way through Steve Covey’s book, 7 Habit Of Highly Effective People, when I came across this photo.

I looked at it for a while and tried to see the young lady. It took me a while, but eventually I saw her. Do you see her?

Wow, what a paradigm shift! This way of looking at things has stayed with me into adulthood, and I try it out on many things.

You know how when you move to a new neighborhood you see the whole place in one way, and then after a year or two, it looks familiar and different? But if you stop long enough, probably on a leisure walk and think back to the way the environment looked when you first moved there, you can still see the old perspective — that’s a paradigm shift, too.

As someone once said, nothing is ever as if first appears. There 2 ladies in the photo above. The old lady looks haggard, worn, and gloomy— not a positive outlook and her countenance is down-ward.

But simply shift perspective and you see the pretty young young woman, her finely defined jaws, and her hopeful outlook into the future. All it took is a simple shift!

As the year comes to a close, take time and look back on the past year and see what has changed in your life. How are you different from when the year started? Do you see things differently? Is your perspective positive? If not, what can you do about it?

Surely, I hope you don’t look at your life and see no positives. They are always there, waiting for your recognition. They are there. You even have a story to tell from your experiences from 2015 alone. You picked up lessons, whether you had a hard time of it, or things worked out perfectly.

Yet, if you are still struggling to see it, it’s a good time, this time of the year, to take some alone time and wipe your perspective clean. Are negative emotions blurring your ability to see the positive? Are some unpleasant experiences getting too much space in your heart and mind? All these have no power over you.

Just as you would take a wipe and wipe off foggy glasses, so can negativity be wiped off with a good dose of light and positive truth. Also, if you need to, pray — for with God nothing is impossible.

Here’s to a great year in 2016! Keep God in the first place, trust in Jesus, and lean on the holy Spirit.

And at all times keep the right perspective, and no matter what happens, know you can always shift your perspective, get hold of a positive paradigm, and turn things around.

In the end, nothing, absolutely nothing, is useless if seen or positioned right.

All the best!

Merry Christmas!

On this day of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, I'd love to say a very merry Christmas to everyone---business owners, customers, and all partners.

Thanks a lot for everything!

---Kingston.

How To Give More As A Writer

Okay, so you are done writing your book, you are excited (maybe nervous at the same time) and wondering what the whole world will think of your book.

These nerves are normal. It happens whenever you are about to do something significant. Change is about to happen. Take heart, you will live.

And once the dust settles you will be the better for it. If it doesn’t go well, you have taken a courageous step, and you now know what doesn’t work, and can adjust for next time — also your faith and mind have expanded to a greater degree, and they will not go back to their former sizes. Most people will never experience that. If it goes well, you know what happens, right? Congrats!

Or, you may be thinking of writing a book. Yes, it’s possible, and you can do it. How do you build a skyscraper? You know the answer.

Okay, so lately as I launched my new book, Get To Know Your Backyard Opportunity, I decided not to offer it by itself, as a standalone product. The way traditional book publishing has always done it. I think this new way offers more value to readers, and to writers, too. It’s a win-win.

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Gladiator

Recently a friend of mine who loves movies bought a DVD version of a movie he loves and considers a classic.

I mean this guy loves movies, the suspense, drama, and the layers of storytelling that goes on in movies. He will spend hours telling you all about it, making clear what may not be apparent to you. He lights up when he’s at it.

So when he bought the extended version of the movie Gladiator with Russell Crowe, I was not surprised. The DVD was a little heavy and packed.

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The Publishing House & Unmet Needs

Okay, let’s take a quick look at the way the publishing house goes about the book publishing process ( at least from the way I see it; I don’t know much about the whole industry, though). From what I know, the publishing house takes the book, they polish it, and get it out there for you, and that’s it — -you share in the revenue, and the deal is over ( at least for now).

But a closer look at the times will reveal a change most may not see. Yes, the times are different, and wisdom is to adjust to match it. The power is no longer in the hands of publishers; not like it used to in the past. With the tools we have now — ebook readers, editing softwares, blogs, and personal websites — and a closer relationship with the ultimate consumer of our products, the terms of offer could be different, if we self-publish.

