Publishing My First Book at 75

It's never too late to get over a mid-life crisis

Welcome to a fortnightly newsletter for those who want to remain positive and optimistic in the face of the challenges ageing brings. Let’s explore ideas and experiences related to living in the second half of life. During the last 30 years, I followed the science of living a healthier life, mentally and physically, and put it into practice. I continue to learn and share this knowledge in posts, podcasts and sometimes, videos. Subscribe to my newsletter for access to them.

This is a slightly amended copy of my very first post on Substack, from last year.

---

Photo by Annelies Geneyn on Unsplash

Ageing is something we are all doing, all of the time. We start to age the moment we’re born. It’s not until middle age that we start to really think about what is happening to us. After forty the prospect of ‘growing old’ starts to become a reality because we realise that we are most likely halfway through our time. This can trigger a midlife crisis as we re-evaluate what we’ve achieved and what time we might have left to get on and do those things we always wanted to do but still haven’t.

If you’re a boomer, like me, your midlife crisis would have happened in the eighties; 1987 for me, to be exact, the year that was the beginning of the three-term tenure of Margaret Thatcher as Britain’s first woman Prime Minister. Being forty hit me hard. What had I done with my life? It became a time of change as I dealt with the philosophical uncertainty that dogged my thinking. When I was forty-two I made two lifestyle changes that proved to be a good investment for the future: I gave up eating meat and I took up yoga.

The former had given me a great deal of soul-searching: how could I justify eating animals knowing how cruelly they were kept before being slaughtered and ending up on my plate? The second was a no-brainer; I needed to keep fit and flexible, and friends recommended yoga. Science tells us that a plant-based diet and regularly practising yoga help to promote a long, healthy life. I still practice yoga thirty-plus years later and I haven’t knowingly eaten meat since I gave it up, though I do eat fish occasionally.

Another change I made in my forties was to divorce my then husband. I found that after a twenty-year marriage, even if you were the one to call time on it, you were left feeling adrift, your future unsure. You had to reassess who you were as a divorced woman, struggling to make sense of your redefined sense of self. I knew I should learn a new skill, and qualify as something or other to earn more money to keep myself and my teenage son. However, I had always resented that failing my eleven-plus meant my secondary education was spent in a Secondary Modern School rather than the Girls’ High School one of my best friends attended.

Fortunately, Harold Wilson’s government of the sixties had introduced the University of the Air Waves in 1969, better known as the Open University. It was meant for people like me to get a second chance at acquiring a degree and I decided to go for it. Studying would fill my spare time and give me a sense of purpose. As a part-time degree course, it took twice as long to graduate; my degree in Psychology and Social Policy was hard-earned and I was proud to have completed it six years later, at the age of 52.

I learned so much from studying with the OU, not just the academic subjects but time management, critical analysis, how scientific research works, and much more. One of the subjects I studied in the Humanities Introductory course was politics and I came to understand where my leanings truly lay in that regard, thanks to a committed left-wing tutor. It also increased my interest in science and its findings on health and longevity.

During the second year of the pandemic, in the first lockdown of that year, I decided to write a book about my own experience of ageing and how I had used science to reach a fit and healthy 73-year-old. I had an account on Instagram where I was posting what I knew about ageing well and had gained a large following. I used the information I had posted as the basis for my book. To up the word count I also wrote about some aspects of my life, so basically, it turned into a memoir. I involved alpha-readers and beta-readers, had it proofread, and then finally sent it off to an agent.

Three months later I got an email addressed: “Dear Patrick” so I knew this agent hadn’t read my manuscript. I sent it off to another, but after three months I’d heard nothing so obviously, the second agent wasn’t interested. Rather than send it off to yet another agent I decided to cut out the middle man and go down the self-publishing route. I’d read about Amazon’s print-on-demand KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) service and thought I’d try that. However, it would mean a lot of work, especially if I left the manuscript in its current form. Just taking out the information on ageing well would mean a much shorter book and one that I could cope with, so that’s what I did.

Again, I involved an alpha reader and beta readers as well as putting the manuscript through an editing programme for grammar and plagiarism. I thought up an elegant title: The Art of Aging Well by Following the Science. I was so convinced I could do this but as the manuscript became nearly ready for publishing I had a sort of mini-crisis. So many decisions to make and no one to help me. The stress took over.

Eventually, I hired the services of a self-publishing ‘guru’ to steer me through. He first suggested changing the title; too many other books would appear in Amazon searches for the keywords ‘ageing well’, burying my book. Ten days of keyword research resulted in the title the book now has: Healthy Aging Tips A Wellness Guide to Aging.

I’m not entirely happy with it but it’s supposed to be a more successful title for drawing in potential readers, so I’m assured by my ‘guru’. As the keyword research had indicated that the spelling of the word ‘ageing’ should be in the American version: ‘Aging’, to be successful, it meant that the whole manuscript should be in American English, to be consistent. My English readers will therefore wonder if there are spelling mistakes in the book when it is the American version of the spelling.

So, here I am now a published author at the age of 75. As a self-published author, it’s my responsibility to market the book, another new skill to learn. Scientists tell us that learning a new skill in older age is good for the brain. As well as getting this book in front of potential readers I’m busy with books number two and three in the series.

My midlife crisis forced me to re-evaluate my life and its lack of achievement. Since then I’ve gained a respectable degree and discovered a latent talent for art and a passion for political activism. My love of writing, which was so useful for those academic essays, has resulted in my being published, albeit via the do-it-yourself route. Maintaining a childlike curiosity and openness to life is something else scientists tell us is good for achieving a long and healthy life. My plans for a busy future require me to keep this optimism and curiosity alive. How about you? What do you want to achieve? What have you already achieved since midlife? I’d love to know.

I plan to write a post here every two weeks or so. My posts will be about the subjects I’ve mentioned above: my books, art, perhaps politics, self-publishing, but mostly about living in the second half of life. Your comments on my posts will be welcomed and answered.

Thanks so much for reading this post. Why not send it to friends who might appreciate it too by clicking the share button? Tapping the heart icon will show you liked it and help others find it. I appreciate each and every one of you who reads my posts.

If you enjoy the newsletter and content I provide, get value out of it, and share my ethos of paying people for their work, please consider a paid subscription. Thank you for being here.