Why Not Create A Book?

Four years ago, a friend suggested I compile my images into a book. At first, I imagined one of those online photobooks that you make for yourself—a simple collection of pictures to flick through. But she had something much more ambitious in mind. She meant a proper, published book. Over time, she convinced me that there are very few books dedicated to ravens, and even fewer that contain a wealth of photographs. I mulled it over, pondered and procrastinated for a year before deciding to take the plunge. How hard could it be? Three years’ worth of hard as it turned out.

Naively I opened a Word document and began. To tell my story eventually took over 24000 words in the right order to describe the how, the where, the why and the wonder of it all. Alongside the writing, the selection of images from the thousands I have in my collection took up countless hours. Every image then needed to be re-edited, re-sized and converted to a different colour profile for the printed page. There were several very steep learning curves, bouts of imposter syndrome, the frustration of those long hours spent staring at a blank screen, completely unable to find the right words to express my thoughts.

Endless rereading, rewriting, restructuring of the manuscript. Research into everything from writing a manuscript, finding professional guidance of an editor, ISBN numbers to exploring potential routes to publication.

As much as those in the know appreciate how magnificent corvids are, most people have no idea. This makes them a niche subject. Their limited mainstream appeal meant that finding a literary agent could take months, and securing a publisher might take even longer—if it happened at all. So, self-publishing was the only viable option. Self-publishing through popular online services such as Amazon or Blurb did not appeal to me. I wanted full control over the quality of both the images and the overall layout. If I was going to publish this book, I wanted to do it properly. That meant investing in three rounds of professional editing by the wonderful Philippa at Lexical Peaks and then proofreading. Purchasing InDesign software, allowing me to produce the format for the book. This aspect of the process was thoroughly enjoyable, offering a visually creative break from the writing.

Then came the decisions on the print. I wanted to stay as local as possible and was fortunate enough to find the perfect printer St Andrews Press in Wells, Somerset. They invited me to visit their premises and took the time to walk me through the entire process, explaining each stage in detail. It was important to me that the final book would not only showcase the images but would also look and feel beautiful. In my imagination, I pictured an embossed, leather-bound volume complete with silver-edged pages, end papers adorned with intricate silver foil runes, with an engraved pewter clasp, all presented in a luxurious black velvet book bag. It quickly became apparent that such elaborate features would far exceed my budget. Despite this, I was determined not to compromise on quality. I simply could not bring myself to produce a book that felt flimsy, with thin pages or low-quality printed images. So finally, at the beginning of October 2025 I approved the pre-print proof, this was exciting and terrifying in equal measure. The book was in production. I’d invested in a limited-edition 200 page hardback weighing in at 1kg. Printed on 150gsm paper The cover in matt black with a single image and a little gold foiling for good measure.

Looking back, would I have started the project if I had known the time and effort involved? Maybe not. Had I enjoyed creating the book? Yes and no. It became a love hate relationship. At times the task felt overwhelming and endless, other times it would flow wonderfully until the next bout of writer’s block. Now the sense of achievement far outweighs the tough days. As an avid reader, the project has given me an even greater respect for the monumental accomplishments of all authors and their editors.

When people ask if I would do it again? My answer is firm “No.” But my editor planted the seed of another project that continues to lurk at the back of my mind. So, given some time I have a sneaking suspicion that I might just feel that creative itch.