INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR AND CLIENT MIKE VENY
Today I want to share with you an interview with my client Mike Veny who wrote Connectivity and Conversations, a book to help people build mental healthy workplaces. This book is full of practical advice and easy to implement steps you can take to improve your workplace. Mike’s writing process is a bit unusual, and is a great example for writers who want to take a nontraditional approach to making a book. If you’re writing a book for your business too, I wrote a free guide to help you through the process. Get it here.
Why did you write this book? And what impact do you hope to have on your readers in the workplace?
It was important to write this book because the topic of mental health was really brought into the spotlight by the pandemic. Focus shifted to what goes on inside all of our minds with our feelings. And employers want employees to be productive. So I wrote this book to give simple and practical tools to managers, supervisors, and HR professionals to help them with these very sensitive conversations about mental health.
What was your writing process like?
First, we did research to figure out what questions needed to be answered and what content would be most useful for my readers. We surveyed human resource professionals and managers about workplace mental health questions they had. Then I took content that I have taught in the past, written about in blogs, and even stuff from my other book, Transforming Stigma, How to Become a Mental Wellness Superhero and put it all together for this course.
Then, with all that gathered, we recorded a video course. We then took the video course and made it into a book. That was interesting because we had to change language in a certain way. We had to add some things and take out some other things. Overall, I think it went really well.
Why did you choose self-publishing?
I chose self-publishing because I wanted to have financial control over my book sales, but also because the number one way to sell a book is through speaking gigs. And that’s what I’m doing full time already. So I already have the platform to sell books. With self-publishing, I have all the rights. I can edit things as I need to, make some changes quickly if I need to, and make the most money that I can. Because what happens is, a lot of my clients will hire me for an event and purchase 500 copies of my book in bulk. So you do the math there. I also wanted to be able to print them when I needed to, give them away when I want to. And all that stuff.
Tell us about each step of the process. What did you like? What did you not like so much?
I really did like every step of the process. What I actually liked the most was working with each person. Once the course was transcribed, it went to Michael Luchies, my directional editor, and he worked really well with me to organize it into logical book. Then I brought in Laura. Laura just put so much love into the book from the first conversation with helping me with additional details and giving me lots of feedback and making the language more impactful, which I thought was really good. It was great!
What was the editing phase like for you?
Again, very easy and practical and simply effortless. Working with Laura was just easy, and that’s why I’m going to be working with her more this year.
Are there any resources you’d recommend to aspiring indie authors who are just starting out?
Yes. Read every book that you can on being a self-published author and write down systems processes so you can automate as much as you can. Remember that you’re going to have to learn so many other things that are not related to writing at all. In fact, that’s where your biggest time and effort is going to be- learning to market and sell the book. It’s not something that you’re going to get right immediately. You have to learn what works; it’s a process of trial and error.
Is there anything you know now that you wish you knew then? Do you have any advice for other writers?
Yes. One thing that I wish I had known is that ultimately, the book isn’t my baby. I might have a vision for how I need it to be, but the beautiful thing about working with editors is that they can really help you see your blind spots. So it’s important to trust the editor and let them do what they specialize in. Let the editor do their job; give them that space—that’s so important.
How does this book fit into your business model?
Well, number one, it’s a product that can help serve human resource professionals and managers in the workplace.
Number two, the book acts as a business card for me and all the work I do. It serves a purpose online because the description and keywords have been search engine optimized. So we can maximize the algorithm on Amazon for getting what we need. So in that sense, someone types in a certain term, like “mental health in the workplace.” Over time, you’ll see Connectivity and Conversations rise higher in the search engine, which helps the speaking part of my business, and establishes me as an expert in people’s minds. Having written a book on the subject will get me more speaking gigs. Then I am connecting directly with my target readers and they might buy a bunch of copies of Connectivity and Conversations.
How are you marketing the book? What techniques are you using to reach your readers?
One of the best ways I love to market my book—and this really helped me with my first book, which continues to have great sales—is I give it away for free. And people say, well, I want to make money. Yes, but it’s important to get it into people’s hands, the people who will run their mouths. So I make it a point to figure out who’s my customer evangelist, and free copy will show up in the mail for them. Everyone likes a free gift, and if you’re doing it through Ingram Spark, it’s relatively inexpensive. Some people say, “I’ve got a group of ten people that would love this.” I say, “Well, I’m going to send you ten copies.” That’s so important to do.
What other books do you have available? Do you plan on writing more books?
Yes, I have Transforming Stigma into Strength, and the Transforming Stigma Workbook. I also anticipate this year at least ten other books coming out for me. I’m super excited.
Thanks so much Mike, it’s been great talking with you!
Laura, thank you so much for this and thank you for being a part of my team and thank you for your integrity and just being awesome!
About the author: Mike Veny loves working with leaders who are tired of bringing the same old textbook presentations on mental health or diversity and inclusion to their events. If you are looking for a compelling speaker who will connect with, entertain, and engage your audience—all while educating and uniting them around improving wellness—you’ve come to the right place.
You can reach Mike at: Mike@MikeVeny.com
All his books are available on Amazon
