Where did the idea for this book come from?
I’d been thinking about a book comprising some of my existing writing with newer pieces for a number of years, and then in 2019, I had to stop work as a GP because of PTSD. I was bothered by a pestering persisting question, ‘Why did I get PTSD? I did all the things that are supposed to help prevent psychological injury, and yet here I was. Why me and not my colleagues?’ I wondered if writing about this question might help me find an answer. That was the motivation in 2021 to start thinking more seriously about putting a manuscript together.
Finding the right structure
Most of the pieces in One Curious Doctor had already been written. So the first draft was more about how to put these disparate pieces together into a cohesive whole. I wrote some new pieces to help fill gaps and tie things together.
The biggest challenge was finding a structure for the book. I wanted to include pieces highlighting the personal impact of working for many years as a small town GP, elements of my upbringing, and stories of my parents’ and grandparents’ journeys to escape persecution. What structure would work to cover that broad canvas?
The answer came to me one morning on my daily walk over Lennox Headland (it’s where I do my best work!) I was on my way back up to The Point from Boulders Beach when it hit me. There is a structure that I know so well. The Medical Record. Could that work?
The standard medical record has distinct sections: History of Present Illness, Past Medical History, Family History, Social History, Diagnosis, Treatment Plan. I realised that I could massage the manuscript to follow this structure.
Going down the self-publishing route
The decision to self-publish was made early on, before I had a complete draft. By early 2022, I had a series of published and unpublished pieces, and had been running reflective writing workshops for many years. I knew one of the organisers of the Blue Mountains Writers Festival and pitched one of my workshops for their upcoming Festival. They said yes.
I knew the festival would be an opportunity to sell a book. I just didn’t have one yet. In March 2022, I had a chance meeting Ben Phillips from Hambone Publishing, who offer a range of services to help people self-publish their work. Ben arranges all the logistics of getting a book published and his sister Mish assists with editing. I felt like I could work easily with them and they seemed genuinely interested in my work.
Within a couple of weeks of meeting, we had an agreement on costs for getting a manuscript of about 60,000 words published by the end of September in time for Blue Mountains Writers Festival.
Once I had decided on the medical record structure, I worked with Mish to revise the individual pieces and decide on which pieces were going to fit into each section. I tried very hard to be detached from my writing and trust her feedback. About half the time we went with Mish’s suggestions.
Hambone engaged a cover designer who was based in London. It was her final job before giving birth to her first child. My only brief for the designer was not to include a stethoscope on the front cover. Too cliched! What came back was a photo of me as a baby with my mum, surrounded by a stethoscope. It was perfect!
The most unexpected thing about the process was the emotional outpouring that occurred when I saw a pdf of the first proof. The book became real the moment I saw it on my computer screen. Even more so than holding an actual physical copy of the book in my hand, which was a big surprise.
How did you promote and distribute your book?
I sold books at events where I was speaking or running workshops, and sold many from my website. The Bookroom at Byron stocked it, and so did a few bookshops in regional Victoria in towns where I was running workshops. But I’m shy, and it wasn’t in my nature to cold-call bookshops and ask them to sell it.
I was interviewed for ABC’s Conversations program in February 2023. I got that gig by pester-power. I asked everyone I knew who had some sort of connection with the ABC to tell the Conversations team about me and the book. One local friend had been on the program and she wrote directly to the producers recommending me. There was a bump in sales on my website after it aired. It was rebroadcast earlier this year (March 2025). More sales.
What were the advantages in self-publishing?
My self-publishing experience was better than I imagined it would be, with sales beyond my expectations. Ben and Mish were great to work with.
The advantages for me were that it was quicker than trade publishing; I had more control over content and design; and I had much higher return per book sold. It didn’t take too long to cover my costs and start making a profit. Also, as most of the sales were via my website, I knew who had purchased copies and was able to personally sign each one.
What were the disadvantages in self-publishing?
