I write my books in public. Every week, I write an article on a topic I want to tackle in the book. I work on that as a standalone article, written over the course of a few days in a simple Markdown document. I work in reader feedback after publishing.
Over time, I collate my articles into a book manuscript, filling in the missing pieces.
When it comes to visuals, I usually find help. I know a lot of great illustrators on Twitter, and I pay them to visualize my work — as contractors.
I wrote about my technical approach to writing on my blog. It's really just markdown, funneled into Vellum, which exports eBooks and a print template.
And regarding Canada: moving here was a great idea. The air is fresh, the BBQ is tasty, and I am finding a lot of time to think and write. Much less stressful than living in Germany's biggest city. And yes, less bureaucratic, too. The North American spirit is alive and well here :D