This week we are talking with John R. Patrick, the author of Health Attitude.
Tell us something unexpected about yourself!
After 35 years at IBM as VP Internet Technology, I went back to school at age 65 and got a doctorate in health administration. I served on the board of hospital for nine years. Coming from the tech world, I was appalled at the lack of information sharing in healthcare. Paper, post its, and faxes everywhere. I decided to learn how the healthcare industry ticks and write about what I learned.
What kind of books do you write?
My theme is about attitude. I believe attitude is everything. It is the root cause of key problems in the world and an ingredient in all the good things that happen. My first book was Net Attitude. My latest book is Health Attitude.
What inspired you to write?
In my four decades of business experience, I learned good communications is the key to making things happen. I honed my communications skills over the years. I have been a public speaker for many years. I decided to write about my vision for the Internet based on the many speeches I had made. With a book, I can share my views with many more people. Health Attitude is about the American healthcare system: what is wrong with it, how to fix it. I have an optimistic view for the future.
What makes your writing stand out from the crowd?
I like to take very complicated topics and make them easy to understand. In Net Attitude, I explained the origins of the Internet and how it works. It is written in a way that a lay person can understand it. Nothing could be more complicated than healthcare. In Health Attitude, I unravelled the complexities and shared how the system works and why it is going to get better.
What is the hardest part of writing – for you?
The hardest part of writing is discipline. You have to stay focused and write something every day. You have to give it a priority. It is so easy to put off writing and do something that is easier. I use outlining to create the shell of a book I am writing. Looking at the outline and seeing it begin to fill in with content provides the motivation to keep going.
Where do you like to write – what is your routine?
I like to write at my desk with my iMac. Sometimes I will write on the MacBook in an easy chair and sometimes on an airplane. In my home office at my desk is most productive. I write at all times of the day, but the morning is best. That is when your mind is sharpest and your energy to keep focused is the highest.
What do you do when you are not writing – do you have a day job?
I am an author, investor, and board member. I spend a lot of time on the phone in conference calls. I do one or two radio interviews per week about various aspects of healthcare. I was on Fox Business TV with Maria Bartiromo discussing the subject. I spend at least 90 minutes per day exercising.
Do you work with an outline or just write?
I find outlining as essential tool. If the outline makes sense, the book will make sense. At least for me, writing something readers will be able to follow without an outline is not possible.
What advice would you have for other writers?
Do solid research to backup any facts you write about. Develop a marketing plan in parallel with your writing. Think through your key messages and articulate them clearly. Develop content or useful links for social media. Boldface hawking of your book does not work. You have to establish yourself as someone who cares and who shares valuable content.
How important is marketing and social media for you?
Marketing is what makes the world go around. Without marketing, nothing happens. Social media is an efficient way to get your story out there. It is not automatic though. Using social media effectively is hard work and you have to stay at it on a daily basis.
What's your next step?
I am developing a family of books around the theme of attitude. Net Attitude, Health Attitude, and Net Attitude 2. I am working on Home Attitude, a book about home automation. Beyond that will be Robot Attitude about artificial intelligence.
Health Attitude by John R. Patrick is available here.
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