Fired Up! It’s not what life throws at you that matters. It’s what you do about it. Plus, how to self-publish a book.

Fired Up! 

It’s not what life throws at you that matters. It’s what you do about it.  Plus, how to self-publish a book.

by Ken West

When bad or unexpected things happen to us, what’s most important is what we do about it. When I was 62 years old I got laid off from my job – truth be told—I was fired! I had a good job at a top-rated, world-class training company.

One day I got a humorous email from someone I had worked with at another company. It was one of those silly emails that we all get sometimes, and possibly offensive to some people. Nevertheless I decided to forward to a few of my contacts. But, I inadvertently sent it to “all users,” meaning everyone in the company—which included the Founder and Chairman who was at that moment doing a presentation to a group of high level executives in our big conference room.

She was projecting PowerPoint images up on the huge screen behind her.  Apparently she hadn’t shut off her Outlook, because a capsule version of my stupid email suddenly appeared in big bold letters up on the screen. It was titled: “Fort Lauderdale Barbie Girls.”  She was not amused by this email.

Later, she found me in the cafeteria and publicly blasted me out. I didn’t blame her. I even felt better. I had paid the price for my stupidity. But, there was more in store for me. The next day she invited me into the Human Resources office.  She looked at me and said, “West—you’re fired!” I didn’t blame her. I would have fired me too. But it still hurt.

I went home and looked in the mirror. I saw a 62-year-old grey bearded man looking back at me. He was not pleased or amused with me either.  I realized that it would be very difficult to find a new job when I couldn’t ask for a recommendation from this company. My age, I feared, would work against me too.

Some advantages still existed. I now had time to think and plan. I had a very supportive wife who also had a job.  We had an emergency fund. 

I started asking myself questions: What am I passionate about? What are my dreams for the future? Do I have a future? What’s my purpose in life? What are my goals? I realized that of all my dreams for the future, what I wanted to do first was write and publish a book (and then, many more).  I had previously written two books that sat in a drawer, un-publishable so far.

I decided to write a book about things I had learned in my 62 years on earth. In a few months the fruits of my labor resulted in a measly 97 pages. Also, when I read my manuscript, it sounded like I was preaching.  Who would want to read it?  So I sent it off to an experienced editor to see if he could make some suggestions on how to improve it.

He gave me good advice which I followed when rewriting the book. I also got excellent feedback from people I respected. When I finished my rewrite, I let it sit for a day or two, then reread it. My verdict: Still too preachy! So I put it in a drawer with the other unpublished manuscripts.

Then I remembered something I had learned from the very person who had fired me. She once told me this about speaking to an audience: “Ken, it’s not about you. It’s about them.” A lightning bolt of understanding suddenly struck me.  I needed to focus on my audience–my potential readers! It wasn’t about me; it was really about them and for them.

So I began writing a workbook. It contained fifty-four questions for my readers to determine their passion, dreams for the future, purpose, goals, and daily tasks. It was organized into a seven step system.  In fact, it was the very process and questions I was utilizing myself to achieve what I wanted.

My next problem was that traditional publishing agents and acquisition editors want someone with “credentials” for writing such a book.  I was not a psychologist, an “expert,” or celebrity. What I did have was my life experiences and knowledge.  So I decided to self-publish. 

I found an excellent book titled Aiming at Amazon by Aaron Shepard which outlined a unique process of self-publishing. (Some information has changed since the publication of that book. If you’re interested you should check on his publishing website first for updated information: http://www.newselfpublishing.com/.)

I followed the suggestions in his book, including using a company called Lightning Source, which is owned by a major wholesaler called Ingram (http://www.ingrambook.com/default.aspx). Lightning Source is not a middle man, but the actual print-on-demand publisher. At that time, any book they published was picked up and fulfilled by Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble’s online site. (This, as far as I know, has changed for Amazon since then. Check with Aaron Shepard’s website and with Amazon’s information to writers and publishers.)

My next problem was that Lightning Source only dealt directly with publishers, not authors. So, I formed my own publishing company, Better Grip Media LLC. I also bought a block of ISBNs (International Standard Book Number) from the official U.S. supplier, Bowker (http://isbn.org/standards/home/index.asp).  Now Lightning Source would talk to me.  

My final problem was that Lightning Source wanted the book formatted in a certain way. I found a terrific book formatter named Kimberly Martin who does excellent work and is very reasonably priced. She formatted my book according to Lightning Source’s requirements, and also for the Kindle. She also did a cover for me. Here is her website: http://www.self-pub.net/layout/ in case you are interested.

She sent back the formatted files. I downloaded them to Lightning Source. And, within three or four weeks my book appeared on Amazon.com, which always has it in stock.  This was in December of 2009. It is still selling to this day. I previously sent out review copies and received many excellent reviews. Here’s the link to my book, Get What You Want: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982577702. (I still utilize my workbook today to get refocused on new goals and develop action plans.)

What I learned from all this is that getting fired was the second best thing that ever happened to me. (The best thing was marrying my wife.) And most importantly it brought home the fact that it’s not about me the writer (unless, of course I am writing a memoir). It’s for and about you—my potential readers and audience.  

It’s not what life throws at us that matters most. It’s what we do about it.

Ken West writes and speaks about motivation and self-actualization. You can contact Ken at KenWest@BetterGripMedia.com or by calling Ken at 954-249-5346, his direct line.