JDSLAB Dr Jon’s Writer’s Laboratory for Self-Publishers Dr Jon Drane

JDSLAB Podcast Episode 9: A Self-publishing Journey- Kate Slatter's Story and interview with Dr Jon Drane. Kate is a  new author who created a blog before writing a book about the passing of her son.

This article and podcast focuses on the self-publishing journey and ways to promote your upcoming book through social media before it is even a manuscript.



In fact creating what I call Micro-pieces which are posts, articles and blogs that draw audiences to your topic is a potent methodology. This is because you get to test your central themes before  committing to a manuscript and chapter structure.



There is also the case that some books are painful to write due to circumstances like grief, loss and death.



This podcast and article looks at these themes through the eyes of a talented new author called Kate Slatter. Kate lost her son via suicide and created a blog, Munted, as a way to work through grief.



After experiencing enormous support from people, in response to the blog, Kate decided to publish it as a small book, to encourage support for others after a sudden loss and to encourage conversation for those left behind by a suicide.



I am honoured to have been able to interview Kate on this podcast episode.



Please note this is the podcast post and the more detailed article page is separate and the link is below.

Read the Podcast Article Page

https://www.jondrane.net/jdslab-episode-9-a-self-publishing-journey-interview-kate-slatter/

Buy Dr Jon's Books:

https://www.jondrane.net/the-never-ending-startup-the-circular-business-entrepreneur/

Book a Coaching Session with Dr Jon

https://www.jondrane.net/coaching-for-self-publishing-success/

Are people listening to books and podcasts more than they are reading books and articles? The rise of audiobooks and audio products seems to be growing but is this true? 



Audible International Executive Matt Gain talks to Dr Jon Drane about the rise of ‘listening to books’. 



Matthew Gain spoke at an I2N Innovation Network Event about his career in Audible and Amazon.  



He was asked by Dr Jon Drane who is a member of I2N  ‘are people listening to books more than reading books?’. 



 Matthew noted the rise of ‘listening to books’ was increasing and depended on different genres and situations. 



 A common thread across all Audiobook offerings is the trend of being ‘time poor’ and whether you are a home carer, executive or a factory packer, the ability to listen to a book is an amazing offering.  



 But is this the case and is it just Audible that is being listened to? 



 See the Matt Gain UON I2N event link: 



 Dr Jon’s research and podcast team researched and discussed:  



- a brief history of audio,   



-checked with the experts about audio in many situations and 



 -did a fact check to see the state of audio books in general and included it in his own podcast called JDSLAB Episode 7 –Listening to Books 



 -then asked about where this all is heading. 



Special Interview with Bev Roberts - best selling author.



Dr Jon interviews Bev Roberts who talks about her brain health event and how listening to books and creating 'interview based' podcasts helped her to recover. This was also captured in her best selling book: Hope in a Dark Tunnel.



Read Podcast Article



https://www.jondrane.net/listening-to-books-the-rise-of-audiobooks/

Listen Carefully! :) Get Your 25% Discount on our BYO Group Webinars. Get 3 out of 3 questions right.

Don't Forget to Take our Quick Quizz based on listening to JDSLAB Podcast Episode 7: 'Listening to Books'.



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Dr Jon's Tips

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Thanks for reading our article and we hope you enjoy our exciting podcast series JDSLAB A Writer's Laboratory for Self-publishers



Dr Jonathan Drane,



 



 

Discovering My Authentic Journey: Through Missy Higgin's Story. A personal reflection on life, success and journey.

Ever felt like you're on the outside looking in, amidst a world that seems to applaud everyone else but you? This is a personal reflection that I wrote recently after watching an interview of Missy Higgins the Australian folk singer. It related to the fact that although I had achieved so much in my life and was respected in my personal and business life, that I never felt connected, recognised nor worthy!



My story began years ago with that all-too-familiar feeling of being on the fringe. As I observed industry giants, Silicon Valley avatars, Hollywood celebrities, famous writers and then the hierarchy of social media influencers and followers.



I couldn't help but wonder – where do I fit into this? The pursuit of connection, recognition and acceptance became a persistent theme in my life.



This changed dramatically on an ordinary weekday night while tuning into an ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) interview between Zan Row and Missy Higgins on the show called 'Take Five' which took five favourites songs of Missy's and her reflection about the song and its meaning.

Waiting for your real life to begin

What started as a typical show took an unexpected turn, morphing into what felt like a cathartic session. As Zan played Colin Hay's "Waiting for my real life to begin," the atmosphere shifted. Missy's tears, Zan's embrace, and Missy's revelation about her journey which seemed outwardly like 'Success Nirvana' where she had gained international success early in her life as a celebrity, adolescent singer-songwriter. However her story revealed more how this experience related to her ongoing adult journey and her success which resonated profoundly.



https://youtu.be/nNouvzJBfqs



Missy dismantled the conventional story of success. Her 'success nirvana' wasn't what it seemed. Instead, her real life unfolded in the pursuit of finding a partner and building a family – a perspective that challenged superficial societal norms and expectations about celebrity .