I didn’t realise how difficult I would find it having to ask bookshops to pay for the books they had sold on consignment. This was a big negative for me. And it was difficult to get the books into bookshops where I did not have a relationship.
I also hadn’t expected there to be such a difference in the ‘respect’ element for self-published books compared to traditional published books within the book industry. Self-publishing is still looked down upon as a lesser form.
You have to be prepared to visit the post office frequently! I quite liked this; if you knew the couple who run Lennox Post Office, you’d understand how entertaining this can be.
What led you to Wakefield Press?
The publisher found me! I saw that a conference I was due to attend in late 2022 had a session on doctors and writing, so I contacted the organisers and asked to be on the panel. They said yes! On the panel, along with the writer Peter Goldsworthy, was Julia Beaven, an editor at Wakefield Press. She saw that my engagement with the audience was good and that my writing wasn’t too bad. She asked to see the book. Wakefield offered me a contract within a few weeks.
I didn’t get any advice on the contract; perhaps that was a mistake. I did ask the publisher if I was supposed to negotiate the terms of the contract or just accept what was offered. The response to this naïve question was to double the number of copies of the book I would get for free and double the percentage of each sale I would receive. I didn’t get an advance, but I think the terms ended up being fairly standard for a first-time author.
What changes did Wakefield Press make?
Not many. The Wakefield Press editor was good to work with. She wanted one new story, and there were some minor corrections. (I quite like that there’s three typos in the self-published edition!) They tweaked the internal layout but went with the same cover, although changed the wording of the blurb on the back cover.
What was the distribution and promotions process like with Wakefield?
Wakefield provided the opportunity for the book to be distributed through bookshops. Because I was so naive and didn’t ask any questions I just thought it would go to every bookshop in the country, but that’s not how it works. It depends on the enthusiasm of the publisher’s representatives in different states. Wakefield is based in Adelaide, and their representative on the ground in Perth was great, but I had no relationship with anyone outside those two states.
I imagined the book would get into the review section of major newspapers and that the publisher would pitch me to writers’ festival, etc. They did a little of that, but not as much as I hoped they might. Again, I think that was my naivety as to how small publishers work. The promotion of the book after it came out with Wakefield was largely up to me. If I want to sell my books at a workshop, for example, I order them from the publisher at a discounted rate (same as bookshops, although I’ve recently renegotiated a higher discount), and I sell them at RRP.
I had assumed that everything would be taken care of by the publisher. I hadn’t realised how on top of the financials I would have to be (and continue to be) to make sure everything is in order.
What advice do you have for writers considering which track to go down: self-publishing or trade?
First of all, be clear why you want to publish.
In terms of which track to do down, it depends on your personal attributes. Keeping in mind that it’s not necessarily a given that a trade publisher will want your manuscript, it’s a balance between being patient and being a control freak. If you’re a patient person and happy to hand over control, then going with a trade publisher might be better.
Self-publishing is quicker and allows for more control of content and layout. The returns per book are higher, although distribution into bookshops is harder. Most of the initial sales I made were through my networks and I did better than I expected financially.
Having a book out with a trade publisher does have higher status than a self-published title. And overall the Wakefield edition is a more polished product. The best part of having a trade publisher is that I don’t have to deal with bookshops, although I now no longer know who is buying my book, apart from when I sell directly from my website or at events.
Where are things at now with the book?
The book is still selling, and I continue to present at conferences and run workshops.
Receiving unsolicited feedback from people who have read the book continues to be an absolute delight and makes all the work worthwhile. As one person said, ‘You may no longer be healing in a medical clinic but you are still healing through your words on the page.’
The key takeaways?
Writing is a solo effort, but publishing and selling and promoting a book is a team effort. It’s all about relationships – with people in the industry, with readers and with potential readers. Relationships: that’s what all the stories are about in my book.
For more about Hilton Koppe: www.hiltonkoppe.com