Dr Karl Phillips
Published Book
The Third Way Book 1: Awareness (July 2022)
Who are you? Tell us a little bit about yourself...
I live in Caerphilly, South Wales, with my wife Elaine. I am a management consultant who runs his own business, creates books, loves travelling and is dad to one teenager and two young adults. Something inside of me is telling me that I have stories to tell others. The Third Way is my method of being able to deliver these stories to the widest possible audience.
What first inspired you to start writing?
I never planned to be a writer. It was my grandmother who always wanted to write and be a journalist, but she was never given the opportunity. I wonder if there is something in my DNA. Working in corporate environments and delivering complex programmes, I have first-hand experience, and the mental scars, of how not to do things. After that, I always thought I should write a ‘How to Really Do Project Management Properly’ book. I started writing it over many years but eventually realised it wasn’t about the project; it was the people that mattered most, and combining this with a mind-body-soul aspect that delivers results. I managed one team of young people, and by giving them responsibility, trust and confidence, we produced magnificent results. I realised then that I could inspire others and should plan to do so more.
What made you want to work with Rowanvale and be published?
I had already published a PhD many years ago. I then produced multiple technical papers, journal articles and company internal documents over the years. I have been interviewed by and published in the FT. It was after this that I decided to explore the world of publishing to share my knowledge and insights. A person I previously trusted ran away with all my book money, so I had to save up again and look around for an ethical publisher. My wife found Rowanvale and was inspired by how Cat created the company after her father had a bad experience with self-publishing. I tried some of their book review services and found them efficient, effective and economical. They are a good local team who support you through the process.
When you’re not writing, what are you reading?
When I was young, I loved SF books. I suppose they inspired me to think of what could be possible if we had the will, the resources and the confidence to go out into unexplored lands. Today, I am drawn to non-fiction books, especially those that are related to awakening ourselves to our current issues and helping us navigate a way through them for the benefit of humanity. At the moment, I have ‘My Ascension Handbook’ (Peter DeBenedittis), ‘A Workbook to Open Your Mind Using Jose Silva’s Method’ and ‘The Uninhabitable Earth’ (David Wallace-Wells), all on the go at the same time.
Which work are you most proud of?
I am very proud of my PhD because of all the time, dedication and sacrifice it took to complete, however up there as well is another piece of work I created. I entered an international competition on the topic of capturing institutional memory and knowledge, which I won. I re-submitted the work to a UK competition that was asking the same question later on. The submission got refused on the grounds that they said it was so professional it must have been an extract from an already published book, but they couldn’t name the book. That was indeed high praise, rejected because it looked too good and was too professional.
What’s your best advice for handling writer's block?
Get out into nature and walk, ground yourself, change your environment, let your subconscious have a rest then come back to you, and just have some gratitude, forgiveness and patience with yourself. Everything is where it should be, everything takes its own time, and when it is ready, it will appear or inspire you. Don’t force anything, let it go, and if it needs to, it will come back.
What’s one thing you always have with you when you’re writing?
I try and keep either my phone, a writing pad or paper/pen nearby at all times, so when the wind of inspiration blows ideas towards me, I’m ready to record it for inclusion in future books. You never know when ideas, concepts or questions will appear over the horizon and come racing towards you. You will need to be ready with a huge butterfly net to catch them and bottle them for future reference, otherwise, they will fly on past, either never to be seen again by you, or they will land in someone else’s butterfly net and appear in their book.
What is the one book you would take with you if you were stuck on a desert island?
I heard someone recently say ‘How to Build a Boat’, but my version of the book would also have a few additional annexes called ‘How to Navigate across the Sea to Safe Harbours’, ‘How to Survive on the Open Sea’ and ‘How to Deal with Everything Life Will Throw at You’. Having an initial solution or step one is a good start (the boat), but you need good implementation, delivery and support mechanisms to get you the desired holistic results as well. The path to success is not linear--it is paved with failures and disappointments—but requires vision, purpose and determination. How many people stopped just before their personal finish line?
What is the best part about being an independently published author?
Creative freedom, authority and control, and going through the life-changing experience with an ethical, honest and straightforward team, means so much to me. My original book was rejected by some publishers because it was too much of a risk for them to take on a first-time non-fiction author. I realised that the book wasn’t quite ready in that original form and needed a complete overhaul, which was painful, yet strangely cathartic. Being independent allowed me the time to get it right without external pressures. Some things, as I have already mentioned, just take time to mature. You can’t rush greatness, like babies, any art you create or my wife’s secret Spaghetti Bolognese recipe.
What’s next for you?
I originally wrote the book during COVID, but it was too big to publish all at once for a first-time author, so I divided it up into three books. I am currently preparing Book 2 (Consciousness) and planning Book 3 (Bliss), looking at getting out and about during the book launch and following up with engagements/book fairs, and I would love to do a TED talk. I am also tentatively exploring how to produce my books in different languages.