But having said that, let me focus on the consumer for a few minutes. The old fact about the consumer has not changed — he still loves to read, and to read about things that bring him pleasure or things that help him solve a problem. But something else is still the same — his needs are still far more than just reading for pleasure or problem solving.

But a few decades ago, these needs went unmet. He had the need, but he resigned himself to what the writer offered him — or what the publishing house offered him. Yet, in the end, the consumer is the king, right? Do what’s right by the king, and you are in business.

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The Now & You

Let’s look at a quick example: A reader who buys a fiction book, enjoys the book, and recommends it. Yet, more likely than not, that reader is a writer, too, right? How? 

Definitely, it’s not a stretch to say that the chain between reading and writing is not that long — I love to write because I love to read great reads, and now I want to give back by sharing what I know, too. That’s why I write.

In that same way, most readers are writers too, and as a natural consequence, would love to grow in that capacity. The question, then, is this: can you the writer help them do this?

How? In the creation of your book, the only value is not just what you know or what you created. Another value is the process you went through to create it all. That’s value in it’s own right. Is that useful to a young writer?

If I had a young writer sit next to me while I went about creating my table of contents, themes, characters (If I’m writing fiction), writing it all out, editing, and packaging the whole product, and afterward give him a copy of the book, will he only have the copy of the book?

No. He not only has a copy of the book, but a copy of how I went about everything I did — in his head. He now knows it, he owns, and it’s his. If pressed, he can spell it out (from his viewpoint). For a young reader of my book who loves to write and maybe wondering how this whole thing was put together, could my creation process be value to him? You know the answer.

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Multiple Packages

Now in our day, if we have the power to rework the terms of the offer, why not offer something that benefits both sides? Why not offer a lot more value to the reader?

Since the buyer can come directly to you, why not say this: “Hi, I know you’d like the book, but here’s a lot more for you from my creative process. I will offer the book in packages with a lot more in them for you. Yet, surely, I have the book by itself (as a standalone) for you, too, if you prefer.”

It’s a conversation with the ultimate consumer of your product, for now there are no middlemen to dictate the terms.

This is the ground upon which you the writer can offer a lot more to your reader by way of multiple packages, 2 or 3. And the underlying reasoning behind all this is that your readers come to you with different needs, and by only offering your book by itself, you are denying them the opportunity to choose what works for them based on their needs.

But also, could some of my readers not care about the added value? Yes. And for them, is the standalone product still available? Yes.

To make it a little more clear, consider this.

What if in addition to your book (if you write a fiction book) you add a guide or short read on how you created all the characters, what their backstories are, why they are ‘alive’ and vivid in the book, and why you positioned each of them as you did?

Why not go behind the scenes with another add-on product that shows that process? Also, will some of your fans prefer an audio version of your book? I’m sure. That’s where the audio book comes in. Some still may simply want to hear your voice as you describe your experience, and share what you know. That’s where the audio commentary comes in, another feature.

You can take all these and create packages out of them. For example, the book alone, as the basic version; the book plus the audiobook and an short guide on how you created everything, the middle package; and a total package, which includes the book, the audio book, more training in the form of a guide, commentary, and breakdown notes on your character creation.

There you have it: 3 packages, and the standalone product is still available.
In essence, you let your readers choose what works for their needs, and you do not deny anyone either. Value in the end is just your ability to make your readers feel a lot better about themselves or help them solve a problem, and all of these desires come in degrees. Multiple packages addresses them in the best possible way.

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My Friend & His Movie

Back to my buddy who bought the DVD, for you’ll see this idea even in the movie industry, and you know those guys know what they are doing.

The movie edition he bought came with more features, deleted scenes, how characters were created, sound and visual effects, costume design galleries, cast portrait photo galleries, storyboard demonstrations, tales of the scribes, story development, the tools of war, and more. And all this was broken down into a 3 Disc pack.

