1. What inspired you to begin your publishing journey?
I have always wanted to write a book about my profession as it is largely misunderstood. My publishing journey began at a team meeting in 2023 where we were all asked to set professional and personal goals and share them. My book was one of those goals. When I shared that goal with some colleagues, I felt I had made a commitment to my team to follow through. It was largely psychological, but by articulating a goal to people I respected, I was givent he nudge I needed to commit to the project. It’s one of the reasons the book has interactive exercises in it. When you take an idea out of your mind and put it in the real world, even if it’s just writing it down, the idea becomes more tangible and real. That’s really the first step to any transformation, digital or otherwise.
2. What led you to choose the self-publishing route vs. traditional publishing?
Self publishing offered me more control over the process and was a relatively easy alternative. I am a first time author so without contacts in the publishing industry it is difficult to be relevant. At the end of the day, I saw self publishing as better, faster, and cheaper than the traditional publishing option, particularly if the book is successful.
3. How did you select Gatekeeper Press as your publishing family?
I began looking for publishing partners and interviewed several, both large and small. Ultimately I selected Gatekeeper Press because one of the owners took the time to help me customize a self publishing program that was tailored to me. The others seemed more ‘cookie cutter’ in their approach and I needed some specific help and advice which Gatekeeper delivered on.
4. Were there any moments during your publishing journey where your expectations differed from the actual process?
As a new author there was more I didn’t know, than I did about publishing. There were many surprises, particularly the level of detail and length of time the editing process takes. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Quality isn’t always fast and the editors did a great job. But I was under the naïve impression that writing the book was the largest body of work. It is not. Writing is really editing.
5. What aspects of the process did you find most enjoyable?
Seeing the finished product as it evolved from draft to final copy. Every time I recived a new edited version of the product I was excited to see my book moving from a draft manuscript to a finished product that was better with each revision.
6. What challenges did you encounter during your publishing journey?
Publishing has been fairly straight forward, but it takes a significant amount of time.
7. Would you change anything if you could do it all over again?
I would have started earlier with the publishing process. I waited until I had a finished, first edited manuscript before I started looking for a publisher.
8. What were the most surprising aspects of self-publishing with Gatekeeper Press?
The level of detail the editing process goes through.
9. Would you recommend fellow authors self-publish with Gatekeeper Press?
Yes.
10. With your dream book a reality, what goals do you aspire to achieve with your story?
I hope the book changes the world (and the readers) for the better in some large or small way.