Sunspot.

by Noelle Cannon

Noelle had been writing the poems that would eventually become Sunspot for a long time, and she wanted to gain the knowledge to finally publish her first collection.

What she wanted:

To tell her story through poetry

What she had:

Vivid and raw and wincing work

What we did

Arrangement suggestions
ePub design
Critique and critique letter
Platform selection support
4 rounds of proofreading
Marketing concepts and ideas
ISBN acquisition support
One printed proof copy (and one for us!)
Pricing support
Reading series feature
Back of book design and blurb creation
Interior layout design
All the love

When you know, you know...

Noelle had been writing the poems that would eventually become Sunspot for a long time, and she wanted to learn the finer points of craft, metaphor, and design that would allow her to finally publish her first collection—the one of her dreams. She cares deeply about value of the human experience and wanted to connect with readers so they could share and find solace in her feelings. And more importantly, she wanted to project this love into the world.

When we first explored her work, our hearts stilled, and her impactful words had us totally enraptured:

“No princess dwells behind these castle walls

The fortress sits alone . . .

Her work is vivid and raw and wincing, and her poems unfold in a fairy tale-like voice—but one with edge and power. We knew we had to partner up.

So with her work in hand, we started engaging with her poems, and we haven’t stopped since. Through several rounds of heart-to-heart critique and collaboration, we helped her shape her collection.

"The more I stared at it, the more I saw..."

Noelle said a lot of nice things through the process like “wow” and “thank you” and “you have a great understanding of what I am wishing to accomplish.” She even called us her Fairy Godmother of Poetry, which we want to plaster on our wall. But the most amazing part of the process was how we guided her discovery of a narrative that she had been trying to tell and uncovered a way to work on her poems so they could become stronger.

"The critique was one of the more fun parts of the process..."

While she did want to self-publish, Noelle also wanted to explore her craft in a new way. She wanted to make sure her poems were as fluid as possible and to ensure that they were eliciting the right type of emotional response from her readers. Even though she had been writing since she was 11, she’d never taken a formal poetry course, so she needed a way to work on her poems in a professional setting without feeling held back by convention or stifled by someone else’s idea of what her poetry should be.

Together, we were able to strengthen the work, tell a comprehensive story, and help Noelle invest in her passion.

"This was the best decision I have ever made and you are making it a lot more memorable..."

And then it was April, and the day we had been waiting for was here! Noelle received the printed proof of her book and was so freaking happy. She sent us these shots to commemorate that moment.

And that’s the real fairy tale.

Noelle talks process!

Stop making excuses. Make it happen.