157. 🎙 Making a Book with Koosje Koene

the sneakyart podcast returns!

Nishant Jain

Sep 30, 2022

Hello listeners!

After a wonderful, refreshing summer hiatus, the SneakyArt Podcast is back. I have new ideas and big plans. In today’s post - 🎙 show notes from the new episode and 👨🏻‍🎨 seats in my drawing workshop this Sunday.

The SneakyArt Post shares secretly drawn art from my world, thoughts from my journey of self-education to be an artist, and the best ideas from the SneakyArt Podcast.

Ep 51 - Making a Book with Koosje Koene

Today’s episode validates a string of good ideas - from starting the podcast to creating bonus content for SneakyArt Insiders, and from speaking with Koosje in Ep 29 about self-publishing to the journey of her new book, now shipping worldwide.

I speak with Amsterdam-based artist and YouTuber Koosje Koene about her new book - Life is Better when you Draw (it) - and the experience of self-publishing, from raw concept to finished product … and beyond!

📚 Buy the book! Also find Koosje’s work on IG, and YouTube.

🎙 Listen to our previous conversation, Ep 29 - Doing What’s Fun with Koosje Koene. Also catch the bonus Post-Script segment, about self-publishing and being creative entrepreneurs.

Listen to this episode on your choice of streaming or grab a link below:

Spotify | Apple | PocketCasts | Google | Web | Gaana

Being Away From Mic

Spending time away from mic, I had a chance to reflect on the show, think through new ideas, and experiment with some audio formats.

I was also lucky to meet many avid listeners in the Netherlands. A big thank you to Anna Denise, Ellen, and Vera in Utrecht, Srikkanth in Delft, Margo and Chloe in Den Haag, Malik and Emma in Zutphen, and the others that I have forgotten to mention. As I said to you, meeting podcast listeners leads to warm but lopsided conversations - you know too much about me, and I know nothing about you!

But I am glad for the lopsided but warm conversations I was able to have. It was good for me to listen to people who have spent so much time listening to me.

I need to do this more often. Do you agree?

Show notes

Koosje used a British print-on-demand service called BookVault.
Why did Koosje choose PoD? Her main concern was being able to distribute worldwide without the DIY headache.
They discuss reasons to self-publish.

“It felt right as an entrepreneur to do this.” - Koosje, speaking about the business decisions around putting together a book.

Koosje relates early feedback from publishers to indicate that the book did not fit with what they wanted to sell.
What is Koosje’s sense of the market of this book?

I mention the long tail of the creator economy
From The Attention Economy To The Creator Economy: A Paradigm Shift
The Creator Economy Needs Fatter Tails
Where Did the Long Tail Go?

Koosje stresses the importance of connecting with her IG and YT audience through the book.

“There are 1500 people on my email list waiting for this book. If a third of them bought it, I would love that.” - Koosje emphasizes that she knows exactly who this book is for.

How should the ideal reader use this book?
Making pragmatic choices around book style, format, size, keeping her audience in mind.
The importance of naivete - to not have full knowledge of the road ahead, especially its obstacles.

“How does one eat an elephant?”

“Everywhere you go is a book launch.” - Nishant, on how to approach book launches as a self-published author.
Koosje has a question for me, as I seek literary agents.
The usefulness of writing book proposals, even if you don’t go with a publisher.
To catch the larger context of this conversation, listen to this Post-Script segment of Ep 29.

Koosje and I chatted over drinks at the Pacific Bar in Westerpark (Amsterdam).

This Sunday, I speak with Insiders about favourite recent reads - including two books by urban sketchers. To be in the loop, sign up to become an Insider!

Insiders also get the chance to pose a question for upcoming podcast recordings.

Thank you for your time and attention. Only a couple of seats left in my Zoom drawing workshop this Sunday, visit here to grab them.