Working with Writers of the West Publishing on Iowa Crime Family- Part 1
People often ask me how Iowa Crime Family came together.
The short answer is that it took a lot more than simply writing a manuscript.
I had an idea and a story I wanted to tell, but turning that into a finished book that readers could actually buy was a completely different challenge.
After looking at different publishing companies, I decided to work with Writers of the West, a ghostwriting and publishing company, because they offered everything under one roof. Instead of trying to hire one person to write, another to edit, another to design the cover, someone else to publish it, and then figuring out marketing on my own, I wanted one experienced team that could handle the entire process. The project started with a conversation about the book itself. We discussed what I wanted readers to take away from the story, the tone I was aiming for, and who the book was really written for. At first, I honestly thought the hard part would be writing the book. It turns out that was only the beginning.
As the manuscript developed, I was able to review chapters, leave comments, ask questions, and request changes. There were times when I wanted scenes expanded and other times when I wanted entire sections rewritten because they didn't sound quite right. Looking back, I'm glad I didn't settle for "good enough." Every revision made the manuscript stronger. One thing I didn't fully appreciate before starting was how much professional editing actually improves a book. I had always assumed editing mostly meant fixing grammar and spelling. In reality, it was much more involved than that. The manuscript first went through developmental editing, where the overall structure, pacing, clarity, and storytelling were refined. Once those larger revisions were complete, it moved into copyediting, where consistency, grammar, sentence flow, and readability were polished. Finally, the manuscript went through proofreading to catch any remaining typos, formatting issues, or small details before publication. Seeing each stage build on the last gave me a new appreciation for what goes into producing a professional book.
The cover design process was another interesting experience. I probably changed my mind more times than I'd like to admit. At one point I was convinced one design was perfect, only to look at it again the next day and think, "Nope... that's definitely not it." Thankfully, the design team was patient enough to work through those changes until the cover felt like it truly represented the book.
Formatting was something I had never thought about before. Margins, chapter headings, page numbers, fonts, print layout, ebook compatibility, and all the technical details that most readers never notice were handled professionally. It's one of those things you don't appreciate until you see how much work happens behind the scenes.
Publishing the book was another learning experience. Before this project, I thought publishing simply meant uploading a file to Amazon and waiting for readers to magically appear. It turns out there are a lot more moving parts than that. Writers of the West helped prepare the files, made sure everything met publishing requirements, and guided me through the process of getting the book ready for distribution.
I also appreciated that the project didn't simply end after publication. We discussed ways to promote the book, improve its visibility, and introduce it to potential readers. Like many first-time authors, I had focused almost entirely on finishing the manuscript. I quickly learned that publishing a book is one milestone. Helping people discover it is another challenge altogether.
Looking back, the biggest benefit wasn't any single service. It was having one coordinated team manage the entire journey from the initial concept through writing, editing, design, publishing, distribution, and marketing. That saved me from trying to coordinate multiple freelancers who may never have communicated with one another.
No publishing journey is completely stress free. There were moments when I was excited, moments when I questioned whether I should change something, and moments where I probably overthought every little detail. I imagine most authors go through the same roller coaster. The difference was knowing I had experienced professionals to bounce ideas off whenever I needed guidance.
Seeing Iowa Crime Family become a finished book was an incredible feeling. Holding the final copy reminded me how much work goes into every published book that ends up on a shelf or in someone's hands.
If you're thinking about writing a book and wondering whether you should try to manage everything yourself or work with a full-service publishing company, my experience with Writers of the West showed me just how valuable it is to have experts guiding each stage of the process.
You can find Iowa Crime Family by Ty Gerot here, it's a great book, one that you'll remember for ages!
https://books.apple.com/us/book/iowa-crime-family-part-i/id6447198850 (Apple)
You can learn more about Writers of the West here:
No comments:
Post a Comment