Blog No. 322 - The Struggle, and Triumph, of Publishing our First Book: The Camino Soul Songs - 15 Aug 2024

My purpose is to give hope to those who have lost hope.

Without hope, we remain lost in the Shadow Lands.

The aim of Hankinredden Publications has always been to connect to people, and give those who have been hurt, some sense of relief knowing that others have experienced similar events. We want those who read the books to relate, to sympathize and see their own situations from a different perspective. 

John embarked on a pilgrimage to the Camino de Santiago. He was not particularly spiritual, or religious, but he needed hope. Margaret was not in her best form, and so he decided to walk all 800 kilometers from the Pyrenees to Santiago, in the hopes that his wishes would come true. 

This is the first book of a series that will cover John’s experience with Margaret. 

John in black and white. This was soon after he had sent the bookcover design to the printers, one of the final steps. Taken 28 July 2025. © 2025 NVSN Creative

The struggle

You’re a writer, and your head holds within it a whole universe. One where it is completely under your control. You want others to see this universe, and so you write. You transcribe your imagination into words, or perhaps it isn't your imagination but rather your own experiences. You finish, and now you wish to publish.

This is where the real challenge begins.

Publishing the Camino Soul Songs was about as arduous of a journey as the Camino itself. It was another adventure which should get a book of its own. So I write this small blog, as a way to communicate that we struggled, but we triumphed, and so will you.

How did the journey end up here?

The plan originally was to publish the title, The Circle of Love first. It had 110,000 words, an extraordinary number comparable to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Our process began around January 2025, John had little to no proper roadmap. Even then, the objective was simple: publish The Circle of Love by around mid 2025. It was an aim, but John encountered a rough road ahead. 

As the months passed, little progress was being made. John was caught up juggling more than he ever expected. He had been preoccupied by the administration of his own business, Hankin Redden Publications, together with trying to pump out daily blogs plus other pieces of social media content. This was all in an effort to get our name out there. The truth is, being a small business owner takes away hours of your day, and everyday is constant work. You may soon find out that there are simply not enough hours in the day to do everything. To add salt to injury, all of this comes with a nice bundle of stress which seems to make these hours even shorter. 

Ultimately, John continued to tread through the swamp with hope. John was tough as nails. 

Some symbolism. Source.

Soon, he realised that The Circle of Love was simply way too big of a book to release without first testing the waters. It was here that he remembered about his walk to the Camino de Santiago. Having written all the poems and diary entries during his walk, the book was essentially finished — it only needed to be formatted into a legible book. This became John’s priority, giving him a clearer path ahead. 

After getting the draft placed into a legible product, we sent the book to be proofread. Here is where the wonderful Oliver came in. We found him through Fiverr, a platform where you can find freelancers and hire their services for a fee. Out of multiple candidates, he was the most competent. 

Now, selecting a proofreader is a whole process within itself, but what we recommend is to decide based on your needs and situation. Whenever you are choosing a proofreader, there is a spectrum of budgets to choose from. You have large specialist companies who most definitely do an excellent job, but at the price of your whole budget. On the other hand you have freelancers like Oliver, who can likewise do an excellent job, but you run a higher risk of human error and less consistent work quality. 

Ask yourself, what is the size and scope of your book? If it's a massive book with intricate and complex language, I suggest going with a company. This will come with a hefty price, but wouldn’t you rather publish a high-quality product than settle for something less? In the end, if you cannot afford it, then there is little choice.

Each has its ups and downs, but as John saw it, The Camino Soul Songs was a simple book to proofread, and Oliver was up for it. 

‘This book could be it’, John pondered. 

To be continued. 

By helping others to heal

We help ourselves heal

Remember those who preceded us.

Give abundant Love

Always