ALANNA RUSNAK PUBLISHING

Where your dream of publication is fully attainable

Alanna Rusnak

With over fifteen years of design experience, powerful understanding of publishing technology, a passionate love for stories, and a desire to make dreams come true, she is your advocate, mentor, friend, and cheerleader and she can’t wait to help you bring your book into the light.

  • RR3 Durham, ON N0G 1R0
  • phone number only released to clients
  • PUBLISHING@ALANNARUSNAK.COM
  • WWW.ALANNARUSNAK.COM
Me

Professional Skills

Alanna is a skilled communicator, with a keen ability to interpret a client's vision. She is accomplished in the Adobe Creative Suite and strives for perfection in every project she takes on. Her comfort with current publishing technology and requirements makes her a great partner as you navigate the path to publication.

Graphic Design 95%
Commitment 99%
Concept Development 90%
Communication 93%

Consultation

Maybe you're just looking for someone to talk things over with. Maybe you need some advice or guidance to tackle this whole publishing thing yourself. Maybe you're considering putting your words out into the world, but aren't quite sure how to make that happen. Alanna would love to sit down with you over a cup of coffee and help you navigate your choices. LEARN MORE

Beta-Reading

"Alanna is a great beta reader/editor. She has an excellent command of the English language, knows where to add subtle shades to coax out the right moods in your writing, and offers sincere compliments of strong elements. At first, I didn't want to, but the more I chewed on it the more I realized she was right. She'd offer great assistance for any stage of your writing journey. ROLLAN WENGERT — AUTHOR OF 'ZAIDE: MOZART'S LOST OPERA"LEARN MORE

Copy Editing

Copy editing ensures that text is correct in terms of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting. It also ensures that the idea the writer wishes to portray is clear and easy to understand, that it is free of error, omission, inconsistency, and repetition. Copy editing should only occur after the author has been through multiple stages of beta reading and rewrites. LEARN MORE

Interior Layout Design

There's much to consider when thinking about what you want the interior of your book to look like: Chapter titles, drop-caps, font size and spacing, etc. We'll work with you to create the best possible layout, based on your theme, aesthetic, and personal tastes. LEARN MORE

Cover Design

Do you believe the old advice you can't judge a book by its cover? Think again! Your content could be beautifully written, professionally edited, and expertly laid out but without an attractive cover, readers may overlook your book...and what a shame that would be! Using high quality photography and eye-catching fonts, we can deliver the kind of cover that encourages book sales! LEARN MORE

Full Package

From editing to design to final product, we can take your dream and turn it into something you can hold in your hands! By combining our services into a start-to-finish package, you can save 15% and come away with something you can be proud of. LEARN MORE

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  • We've Got A Series, Folks!

    We've Got A Series, Folks!

    One of the greatest compliments a writer can receive is that earnest reader-plea of 'When is the next book coming out?' or 'You just have to write a sequel!'

    It gives us warm fuzzies.

    Before it plunges us into a deep pit of despair and responsibility!

    Just kidding. (Sort of.)

    When I wrote The Church in the Wildwood I intended it to be a stand-alone novel. I'd created a world that I really loved and thought I'd be happy letting it exist in its little literary bubble while I went on to build more worlds.

    But then you guys were like nag nag nag and I was like, FINE!

    And so, because readers are the way writing can actually be a viable, affordable, pursuit, an author should listen; and, if it turns out the reader is right, they need to follow the path that's being lovingly cleared ahead of them.

    This is not to say the reader is always right. Forced writing is ugly. There is no truth in it. No heart. I want no part of that. But when a suggestion tugs at your heart-strings AND a character keeps pulling on the hemline of your thoughts... do you really have a choice?

    The Fallmoore Chronicles by Alanna RusnakThe Ghost of Iris Carver is a novella that will form a bridge between Wildwood and my next novel, Black Bird. It will (re)introduce the reader to Iris's small town of Fallmoore as she chases the ghosts and questions of her past. And it's where you will meet my next great love, Bird Mitena. (Click the bolded title link at the top of this paragraph to learn a little bit more... including the first endorsement blurb that has come back from an early reader.)

    The Ghost of Iris Carver is currently in the hands of my eight beta-readers and on track to be released this spring, after which all my personal writing energy will be poured into completing the first draft of Black Bird (currently sitting at just under 50,000 words).

    And after that? You'll just have to wait and see! Now that I've decided I'm comfortable calling this thing a series (The Fallmoore Chronicles) the possibilities are really endless as to what I could make happen in this little Canadian town. I've had some requests that there be a Promise Book novel. Readers seem really curious about life at the Harridan Bluffs commune. I make no promises, but it would be an interesting narrative to chase...


