Thirteen Steps to Book Thirteen by Sheena Wilkinson

As regular readers know, because I may have mentioned it occasionally, I will shortly be self-publishing a book for the very first time. 

Will Miss McVey Takes Charge, the sequel to Mrs Hart’s Marriage Bureau be a one-off venture, or am I moving into a hybrid phase of my career, where I use different publishing models for different projects? I have no idea. At this stage all I know is that I am nervous, excited and determined to do all I can to make it as successful as possible. 

It's easy to see that these books belong together 

The big difference of course is that the buck stops with me. I have worked with excellent professional editor, typesetter, proofreader and cover designer, so I know the product is as good as ever, but there’s no publisher behind me making marketing decisions or anything else. 

Thankfully I have the support of Writers Review Publishing, the author-led co-operative who invited me and Miss McVey on board. Their logo, and my biog which makes it clear that I am an established professional, endorse the project, give it that stamp of approval which I’ve realised I need and want. 

Writers Review Publishing 

It's easy to think of this book as an outlier  – I’d be lying if I said that self-publishing would be my preferred option for future books – but Miss McVey Takes Charge is as much a Sheena Wilkinson book as any of the previous twelve, and they have all been steps along the way to its publication. Even a pony book, even a gritty contemporary teen love story, even a cosy 1920s school story – all contain the same DNA as Miss McVey. 

Just for fun – and hopefully to generate some interest in the book! – I have written a series of (very short) blog posts – 13 Steps to Book 13 – which I will publish over on my Substack platform as I countdown to publication day on 13 November. 

It’s been fascinating looking at my thirteen books not only as a body of work, but as steps along the path to the publication of Miss McVey Takes Charge. 

Readers might be more excited than Stroller 

I hope some of you might like to come along for the ride!