Join me on my publication journey

Come with me, step by step, on my publication journey. If you’re an author, let’s share the pain and pleasure together. Learn from my mistakes to make your road to publication easier. If you’re a reader, you’ll have the joy of knowing you were here from the very start.

This is where I am

I’m writing a book. Yes, I know the world and his wife is too, but I’ve been at it for five or six years and want to make it work. Still not novel (pardon the pun) enough for you? Let’s see, I’ve been juggling a job, raising two kids, moving house, and finally going full-time freelance with my editing and proofreading business. Oh, and there’s this pandemic going around, have you heard?

I know many folks have had the same experiences as me (some far more challenging) and are also trying to get their book out into the world. That’s the point. If you recognise yourself in this description, I see you too.

I’ll take you through the highs and lows (hopefully not too many of the latter) of my virgin tour through final manuscript prep, beta readers, submission to agents and then…who knows? I promise to be honest, warts ‘n’ all. That’s cool nowadays, non?

Follow me on my publication journey (and my book will be published, if not traditionally – my preference – then self-published). Hey, you’re with me at the start, how amazing is that?! (I promise I’ll limit my use of interrobangs.)

Future posts

My next post will explain more about my book and the point I’m currently at. I’ll also be writing posts above book-cover design, how to select your beta readers, dealing with negative feedback, and more.

Not all my posts will be about the road to publication. They will include:

• reviews of books I’ve been reading in my own private time. I will only be posting about those I have relished reading.
• interesting (yes, interesting) factlets on points of grammar, spelling, punctuation etc. If you’re a reader or a writer, you must be a language lover – nerd – like me so these posts should be useful. If not, ignore them. I’m an adult, I can take it.
• (for fellow writers) advice about your online platform, as the web world is my professional background.
• whatever else I think will be of interest to you, my audience of readers and writers.

Talk to me

Stick with the show! Why not follow me on Facebook (my author page and my editor/proofreader page) and Twitter too?

Let me know what you want from my blog posts in the comments below.

If you’re an author, where are you in your publication journey? If you’re already a published author (deep bow), how did you feel before your first manuscript was finished? Did you have an online platform already set up? Any contacts in the publishing industry? Are you glad you went down the publishing route that you did (whether trad or self)?

If you’re a reader, what do you want to know about the world of writing? I can attempt to demystify it (hint: it’s nowhere near as relaxing and glamorous as I thought before I began).

See you soon, folks. In the meantime, stay safe.