In the last days of life, heart-to-heart conversations come easy for some, not so much for others. Lynn Devlin witnessed
firsthand the fear that kept patients and their families from talking honestly
about their illness, death, and the days after.
After losing her
husband to stage four cancer, nurse practitioner Lynn Devlin became hospice and
palliative care certified.
To document her
experience for others, Devlin wrote a book called Cancer Widow. But Devlin soon found
she had more to share. In her work as a palliative nurse practitioner, she
noticed that end-of-life conversations emerged with common themes even across
clinical settings.
In response, she
published a three-book series: The Caregiver’s Journal, The Last Days and
Hours of Life, and The Seven Stages of Alzheimer’s.
Why are books important
to your particular business?
The original book that I self published was Cancer Widow in 2012. This
book led to numerous speaking engagements, including a television
interview at Mayo Clinic.
Professionally, the success of that book encouraged me to write the
three-book series of end-of-life ‘conversation starter’ booklets. This in
turn launched a speaking career to colleagues and healthcare professionals
across the state and at national conferences.
How do you use your
books as marketing tools?
The booklets have never had an official ‘launch’ and all the copies so far
have been sold through word of mouth. The booklets are a terrific way to
reinforce the presentations.
How did you choose the
topics that you wrote about?
I have written about topics that essentially chose me! I had
been a family nurse practitioner for many years when my husband was diagnosed
with stage four cancer. This experience prompted me to become hospice and palliative
care certified.
The end-of-life conversations that I have every day, with families have a
great deal of similarity across clinical settings. There are only so many
consults I can do every day and the booklets are a great way to share the
information.
Has self-publishing
been worth it? Why or why not?
SO worth it! My life has changed because of the book and booklets in
every possible good way. It’s been overwhelmingly positive, with people buying
one for themselves and one for a friend.
If you could do it
again, would you do anything differently?
I would have done it earlier! I also would have a marketing/distribution
plan in place. That is still a work in progress.
Lynn Kelly Devlin is a nationally board-certified hospice and palliative care nurse
practitioner who lives and works in New Hampshire. She often speaks to health care
professionals, corporate audiences, students, and small groups about end-of-life
issues.
