Unexpected Twists: My Kindle Publishing Journey with ChatGPT
Imagine if everything in life went smoothly to plan. How boring that would be. Let’s appreciate the worth of unforeseen events and the prospects they offer.
Finally, as the upload of the book I co-authored with ChatGPT to Kindle was just a week away, I was introduced by a client to a friend who was interested in proofreading. I was amazed at the timing! This turned out to be her longest proofreading task ever, at 110,000 characters, but she gladly accepted the challenge and completed the proofreading on the morning before the upload to Kindle. Thanks to her meticulous proofreading and numerous checks, a significant error was eventually found, which was a great help.
In fact, this was the first time my work was seen by someone other than myself. And then, I received my first feedback.
“Despite ChatGPT not having memory or emotions, I witnessed firsthand its ability to naturally understand and empathize with someone’s intentions and feelings. This was a significant discovery for me. Previously, I had viewed ChatGPT as merely a slightly human-like encyclopedia, but in reality, I was astonished to find that it has the potential to converse on par with humans and even function as a mentor at times.”
This feedback was exactly what I had been looking for! The reason ChatGPT named the book “ChatGPT: Enhancing Humanity One Conversation at a Time” was to express the potential of the ChatGPT technology to expand human capabilities. I was relieved to see that my message was conveyed just as I intended.
November 11th, the long-awaited launch day arrived at midnight. However, during the pre-sale setup, I accidentally checked the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) option, resulting in an unintended release on Kindle Unlimited. To undo this setting, I had to wait until the release day. On the day of the launch, I immediately tried to remove the KDP setting, but to my surprise, I couldn’t! Not understanding the reason, I had no choice but to purchase it through Kindle Unlimited myself. (laugh)
“I wonder when I’ll be able to undo it,” I thought as the morning arrived, yet I still couldn’t uncheck the setting. Upon inquiring, I learned that it was impossible to undo until sales began in all marketplaces. Due to the time difference, Japan welcomes the morning earlier, so it seems I had no choice but to wait for the marketplace in Seattle, 17 hours behind, to open.
However, I decided to view this situation as an opportunity. I took the chance to send emails to mentors and acquaintances who had helped me when I started my own business 18 years ago, informing them that they could now read the book on Kindle Unlimited. Some of them promptly read the introduction of the book and sent me their feedback, which warmed my heart.
By 5:00 PM, I was hopeful that all marketplaces would have started selling. Unfortunately, even as the night fell, I still couldn’t undo the KDP setting. Despite my repeated inquiries to support, I only received explanations on how to undo it, but none of these led to an actual solution.
However, spending time on disappointment is a waste of time Instead, I decided to work on enriching the sales page. I was impressed to find out that individuals can easily improve their pages too. This became a new opportunity to make my work more appealing.
“Ultimately, the situation hadn’t changed by the following morning, so I decided to send a screenshot from my computer as an attachment to the support team. This strategy worked, and the Kindle support team quickly resolved the issue. With that, the matter was settled, and the next day, I was finally able to announce the news of my publication on my blog. Thanks to the unexpected turn of events, the day of publication turned out to be unexpectedly quiet, but that too has become a fond memory.
And then, as if to celebrate my publication、the light purple hibiscus at my home bloomed first, followed by the rarely blooming Sakura orchid. It was as if they knew all about my journey of creation.”
ChatGPT-4 and a life coach embark on a pioneering journey, exploring the essence of listening skills in a novel collaboration of a new era! For all — from homebodies to pros!
■ A Theatrical Dialogue between Humans and AI!
This book, a world-first endeavor, is structured like a screenplay from the prologue to the final chapter, featuring dialogues between a life coach, an expert in active listening, and the innovative conversational AI, ChatGPT. It draws out new insights through conversations that span from the techniques of empathetic dialogue to concepts like emotion, time, and experience — elements inherent to humans but absent in AI. Witness the collaboration between humans and AI, once unimaginable during the pandemic, now unfolding before our eyes! The engaging dialogues will keep you turning pages, swiftly leading you to the final scene before you know it.
ChatGPT: Enhancing Humanity One Conversation at a Time: Mastering Listening Skills with ChatGPT & Self-Exploration Prompt