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The Fine Line Between Sense and Censorship
Why I had to remove every mention of COVID-19 from my new book before Amazon would publish it
On Monday I was finally able to publish my new e-book, The Gifts of Solitude, intended as a short, sweet, easy-to-read guide to surviving the lockdowns, quarantines, and self-isolation arising from the coronavirus pandemic.
I’m not a nurse, doctor, or epidemiologist, or even a delivery driver. But I realised I did have something useful I could offer to help people affected by COVID-19 — the lessons I’ve learned about how to become comfortable in my own company during a total of over five hundred days and nights alone at sea, rowing solo across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans to raise environmental awareness.
I wrote a short article for Better Humans, Surviving Self-Isolation, and the next day happened to listen to a podcast featuring Shane Parrish interviewing sci-fi author and self-publishing guru Hugh Howey.
Something clicked. Inspiration struck. I realised I had more than enough material for a book, and thanks to Amazon e-books I could publish it in time for it to be helpful to those struggling with aloneness.
For the next seventeen days my keyboard took a pounding. Since my ocean rowing years, I’ve made a living as a keynote speaker (or, rather, used to — all…
