Have you ever held a book in your hands and given any thought to how many pieces go into the process to get it published? I hadn’t – until I decided to write one!

I have to confess, I’ve had about four books started for years. I’d work on one for a while, get distracted by another project, and go back months (cough, years sometimes) later to pick it back up.

There has been one book that my mind kept going back to though, something that nobody else has written comprehensively about, and that is distance for agility. It really is my passion, and I’ve taught taught hundreds of seminars on that topic.

In 2013, I had a series of 13 articles published in Clean Run magazine. It was a fun process, and I really enjoyed it, but the limitations on article length meant that I really couldn’t expand on the topics as much as I wanted to.

I also wondered if new subscribers would be confused by jumping in at a random point in the series. Although each article stood alone, there was information in the first few articles that really set the stage for a deeper understanding of later ones.

I think that’s why I haven’t been able to shake the book idea. While it’s not the same as an online or in-person course, a book is an excellent resource for learning. I refer to some of my non-fiction books over and over again, and as I gain more experience in whatever the topic is, I find new levels of learning that I haven’t reached before.

What I didn’t realize is the scope of what’s required to actually get a book published

Obviously, you need to create the manuscript, and that itself is a pretty big undertaking. It’s not as easy as just handing that over to a publisher when you’re done though.

Agility is not a huge topic area like self-help or cooking. I knew that the best way to get a book out there was to go the self-publishing route. What I didn’t know was how many steps there are to get there.

Here’s the short version of the list:

• Write the book (obviously)
• Create or gather the photos, figures, and tables and include them
• Go through the editing process and revise, revise, revise
• Decide on a finished size and whether the book will be black & white or color
• Format the book into a version that will be accepted by the publisher
• Create a cover, which is more technical than you would think
• Write an author bio (that piece is always hard for me) and back cover verbiage
• Develop a book description that describes the book to potential readers
• Find the right keywords so people can actually find the book
• Navigate the self-publishing process to get it uploaded and ready for print

You can imagine how many boxes I checked off on the long version of that list…

The good news? I did it! The book is available here! I’m really excited to get it out into the world where it will help both new and experienced agility people.

Was it worth it? Absolutely yes. And yes, I’ll probably write another one (but not for a while).

Next time I hold a book in my hand, I’ll have a much greater appreciation for the steps it took for it to get there.

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Top photo: Copyright 2018 Great Dane Photos. Used with permission.

Second photo: Courtesy of Howling Moon Photography.