Walking the Publishing Journey Part I

If you have ever wondered what does publishing a book look like and what all goes into the process, this 2-part series of blogs will shed some light on the components, the time invested, the emotions that can surface, and many of the steps involved in this behind the scenes look at my journey.

For me, I began writing the book on January 7, 2023. Three-and-a-half months after I reached to a publisher, I heard about in a mentor’s community that helps people through the process and guides them through the unknowns, twists and turns that arise.

This was a very different process from the book I wrote and self-published on my own ten years ago – and it is hard to believe it has been that long. With it, I reached out to have my brother to edit it which was a scary endeavor as I had stepped into the unknown spiritual world and Reiki doing something very different from my previous career life and at that time, I rarely shared what I was doing or what I was venturing into with anyone – family included.

For the current book, I had a zoom meeting with the publisher, Transcendent Publishing on the 26th of April of last year, chose to take the leap on my birthday, and signed the contract on May 1. Writing continued on the manuscript in the free moments in between the busy summer pet visit schedule submitting it to the publisher for her review on July 3, 2023, before it entered the first review on July 19. This was followed by line edits on the 30th of September.

Each post edit review on my part included reading it aloud as a way to feel and hear what needs to change, address any of the editor’s comments, and work through understanding any emotions that were surfacing which were quite a lot during September as not only was I reading through it, but reliving moments that had occurred during that exact time frame four years before from the walk with my dad. The last of three editing processes were completed just after the holidays.

The time and constraints in the calendar are unique to the person based often on the type of book being written. For me, it is a very personal journey through life, family health and yes, the business so there was a lot of areas and reflections explored through the writing, editing, and the proofing.

Stay tuned for more information about the publishing journey in part two of this experience.