My Work with Alison L. James
Since 2009, I have been honored to work with Alison L. James, a brilliant spiritual teacher and world traveler from Great Britain, living in the Manhattan area.
Together, we have developed a library of Alison’s work that includes the wisdom she has gained after decades of study with spiritual teachers and first-hand experiences.
It is a delight to work alongside Alison because she is an excellent writer. Alison has the unique ability to give earthly language to complicated spiritual concepts. She has stretched my creative mind, touched my soul, and is always kind and grateful!
Project Contributions
Alison and I have produced six books, a vast library of her life’s work, with each project requiring different skills.
My contributions to her project are listed below in eight categories, and samples with a description of each book are included on this page.
Consulting
Throughout the process of writing or compiling the text, I collaborated with Alison through phone discussions and brainstorming sessions. My contributions included offering input on both book content and design ideas, as well as providing valuable insights on how to structure the book in a consistent and reader-friendly manner. I supported her through every phase of revisions and numerous edits, ensuring that the final product was of the highest quality.
Mentoring
Prior to publishing each book, I provided mentorship to Alison to ensure that she was aware of all the necessary considerations. I educated her on the various options available for publishing, the requirements for each option, and the expenses associated with printing the books so that she could determine the appropriate retail price. Additionally, I also guided her in selecting the appropriate book category, ensuring that her work would be properly classified online and displayed in the most relevant section of a bookstore.
Custom Visuals
Visuals are a great way to grab the reader’s attention and emphasize important content. Since we read most of our content online, it’s important to include images with headlines to engage the readers. I introduced Alison to this approach and helped her develop different styles to achieve this goal. Additionally, I created unique illustrations, selected artworks, and designed charts and graphics that blend together to make Alison’s books visually appealing and enjoyable to read.
Cover Design
When I designed the covers of all six books, I wanted Alison’s books to have distinctive and recognizable brand elements that reflected her personality and the subject matter of each book. As a designer, my favorite cover to work on was for her book Merlin’s Alchemy: Man’s Cosmic Destiny. To create the cover, I combined a painting of Merlin from her first book with a free-to-use image from the James Webb Telescope. My goal was to create an image of Merlin merged with and floating in the universe. Ultimately, I was pleased with how the cover design turned out, as it seamlessly blended the various elements and conveyed the subject of the book.
Interior Design
For Alison, I created a series of books with a unique and consistent interior design, although each one has its own variations. It was a bit complicated because two of the books needed a layout that would work for both print and ebook versions, so I was careful while typesetting to ensure a smooth transition between the two formats.
- For A Spiritual Anthology, I turned each poem into a work of art.
- Mystic Crystal Revelations is a reference book that required finding a color image of each crystal and creating numerous reference charts.
- Both Master Merlin Speaks, and Articles and Commentaries use the same design template with an image for each heading which lessened the time required for typesetting.
- Merlin and The New Camelot has a design treatment with ornate pullouts of important passages.
- For Merlin’s Alchemy, managing all the cross-references, index and hundreds of footnotes was challenging. Lastly, Merlin’s Map lists spiritual and energetic hotspots around the earth, and I designed it with a map of the world in the background and Merlin floating on top.
It was a delight to see each one of Alisons books come to life!
Publishing Services
I assisted Alison in publishing all of her books on Amazon and through the creation of her own author’s corner page that showcases her print and ebooks. My role was to take care of the necessary details and preparations for Amazon, including obtaining the required ISBN numbers and creating the barcode. I also helped Alison with the information-gathering process and provided her with the print cost details so she could determine the retail price of her books. Additionally, I obtained cover dimensions from Amazon to ensure the spine was the correct size based on the number of pages in the book. After finalizing all the files, I did a print check to verify everything was in order. As a result, Alison is now able to sell all her work on Amazon, and she receives a monthly check for book sales!
File Delivery
File delivery is an important aspect of project management. It’s risky to have only one person with access to the files as unforeseen events like computer crashes or illnesses can occur. I always keep this element in mind. Unlike many book developers, I provide access to the files as soon as we start working on a project, rather than waiting for the final payment. For instance, while working with Alison, I saved all our files on Google Drive and shared a link with her to download the most recent versions of the files to her computer. This ensured that Alison had access to the most recent files throughout the project development.
Additional Contributions
During my collaboration with Alison, I assisted her with structural editing by advising her on dividing her books into parts and recommending how the chapters should be organized. I taught her about creating the Table of Contents, which is a crucial element of any book, and I offered suggestions on how to name the chapters and use subheadings to create a coherent storyline. We didn’t hire an indexer to create the index for her book, Merlin’s Alchemy: Man’s Cosmic Destiny. Instead, Alison and I manually identified the keywords and phrases readers might search for and created hyperlinks allowing eBook readers to click on the link and go directly to a reference. Creating this library of metaphysical wisdom with Alison was a true labor of love!
