Building Books, Finding Voices and Learning the Way.

The KMCS Publishing Journey So Far: Building Books, Finding Voices and Learning the Hard Way

Welcome to the new KMCS Publishing blog.

It feels good to launch this space and finally put into words what the past few years have been like. A lot has changed since I published my first book in 2021, and I want this blog to give readers, writers and supporters a real glimpse behind the curtain. Publishing is a fascinating world, but it can be confusing, frustrating and full of surprising moments. KMCS has grown because of every lesson, every mistake and every small triumph along the way.

How KMCS Publishing Began

KMCS Publishing began in 2021, the year I wrote my first novel. At the time, I explored traditional publishing routes and quickly discovered that the process demanded a great deal of patience and a surprising amount of pleading. It never suited me. I am not good at asking for things, especially when I feel capable of doing the work myself. So KMCS Publishing was born out of a desire for independence.

The KMCS ethos is simple. I publish books that I can write well and feel passionate about. These fall into three main areas. Fiction, particularly time travel stories, which I have always loved. Non-fiction, some that lean into humorous social commentary, along with sport and also, reworked classics, because many older works fade from view as reading tastes change. By updating the language while respecting the original story, I aim to keep classics alive for modern readers. There are many reprints of the originals. KMCS offers something different, something accessible.

The Books So Far

KMCS Publishing has grown into a varied catalogue.

• Reworked classics: Her Benny and A Road to Wigan Pier• Non-fiction: The Little Book of First World Problems, Why Gen X Had It All: Growing Up in Britain and Cool Britannia and Beyond: Britain in the 90s• Fiction: A Christmas Carol Rewired and A Christmas Through Time, a cosy time slip novella set in Yorkshire

Behind the scenes, I am developing a six-book time travel series, with the first instalment, Rocket to the Past, due early next year.

Four Years of Change

After stepping back for a while, I returned to publishing in 2025 and found a very different landscape. Indie publishing has expanded at an astonishing pace, and the number of tools, platforms and services is far wider than it was in 2021. It has been overwhelming at times, but the energy in the indie world is inspiring. It feels like the right time to build KMCS into something stronger and more consistent.

My biggest win has been a personal one. I have finally overcome my own fear of writing for the open market. I have boxes of handwritten manuscripts from the days before everyone had a laptop, along with dozens of half-written ideas that never went anywhere. This year, I decided to finish them, one by one, while developing new books at the same time. It has been liberating.

The most frustrating challenge so far has been an unexpected problem with an ISBN. I registered an ISBN with Nielsen for a book that will not be out until next year and uploaded a temporary cover image. It was not meant to appear anywhere. A few days later I discovered it on Amazon. Trying to fix it has been a maze of conflicting messages and no clear solution, so it will now be left where it is and ignored. I will use a new ISBN for that book. It is a simple problem on paper, but apparently not simple to resolve in reality.

Editors, Designers and Why They Matter

My first book, Paradigm, was professionally edited and designed. The experience was positive and taught me how important a good editor is. For a few smaller books, I tried to edit myself and used beta readers. The beta readers were brilliant and spotted many inconsistencies, but self-editing was a mistake. You cannot edit your own work with true accuracy. You are too close to the words.

I am now working with a professional editor and a professional cover designer for the upcoming time travel series and have some amazing beta readers who see the original, bare manuscripts and provide useful edits and questions. I will share more about that process in future posts because it is already proving to be worth every second.

The Audiobook Adventure

Audiobooks are an exciting new direction for KMCS Publishing. Last week, I met someone whose voice is perfect for my books. She has the right tone, warmth and enthusiasm, and she is as invested in the process as I am. I will introduce her properly in a later post. We are currently working out the technical side of recording and producing audiobooks, so watch this space. It has already been a learning curve, and I am sure there will be more to say about it soon.

Looking Ahead

2026 is shaping up to be a huge year for KMCS Publishing. I write for about twelve hours a day and spend many more hours on promotion, design planning and social content. There is a great deal still to come. I am especially excited about the release of Rocket to the Past early next year. Writing it took me through a full range of emotions and mystery, and I hope readers feel the same when they open the book.

This blog will become the home of updates, insights and behind-the-scenes stories. It will cover the good, the difficult and everything in between. Thank you for being here at the start of this new chapter.

Stay Connected

If you would like to follow the KMCS journey, you can stay updated through the KMCS newsletter. You can also follow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok

for previews, updates and the occasional writing disaster or triumph.

Here is to the next stage of the adventure.