Indie Author Q&A with Paul Cobbin
How creativity became a lifeline, and why indie publishing on Substack gave his story a new voice.
Featured Book: The Trinity of You
Substack: Decode Your Diagnosis
Book Link: Read The Trinity of You
🌟 Why We Spotlight Authors Like Paul
At Indie Lit Lounge, we don’t just share books—we celebrate the humans behind them. Every indie author has a story worth hearing: a reason they started writing, a challenge they turned into pages, a voice they followed into print. Paul reminds us that publishing is about more than algorithms or launch dates—it’s about meaning.
This is his story.
Q: What inspired you to write The Trinity of You? Was there a moment or idea that sparked the story?
Paul: A Diagnosis.
After a severe heart disease diagnosis nearly two years ago, I started psych therapy to get on top of stress because it literally nearly killed me. The clinician prescribed creativity and so I returned to writing, journalling actually and then thought, stuff this I can't keep journally so I pivoted to writing a book about something and so, the Trinity of You was born.
Q: What has been the most surprising or rewarding part of your indie publishing journey so far?
Paul: The Neptunes Steps style (Google 'The Caledonian Canal' for more on the Nep. steps) ascent from considering publishing The Trinity, in the old school way, to considering doing the contemporary 'old school' Indie pathway of Kindle/ Ibooks grind, to throwing the metaphorical book out the window and rethinking the entire Indie content ecosystem and produce a first edition focusing exclusively on Substack and then potentially reversing the steps. I'm now in the Substack 'top lock' and I'll stay here for a while before descending back down the steps to the traditional lock, or maybe I'll just stay up here. The view is better anyway.
Q: Do you have a favorite line or passage from your book you’d love to share? Why does it stand out to you?
Paul: To be honest it would not be my own, but one of Tennyson's from Ulysses in chapter two's moment of diagnosis.
"To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."
At it's core, that's what decoding a diagnosis is all about. It's not about conquering a diagnosis because many chronic conditions are incurable and irreversible.
Even if they are beatable, you've got to keep seeking the positive outcome. If it's cancer, (been there, done prostate cancer), you're striving to put it into remission, which I did. If it's heart disease, (which I have) you can't cure it, you can't reverse it, but you are never yielding to its downward decline. In the space of two years I've taken my heart age from 83 back to my chronological age of 57. Who say's it's not reversible?
As Titans we have to keep striving for a healthier life, we've got to seek solutions find. answers and never give up.
That's how you decode your diagnosis.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to a new indie author, what would it be?
Paul: Take my wife's advice.
Don't worry about the 'business side of writing until you've finished with the creative side of birthing your literary baby. Most of us have always had a desire to write a book. Focus on the desire first, because you'll get pressed into the business end sure enough when you start publishing your work.
Publishing sounds exciting but I'll take the creative path of writing over the business side of publishing any day.
Q: What’s one book (indie or not) you wish more people would read—and why?
Paul: In this age of digital dopamine high's, I wish more people would read Thich Nhat Hanh's book: "The Miracle of Mindfulness". It's a book written by a Vietnamese Buddhist monk in 1975 and it's about focusing on the present. Why do families go to dinner and sit on their phones when time is so precious with family?
People in public places everywhere, mindlessly swiping their life away.
Wait till you become one of the 50% of adults over 40 who have a chronic condition. They are the ones looking up, enjoying the moment because you never know when you're last moment will be.
If you are washing the dishes, do the dishes. You'll know what I mean if you read his book.
🔗 Follow Paul Cobbin:
Website | Facebook
📘 Grab the Book: The Trinity of You
I love how Paul reminds us that the writing journey often begins at a deeply personal crossroads. His words are a gentle nudge to keep showing up—creatively, courageously, and mindfully.
✨ Want to be featured in an upcoming Indie Author Q&A?
We're always looking to highlight indie authors at all stages of the journey; whether you're just publishing your first book or building a full indie press. If you’ve got a story, we want to hear it.
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