Publishing is a lifelong learning journey and in the past few months I’ve certainly had an education. Now that my manuscript has been typeset, the cover artwork has been uploaded, the publication details have been added and the book made available for pre-order, I’ve been busy behind the scenes gearing up for launch day. Essentially what that means is, I’ve been doing research on book bloggers and reaching out to ARC reviewers.

I made ARC copies using Calibre, which was straightforward; an important aspect for me, as I’m not the most confident person when it comes to technology. Having copies available in Mobi, ePub and PDF was important, as each reviewer so far has had a different preference for what type of file they prefer. Calibre was user-friendly when it came to uploading my original doc X manuscript, ready for conversion.

Extra proof copies for ARCs

Of course, I also bought extra proof copies to send to book bloggers who prefer physical copies. Apart from the ‘Not for Resale’ watermark and barcode on the back instead of ISBN, they give a good idea of how the book will look once published.

There’s not too much more to be said for now on the process, as my reviewers are still reading. With 2 months to go until launch day, there’s not a huge rush. I’ll be sure to keep you posted. In the meantime, look out for a forthcoming blog post on costs involved so far on my publishing journey.

Posted by on August 31, 2021 in Novels and tagged , , , , , .

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About Leilanie Stewart

Leilanie Stewart is an award-winning author and poet from Belfast, Northern Ireland. She writes ghost and psychological horror, as well as experimental poetry. Her writing confronts the nature of self; her novels feature main characters on a dark psychological journey who have a crisis and create a new sense of identity. She began writing for publication while working as an English teacher in Japan, a career pathway that has influenced themes in her writing. Her former career as an Archaeologist has also inspired her writing and she has incorporated elements of archaeology and mythology into both her fiction and poetry. In addition to promoting her own work, Leilanie runs Bindweed Anthologies, a creative writing publication with her writer husband, Joseph Robert. Aside from publishing pursuits, Leilanie enjoys spending time with her husband and their lively literary lad, a voracious reader of sea monster books.

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