From Acupuncture to Authoress
Marianne Killick graduated from the NCA in Summer 2010 with a BSc in Acupuncture, since then her career has gone from strength to strength and has recently become an author. We caught up with her to find out more….
What have you been doing since graduation?
I got married just weeks after finishing the course. I also got made redundant from my job the same day I found out that I had passed all my exams! At the time it was panic stations as I suddenly had no income, but it jet propelled me into finding clinics to work in. I had done a practitioner observation day in one clinic and they’d mentioned thinking about taking on an associate, so I got in contact and they took me on a day and a half. I did another two days out of a local physio clinic and another one in a nearby town.
In autumn 2011 I had my daughter so completely dropped one of the clinics and kept on the other two but with reduced hours. I had to schedule pumping breaks in-between patients! In 2014 we moved to town 25 miles away from where we had been living and I was also expecting my son.
At this point I decided to leave being an associate and strike out on my own. Being an associate had suited me whilst in the early days of new parenthood as I could turn up, see patients and go home, without any other hassle. But from 2014 I built my own clinics. I built up from one evening a week to three days – two of them being very long ones! This gave me the balance of time at home with the children and working. My youngest started school last September and this is where I’ve had the chance to push forwards.
Where did the concept of writing a book come from?
I’ve always harboured the dream of being an author but always been unsure what to write about. Last year I signed up to Shaa Wasmund’s free webinar on how to write a book. I was curious to see what she had to say.
What finally crystallised the idea for me was being told “imagine you’ve got 2-3 hours in a room with your ideal audience. What would you tell them?” And that’s where the idea for my book was born.
I then signed up to her full course which helped me structure it, plan it and above all, get it done. It’s more or less what I’ve been finding myself saying to my acupuncture patients day in day out, backed up with my learning when also certifying as a Women’s Health Coach, the latest evidence in lifestyle change and a sprinkle of personal experience.
Have you self-published the book? If so what made you choose that option? Was it through the Shaa Wasmund’s course?
I self-published, but using a company to manage the formatting, production and fulfilment on amazon. We covered the different options on Shaa’s course. I chose this route for two reasons, the first being time. A traditional publishing route can take 18months plus to get the book on the shelf. You can also do hybrid publishing but that costs around £5-7000, where you are also paying to be added into certain shops and book lists. A traditional publisher would also want to see you had a big following already as you are still expected to do most of your own self-promotion. As a relatively unknown person my chances of being considered by a traditional publishing house were a lot lower so I decided to grab the proverbial bull by the horns and just get on with it. If I do reasonably well by myself, my chance of a traditional book deal on future publications is significantly higher. It also depends on what you want the book to do for you. Is it to earn a living from it or is it to grow your platform to open doors to other things?
Can you tell us briefly what your book ‘Put Yourself First’ is about?
My book addresses the mind-set and beliefs many women have that mean they look after everyone else first and put themselves last. I’ve seen too many women in poor health in my clinic who have done an amazing job of giving their all to those around them and now they are suffering. Drawing on my health coach training, own experiences of running a business and raising small children, the book also asks women to consider practical questions around how they can structure their time, delegate and create healthy boundaries in order to have time to meet their own health needs. It explains to women how their bodies actually work in relation to their daily choices.
Women are not taught this stuff in school or by medical professionals, but without this knowledge, they can’t be truly empowered to take charge of their own health.
Above all it’s a book designed to make women think and question how they can apply changes to their own real lives. And it’s all infused with a very TCM approach to health. How could it not be?!
What was your favourite part of the book writing process?
I really enjoyed getting immersed in the actual writing process. Trying to figure out what I actually wanted to say. Some bits came more easily than others. But cross-checking it with research papers and text books was fun. My inner geek had a fantastic time! It was also the realisation that I actually knew quite a lot! It’s given me a real boost of confidence in my skill set.
How long did it take?
Ten years!!! The actual writing, about 5 months. I had to schedule out whole blocks of time so I could get stuck in. I didn’t see anyone for months!
Where can people buy copies of your book?
On Amazon, it went on sale on 20th Feb 2020 and is £12.99 paperback and £8.99 on Kindle.
What are the joys and pitfalls of writing and publishing a book? In case any of our acupuncture students are thinking of doing the same.
The joy is immersing yourself in a subject you love. I found the pitfalls to be the stuff that needs to happen to turn your manuscript into an actual book and get it out there. There’s a lot of complicated tech stuff and trying to understand things like landing pages and lead magnets and CRM systems that frankly leave me cold but with which I’ve had to engage. I’d say allow more time than you think you need. Then add another couple of months to that.
What direction do you hope the book will take you in the future?
I’m hoping it gives me a platform to get an important message out to as many women as possible. Real self-care is essential if you want to achieve your dreams.
What are your plans for the future?
To continue my acupuncture clinics but also to offer bespoke online health coaching to women trying to meet health goals through lifestyle change.