I Almost Quit Before I Even Started. · Non-Fiction Author Lab

I Almost Quit Before I Even Started.

As a new self-publisher, I’ve learned over these last two months that marketing is far harder than writing.

For months I chased platforms — Skool, X, Pinterest, Reddit, Facebook — trying to get my book Fueling the Night Shift in front of real night shift nurses. But the results are not very noticeable.

Then it hit me: what if I just… made videos for them?

Sounded simple. It wasn't. I burned through nearly every mainstream AI video tool — robotic characters, stiff movements, hours of prompts for results I wasn't proud of. More than once, I nearly quit.

Then I came across Gemini Omni Flash, and everything changed. I stopped obsessing over the tech and started asking the real question: what do night shift nurses actually struggle with at 3AM? That's when the angle found me — the coffee-snack-regret loop. Not a willpower problem. A biology problem.

I wrote the script, refined it, rebuilt it. Way more time and pain than I expected. But that learning? Worth every hour.

Where there's a will, there's a way.

Now I'm committed to a daily series — one video every day. I don't know what it'll do for my book. Maybe nothing. But if even one nurse picks up one practical tip, I'm more than satisfied.

First one's live here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/SqV8INEl7V8

And since this community has seen countless videos — what resonated with you, and what didn't land? No sugarcoating, I'm still learning. Every honest note helps me serve those selfless night shift nurses better. Thank you. 🙏

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I Almost Quit Before I Even Started.