My buddy sits and studies the movie thoroughly, going through all the various add-ons that came with this edition of the movie. He picks up lessons and sharpens his understanding of how all this works, the movie-making process.

Here’s the 3 Disc’s contents ( let me just share a few of the contents from each of them):

1. Disc 1: Feature: All new commentary by Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe, Trivia Deck, etc.
   
   
2. Disc 2: Documentary: “Strength and Honor: Creating the World Of Gladiator” Never before seen seven part Documentary: The glory of Rome, Shadows & Dust, Tale of the scribes, The heat of Battle, and more.
   
   
3. Disc 3: Supplementary: Storyboards, Production design and galleries, Ridley Scott’s own sketches of “Maximus’ Journey” Costume design galleries, visual effects, abandoned sequences…
   

But is the movie by itself still available? Yes.

Even in software subscription online, we see this offer in terms of tiered pricing. 

Often, it’s the free version, the basic, the premium, and something else. Why? They know we all have different needs, and they will try their best to meet all of that. It’s a win-win. We get what we want, and they do not deny anyone.

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Now What?

So if you are still working on your book, think of your creative process as value in it’s own right. If you already wrote your book, think of offering more to your readers when you do the update.

And yes, this means a lot more work for you to create these add-ons, but look on the bright side, it’s work you do one-time, and then you get to offer it forever. All the best.

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Special note: A lot of thanks to Nathan Barry, from whom I first saw this idea.

Turn Your Project Into A Book ( A Free Sample)

A sample out of the add-on guide (Turn Your Project Into A Book) that came with the book, Get To Know Your Backyard Opportunity.

 

 

Introduction

Share the juice

…...................

Okay, let’s get straight to the point. You are done with your project, or are thinking of starting one. Projects abound and for different purposes. Every project is with a defined goal and time frame. Whatever the purpose, save for a few classified exceptions, the lessons of every project should not stay with the individual or group who undertook the gig. Out there, there are folks who will find the lessons useful, and the story should get to them. Someone’s whole life could be turned around with a single line of counsel from your project. So let’s share the juice.

Personally, I love projects for their ‘seasonal’ nature — you start them, create something out of it (value), and then sit back and consider what the next one will be. That opportunity it provides to finish and take a breather is crucial, and I value it greatly. Why? Even God himself rested a bit after His work, and also designed days to have nights when we all turn in for a rest and wake to a new day.

Projects are like days — we finish them, rest up, and wake up to a new or related one, with renewed energy, focus, and with time taken to collect the lessons of the past one and apply them to the upcoming one. I like this breather, this time to pause, for I am not one for the forever project — the one without an end, draining you of all creativity, and leaving no room for reflection.

…..................................

 

My Story

So in this guide, I share the lessons I came away with as I sat to package the contents of my personal project, a 21-day local interview project of small business owners in my local community of Austin, Texas.

Towards the end of last year, I was in the middle of a difficult time, working a job I didn’t like. It took a toll on me and made me think long and hard about how to create a change. I sat down and collected my thoughts on what I liked, loved, and could do, and put it all together. Out of this gathering, I created a 21-Day project of venturing out there to see how I could be useful to others in my local community, small business owners, to be precise.

After a few considerations, I decided to simply have conversations with them. Initially, I was hoping it could turn into some sort of side gig where I will be able to solve a few problems for small business owners, but I decided to hear their stories instead, sort of a long-term thinking approach. I chose to create relationships instead of a one and done deal, or a touch and go thing.

This led to a number of interviews with some of the finest small businesses in the city of Austin, Texas. Also, I came away with and gained greater insight into some essential skills in blogging, writing, communication skills, and dealing with people in general.

After the project, I realized what a useful project it is to challenge myself and step into the unknown while using my skills at the same time. In that spirit, I decided to share the lessons with others in a book.

Why? This happened in my local community, and realizing there are local communities everywhere, the opportunity for others to do something similar is all over, I decided to package it all into an actionable guide/book that shares my story and teaches others at the same time.

