Behind the scenes of a bestselling book launch

One year ago, I published my first-ever book “Pioneer Your Career Change”. Before I started writing my book, I knew nothing about the process. I know many people "have a book in their hearts" and are curious about what it takes so I thought I’d share:

• The process I went through.
• The people I hired.
• The total costs to produce and publish the book.
• How I managed the launch and tracked the bestseller lists.

From memoirs to a career change guide

While writing a book is often touted as the "ultimate business card" for consultants and speakers, my personal journey into writing was the true catalyst. A couple of years ago, around age 33/34, I decided to write my memoirs. My initial goal was to create a legacy in the world, my "baby," since I'm not having kids. I started physically handwriting my memoirs in Kikki-K notebooks. Someone in a business group wisely advised me to "write the memoirs for yourself, not for an audience." 

This was a pivotal piece of advice. When I initially wrote for a reader, I found myself censoring my stories. By writing for myself, I was able to be completely open, which resulted in richer, more cathartic stories about my personal life, career challenges, reflections, and wins. I started by listing all the key moments — personal and professional — from childhood right up until I started writing. I recommend everyone writes their memoirs, even if they never publish them! It took longer than expected, especially with distractions, and I got about three-quarters of the way through before the energy shifted.

I began to feel the energy of a business book pulling me. By reviewing the early career stories in my memoirs, I realised I had experienced five career changes by the age of 35. It dawned on me that this was the topic I needed to focus on: career change. I stopped writing the memoirs and began to concentrate on the stories and concepts I wanted to put into the actual book.

The self-publishing roadmap

The biggest game-changer for me was a book recommended by a business friend: “Published” by Chandler Bolt. The book provides a step-by-step guide on creating, writing, publishing, and launching both fiction and non-fiction books. Following the principles in this book, it only took me about one month to write the first draft of “Pioneer Your Career Change”. I used my existing content (old programs, blog posts, etc.) about career change and plugged in the relevant stories from my memoirs. I structured the book around my five-step Career Change Formula.

I had the manuscript draft by February 2024, but a new consulting client meant the project was put on pause until August. I decided to launch in November for strategic reasons: to capitalise on the Christmas gift-buying season (so many people bought the book in bulk to give to their team or their friends!) and allow readers to use the book to plan their career change for the new year.

I initially sought a hybrid publisher to handle the logistics, formatting, and Amazon uploading. This seemed like a dream solution until I reviewed the contract. It stated they would place their imprint on the book, despite me covering all financial and legal risk. I chose instead to go entirely self-published to retain sole ownership of my book, especially given it was such an intimate book about my personal life and career journey. I worked with a solicitor for legal review, did the rough draft edit myself, hired an editor for the professional edit and proofreading, did the final printed manuscript line-by-line review myself, then sent it off to a book formatter and cover designer to turn into the final eBook and print book versions. I prioritised investing in a professional look and quality that would make the self-published book indistinguishable from a traditionally published one. Once these versions had launched in November 2024 on Amazon, I recorded the audiobook in early December with a local audiobook producer, reviewed it and got it uploaded to Audible by Christmas, with it published in January 2025 and officially launching April 2025. I wanted to use my own voice to connect directly with my listeners given there’s so many personal anecdotes, and made my Pioneer Your Career Change audiobook available on all platforms including Audible and Spotify.

The launch strategy

I followed the steps in Chandler Bolt's book for the launch with: a Book Launch Team of people who followed me through my book writing and publishing journey who got a free early PDF copy of the manuscript, and a free eBook promotion on the Kindle store to drive initial volume and boost visibility. I also held an in-person Book Launch Party in Sydney for clients, students, friends, and neighbours, where I gave away signed copies of the book and hired a photographer and videographer to capture the moment. Finally, I ran a 30-day Book Club with a private and exclusive LinkedIn group, daily posts to guide readers through the book, and a live Q&A session.

The intense launch activity paid off quickly, resulting in four bestseller hits within the first week and a half across the US and Australia:

• #1 Bestseller in Job Hunting (US Kindle Store)
• #1 Bestseller in Women in Business (Australia Kindle Store and Book Category)
• #2 Bestseller in Personal Growth and Spirituality
• #1 New Release in Job Hunting (US) and Women in Business (Australia)

Final advice for budding writers

Launching my first book was not only a professional success, but a personal and spiritual one too. If I could leave one message for a future author, it is this: Just write it. The book's subject matter - career change - has proven incredibly timely, resonating with a huge number of people concerned about their careers in a post-COVID and AI-driven world. The book truly had its own energy, and I believe "the book finds you at the time that it wants to be birthed."

As a special treat to celebrate the 1st birthday of my global bestselling book, get the first chapter of “Pioneer Your Career Change” for free today:

>> Get the first chapter of my book for free here

Want the full version? Find the eBook or print formats on Amazon here, or listen to the audiobook on all audiobook platforms including Audible or Spotify.

Lata xx

P.S. Did you know that my book makes an amazing Christmas or End of Year gift for friends, family, colleagues, and team members so they can fill up on inspiration over the holidays and start 2026 empowered to shine in their professional success? If you’d like to order 4+ copies of my book in bulk, signed with a personalised message from the author (moi!), contact me via my website and let’s get your gifts ordered in time for the festive season!