Success versus Journey

This revelation prompted a re-evaluation of my own journey. From early on, I had adopted the notion that success was a destination to be reached through hard work and perseverance. But did I, perhaps subconsciously, believe that I wasn't truly worthy of it, and that it was always something elusive and just over the horizon?



A quote by T.S. Eliot lingered in my mind: "We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." It became a guiding principle as I grappled with the concept of creative success, questioning whether Missy’s ‘real life’ was already part of her life journey.



The persistent inner voice questioned – where was my creative success, my breakthrough, my moment in the spotlight? Or was it possible that I was already there, manifested in the journey I had undertaken and the life that was unfolding?



Missy's story became a compass, helping me navigate the tumultuous waters of self-doubt and external expectations. It led me to question the essence of success and recognize that, just maybe, the journey itself is the destination.



In the end, Discovering My Authentic Journey isn't just about Missy Higgins's story; it's about all of us who have felt like outsiders, who have questioned our worthiness, and who have tirelessly pursued a future version of success.



It's a reminder that life is the objective (not success) and it is a dynamic, personal journey, and sometimes, my real-life journey is happening right now, waiting to be acknowledged and embraced.



Dr Jonathan Drane



https://www.jondrane.net/the-never-ending-startup-the-circular-busine...

Preview of Upcoming Podcast Series: Introducing The Never Ending Startup Podcast. Startup journey & stories. A podcast and book by Dr Jon Drane about his start up which was founded in 1993, how it lasted this long and what lessons it brings to modern startups.  The circular business entrepreneur. Built to last.



Listen to The Never Ending Podcast Preview on Spotify.

When will the Never Ending Startup Podcast be Released?

We are rolling out the podcast show with 10 initial episodes through May and June 2024. The Never Ending Startup Book is due for release in August and will be shaped on the feedback and the interest in the first 10 episodes.

Where is The Never Ending Startup Being Released on Social Media

Both the book and the podcast of The Never Ending Startup will be released on Linked In and our FB Business Page;



Here is our FB Business Page:







https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558719231082



Here is our Linked In Profile:







https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-drane-6761a717/



Listen to The Never Ending Podcast Preview on Spotify.

The Never Ending Startup Podcast: Lessons for Modern Startup Journey & Stories of Longevity

The podcast  shares Dr Jon's insightful entrepreneurial journey, history and inspirations.



It includes interviews with 'accelerator startups' from The University of Newcastle's I2N Innovation Hub about their journey and inspirations.



It also covers the state of Australia's innovation ecology and lessons for new startups.



The podcast and book build a social and entrepreneurial framework for startup journey and  longevity.

What is a Startup?

'The term startup refers to a company in the first stages of operations. Startups are founded by one or more entrepreneurs who want to develop a product or service for which they believe there is demand. These companies generally start with high costs and limited revenue, which is why they look for capital from a variety of sources'. (Investopedia Definition)

Dr Jon defines the meaning of startup, seed capital and entrepreneurship:

"Startups are often seen as Silicon Valley type high tech experimental innovations that require risk related endeavours. These are more at the extreme end as examples of entrepreneurship and startups. The essence of startup is to 'venture and to innovate' a new business idea and offer it as a product to the real world and is often termed entrepreneurship. In this way startups require courage as well as ingenuity. As an example a new form of retail offering that is exciting and 'risk based 'and requires 'seed capital' can also be classified as a startup. Seed capital is usually required and provided by the inititators and champions of the startup. Seed capital is money that is out of the initiators  and their champions' pocket that is equity based (not debt funded). Equity means that the seed fund provider is given a share in the enterprise." Dr Jon Drane.

What is  The Never Ending Startup Podcast About?

The Never Ending Startup is the story of award winning researcher, writer, innovator, historian  and entrepreneur Dr Jonathan Drane and his journey through the world of  high rise construction, property development and then into  start up ventures, the genesis of which he discovered only recently, had its inception over half a century earlier.

Dr Jon's Startup Journey and who inspired him

His first start up called Optimum Search was established in 1993 and still stands today with a deep quarter century history of entrepreneurial achievement and ‘catalyst research’ with some failure along the way, the latter being a central part of the DNA of its success.



The story starts in the midst of his post war 1950s upbringing as a hot housed adolescent who was introduced by h...

Formulas for success in self-publishing. Dr Jon has collected formulas for self-publishing which help with audience reach and response.



A formula is like a recipe in cooking. For example a set of ingredients are used then tried and tested to make a great cake that is enjoyed by family and friends. A recipe for success.



In the scientific context a formula can also be a mix of chemicals and elements that go to make up a particular product like a fuel or a medicine.



Formulas usually have a series of elements and a quantity for each element that go to make up the formula.



If we were to give an exampe of a recipe for a great stir fry base, it would include one tablespoon of olive oil, two onions, two cloves of garlic, one chilli,  three diced tomatoes as the recipe.



