✂️From Messy Drive Notes to Final Publication: How I Get My Books Ready
By D.C. Salmon ⏱️ Reading Time: 5 minutes
In this post: Leaving my 63,000-word draft in Google Drive for a year, learning from OpenLearn and Reedsy, why I replaced my first cover, my experience with paid editors, and moving to Atticus for typesetting.
You are following instincts, letting plot twists take you by surprise, and allowing characters to evolve in real-time. It’s an exhilarating way to write, but it also means that when you finally type "The End", the real labour is only just beginning.
I remember writing my very first manuscript, a 63,000-word draft written during the COVID pandemic, and then leaving it sitting in my Google Drive for over a year because I wasn't quite sure what to do next. When I finally revisited it, I spent six solid months refining and editing chapter by chapter. It was monotonous, painstaking work, but it was completely necessary.
During that break, I took free courses on OpenLearn (by the Open University) and devoured articles on Reedsy Learning about novel structure and story arcs. Studying those lessons completely changed how I approach a manuscript. Today, those structural foundations help keep my initial drafts from becoming total chaos, which makes the entire preparation process much smoother.
Here is how I take a raw draft all the way to a published book.
📂 Phase 1: Cleaning Up the Google Drive Chaos
As I've mentioned before, I write all my books on a seven-year-old Samsung tablet using Google Docs, and my Drive is usually an absolute minefield of half-formed thoughts, links, and snippets of research.
When you write historical fiction or stories centred around items lost to time, details matter immensely. If my WIP is set in 1932 Germany, I might realize mid-chapter that I need to ground the scene with something happening in the real world at that exact moment—like a specific radio broadcast from the Chancellor, a sudden change in currency value, or the exact weather on a Tuesday morning in Bielefeld.
During the initial draft, I don't stop the flow of writing to integrate every single piece of background data. Instead, I paste those facts into a "research graveyard" document.
The first stage of editing is weaving those vital threads back into the narrative. I go page by page and chapter by chapter, retroactively inserting those sensory and historical details into earlier scenes so the world feels completely authentic.
🔀 Phase 2: Connecting Colliding Plotlines
Because I let my stories develop naturally as a "Pantser", I often reach the 50,000-word mark only to find that three or four completely separate subplots have emerged.
In my current WIP, Before The Swastika Flew, I reached a point where multiple storylines—full of secrets, powerful figures seeing their worlds crumble, and double-crosses—were suddenly colliding.
When you edit a multi-layered plot without an initial outline, Phase 2 is all about pacing and logic:
Did Character A actually have the information necessary to make that decision in Chapter 12?
Is the tension ramping up steadily, or does the middle of the book slow down too much?
Are the twists earned, or do they feel like they came out of nowhere?
This is where my former life as a bespoke joiner comes in handy. Writing the first draft is like cutting the raw timber; editing is where you sand down the rough edges, align the joins, and make sure the structure can actually bear weight.
🎨 Phase 3: Getting the Cover Right
Right around this time, I start focusing heavily on the book cover.
I learned the hard way how crucial the right cover is. For the original release of An Irish Mystery, I used the publisher's cover concept. But after about six months, I realised it didn't represent the story at all. The very first question people would ask me was, "Where in Ireland is the book set?" The problem? Only the prologue actually took place in Ireland!
I spent time studying top-selling book covers in the thriller genre to figure out what worked. I eventually got in touch with Peter over at Bespoke Book Covers, and he has designed my covers ever since. He did a fantastic job re-imagining Book 1 and crafting Book 2 (An American Treasure), and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next for An Atlantic Shadow.
📧 Want a sneak peek at a raw Chapter One before the editing polished it up? You can grab an exclusive free download of the opening chapter to Before The Swastika Flew by subscribing to my newsletter, Against the Current. Sign up here!
📱 Phase 4: The Read-Through, Early Feedback & Proofing
Once the structural edits are done, I load the manuscript onto my tablet and do a complete cover-to-cover read-through, reading it just as a reader would on an e-reader. I’m listening for dialogue flow—making sure Daniela's sharp, analytical tone sounds distinct from Cedric's impulsive confidence—and stripping out repetitive phrasing.
Then comes the most important test: handing it over to my trusted first reader, Cosette.
