ARCs, Maps, and Other Things

It turns out, publishing a book is a wild ride! I’m six days away from the release of my first book, Wintersea, and I think I’ve finally done all the things! The final versions are edited and submitted, my Goodreads page is set up, and I’ve even sent out some ARCs.

Speaking of ARCs, if you want to be a part of the ARC team and would like to read and review Wintersea in the next week or so (I know – there’s not much time left), you can let me know on social media or email me at lizhighlandbooks@gmail.com.

So, what did I do this summer?

I’ve learned how to format a book. I rewrote large sections of Book 2. I set up a Goodreads Author Page and an Amazon Page, got my taxes in order, and I joined BookTok, which is something I never thought I’d do. I also made maps of my world:

For not being an artist, making maps was really fun, and a nice break from all the non-artistic work I was doing! I used watercolor and markers, and Canva to add the text.

I had a book cover made, learned about cover reveals, and made a lot of social media graphics. I copyrighted my book, set up ARCs on Bookfunnel, and tried to promote my book on a zero-dollar budget. (Not my strong suit.)

I panicked and started editing random pages of my book, then undid the edits, then edited again. Panicked again and changed my characters’ names, then . . . changed them back. Learned to let it go.

During all of this, I built my editing website, gathered testimonials, set up my finances, and am almost ready to officially launch my editing business. *Phew*!

And let me say, all of this required a lot of handholding from my fellow writer friends who have done this all before. I’m so grateful for all the help I received and continue to receive!

And thank you to anyone who is reading this and has supported me! I’ll end this with a few quotes from Wintersea.