I am an author. Those are four words I never thought I would utter! And yet, here we are. I am an author. I have written and self-published my first book. Becoming an author was not on my to-do list or even a blip on the radar. I don’t fancy myself a writer, so how did I come to have written a book?
The blog title calls this a journey, so let’s start at the beginning. In April 2017, I founded my private practice–Tandem Speech Therapy. My purpose and mission have always been to support families of young children with speech and language delays. One of the ways that I do this is through parent and caregiver education. That is where the name tandem was derived. The idea that we can all work together for the benefit and support of the child. To grow their speech and language skills as a team.
One of the first tasks I executed in building my practice was to build a website. That brought with it a host of learning experiences I never thought I would need. I learned about using WordPress; I hired a photographer to take high-quality images. I began the process of getting my business listed on Google so that people in Austin could find me. And then I learned the term SEO–search engine optimization–which lead me to write a blog. According to the “internet,” writing a blog would help Google index me better and let ‘them’ know I was an expert in my field, which would in-term help my business pop up higher in search results.
This post that you are currently reading is blog post #80. A few months into my blogging journey, I developed the idea for Playing With Purpose. In case you’re not familiar, Playing With Purpose is the idea that you can take any activity or toy you are playing with along with your child and turn it into moments for boosting their speech and language skills. In June 2017, I published my first PWP blog post about my favorite toy, Mr. Potato Head. The series has been a success and one of the things I get asked about most often.
About a year after that first Playing With Purpose blog post, came the idea to turn my framework into a book. I honestly do not remember who had the idea first or who put the bug in my ear. It was going to be quick and straightforward. Isn’t that what you imagined publishing a book to be– fast and simple?!
Like most things I’ve done for my business and Tandem Speech Therapy, I dove in headfirst and learned along the way. First came organizing all my ideas and content. Then came more writing and hiring an editor. I used a website called Upwork to hire some talented people along the way. The last significant step was hiring a graphic designer to put it all together and execute my vision.
I am not one for regrets, but I regret that I didn’t publish my ebook and print book at the same time. Honestly, I did not imagine all the requests I have received for a book in print. I read books on my tablet or listen to audiobooks almost exclusively these days so I would have to say that not doing some more market research cost me time and time also means money. I published the Playing With Purpose ebook in October 2018, and it instantly garnered lots of support. It has been overwhelming to hear feedback on this piece of my work.
And now it’s July 2019. This week I self-published my Playing With Purpose book, and you can buy it in print form. I am incredibly proud of all the work I have done and of the work my team (i.e., designers, editors, family, friends, etc.) has put in. Don’t delay, get your hands on a copy now and have fun Playing With Purpose!
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Learn how to purposefully and intentionally interact with your child during play and help them increase opportunities for speech and language development with our Playing with Purpose book!
