3 things I learned while publishing my new book

I published a book this year! Wooooooooooo!!!

The Modern Learning Ecosystem was my BIGGEST 2022 project. I did most of the writing in 2021, but all of the editing and promotional work happened this year in the lead up to the November 29th release. I’m glad I finally did the book thing, and I’m proud of the end result. It’s certainly not perfect, but it’s definitely me.

I’m not here to talk about what's in the book. You can find details at jdwroteabook.com. Instead, I’d like to explore what I learned during the process of publishing the book.?

It’s never finished. It just gets released.

To quote Angelica Schuyler, “I will never be satisfied.” The book has been out for a month, and I’m still thinking about ways to improve the story. I was never totally happy with the draft, but it had to go to print sometime. I had to be OK with “good enough.” Of course, this feeling isn’t new. I’ve never been 100% happy with any of my projects over the years. They just had to get “finished” by the agreed upon date. However, those projects didn’t have my name on the front cover or become available to anyone with an Amazon account.

I’m still not OK with “good enough.” That’s why I started the weekly ECOSYSTEM newsletter - a place where I can expand on the story from the book.

Stories are more fun to write.

“Rich.” That’s the one-word response I received when asking for feedback from an early reader. They were amazed by the amount of STUFF I packed into 246 pages. The Modern Learning Ecosystem covers everything from solution design and technology selection to data practices and workplace influence. I knew I had to pack lots of ideas into the book for my vision to make sense. But L&D theory can get tiresome FAST. So I wrapped the most important chapters in personal stories. Rather than just tell you how I think things should work, I explain how I uncovered each concept in real life.?

Stories were the most enjoyable parts of the book to write. Committing them to print for the first time provided me with a new perspective on key moments from throughout my career.?

Releasing a book is harder than writing one.

I wish I had written this book years ago. I started talking about it in 2017, but I couldn’t find the time and motivation to get it done. Writing a book is hard, especially when it’s not your full-time job. But the actual writing isn’t the most difficult part. Releasing the book is infinitely more challenging. This was my big takeaway in my publication day announcement video.

This book is the most ME I’ve ever shared professionally. The moment it went on sale, MY story became OUR story. People won’t just learn about L&D concepts by reading it. They’ll also learn about me. Becoming OK with putting myself out there has been the most challenging and rewarding part of the process.?

THANK YOU to everyone who helped make The Modern Learning Ecosystem a reality! I’m excited to hear what you think.

Grab your copy via jdwroteabook.com. Follow the ongoing story via my ECOSYSTEM newsletter.?