Then the cooking guide for mixing the ingredients together. For example: heat the olive oil in a wok, cook onions until transluscent then add garlic and chilli and stir. Add diced tomato to blend the flavours for 5 minutes before adding any further ingredients. (Please try this at home :).



In the mathematical realm the different elements that go into making up the recipe would be given an alpha numeric formula such as 1xtsoo (tablespoon olive oil)  2xo (onions) + 2xg (garlic) + +1xc (chilli) + 3xt (tomato) = stir fry base mixture.



Or look at any product on the supermarket shelf and it has a description of the different nutrient or food type that forms the product. An example such as soup would include sugar, salt, fat and carbohydrates. They are expressed as a percentage of the overall can of soup.



All of these are examples of formulas or in the scientific world the actual term is formulae.

Quantitative and Qualitative Factors for Formulas

The above formulas and recipes are related to real physical products or objects and the numeric allocation are called quantitative in modern science.



However the concept of formula can be applied to non physical or intangible items such as concepts, themes and even audience emotional and numeric responses and tendencies.



A mixture can be applied and ratios, percentages or numbers can be applied to allocate to the different concepts and themes. This is called 'qualitative' in modern science. The more recognisable example is in google's use of algorithms which are based on behavioural and data relationships (in simple terms).

Self-publishing formulas

So lets have a look at how formulas can be created in self-publishing with the aim of creating a book that people love (and buy and love and refer to others).



In self-publishing two key factors we address in this article and podcast are:



-the establishment of a pipeline to your audience, and



-the connection to your audience through your pipeline .



For clarity, please note that we are talking about the process of self-publishing not the process of writing a manuscript and thus the use of pipeline as a metaphor.



Self-publishing is an act of connection to your audience and it starts after your manuscript is drafted and first contact is made to the outer world!



However your writing skills and story play a big part in the effectiveness of a pipeline to make it attractive, constant and reliable. You are after all a writer which is a powerful skill which can be harvested beyond the manuscript stage and into creation of the pipeline.



With these two factors for self-publishing success you can create  a potent mix of what we call ‘pipeline’ elements and ‘connection’ methods that are mixed and designed to gain audience reach, adoption and the ultimate; alchemy.



The pipeline 'elements' enable ease of distribution.



the ‘connection’ methods create the connection of the book/article/short story ...

The science of self-publishing. Writer communities do not always understand that self-publishing has a scientific dimension. Writers will often spend time on creative content generation in the manuscript stage but not be aware of how scientific methods can test your likely audience type and response.

This article and podcast takes you through the scientific method and how it relates to audience reach through scenario testing.

Self-publishing starts after the manuscript creation stage and involves both an entrepreneurial activity and a series of scenarios that are tested. The testing of scenarios is an act of scientific investigation.

However when we say ‘scenario’ it is about how the ‘book topic’ is tested in the market place prior to any significant investment.

It is a time to pause and use the wonderful creative content of the manuscript for marketing purposes before attempting to produce the book itself.

Congratulations, because when you pause to test your creative idea and mature them based on audience and market responses you have suddenly entered the scientific process. In fact you are a scientist.

The scientific process has two main concepts related to book production and self-publishing. They are

Creating a minimum viable product (MVP) through a micro piece.

Scenario testing of your book prior to production.

In the scientific and business world MVP involves the creation of virtual prototype products that are tested prior to the creation and full investment in the product which requires capital and investment.

Scenario testing involves the creation of versions of the MVP and testing it in the market place.

Lets have a look at each in the context of self-publishing.



Creating a minimum viable product (MVP)

In Dr Jon’s self-publishing laboratory JD SLAB, he mixes these two methodologies and uses micro pieces of writer’s work to test the likely commercial response by using scientific methods and the principle of minimum viable product or MVP.

As an analogy, before creating a new car model, a manufacturer might create a simulation of the car’s performance on the road in certain situations in a virtual environment.

Previously an actual mechanical prototype might have been made which involved considerable expense with a high risk and uncertain return. Thus the difference between traditional prototypes and the more recent MVP.

In the writing situation an MVP involves the creation of a micro-piece. A micro-piece is a small representation of a book.

As examples it might involve a social media post with a teaser blog article, a short story version of the book, a podcast introduction to the book concept or a brief teaser video (like in the movie previews).

You will note that different media types are considered from written to audio to audio-visual. This is because of the different access levels that are involved to the potential reader.

However self-publishing is an act of testing scenarios as if you were in a laboratory. A scenario involves creating one of a number of creative content versions.



Scenario Testing

Scenario testing involves the creation of a series of alternative versions to your micro-piece which you test in the market place using a simple media strategy.

The strategy is to test each version of the micro piece for audience response.

Lets look at an example.

Let’s say you have created an mvp micro piece in the form of an fb blog and a teaser article about your upcoming book on your web site. The article would have a summary of the book and a pitch to a particular audience.

It might be your great new idea for a book on house sitting. Which has a humorous slant because it is actually about pet sitting! The title might be:

How to house sit (or love other people’s  pets)