Printed Books
What Alison Said About Ja-lene
“Ja-lene played a critical part in creating my first book, Merlin and The New Camelot: The Birth of Collective Christ Consciousness. Her grasp of the subject matter, creative ideas, and intuitive flow were extremely helpful for my writing process. Her design skills and experience greatly enhanced the presentation and impact of this book.
“With Merlin’s Alchemy for The New Camelot: Man’s Cosmic Destiny, Ja-lene’s creative skills, channeling, and intuitive flow were major forces in developing this very detailed book, which took me several years to write. The design components and the complexities of the cross-referencing and indexing in both the print and ebook versions culminated in a very pleasing and thorough book that I could not have foreseen. I am thrilled with how well the visual applications throughout the book enhance topics that may be challenging or difficult to grasp.”
— Alison L. James
Merlin and The New Camelot
The Birth of Collective Christ Consciousness
Book Description
Merlin and The New Camelot: The Birth of Collective Christ Consciousness is a wake-up call for humanity to play its part in creating our shared New World. This book contains a broad scope of spiritual teachings, healing symbols, and wisdom, setting forth, in a clear and structured way, the reasons for Lord Merlin’s presence in the Earth plane, both in Camelot of old and through his counterpart, Alison L. James, today. With its highlighted texts and striking images, this book is presented with aplomb. It guides the reader, whether a beginner or the Initiate, to the requisite self-healing and expanded consciousness pivotal for man’s evolution.
6″ x 9″ paperback, 249 pages, recommended reading, illustrations.
Merlin's Alchemy
Man's Cosmic Destiny
Book Description
The latest book from Alison L. James is as lucid and powerful as it is beautiful and engaging.
As the sequel to Merlin and The New Camelot, the author takes the reader on a journey to discover the Alchemy required for the Ascension process and our future cosmic reality alongside the Great Spiritual Hierarchy. Profound wisdom and spiritual concepts are adroitly explained in text and specialized charts for the reader’s self-development. Together, the book cover, illustrations, and imagery form a cohesive subtext to the complex and life-changing ideas for the reader.
6″ x 9″ paperback, 322 pages, recommended reading, indexed, illustrations.
eBooks
Master Merlin Speaks
Merlin and The New Camelot
Book Description
This precious ebook contains channelings from Master Merlin through Alison L. James. It is full of spiritual teachings and insights written and presented in a colorful and lively manner. Merlin’s wisdom is timeless and this book represents messages collected over a period of some ten years or more. Truth is Truth and the energy of these channelings permeates the awareness of the reader. The graphic presentation flows as gracefully as the information.
eBook with full-color art.
Articles and Commentaries
Merlin and The New Camelot
Book Description
The Articles and Commentaries found in this ebook cover a personal and broad scope of spiritual topics that are aligned with the author’s perspectives as guided by Spirit. The author edifies and entertains the reader providing some unexpected insights and subjects based on her understanding and unique experiences. There are plenty of surprises as well. Published articles are also included. There is a natural flow with evocative images that evoke the essence of the messages and enhance the reader’s experience.
eBook with full-color art.
Mystic Crystal Revelations
Merlin and The New Camelot
Book Description
This book holds revelations on multiple levels. Presented in this ebook are the author’s well-earned understanding and expertise on Crystals from years of work and study. Whether you are a seasoned healing practitioner or a beginner, Alison L. James makes plain in her own inimitable style the application of crystals and gemstones for Crystal Therapy. Also included are charts and ready-references for certain specific applications and a handbook for ease of use and self development that is especially helpful when purchasing Crystals. Colorful images and charts make this book an easy read on a multi-layered and mystical subject.
eBook with full-color art.
A Spiritual Anthology
Merlin and The New Camelot
Book Description
If you seek an inspiring and poetic infusion, this ebook is a must. Each piece leads the reader to enhance personal wisdom as well as to consider principles evoked or implied. The presentation in this ebook is spacious and conveys to the reader a sense of openness, enabling the space for the reader to experience what is put forth. The children’s fables and a short play are surprise gifts within this book. This is an Anthology of a different ilk, both in meaning and presentation.
eBook with full-color art.
Links to Additional Project Portfolios
Book Development • Alison L. James • Melissa Harris • Council Oak Books • Graphic Design • Website Projects
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