….......................................

Recognizing Value

This is when I started packaging my project into a book, or turned it into a book. And having gone through the process, I know projects abound, with each having its unique lessons. But for lack of packaging or an inability to turn them into a single source product, their lessons vanish or end up staying with only those who were involved in the project or the single individual who did it. There’s a way to overcome that.

First thing to think about is this: The earth is full of value, or things that are useful. Whatever good thing that you set out to do, it always leads you to take on challenges, and in taking on challenges, you figure out how to do something that probably has never been done before, has been done by a few people, or has never been done the way you did it, or intend to do it. That’s value.

So how you see something, and how you do it, how it helps you solve a problem, and how well you solve it are all unique forms of value. Value in the end is perspective.

…..................................

How Do You Eat An Elephant?

I know, I know, the value conversion process is not always easy. Questions like “Where do I start?”, “What do I say?”, “How do I know I have lessons?”, “How do I arrange it all?”, “How I do I know it’s even useful to someone else?”, and others can stop you entirely from even attempting. But take heart, even an elephant can be eaten, entirely, and that’s what book-writing can be sometimes, a giant amorphous task.

But like all things, they are never as bad as they first appear. With thought, planning, and a one thing at a time approach, you’ll see it all coming together. Do the first thing, the second, the third, and then the fourth, and on and on, and you’ll see your courage growing to match the task. And with a rise in courage, an elephant could soon become a fly. But you have to start first.

For example, let’s say you are done with your project, and want to package it all, and you sit down to start. You could start with the end in mind: The book. Okay, with that let’s start with the first thing you did to work on your project. Write that down. How did you end it, or what did you achieve? Write it down. What was your goal, what happened during the project to get you there, and what did you learn? Write those down, too.

With those 3 you have the basic pieces of any journey: A beginning, what happened along the journey, and how you got to your destination. Same way with a book — an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. These are the same 3 things in life itself — birth, life’s work, and value created, or the impact you had. The great 3.

Now, with this start, the elephant is now laid out on a table, the butchers table, and ready to be sliced into various pieces. These very pieces are what we are going to eat one bite at a time to finish this ‘elephant’ and give birth to the book. Now, we have perspective, right? Good.

As the saying goes, “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” — Marie Curie.

Now, what’s a book, really? Okay, a book is a written material that contains chapters that express thoughts on different things or recounts an experience, fiction or non-fiction. Now, what are chapters? You probably know chapters are most simply one, two, or three short essays that breakdown an idea. So they are short essays, right? Okay, what, then, are essays if not short 3, 4, 5, or 6 paragraphs that make a point or flesh out an idea? And on and on, till you realize that it all starts with a single letter, an a, b, c…

This is what writing is, at heart. A few letters become a word; words are strung together to make a single statement. A group of sentences are put together to become a paragraph, expressing more on an idea. Like this one you are reading. And then paragraphs become essays, and then chapters. And the book is on the way.

How do you build a skyscraper, if not a brick at a time?

(Note: This is not to belittle the art of writing, but I write it with the understanding that anyone who has finished a worthwhile project or thinking of starting one has a decent writing ability, or a fair understanding of what makes up a book.)

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Nothing To The Grave

Yet, some may to me, “No, Kingston, I can’t write. I don’t even like it. It’s too difficult.” Or, “I don’t think I have the patience nor the time.” Or, “I cant sit and comb my mind to bring up value or lessons, nor document my journey while my project is ongoing.” Yet others may say, “I am just a verbal guy, I am good with saying it, or just speaking.” Okay, okay. What I say to you is this: Does that mean the value of your project dies with you, or your lessons go to the grave?

No, no. As a minimum, have you seen those books that are written by the author and someone else? No, not the one that both authors wrote together, like co-writers. But the one that says, ‘By Mary Beth with John Grisham’ — meaning Mary Beth worked with or hired John Grisham to put the whole thing into written words. Yeah, that one, and I bring that up to mean that even if you can’t write, someone else can help you do it.