The Third Way Book 1: Awareness (July 2022)
- Kindle e-book: https://amzn.eu/d/06CiXCKw
- Paperback: https://amzn.eu/d/0ac6GV2d
- Hardback: https://amzn.eu/d/0auArk8w
Who are you? Tell us a little bit about yourself...
I live in Caerphilly, South Wales, with my wife Elaine. I am a management consultant who runs his own business, creates books, loves travelling and is dad to one teenager and two young adults. Something inside of me is telling me that I have stories to tell others. The Third Way is my method of being able to deliver these stories to the widest possible audience.
What first inspired you to start writing?
I never planned to be a writer. It was my grandmother who always wanted to write and be a journalist, but she was never given the opportunity. I wonder if there is something in my DNA. Working in corporate environments and delivering complex programmes, I have first-hand experience, and the mental scars, of how not to do things. After that, I always thought I should write a ‘How to Really Do Project Management Properly’ book. I started writing it over many years but eventually realised it wasn’t about the project; it was the people that mattered most, and combining this with a mind-body-soul aspect that delivers results. I managed one team of young people, and by giving them responsibility, trust and confidence, we produced magnificent results. I realised then that I could inspire others and should plan to do so more.
What made you want to work with Rowanvale and be published?
I had already published a PhD many years ago. I then produced multiple technical papers, journal articles and company internal documents over the years. I have been interviewed by and published in the FT. It was after this that I decided to explore the world of publishing to share my knowledge and insights. A person I previously trusted ran away with all my book money, so I had to save up again and look around for an ethical publisher. My wife found Rowanvale and was inspired by how Cat created the company after her father had a bad experience with self-publishing. I tried some of their book review services and found them efficient, effective and economical. They are a good local team who support you through the process.
When you’re not writing, what are you reading?
When I was young, I loved SF books. I suppose they inspired me to think of what could be possible if we had the will, the resources and the confidence to go out into unexplored lands. Today, I am drawn to non-fiction books, especially those that are related to awakening ourselves to our current issues and helping us navigate a way through them for the benefit of humanity. At the moment, I have ‘My Ascension Handbook’ (Peter DeBenedittis), ‘A Workbook to Open Your Mind Using Jose Silva’s Method’ and ‘The Uninhabitable Earth’ (David Wallace-Wells), all on the go at the same time.
Which work are you most proud of?
I am very proud of my PhD because of all the time, dedication and sacrifice it took to complete, however up there as well is another piece of work I created. I entered an international competition on the topic of capturing institutional memory and knowledge, which I won. I re-submitted the work to a UK competition that was asking the same question later on. The submission got refused on the grounds that they said it was so professional it must have been an extract from an already published book, but they couldn’t name the book. That was indeed high praise, rejected because it looked too good and was too professional.
What’s your best advice for handling writer's block?
Get out into nature and walk, ground yourself, change your environment, let your subconscious have a rest then come back to you, and just have some gratitude, forgiveness and patience with yourself. Everything is where it should be, everything takes its own time, and when it is ready, it will appear or inspire you. Don’t force anything, let it go, and if it needs to, it will come back.
What’s one thing you always have with you when you’re writing?
I try and keep either my phone, a writing pad or paper/pen nearby at all times, so when the wind of inspiration blows ideas towards me, I’m ready to record it for inclusion in future books. You never know when ideas, concepts or questions will appear over the horizon and come racing towards you. You will need to be ready with a huge butterfly net to catch them and bottle them for future reference, otherwise, they will fly on past, either never to be seen again by you, or they will land in someone else’s butterfly net and appear in their book.
What is the one book you would take with you if you were stuck on a desert island?
I heard someone recently say ‘How to Build a Boat’, but my version of the book would also have a few additional annexes called ‘How to Navigate across the Sea to Safe Harbours’, ‘How to Survive on the Open Sea’ and ‘How to Deal with Everything Life Will Throw at You’. Having an initial solution or step one is a good start (the boat), but you need good implementation, delivery and support mechanisms to get you the desired holistic results as well. The path to success is not linear--it is paved with failures and disappointments—but requires vision, purpose and determination. How many people stopped just before their personal finish line?
What is the best part about being an independently published author?
Creative freedom, authority and control, and going through the life-changing experience with an ethical, honest and straightforward team, means so much to me. My original book was rejected by some publishers because it was too much of a risk for them to take on a first-time non-fiction author. I realised that the book wasn’t quite ready in that original form and needed a complete overhaul, which was painful, yet strangely cathartic. Being independent allowed me the time to get it right without external pressures. Some things, as I have already mentioned, just take time to mature. You can’t rush greatness, like babies, any art you create or my wife’s secret Spaghetti Bolognese recipe.
What’s next for you?
I originally wrote the book during COVID, but it was too big to publish all at once for a first-time author, so I divided it up into three books. I am currently preparing Book 2 (Consciousness) and planning Book 3 (Bliss), looking at getting out and about during the book launch and following up with engagements/book fairs, and I would love to do a TED talk. I am also tentatively exploring how to produce my books in different languages.
