The ride towards book launch feels a bit like I'm in a major water slide careening towards the splash down. After producing my first successful glazed ham (who knew it was actually that easy!) it's been back to business.
The audio narration has just been finished literally today. I couldn't be happier with the way this has come out. My wonderful narrator, Michelle Marie Harrison, has been so in tune with the messages I want to convey that her delivery has been so close to how I would read it it's almost spooky possum!
The final book proof was finished a few days ago and I've just received the first proof of the kindle version this afternoon. It really is a marathon and not a sprint - a few days ago I was pleased as punch as we finalised the third version of the typeset manuscript. I heaved a huge sigh of relief until my book coach said brightly, 'Great - now we can start on the Kindle version...' As someone once said, 'it ain't over 'til it's over!'
However, we are definitely on the home straight and I'm confident the book will be out in February. Bringing everything together on Amazon does take some time to set up as well as finalising the all-important categories you want the book to appear in.
The other major item I've been working on is a free fifty-page workbook to support the book. All of my three early readers said a workbook would be invaluable. The workbook means you can complete the book exercises and think through how the templates and examples in the book apply to your own change projects in a format that captures your own thinking (with room for some Change Cat doodles of course!). This will be available as a free download on my website via a URL provided in the book.
I've worked for many years as a Learning Consultant and before that an Instructional Designer, so I really enjoyed building this bonus gift. I used Canva to produce it and found the process both fairly simple and fun. I used lots of mind map brainstorm type exercises in the workbook to help users get into flow. This will help tease out obscure impacts, connect up the dots and flush out easy-to-miss stakeholders. I feel good about adding this super practical additional bonus into the offering. I hope readers will find it helps focus the mind (and resolve) to deliver a truly comprehensive change effort!
Once the book is loaded on Amazon you require ten five-star reviews from verified buyers for the algorithm to start recommending the book to other prospective buyers. This is a very important step, so I'll be reaching out to colleagues to help me build up these reviews for a shot at achieving bestseller status.
As letting the brain idle is an important part of creativity I've had time over the Christmas break to think about other books I want to write and some new poppin' ideas for LinkedIn posts. I'll be starting a series in the style of the, 'Should have gone to SpecSavers' ads. This will be, 'Should have got a change manager for that' to show how the application of change management skills and perspectives could help in real-life examples. An experience trying to buy a shirt over the Christmas break online and my partner starting a new job and going through the induction process has given me some great early material for this spotlight.
I like to leave the last word to Change Cat, so here's a cartoon from the book which just had to be included. As we start off a new year of projects and initiatives and I see lots of fresh recruitment ads for change managers, it seems a fitting one. As always, if you have any thoughts or queries about things change, the book, or the client work I'm doing now please reach out below, email barb@barbgrant.com or message me on LinkedIn.