Cosette is brilliant at looking at the story from a fresh perspective. She catches the things my tired eyes completely glaze over, like an overused word, a repeated analogy, or plot inconsistencies.
Once Cosette and I iron out those notes, the manuscript goes out to proofreaders.
Why I No Longer Use Professional Editing Companies
Early on, I paid a publishing/editing company a substantial amount of money to edit An Irish Mystery because I didn't know any better. In hindsight, from my personal experience, it felt like a waste of money.
After they returned the "fully edited" manuscript, Cosette and I went through it line by line and still found roughly 20 pages of errors and changes that needed fixing! In the end, all I really got for my money was a cover I eventually replaced and basic layout formatting. Today, relying on a dedicated first reader like Cosette followed by sharp proofreaders works far better for my process.
📐 Phase 5: Typesetting the Final Book
Once everyone gives the thumbs up and the text is locked, it’s time for typesetting—converting the word document into a professional interior layout for print and eBook.
For Book 1, the publisher handled it. For Book 2 (An American Treasure), I used Reedsy’s free editor tool. Reedsy is a fantastic free resource for new indie authors; you can format your book directly on their platform and export clean PDFs for paperbacks and ePub files for e-readers. It has its limitations, but for a free tool, it does a great job.
For Book 3 (An Atlantic Shadow), I am planning to upgrade to Atticus. If you don't use Apple products (which rules out Vellum), Atticus is widely considered the best formatting and typesetting software on the market. I'm looking forward to using it for Book 3, and I'll likely go back and re-typeset An American Treasure with it as well!
🏛️ Free Bookfunnel Promo: Archaeological Action & Adventure!
Before you go, I have a fantastic extra treat for all the thriller and adventure lovers reading this post!
This month, I am taking part in an exciting book promotion on Bookfunnel alongside a group of fantastic fellow indie authors. If you love stories packed with real-world lost cities, treasure hunters, exotic far-flung locations, and archaeology—think Indiana Jones, Lara Croft, or books by Clive Cussler, Ernest Dempsey, and Luke Richardson—then this promo was made for you.
👉 Click Here to Explore the Archaeological Action & Adventure Promo
Head over to the link, browse through the collection, and go find your next favourite author!
💬 Over to You!
For the writers reading this: What tool or software do you use for typesetting your books? And for the readers: Have you ever picked up a book because of the cover, only to find the story inside was completely different to what you expected? Let me know in the comments below!
📚 What I’m Reading...
Celtic Empire by Clive Cussler (with Dirk Cussler)
With the school holidays in full swing and a welcome break from coaching roller hockey, I’ve had a bit more time to sit down and make some serious headway on Celtic Empire.
I’m now wrapping up Part 2 and heading straight into Part 3 as I write this—and hopefully, by the time next week’s blog comes around, I’ll have actually finished it. Yes, I know... about time!
The book is juggling a fair few subplots right now:
- Part 1 kicks off with Dirk Pitt and his wife investigating a mysterious boat accident in Detroit, which links back to a high-stakes incident in El Salvador where Dirk had to rescue a scientist. Meanwhile, another character is trying to get his politician wife to attend a conference in Scotland.
- Part 2 switches gears entirely to catch up with Dirk's grown children, Dirk Junior and Summer, over in Egypt. After discovering an ancient tomb, they find themselves hunted by a ruthless crew of grave robbers. Every time they think a new clue is helping them escape, the bad guys are right there waiting to try and kill them!
It did make me chuckle reading about all the Dirks in one place—Clive Cussler clearly loved the name, seeing as his lead character is Dirk Pitt, his real-life son and co-author is Dirk Cussler, and the son in the book is Dirk Junior!
Despite bouncing from Egypt to El Salvador, Detroit, and Washington, the Scottish connection in Part 1 is starting to make me think the title Celtic Empire is finally about to reveal itself as I jump into Part 3. I'll give you my final verdict in the next post!
💌 Want More?
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Enjoyed the ride? 📖
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📚 The Newman Adventures
An Irish Mystery A fast-paced historical adventure about stolen treasures, hidden histories, and the cost of obsession. The story that started it all.
An American Treasure The journey continues! Cedric Newman returns in a high-stakes hunt for the lost riches of Mosby's Rangers. Action, mystery, and a new enemy await.
Available in Ebook, Kindle Unlimited, Paperback & Hardcover
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