Kitesurfing and Self-Publishing

Kitesurfing and Self-Publishing (4.23.17)

As I sat meditating on the beach this morning, I noticed a guy trying to kitesurf. I’ve often wondered how in the world someone learns this skill given the kite is so frickin’ huge, the wind is so strong, and the current is so unpredictable. So many things have to come together to get this individual “surfing” – the wind, the kite, the surfer, the board, the waves. Do people watch videos to learn this sport? To me, it takes an incredible amount

of courage and faith for this experience to all come together. I watched this guy struggle and struggle. His kite went up beautifully for a few seconds and then it came crashing down into the deep water. The huge, crescent shaped kite was in the ocean more than it was in the sky. At one point the man got separated from his board. He swam after his board which was heading towards the beach while his kite rode the waves further out in the distance. Needless to say, during the time period that I observed this activity, the kite and the surfer never got their act together. At one point, I saw a leatherback sea turtle heading in the surfer’s direction. I thought, “Wow! How exciting to see a sea turtle up close!” I wondered if they collided together, waved to each other in passing, or just glided past each other like ships in the night.

To me, this kitesurfing effort reminds me of my self-publishing experience. So many pieces of my business have to come together in order for me to sell my books. I have no publishing experience or contacts in the publishing industry, however I have a lot of the criteria needed to self-publish. I’m a writer, an artist, a designer, and a marketing expert. I created not 1, but 2 high quality books and launched them in the fall of 2016 which was a monumental task. But I’m currently on a massive learning curve. I’m familiar with marketing a service business using print media in a niche market. This time around I am trying to sell a product, which is currently only available as an ebook, to the entire United States market and beyond. The guidelines that I created to successfully market a small roofing, windows, and siding business for the past 27 years do not apply to internet marketing. I feel like I am at a chaotic, hyperactive party where everyone is buzzing around me while I’m speaking a foreign language. I’m at the party trying to communicate with people using sign language and everyone is too busy to notice me. I have sent out messages offering complimentary books to tons of key people hoping to make a connection and it feels like every message hits a wall, slides down, and dissolves into the earth. When will it all come together and click? When will I break through the chaos and ride the surf? I have no clue, but like the kitesurfer, I have courage and faith. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll meet a cool leatherback sea turtle along the way.