Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a Cryptocurrency enthusiast. I have written only one book so far about Crypto. I am a serial entrepreneur that has a strong technical background. I spent 30 years as a programmer, tester, and Software Engineer working in Telecom. I have written an Android application that is available on Google Play called MathWizard. And, I have built up four separate affiliate websites where I have written a lot over the past decade about Coffee, White Teeth Health, Lotions and Skin Care, and Dog Supplies.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I retired a year and a half ago and was looking to create another revenue stream that might take up my newly found free time, I watched a video about how to make money on Audible. I had been investing into Cryptocurrencies since late 2017 and had learned a LOT about that space. I was trying to come up with a book idea to use to hire an author to ghost write for my Audible book. A friend of mine suggested that since I talk a LOT about Crypto, that I should just write the book myself and make it about Crypto. Since I had really been deeply involved in Crypto for a few years, the writing of the book turned out to be a lot easier than I ever expected. It took about a year from start to finish to get the book onto Amazon. It turns out that the difficult part for me wasn’t the writing of the book, but the editing, cover creation, and navigation of the KDP websites that consumed probably over 30% of that time. Anyway, I had a lot of fun writing the book. I hope that comes through if you choose to read it!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I set a goal of writing 10,000 words a month. And, I planned to stop at 100,000 words. I created the TOC first and just started filling it out. Not sure any of that is unusual. But, it was effective for me to see the end of a month approaching and how that spurred me to focus on completing each monthly milestone. As it turned out, I thought I was done at around 93,000 words. But, as I kept thinking of stuff that “‘needed” to be in the book, it ended up about about 128,000 words (pre-editor). The professional Editor cut maybe 5K to 10K words off of that number.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My experience writing for my own websites had the most influence on me. I started off by thinking I could just slap together keyword stuffed webpages and Google would flood me with traffic. Well, Google quickly taught me that quality matters. That was the best lesson I could have learned. I then began the process of converting websites that I was kind of embarrassed to tell friends about, to four somewhat high quality sites that I no longer feel self-conscious about. In fact, I am actually pretty proud of most of the content I have on those websites.
What are you working on now?
I have just completed getting my Crypto book live on Amazon. So, I’m working on doing some of the promotional marketing work. I have learned a lot from the websites. Although, I have also learned that connecting with people is one of the most important parts of marketing. I’m pretty much awful at that. So, my website marketing has been somewhat abysmal. In between fits of book work, I try to occasionally work on the websites. I do work around the house. And, I hope to do more traveling in the coming years should world wide virus events allow. And, of course, I am continuing to work my personal investment strategies in Crypto.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Best for me is nothing to copy. My personal promotion tactics have never been very good. The one method I think is good is to include people in my book. I have a list of 20 “Crypto Characters”. Many of them have quite large followings. I have contacted each of them and let them know that they are in my book and if they find any value with my book, they are free to let anyone they want know about it.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Being new, no.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Oh, my. So many choices. I have always subscribed to the idea that no one can make you react. No matter what others are trying to tell you to do or force you to do, the one thing no one can force you to do is to react in any specific way. It is always up to you to choose your reaction to any situation.
What are you reading now?
The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
There are so many great studies and strong thought processes in this book. I have actually read through it via audio book. I put in my headphones and listen to it as I go to sleep. I then rewind back to where I fell asleep the night before. I sometimes end up listening to the same chapters over and over again. I just love the idea the book tries to promote that being happy begats more happiness. I try to live by it and take advantage of the many described “Advantages” in this book.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Next is to hire a reader and to get my Crypto book onto Audible.
After that I’d like to do another Crypto book. But, I put so much into this one, I’m not sure I can come up with a full book without too much repeating from the first book. We’ll see what happens this year with my Crypto investments. Perhaps new and exciting things will surface and provide me with enough fodder.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Quiet by Susan Cain
Author Websites and Profiles
Stephen Jaggers (CryptoJaggz) Amazon Profile
Stephen Jaggers (CryptoJaggz)’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account