What it takes to publish a book, and things I learnt while publishing my book ?
I’m aware that I haven’t published or written any article in a very long time since I was working on a book, which required a lot of time and effort from me during my free time and after work hours. I have to admit that over the Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays, I focused on putting the finishing touches on my book. I wrote this book in different state of mind and at different locations. I took close to 2.5 year to work on this book. I took additional roles and responsibilities at work which delayed some of this process; I would amount that delay as couple of months. The book was about my real architectural implemention experience and learning. I must say process of learning and bringing myself to a stage where I can think of book is additional 1.5 year and close to 18 years of experience, specifically in IT architecture and programming area.
Here is link to my book to my followers and get your personalized copy
Publishing a book can be a complex and challenging process, but here are some general steps that are typically involved:
Come up with book outline: This is the first and most obvious step. Before you can publish a book, you need actually to write the book outline. This can take a significant amount of time and effort, depending on the length and complexity of the book.
Outline includes below things which will help you clearing your thoughts
Why? Reason for writing and how it will help readers.
Who? Determine who your audience is, and write your content with their mindset and level of expertise in mind.
What? Chapter content and heading of the Chapter content.
About you is equally important
Get feedback and Perform market Study : Before you publish your book, it’s a good idea to get feedback from industry professionals. You can do this by sharing your outline with some industry experts, attending writing workshops and conferences, and seeking advice from literary agents and editors.
In addition to this, I collaborated with various experts in the field and solicited their feedback regarding the overall structure of the book. I have conducted background research on the audience as well as books that have been published in related fields. What kinds of skill sets are in demand in the market, and who can benefit from having them? In this one, you need to make your case not only to the editors but also to the publishers.
Edit the book outline: Once you have a draft of your book outline, you’ll need to revise and edit it to make sure it’s as polished and well-written as possible. You may want to hire a professional editor or work with beta readers to get feedback on your outline.
As most publishing houses require an outline review before accepting and working on a manuscript, I conducted this as part of my research into potential publishers.
Find a literary agent: While it’s possible to publish a book without an agent, many authors find that working with a literary agent can help them get a better publishing deal and navigate the publishing process more smoothly. You can find literary agents by researching agents who represent books in your genre and submitting query letters and sample chapters.
In order to obtain views for this, I did collaborate with a few of the independent freelancers.
Submit to publishers: Once you have a literary agent, they will help you submit your book outline to publishers. If you don’t have an agent, you can submit your outline directly to publishers, although this can be more challenging.
The publishers may want substantial changes made to the book’s outline from the perspective of the target audience, so be prepared to argue your case. The contract calls for an estimated delivery date for each chapter.
Negotiate a publishing contract: If a publisher is interested in your book, they will offer you a publishing contract. It’s important to carefully review and negotiate the terms of the contract to make sure you’re getting a fair deal.
While I did negotiate a few of the terms, my primary motivation was to teach others from my experience, not to maximize my financial gain. Royalties for digital downloads are more than for physical copies.
Publish and submitting the book chapter: Once you have a publishing contract, the publisher team will work with you to edit, design, and produce the book. This can take several months to a year or more, depending on the publisher’s production schedule.
Indeed, the process took me somewhere between 8 and 9 months to complete. There were several different critiques provided for each chapter. On the chat platform, there was also a communication group that was established. In addition, there was a tracker to help determine the current state of each chapter and the most recent activity date.
Market the book: Finally, once the book is published, you’ll need to market it to potential readers. This can involve everything from book signings and speaking engagements to social media and email marketing campaigns.
This section, I guess it wasn’t done properly, and I was pushing the team so much that it came in the December timeframe, which is when the most people were on vacation. In the last stages, I found myself becoming increasingly antsy since I was eager to start a new personal project. This particular facet of my case ought to have been handled better. But below, you will find some of the videos that I have created, along with banners that were provided by my publishing team.
Keep in mind that the publishing process can vary depending on the type of book you’re publishing (e.g., fiction vs. non-fiction, traditional vs. self-publishing), so it’s important to do your research and be prepared for the specific challenges you may face.
There are certain things which I learnt during the entire publishing process also,
Skipping the editing process: One of the biggest mistakes you can make is failing to edit your book properly. No matter how good your writing is, there are likely to be errors and inconsistencies that need to be addressed before the book is published. Skipping the editing process can result in a book that is full of typos, grammatical errors, and plot holes.
Despite the fact that English is not my native language, I went through six or seven rounds of editing for each chapter, and I am completely confident in the accuracy of the technical information. It was impossible for me to predict how people who spoke English as their first language would react to it.
Failing to build an author platform: Another common mistake is neglecting to build an author platform. This includes things like having an author website, building a social media presence, and connecting with potential readers. Without a platform, it can be difficult to get your book noticed in a crowded marketplace.
To a certain extent, I was able to create my platform; however, it was not to the level that I had anticipated, and it is essential to evaluate your writing.
Not researching the publishing industry: It’s important to research the publishing industry and understand the different publishing options available to you. This includes traditional publishing, self-publishing, and hybrid publishing. Failing to do your research can result in making poor decisions about which publishing route to take.
While the idea of self-publishing was intriguing, I realized that if I pursued it, I would have to devote a lot of time and energy to marketing the book instead of writing and editing it.
Rushing the process: Publishing a book can be a long and complex process, but it’s important to take your time and make sure everything is done correctly. Rushing the process can result in a book that is not up to the standards you would like or a book that is not ready for publication.
My editing publication team had other works in the pipeline, so the process took close to 2.5 years.
Not focusing on sales: While it’s important to market your book and try to make sales, focusing too much on sales can be counterproductive. But it is important
I published it during Christmas and new year timeframe while everyone was busy with their family vacation. Sales was an uphill battle for me.
Not having a clear target audience: Finally, it’s important to have a clear understanding of who your target audience is. Failing to define your target audience can result in a book that doesn’t resonate with anyone in particular, making it difficult to market and sell. It should be part of your book outline, like in my case
Who this book is for
Professionals in Cloud, DevOps, DevSecOps, and Software development will find several career-enhancing surprises in this book. In addition, reading about the cultural and process-specific challenges will benefit the leadership team, including the CTO, CIO, Enterprise Architect, and Infrastructure Head.What you will learn
● Dos and Don’ts while implementing immutable infrastructure.
● Locating security flaws and incorrect settings across all cloud service providers.
● Applying organization-specific security policies and validation during coding.
● Handling Database Upgrades and Operating System Patches.
● Learning the impact assessment on the infrastructure CI/CD pipeline.
● Learning the ins and outs of public cloud systems like Amazon Web Services.
● Commencing the process of continuous IaC delivery and IaC deployment.
In general, I must say that I felt like I accomplished something and that I was proud of the work that I produced. That was a wonderful experience, but I have to admit that for the first two weeks after the book was published, I felt aimless and wandered aimlessly with no sense of direction in my life. I feel obligated to point out that some additional authors, including members of my family and close friends, were not mentioned.