    One quick question before I leave you: Do you think I should re-brand the cover of The Church in the Wildwood with the The Fallmoore Chronicles tag, or is it okay to let it stand as is... or maybe wait for an anniversary edition? Inquiring minds want to know!
  • Author Interview with The Awesome Gang

    Author Interview with The Awesome Gang

    I was recently interviewed by The Awesome Gang, a website dedicated to promoting indie authors. It's fun to share a little glimpse of my journey with strangers and I hold on to a little slice of hope that my story might inspire someone to set out after their own dreams.

    You could pop over to their website and read the interview there, or you can enjoy it right here...


    Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
    I grew up watching my father write and the soundtrack of his typewriter instilled in me the desire to do the same. Stories came easily to me, and every time the local newspaper (I grew up in a VERY small town) published one of my little pieces, I would be over the moon, and further inspired to chase my dreams. In 2010, as a young mom in desperate need of reconnecting with my creative self—that part of me that had been shelved to raise my children—I started a blog as a creative discipline. I shared stories from my boring life, reconnected with that need to write, and started chasing the ultimate dream of writing a book.

    What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
    In 2014 I signed up for Nanowrimo with nothing more than a title and an idea that I wanted to write a thriller. The book that came out of that one month hyper-writing experience was not a thriller; it was much deeper and richer than I could have ever anticipated. It took almost three years of hard work before The Church in the Wildwood, my debut literary novel, was officially released in June of 2017, and through that arduous, rewarding process, I learned a lot. Not the least of which being that allowing myself space to do something that feeds my spirit made me a better, stronger person in other areas of my life.

    Do you have any unusual writing habits?
    I am a night owl. My best ideas come after the sun has set. I always make myself a hot drink before I sit down (tea or coffee) and I prefer to write in total silence – no music, no chatter, just the sound of my fingers on those keys. Perhaps it goes back to those childhood typewriter memories.

    What authors, or books have influenced you?
    Anne Rice writes with the kind of eloquent poetry I strive for. She has such a beautiful way with words that captures and inspires. And Leonard Cohen. Oh, Leonard. He moves me like no other. He wrote with such raw, unapologetic vulnerability – such a gift! I keep copies of his books all over my house, so no matter what room I’m in, I can always get a little fix.

    What are you working on now?
    I’ve just completed the first draft of The Ghost of Iris Carver, a companion piece to my first novel and a bridge between it and another novel, Black Bird, which is about 10,000 words away from completion.

    What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
    Social media has definitely been a great help for me in promoting, though I don’t think I’m very good at it. The truth is you really only get as much as you put in. When I disappear from platforms like Twitter or Instagram (because life gets in the way – three kids, a husband, and a day job is a lot to juggle!) my sales go down as does traffic to my website. When I’m active, engaging with followers, suddenly everything bumps up. There’s a lesson in there…

    Do you have any advice for new authors?
    Call yourself a writer. Naming the thing you want out loud gives it power and strong legs to stand on. When I kept my dreams to myself, I don’t believe they had any chance of coming to light. Sure, I was afraid people wouldn’t take me seriously, but voicing my desires helped me take myself seriously, and that’s the most important thing.

    What is the best advice you have ever heard?
    A first draft doesn’t have to be perfect. I don’t know if it’s the best advice, but it’s been instrumental in helping me complete drafts. I used to hang out on single paragraphs – even single sentences – until they were ‘just right’ instead of powering through and getting the story told. First drafts aren’t for anyone else to read. They’re supposed to be garbage. Perfection can come later in the process.

    What are you reading now?
    I recently finished Out of Orange by Cleary Wolters and I’ve just taken on a beta-reading project for an author friend of mine – a science fiction novel. I also just ordered Jenna Fischer’s new memoir The Actor’s Life and can’t wait to dig into it. With my children, we’re working through the Harry Potter series and are currently on The Prisoner of Azkaban, which I read aloud to them before bed.

    What’s next for you as a writer?
    I’m aiming to have The Ghost of Iris Carver out in the world in 2018, with Black Bird following closely behind in 2019.

    If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
    Leonard Cohen’s Book of Mercy – for its beauty and genuine voice; something by Ted Dekker – not so much for reading, but so I can gaze at his dreamy photo and not feel so alone; the biggest journal I can find – to write all those feelings of abandonment; and a hardcover copy of Battlefield Earth – because it’s big and could be used as a weapon or kindling…not to say it’s a terrible book, I just couldn’t get through it (but perhaps being on a deserted island would remedy that problem).



    [This post contains Amazon associate links...that means, if you click one of the links and buy one of the books I'm talking about, I'll make a little bit of money... and let's face it, I'm doing whatever I can to support this crazy full-time writer dream of mine... and you need more books anyway, you know it's true! 😜]
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    ADDRESS

    Durham, ON, CANADA

    EMAIL

    publishing@alannarusnak.com