There you go: There’s almost a way around the mountain, and the value of your project should live on.

The Benefits?

Okay, before we go on, let’s put the carrot ahead of us. Let’s flesh out why it’s even beneficial to turn your project into a book. What’s the benefit of writing a book? Let's take a look at the following
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For The Store

One, a book is your own personal way of storing your story. You did something worthwhile, that you enjoyed, and challenged you. That must be saved. If for nothing at all, for review and a way to measure your progress. Review? Yeah, how can you build on something that’s not clear? It’s difficult to do that if the only place the story is stored is in your mind, foggily. A book makes things clear and puts it in a ‘safe’ for later.

Also, for personal reasons, it’s good for that nostalgic feeling we all have when we look through our personal journal or diaries after a few years and realize how far we have come or have grown. That look-back often leaves most people with tears, and surely that good smile and head shake that says how thankful we are for what we did, went through, what we overcame.

Sure, a book is not a diary, but the day may come when you may sit and pick up your own book a few years later and see what you wrote.

Listen to President Barack Obama, many years after the publication of his first book, Dreams From My Father. (His political leanings do not a matter here, just his humanity and the point of what he says.)

“For the first time in many years, I’ve pulled out a copy and read a few chapters to see how much my voice has changed over time. I confess to wincing every so often at a poorly chosen word, a mangled sentence, an expression of emotion…”

We all have those look-backs from time to time, and instead of a foggy mind to do it with, a book is a clear and sure way to see what has changed or how far we have come.

Also, if your book is published and distributed, there’s no way it will be lost — even if a storm comes through your town, pulls up trees, washes away homes, takes people’s belongings with it, and damages your one and only personal manuscript, your book will still be in existence.

Give To Others

It’s usually $3.97, $5.99, or $12.00, the price of a book. But when you pick up a good book, more often than not, the value you get out of the book far outweighs what you pay for it. That’s if you see the value and can apply it in some way in your own life.

Critically looking at the trade-off, you are actually giving to readers, if you write a good book. What may have taken you more time and money to make, considering everything you went through and learned, you give away at a fraction of the cost, if you strive to write it well and load with value. This is great value to your reader.

Price is what you pay. Value is what you get — Warren Buffet.

So if your book’s value exceeds the price by giving in content more than the cost of the book, it’s a giveaway. And as we all know, it’s far better to give than to receive.

Your Book Will Go Where You Cannot

Okay, let’s talk a little bit about who we are as human beings and our situation. We all have have limited resources and ability. We cannot be everywhere at the same time, and do not have unlimited powers.

Yet, we all have something to say, but have limited hours in a day, and can only speak for so long. This is where a book comes in — it can speak and go where you cannot, it takes over and carries your message long after you are no longer able.

Let’s take Warren Buffet’s case, for example. In his twenties, Warren Buffet picked up a book — The Intelligent Investor — on value investing written by Benjamin Graham. Warren loved the book so much that in his decision to go to grad school he chose Columbia University after finding out that Ben Graham, the author, was a professor there. Through a series of conversations, Warren later ended up working for Ben Graham on Wall Street, and that led to one of Warren’s Buffet’s most influential and treasured relationships in business and life.

The principles of value investing in that book is largely responsible for the making of one of the smartest investors on earth now. But for sure, when Ben Graham sat to write his book, he wasn’t thinking about Warren Buffett, nor did he even know he existed. But the book went all the way to Omaha, Nebraska to Warren.

Remember readers are learners, and learners who apply what they learn are leaders. Putting a book out there gives you a chance to connect with some of the finest people out there, and could even lead to key partnerships, even friendships like we see in Warren Buffett’s case.

How can two walk together unless they agree? (Amos 3:3) Show who you are in your book and the right people will connect to you.

Opens Doors

Yes, you are writing your book to share your knowledge and discoveries with the world. But you know what? The book being out there is actually a living and breathing resume, or portfolio, for you. Problems are opportunities, and many people out there are always looking for problem solvers. But to find a problem solver, there’s a “get to know” process, a time to find the right person. This is what we all know as the interview process.

