From Heartbreak to ‘Publish’: Building My Website, Freebies and Hitting Kindle Launch

Somewhere between drafting chapters and arguing with AI over book covers, I realised something terrifying:

Writing the book was only half the job. Now I had to put it into the world.

Which is how I found myself learning how to build a website, create freebies, and set up a Kindle download… all while periodically thinking, What if nobody buys this?

Building my little corner of the internet

I knew I wanted a space that felt like me, not just a random template with my name slapped on it.

So I set up my own site and started playing:

• Pages for the book

• An “About” section that didn’t sound like a LinkedIn profile

• A place for readers to sign up and get freebies

• Somewhere to house all the chaos and honesty in an organised way (for once)

Every button, colour and section felt like another tiny commitment:

“Yes, I am actually doing this. This is not a drill.”

The Rule Book & bonus chapter

I didn’t just want to shout “BUY MY BOOK” at people (even though, yes, please do). I also wanted to give something back.

That’s where the Rule Book came in – the rules I set myself after divorce, the ones that helped me navigate dating and not lose my mind completely. Turning that into a free download felt right. A little companion piece to the main book.

Then I picked a bonus chapter that didn’t make the final cut but still deserved an audience – the kind of exclusive extra that shows up in your inbox like a mate sending you a juicy voice note.

Suddenly, the site wasn’t just a static “Here’s my book” page. It was a little ecosystem:

• Book

• Freebie

• Extra content

• A way to stay in touch with people who get it

The Kindle moment

And then came the Kindle set-up.

Uploading the manuscript. Checking the formatting. Re-checking. Tweaking the description so it sounded like me and not a robot. Picking the price. Hovering over the final button like it might explode.

I’ve bared my heart and soul in these pages. The funny dates, the painful bits, the lessons I wish I didn’t have to learn the hard way. Hitting “publish” felt like standing on a stage in my underwear while holding a sign that says, “Please like this.”

The rollercoaster

In the space of a single day, my emotions could do the following:

• Utter excitement: I’ve actually done it.

• Total fear: What if nobody buys it?

• Random shame spiral: What if people buy it and hate it?

• Quiet pride: Even if they do, I still wrote a whole book.

That’s what this whole process has been: a rollercoaster. Highs, lows, loop-the-loops. But at the end of the day, I’d rather strap myself in and ride it than stand at the side holding everyone else’s bags.

If you’d like to join me on this rollercoaster, you can download Swipe Right, Keep Left on Kindle now, grab my free Rule Book on my website, and keep an eye out for the bonus chapter I’ll be sharing with subscribers.