THE ADVENTURE OF SELF-PUBLISHING

The idea of creating a story that comes from your imagination and writing it down is truly a wonderful thing.  It allows you to embrace your creative mind and showcase your storytelling skills. This is my favourite part of writing as it only involves me and my imagination. The single greatest thing for me about the storytelling process is being able to accurately describe on paper, or in some sort word processing document, what's happening in your head. This is a skill I am always trying to improve on.  The fine tuning of your craft, and the ability to describe to an audience the vivid details of your imagination, is the very essence of creative storytelling, in my case, Fantasy storytelling. 

When the world of the Grandfather Chronicles began to take shape in my head, I immediately began making detailed notes of the events I could see clearly when I closed my eyes.  My imagination took over and pages of rough notes led to the first draft of Book #1 - The Secret of the Sword.  I then spent countless hours editing and reworking every chapter with one thing in mind - clear and concise narratives that will hold the readers interest. The Secret of the Sword is the introduction to the Grandfather Chronicles trilogy and as such my goal was to entice readers and get them hooked, but ultimately wanting more.  As the final manuscript took shape and my story came to life, the biggest question remained; what's next?

There are many ways to proceed with the next step, but, at that time as a new author, when the publishing industry and how it operated was unknown to me, self publishing became a viable option.  Further to this, self publishing with a reputable publishing house that had the means and resources to produce a professional product was the option I chose and my relationship with Friesen Press was born. Self-Publishing is in fact Self Publication, meaning, you pay for a package that best suits your needs for the development of your story and you are assigned a team led by a publishing specialist.  I was so fortunate to have a wonderful publishing specialist who laid out a detailed plan based on my needs, which included, detailed questions I answered and goals I had for the manuscript.  I have broken down my Publication path into five steps listed below:

Sean's Friesen Press Path:
-Editors Manuscript Evaluation
 -Developmental Edit, Complex Copy Edit & Proofread
 -Layout & Layout Revisions
 -Promotions and Marketing. 
 -Publication. 

Being a new author, my main goal with Friesen was professional editing. The production plan I chose specifically covered various rounds of detailed edits that included, a Editors Manuscript Evaluation and what turned out to be a monstrous Developmental Edit, that in my personal opinion, turned my manuscript from amateur to professional. As luck would have it, I was assigned a fantastic editor who specialized in fantasy and worked with me for hours to fine tune the content, delivery and overall aesthetic of my craft. One of the things to keep in mind here is that you as the author do not need to necessarily need to accept all the editing changes suggested, however, in my case I recognized that my editor's abilities and recommended changes had such a positive impact that helped the story flow and delivery in a clear and concise way. After two rounds of complex developmental editing, the manuscript had a professional feel and it was time to move on to the Copy Edit stage.  This particular stage dealt with grammar and punctuation.  After submitting a request to have the same editor continue working with me through this step, who I now had a working relationship with, I was granted that request and together we now worked through two rounds of the Copy Edit. Upon the completion of the edit, I finally was able to have a phone chat, that would turn out to be one of the most memorable chats ever with my editor to discuss the overall progress of the manuscript, and ultimately the decision to green light the script and lock the edit as complete. 

With the Manuscript now locked, I had the choice to decide when I would like have the Proofread completed.  The Proofread is a step where a different editor with a fresh pair of eyes reads through the script to see how everything looks and flows. Depending on the comments that come back from the Proof Editor, you have the choice whether to proceed or consider purchasing another round of developmental editing if you feel the comments are extensive.  I had very little feedback so things were now clearly taking shape.  While the Proofread was being completed, I now started the two rounds of Layout, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  Layout includes the design of your cover and interior look of your book.  I had a very clear picture of the elements I wanted to use on the cover.  Submitting rough sketches from my end and talking with my Publishing Specialist in detail over the phone, Friesen's Design team created the cover exactly how I envisioned.  A few minor edits led the way to the cover design that will attract audiences and readers and entice them to consider reading my book.  However, I did know that it would take a lot more then fancy covers to attract an audience to my book, and so I started what I considered the largest part of Self Publication - Marketing and Promotions. 

Friesen Press provides extensive Marketing and Promotions resources that are available to you through your Friesen account.   Resources vary from over 180 hours of seminars led by David Chilton (Author of the Wealthy Barber and the Chilton Method) to step by step modules detailing what you will need to successfully market your book to the public.  I can honestly say this is an overwhelming step. My best piece of advice here is to dedicate time everyday and work one module at a time.  What worked best for me, as I am visual learner, was to take detailed notes of each module and start a collection of notebooks.  Your notes will continue to grow and become a very valuable resource for you. I recommend reviewing them as much as you can.  This will help you become familiar with how to approach marketing methods for your book.  Additionally, I was assigned a fantastic Promotions Specialist, who based on a detailed questionnaire I completed, created a Self Guided Promotion Plan.  This promotion plan uses many of the elements included in the seminars I mentioned above, so, thorough notes and knowledge of these seminars is an asset to fully appreciate the Self Guided Promotion Plan.  This plan is structured towards the best possible success of your book based on the questionnaire you filled out.  Ultimately, a thorough understanding of Friesen's marketing resources and seminars  will help you create a plan to market your book successfully.   I can't stress enough at this stage, it's very much about how much you want to give and dedicate to marketing. The resources provided are extensive and valuable, but, it was very much up to me how much I wanted to give.  I spent hours on these modules creating personal notes and now I have a collection of notebooks I use everyday.  I myself completed all the modules Friesen provided. 

The adventure of Self-Publishing can be gruelling at times.  This journey may not be for everyone, as it does primarily depend on the dedicated time you have to give, as well as the ability to multi task and meet deadlines accordingly.  As of May, 2021, I have almost come through the entire process of Self-Publishing.  One of the most important things about promotions and marketing is having your book reviewed by professionals in the writing industry.   I am currently waiting on a review before I proceed to the Publication step. However, in the meantime, I continue to build marketing strategies and advertising materials, a strong social media presence and networking with industry professionals in preparation for the launch of my debut novel - The Grandfather Chronicles, The Secret of the Sword. 

Lastly, Friesen Press has aloud me to pursue by dream of creating a professional product for the world.   I have thoroughly enjoyed every step so far and I am excited to complete to journey of Self-Publication. 

Sean R. Bell
May, 2021







Friesen Press then uses detailed steps to deliver the best possible product that is professional and print ready. 

Friesen Press then uses detailed steps to deliver the best possible product that is professional and print ready. 


​

From