Kindle Publishing Journey - Are You A Chicken Or A Pig? How To Increase Productivity By Making Bacon

Kindle Publishing Tips: Increase Productivity By Making Yourself Accountable 

This week, the process of my Kindle Publishing journey is about finishing.

Everyone has ideas, some are great, others aren't so much. 

The difference between what separates writers from authors is finishing and the difference between great and not so great can only be achieved after you finish. 

And the best way to finish something?  You have to start. 

You have to stay disciplined.  

Have a schedule of your time and stay dedicated to certain tasks during those times of the day and week.  

You can read about how to compartmentalize your writing and improve your productivity in this post (Get Off Your Ass And Write).

Part of the trick to staying on task is telling others what you plan to do.  Commit to the idea, take the necessary steps and follow through.  Then let your group challenge you some more.  

That step-by-step process is one great way to define productivity and improve your output. 

Everyone Needs A Tribe

Athletes train with a team.  It's how they push and challenge themselves to get better.

Especially in those moments when they want to stop, quit and walk away.  

But they make an agreement with each other.  If they need support, they have each other.

When they need a challenge, they're going through the struggle of training together.

It's what gets them out of bed in the early morning when they're sore, tired and unmotivated.

It's what gets them to run that extra sprint or lift that extra rep. 

That's one of the reasons why Boot Camps, as a form of after hours training, are so popular right now. 

People come together, agree to meet at the same time every day, and support and challenge each other. 

This commitment is one that is NOT to be broken.

That's what accountability is about, not letting those who count and depend upon you, down.

Currently there are two short stories in the pipe-line with a non-fiction concept in development.  The goal is to finish the stories this week and begin the writing phase of the non-fiction ebook.  

The ebook is dedicated to the step-by-step process I'll take to Kindle Direct Publishing of the stories I've written.

This is me, telling you, what my goals are for the week.

In order to accomplish them I needed to shout it loud here.  

My hope is that by telling you my goals, I'll have to put up or shut up.

Credibility is a hard thing to gain, and very easy to lose.  It's a form of trust between us. 

So that makes you, my imaginary audience, my group for the week.  I have to maintain the trust you've shown by reading this blog to stay on task.  

Are You A Chicken Or A Pig? 

In Johnny B. Truant's post at Sterling and Stone - What Defines You, he writes about the idea that as story tellers we need to be engaged with our own stories.

Even though it takes discipline to finish, and the topic of this post is all about finishing, the BEST way to finish something is to become committed and engaged with it. 

Writing should not be like sitting in a dentist chair, numb from novocaine and getting drilled.

You may be engaged, but you're not committed to the process.  

I've heard it said a different way - a coach asked his team about their commitment to the team with the following metaphor about the animals involved in their breakfasts:

If you had eggs and bacon for breakfast, what separates the chicken from the pig?

The chicken is dedicated, the pig is invested. 

So, you're my tribe.

And I'm a pig. 

Join me in the process and become bacon as well. 

Kindle Direct Publishing: Conquer Your Fears And Just Get Started

My Journey With Self-Publishing Through Kindle Direct Publishing Is Like Riding A Bike 

To accomplish something, the first thing to do is get started.

Getting started is the hardest part.

We don't like to fall, it hurts and stings.  It can be embarrassing.

And nobody likes being embarrassed.

But falling is how we learn.

Most of us don't remember learning to ride a bike.

We don't remember the training wheels coming off. We may remember a specific crash or accident, but we don't remember the countless times it surely happened.

We can see that process in action in our lives even today.

We've all see kids trying to learn how to ride a bike and have often see them fall over.

It's painful to watch them, but eventually they learn how to balance without falling over.

In a recent post, we discussed why I took my ebook down from Kindle Direct Publishing ( You can see it here: Why I Deleted My Ebook From Kindle Publishing)

As I wrote, the reason why was because the ebook was getting zero traction on its own and I needed to rethink the process.

I needed to add some more content - so I've been editing a couple other stories.

Obviously there should be a marketing idea in place - so I've been researching what other indie writers have attempted with their platform with Kindle Direct Publishing.

In A Nutshell, My Marketing Plan Is Simple

I plan on creating a number of avenues to funnel traffic to the books.

The plan includes using some additional stories as other vehicles to drive traffic to the collection of short stories.

The idea is to take think of the book like a hub with spokes.

On its own, a spoke is weak, it will break easily, and can't support a tire.

With a hundred spokes, each centering to the hub, the tire is supported and can easily support the weight.

So each of these kindle ebooks will be a spoke, centered around a hub.

How To Get Ideas For Content - Take Off The Training Wheels

A great resource guide, aside from Write Publish Repeat that we discussed in an earlier post. ( See it here: My Journey Into eBook Publishing)

But another great writer in the field of self-publishing is Steve Scott.  While a non-fiction writer, Steve Scott offers many different tactics and ways to get an ebook up and running as soon as possible.  

A great ebook to start with is his ebook on developing great ideas for content generation. If interested you can check it out on Amazon through my affiliate link.

By using my link, you'll get some great suggestions, tips and know-how from one of the best of the best in the Kindle Direct Publishing field.

I'll get a small commission from Amazon for your purchase, but it won't cost you a dime extra.

Check it out here: How to Discover Best-Selling Nonfiction eBook Ideas - The Bulletproof Strategy

Kindle Publishing And My Future Plans

Why I Took My eBook Down From Amazon Kindle Publishing 

Yesterday launched the first post about my efforts to write and publish a series of eBooks on Amazon's Kindle platform.

Yesterday also marked the day I took my collection of short stories OFF the Kindle Publishing marketplace.

Why?

When I uploaded the eBook, it was akin to me being drunk in a bar, blindfolded and spun around, then given a dart to throw at the board.  Maybe I hit something other than the huge biker that was sitting between me and the target.  Maybe I hit my friend.  Maybe if I'm really, really fortunate I hit the target - doubtful - but hey, people have to win the Powerball Lottery sometimes.

I surreptitiously uploaded a file that had a standard cover from Amazon and waited.  And waited.  In the month and a half since, it saw ZERO traction.  If not for me checking my reports, I'm not sure anyone even looked at the collection.

I didn't promote it.

I didn't advertise or have a website to drive traffic toward it.

It was uploaded to Kindle, sat there, and that was that.

So I took it down.

Now I have a plan.

What I'm Focusing My Energy On Right Now

Currently I'm working on two new short stories and a couple edits of previous stories that were stillborn, hoping to breathe new life into them.

Soon the first eBook will be uploaded again, with a couple tweaks, edits and additional content.

And then I'll upload another collection of short stories.

I'll promote them both.  Maybe buy some ads.  That part hasn't been decided yet.

The key, the absolute foundation, is for me to move forward with the stories intelligently.  To make a plan and stick to it.

And then wash, rinse, repeat the process. This is a great strategy that Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt and David Wright talk about in Write, Publish and Repeat.