Yet the interview is a way of dealing with or getting rid of uncertainty, a way to find out more about the ones we want to hire. But then again, what’s fear, doubt, or uncertainty’s great nemesis? Knowledge. And your book is a your way of sharing your knowledge.

Also while an interview may be a good way to present your abilities, it’s too strict and formal a process that may not reveal much about who you really are. Neither can a written resume, which has space for only a few things, and is often only one page or two.

Also, folks looking to hire are, above all, interested in your thinking process, how you approach problems, how you present things, and your communication skills. And writing a book on your project shows all that without you having to say a word. It’s all there in the book as a living resume (if it's a topic connected to the job you want.)

A good example is the story of the author of the App Design Handbook, Nathan Barry. Listen to Nathan himself:

When I still did consulting work I was on a call with two people from a company that was deciding whether or not to hire me to design their new iPhone app. This was just after my book, The App Design Handbook, had been released and the junior person on the call had read my book and loved it.

The manager wasn’t so sure about hiring me. If my design was so good, why wasn’t I working in the Bay Area?

I listened to the two of them go back and forth for a minute before the manager relented and said, “Actually, of course he’s good enough, he wrote the book on the topic.”

How would you feel if you could say you “wrote the book on the topic”? Do you think that would help your career?” — Nathan Barry

There you have it. There’s a reason why the word ‘author’ is closely related to ‘authority.’

It’s Your Way of Collecting Your By-Product

Why should it go to waste? When I say that, I mean the lessons of your project. Plus, it could possibly be another stream of income.

One of the finest lines I have read about the process of creating is out of the book ‘Rework’ by the founders of the company Basecamp, formerly 37 Signals, Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson:

“When you make something, you always make something else. You can’t just make one thing. Everything has a by-product.” — Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hannsson, Authors Of Rework

In that book, the section on by-products shares the story of how two of their books came into being: Here it is, in quote:

Our last book, Getting Real, was a by-product. We wrote that book without even knowing it. The experience that came from building a company and building software was the waste from actually doing the work. We swept up that knowledge first into blog posts, then into a workshop series, then into a PDF, and then into a paperback....The book you are reading right now (that’s Rework) is a by-product too.” Rework, page 90.

There, is how you turn your experience into a book. You may say to me, “Kingston, I see what you mean, but I don’t have a company, neither have I built software.” Well, you’re right, but did you just complete a personal project that could be useful to someone else, to a person who is just starting out?

In principle, your project and building software are the same. You may not have a grand app, but at your level, which may be lower, you still created something of value through your project. Why not share the story and teach others through a book?

Or, you may be thinking of starting a project that could help other people. Why not save the lessons in a book for others? And this is why I stress the importance of blogging your project the entire time when you are at it? It’s easier that way to collect the experience later for packaging, even if for your own personal report or review.

Even in the great book, the Bible, it says a similar thing about how we should roast what we took in hunting. A project is a hunt, not unlike the ancient hunting we all read about. In principle, it’s the same. It’s a dare, a reaching out, an outgoing to gain what we don’t currently have. (The word ‘project’ itself is made up of two words — ‘pro’ meaning ‘for’ and ‘ject’ mean ‘to reach out, or go out’, as we see in the word ‘eject’. )

With that comes a by-product. It’s wise, then, to ‘roast’ that by-product by turning it into something valuable. Here’s the verse:

The slothful doth not roast what he took in hunting. But the substance of the diligent is precious — Proverbs 12: 27

Whatever we do has a by-product. Let’s save it.

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 End Of Sample

If you enjoyed this sample, and are thinking of working on a personal project or have already completed with lessons worth sharing, consider sharing it through a book. The full guide takes you into the nuts and bolts of how it all comes together into a book. 

You can take take a look at the table of contents here. It also comes with a workbook to help you gather  the contents of your project and organize it all before you start writing. This makes the writing process a whole lot easier.

Get the whole deal!