The book was never going to be a long one, maybe 50 to 75 pages in print. You know, a bathroom book that can be read in a couple of sittings! My hope was to publish it through Fire Protection Publications' FPP imprint (for non-validated books) like Chief Dennis Compton's wonderful When in Doubt, Lead series. However, in recent years FPP has published fewer and fewer books of this size.
Then my family convinced me to write and e-publish a science fiction story I'd played around with for an equally long time. With (my son) Kyle's help, Foothold on Terra-Bravo was written, finished, and e-published and quickly followed by Crisis on Terra-Bravo! This re-awakened the writing bug in me and I looked once more to my instructor book.
I knew this book would not be about training personnel to become fire instructors...but one for fire instructors to improve their attitudes and behaviors and positively impact their instruction! But if I wanted to publish it and FPP was no longer publishing such short books, where could I get it done? Going to a competitor was against my strongly beliefs. E-publish maybe?
As I worked on the latest version of the book, I came to realize that the ideas I was presenting could apply to any type of instructor, teacher, college professor, etc... Perhaps it would be better to genericize the material, strip out as much material directly related to the Fire Service Instructor, and take a broader approach.
This resulted in an even shorter, tighter manuscript. I broached the idea of e-publishing with our Managing Editor at FPP and he agreed I could and should e-publish it! With a broader approach, it was no longer strictly Fire Service related and was outside the realm of FPP. He even teased me about chasing the big bucks by going for the broader audience. (Well, there is some truth to that!)So, I prepared my manuscript for e-publishing through Smashwords.com; editing, formatting, more editing, and finally, shooting a cover.
The cover was a long time in development as I wanted a specific type of look. Not artwork, but a photo. Finally, an idea jelled. I asked a friend, Lori Raborg, who works in our Curriculum Division to appear as the instructor. We arranged a classroom, set the stage, and shot the first sequence of Lori as the "highly effective instructor" giving an animated lecture. With those pictures shot, Lori stepped out of the room, changed into some scruffy clothes, messed up her hair, and returned. We gave her an old stool to sit on and an old, warped ruler to use as a pointer. It took a few shots for Lori to devolve into a tired, worn out, burned out instructor but she was a great actor and made it happen.
Fortunately, through the years, I've learned some photo manipulation tricks and created a split screen effect: ineffective instructor on the left and highly effective instructor on the right. I added in the title info and BOOM there it was!
A little more editing and formatting, some time running the book through Smashwords formatting program (lovingly name MEATGRINDER!) and VOILA! A new book: Honing Your Instructional Skills (9 Steps to Improving Your Teaching!).
Honing Your Instructional Skills is currently available in multiple formats at Smashwords.com. Once it passed its review at Smashwords, it will be pushed out to other e-bookstores such as Amazon's Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble, Versent, and others.
I've priced it at $0.99 solely because of its length.
I hope to set up a Facebook page for Honing Your Instructional Skills in the near future. I'll keep you posted!
*****
I'm 59 pages (in Word) into the prequel to the Terra-Bravo Saga. I've just wrapped up a major battle scene and moving into a grand escape. But there are battles aplenty ahead. This new novel is a lot of fun to write. I find myself losing track of time as I write which means it's holding my attention quite well.
*****
Well enough for tonight. Once again, the Polar Vortex is pushing Southward. Stillwater may get significant ice, sleet, and snow tonight through tomorrow evening.Y'all be careful out there!
Jeffrey
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