Sarah A. Gibson is a Masters Degree Medical Professional who practiced medicine for 18 years before expanding her expertise to include Lifestyle medicine. She is a certified Health and Wellness Coach who combines the experience of traditional medical care with powerful coaching tools to achieve unparalleled results for her clients. Her approach is full of empathy in meeting clients right where they are, then expertly helping them identify their own motivators for achieving success.
As a coach, I find that the biggest struggle my clients have is just getting started. So my goal with this workbook is to walk readers through the process of figuring out what they want, then helping them break it down into easy steps. The process is simple but very effective. It allows the reader to take a dream or something that seems impossible to accomplish, and turn it into an action plan.
What are the top three tools you are currently using to write, publish, and promote your books?
I am always researching new tools and methods for my business, but I would say that my top three tools for my book are my Google drive, Amazon KDP, and Fiverr.
I use my Google drive to store brainstorming sessions, multiple edits, even links to articles that I find helpful. And then I keep my promotion tracking in a spreadsheet. For me, staying organized is essential. I use folders to keep my projects separated and can easily bounce between documents. And having everything in one place that I can access from any device makes it easy!
And as a new author who is self publishing, I find Amazon KDP very easy to use. It brings “validity” when client’s see that they can buy my book on Amazon’s trusted site, and it keeps things like customer service and shipping off of my “to do” list! For now, it allows me to focus on growing my business and creating new content. I also love that I can order printed author copies of my book at a very low cost without minimum amounts, so if I want to sell my book in person, I don’t need to place a large order.
And Fiverr has been invaluable for finding talented freelancers to help with everything from KDP formatting to book cover designs. It has allowed me to take my vision and turn it into a final book that I am proud of!
What were the top three mistakes you made publishing your book and what did you learn from it?
Well, probably the biggest mistake I made was waiting so long! I was so worried that my book wasn’t “good enough” or that I wouldn’t sell any copies, that I held onto a finished product for almost 6 months before publishing it!
But besides that, I really tried to trust the process and just put my product out there. I was able to avoid a lot of hassles and mistakes by hiring professionals to help me with formatting and by using Amazon KDP to publish the final product!
In your opinion is it better to self-publish through Amazon KDP or go with other platforms like BookBaby or IngramSpark?
I think it really depends on your goals for your book. If you want to get into bookstores, you might be better off with IngramSpark. Do you want to pay someone to put it all together for you? Then maybe BookBaby is your best fit.
For me, I wanted to do the entire process on my own. I just wanted to start by selling on Amazon to make the logistics of printing, shipping, and reviews easy. I also had an eBook version that I wanted to offer to Kindle Unlimited members for more exposure. I didn’t care about making as high of a profit margin for my first publication. I just wanted to test the process and get my product out there.
My best advice is to let go of “perfection” and just get it done! I concentrated on my actual book first and kept to my schedule for completing it. Then I focussed on the technical parts of publishing. Once it was all together, I just used social media to market it and asked for help from friends and family! And as I am getting feedback and reviews, I am making notes for my next edition!
What is the one thing you wished you knew before publishing your first book?
I wish that I knew how exciting it was to hold my own book in my hands!
I didn’t know anything about the process beforehand and my intention really was just to put together a workbook with exercises that my clients were already using. So once I published it, I felt really good about the product and was proud of myself.
But when I actually got a copy of “Self Care Habits for Success” in the mail, shipped from Amazon, I was so overwhelmed! I felt like I had a product that would be able to help so many people set goals and accomplish their dreams. It was a tremendous feeling.
Some of my best marketing techniques were leveraging social media, specifically Facebook groups. I offered my Kindle version for free for 5 days and posted that offer on many of the free eBook Facebook groups. This helped me get a few hundred downloads and increase my Amazon ranking for more exposure!
If you had the chance to start your career over again what would you do differently?
Hmm…that’s a tough one! I think all of my experiences really have molded the person that I am today. It took me a long time to figure out how to balance a professional career with a personal life, all while staying true to myself. If I could start my career over again, I would concentrate on work-life balance early on, and focus on strategies that allow me to work independently of an organization or employer.
I love reading books and taking courses, so there are 3 that really helped me publish my first book.
The first is a video course on the Udemy platform, called “How to Become a Best Selling Author on Amazon Kindle” by Tom Corson-Knowles. It contains 49 lectures and is 11.5 hours and took me through the entire process, start to finish.
I also watched a lot of YouTube videos and found “Self Publishing with Dale” to have some helpful tips and insight!
And lastly, I went through this blog article by Spencer Haws and read articles, listened to podcasts, and did my own research before I started writing!
How can we get in touch with you?
The best way to get in touch with me is through my website, SarahGibsonCoaching.com
I have a contact form there where people can submit specific requests for speaking, guest posting, and interviews.
I also have a section where potential clients can book a Health Breakthrough session with me! This is a one-on-one call that helps my client discover the root cause of life-sucking symptoms, uncover patterns that are sabotaging their goals, and outline a personalized action plan!
I also have free resources and blog articles for health and wellness that are frequently updated.
Sarah A. Gibson Book: Self Care Habits for Success
