Please tell us a little about yourself and your work. 

When I started teaching at my college, I came from a very technical industry. One thing I really wanted to make sure of at the time was that I was a good advocate for my graduates when speaking with my program’s industry partners. I needed something simple to assess what I considered basic employer practices so that I could tell [the industry partners] what graduates were looking for. When I realized that this really didn’t exist, it became part of an obsession that eventually led to my doctoral dissertation and then my book. 

What was your editing process like? 

The editing process is a vital and humbling experience. One piece of advice I was given was to make sure you and your editor are on the same page from the start of the process. One of the unique aspects of Employment Ethics that was important to me was that it was meant to be shared and to start a conversation. Each chapter can be a stand-alone discussion without prior in-depth reading. Discussing that with my editor helped minimize repetition when reading it cover to cover while keeping it easy to share with peers. 

Any advice for others starting the process of independent publishing? 

First, have a marketing plan and be willing to adjust it as needed. This is especially true when doing nonfiction, where your books are usually for a very niche audience. People tend to be less willing to take risks on the nonfiction they read in comparison to fiction. Second, prepare for interviews. I go through my material at least 30 minutes before the interview, so I stay focused on what’s in front of me and don’t get distracted by other things going on outside the interview. Finally, when doing a podcast, understand that it’s a balancing act of keeping each other on task. Because of that, I use a reference sheet to make sure I hit my points. 

How has critical and/or reader response influenced the way you think about your work? 

When you release your book, you’re throwing a bottle into choppy seas. As an independent author, you are solely responsible for making sure the spotlight stays on the bottle, and you’re hoping people will pick it up. When they do, any response is good, but a positive response is amazing. The response to my book has blown me away. Thinking that [my] work could help someone and being told it has are two vastly different worlds. At least for me, this has been hard to get used to. 

What are you working on now?  

I’ve started my process of writing the next two books; both build on the Maslowian principles established in Employment Ethics [based on the psychologist Abraham Maslow’s work]. One is about how Maslowian principles can be used in the leadership development process; the other is how their abuse can lead to the creation of tyrants. 

Portions of this Q&A were edited for clarity.