{"id":6932,"date":"2023-11-07T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-07T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/?p=6932"},"modified":"2023-11-07T07:07:12","modified_gmt":"2023-11-07T12:07:12","slug":"155-a-veterans-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/155-a-veterans-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"#155\u20144 Years & Counting"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Blog #155 (Audio)<\/div><\/div>
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Published: <\/span>November 4, 2023<\/span><\/div>
<\/div>Audio by Andy Adkins<\/a><\/div><\/form><\/span>1<\/span> Download<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
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It was Veteran\u2019s Day 2019 BEFORE<\/em> the pandemic. A mere four years ago (that\u2019s 28 \u201cdog years,\u201d if you believe that myth). That\u2019s when I began my weekly blog, A Veteran\u2019s Journey<\/em><\/strong>. This is Blog #155. When I started writing it, I didn\u2019t have a clue what I\u2019d be writing about. In fact, I made myself write a dozen stories before <\/em>posting the first, just so I\u2019d know I had something to write about. And, I’m still going. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I just realized something\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n

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I spent four years in the United States Navy. Well, actually it was Three Years, Eleven Months, and 29 Days, But Who\u2019s Counting<\/a><\/strong>. And yes, I wrote a book with that title \u2013 my second \u201cnon-business\u201d book. I\u2019ve now spent as much time writing about the Navy as I spent in<\/em> the Navy. Fortunately, I don’t put in those 16-18 hours a day writing like I did working on the flight deck of USS Kitty Hawk<\/strong><\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The book publishing world has been in turmoil for a dozen or so years (maybe more, but who\u2019s counting). When Amazon first introduced the self-publishing concept, it was met with a \u201cwe\u2019ll see\u201d attitude. \u201cIt\u2019ll be just another Internet fad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These days, anyone and everyone can publish. According to Bowker data (Publishers Weekly, February 20, 2023<\/em>) there were over 2.3 million books self-published<\/em> in the US alone in 2021. It\u2019s trending upward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s pretty easy, too. At least for me. Write the stories, put them into a book format, upload it to Amazon, set a price, and voila\u2026 it\u2019s done. The hardest part (for me) is formatting the book prior to uploading. But I’m getting better at it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Little Secret<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll share a little secret with you. I use Amazon\u2019s KDP<\/strong> (Kindle Direct Publishing) to self-publish most of my books. Hard copies (paperback, \u201cAuthor\u2019s Copies\u201d) cost me about $4.50 each. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Of the three \u201cA Veteran\u2019s Journey<\/em><\/strong>\u201d volumes I\u2019ve published, I have at least five of each on my shelf. That\u2019s four more than I\u2019ve sold on Amazon. Go ahead. \u201cLaugh it up, fuzzball\u201d (Indiana Jones<\/em><\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, it\u2019s an ego trip. After all, I am<\/em> a Navy veteran. More than that, I simply like to write. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the pandemic began, I had just finished my first novel, NEVER FORGET<\/a><\/strong>. To help keep my sanity, I found I needed to keep writing and my weekly blogs definitely helped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I share my blog posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, I often get interesting feedback, mostly from former sailors who either take a similar trip down memory lane or want to share a similar story. That\u2019s one of my unforeseen rewards of writing. I get to stay in touch with a lot of shipmates: some I knew while I served, others I now know. After all, we’re all family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some Basic Blog Statistics<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I use WordPress<\/strong> to publish my blog. It\u2019s my favorite price: FREE. I say that, but I should let you know I also pay for a few extras, like SPAM protection, automatic backups, and a few other features that help me keep it straight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I honestly pay little attention to the site stats\u2026 maybe once a year when I write this type of blog post. So, I won\u2019t bore you with minute details. However,\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past four years, I\u2019ve had 62,790 visitors<\/strong> and 86,002 views<\/strong> (as of November 4, 2023, when I\u2019m writing this week\u2019s blog). I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s a lot or not; it’s not really that important to me. But like I said, I don\u2019t pay that much attention to those types of statistics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As far as the most popular blog posts<\/strong> I\u2019ve written, here are the top 10:<\/p>\n\n\n\n