Gettysburg and Vicksburg: Summer of Decision, my newest Civil War historical fiction, is live on Kindle and Spotify. Read it here. Listen here. Two days ago, it was a stack of files and a promise to you. Today, it is a published book, and this is how the last 48 hours unfolded.
Day One: Working With the Publisher
Publishing looks simple from the outside, but every detail needs a check. The files, the cover, the title, the description, and the links all must match. One wrong detail can stall a launch for days.
I spent much of the first day with my publisher. We confirmed each piece, one at a time, and nothing moved forward until it was right.
Verifying Amazon and IngramSpark
Next, I verified the activity on Amazon and IngramSpark. I checked that each listing matched my files, and I confirmed that the Kindle edition was live. A listing is only a web page until a reader can click it, so I tested the links myself.
Building the Spotify Audiobook
While that work ran, I turned my text into an audiobook. I uploaded the ePub files to Spotify, and Spotify built the audiobook from my words. Then came the waiting. I refreshed the page, read the same status line, and refreshed again.
Then the approval arrived. Now you can follow the McAllister and Tanner families on your commute, on a walk, or in your garden.
Updating the Website
I also rebuilt the Book 3 page on tomfoconnor3.com. It shows the cover, a Kindle button, and a free 23-page Chapter One in PDF form. The Books page and the Reading Order page now list the Steel and Honor series in order. Book 4 earned its own page too, with its cover and a clear message: coming soon.
I wanted any reader who lands on my site to find the right book in seconds. That reader may arrive from Amazon, Spotify, or a search engine. I also updated the battle pages that mention the series. Two of them said Book 3 lacked a confirmed date. Now they tell readers the book is available on Kindle.
The Moment It Finished
Then I clicked the Kindle link. My book opened on Amazon. I opened the Spotify link next, and the title matched. Every link worked.
Writing a book is slow, solitary work. You draft alone, you edit alone, and you doubt alone. All of that effort ends at a single web page that says the book exists. Watching that final link open was the most satisfying minute of this entire project.
This project reminded me that publishing is a chain of small checks. Any weak link can delay the whole book. A cover must match its listing, and a listing must match its files. Every link on my website must lead somewhere real. I would rather spend two careful days than send a reader to a dead page.
Why This Story Matters
The story takes place in July 1863, a turning point in the Civil War. Lee’s army marched into Pennsylvania and fought the Union at Gettysburg from July 1 to 3. On July 4, Vicksburg surrendered, and the Union won control of the Mississippi River. Those two events changed the balance of the war within a single week.
About the Book
Two campaigns. Three families. A summer of decision.
Nathaniel McAllister rides toward Gettysburg. Andrew McAllister follows Grant’s campaign against Vicksburg. James Tanner serves the Confederate cause. Their loyalties pull them apart, and the war waits for none of them.
If you read Cadets to Captains and Antietam, this is your next step in the Steel and Honor series. If you are new to my Civil War fiction, you can start with the free chapter and decide for yourself.
Your Next Step
Choose the way you like to read:
- Read it on Kindle
- Listen on Spotify
- Try Chapter One free (PDF)
- Visit the Book 3 page
- Follow the series in order
A purchase, a download, or an honest review all help an independent author reach new readers. If the story moves you, tell one friend who loves history. That recommendation reaches further than any advertisement I could buy.
What Comes Next
Book 4, Chickamauga and Chattanooga: Lines of Command, is coming soon.
Until the next campaign,
Tom O’Connor
tomfoconnor3.com