I bought an SSD which is properly connected but cannot get past the first instruction of click ( ) and select device. What next?

a new drive probably needs to be erased.

Drives like the MyBook came with software, and the manufacturer suggested you install that software.

What that software does is to "spare you the annoyance of having to re-initialize the drive" from its factory set Windows New Technology File System (NTFS) or similar unusual (on a Mac) format. Instead, the software they provided would simulate a MacOS drive inside an NTFS file for your Mac.

The downside of using the manufacturer's software is that if the manufacturer's software is not loaded, the Macintosh Volume is not readable. This means that in startup manager, Installer, and in Recovery such as after a data loss, the Macintosh Volume will not be visible.

The standard advice given here to all users, including novice users, is to discard the manufacturers software and NEVER use it. "Best Practice" is to erase the physical device when new, using only MacOS Disk Utility, and create the fundamental data structures needed for consistent, reliable use by MacOS.

Be sure to "show all devices" which will allow you to ERASE the entire Physical Device by its immutable manufacturer-given device-name, not any user created Volume-name such as ‘Macintosh HD’.

--------

When you try to completely erase a device with a "foreign" format like NTFS, MacOS usually refuses.

But you can ask it again, immediately, and it will often proceed. It's as if they left out a MSDOS-like dialog, "Are you sure?"

Erase and reformat a storage device in Disk Utility on Mac - Apple Support