Showing posts with label self-publishing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label self-publishing. Show all posts
My Book at the National Book Store Festival: A Dream I Never Thought Would Bloom
Thursday, May 28, 2026 Philippines
A Moment I Never Expected: My Book at the National Book Store FestivalThere are moments in life that feel like quiet miracles — the kind you don’t see coming, yet they arrive with a softness that makes you pause and whisper, “Lord, thank You.”
Seeing my book, It’s Not About Us, featured at the National Book Store Grand Back to School & Sulit Reads Festival is one of those moments.
Growing up, National Book Store was more than a store. It was a dream space.
I remember walking through the aisles as a student, saving coins just to buy a pen or a tiny notebook. I remember reading book covers and imagining what it would feel like to have my own story on a shelf someday. I didn’t know how, or when, or if it would ever happen — but I held the dream quietly.
And now, here it is.
A poster.
A feature.
A moment I never thought I’d see.
This photo — bright, bold, and full of color — is more than a promotional material. It’s a reminder of grace, growth, and the quiet ways God works behind the scenes long before we see the results. It’s proof that the seeds we plant in faith bloom in their own time.
Why This Moment Matters
- It honors the journey.
From writing in small notebooks to publishing a book, every step mattered.
- It celebrates Filipino authors.
Thank you, PaperKat Books, for championing local writers and giving our stories a home.
- It reminds me of God’s timing.
Nothing is ever late. Nothing is ever wasted. Everything blooms when it’s meant to.
To Every Reader and Dreamer
Thank you for believing in this book. Thank you for reading, sharing, and supporting my journey as an author.
And to anyone holding a dream that feels too far away — keep going.
Keep writing.
Keep creating.
Keep showing up.
Your moment will come, too.
Maybe not today, but one day — in the most unexpected and beautiful way.
Bloom gently. Bloom bravely. Bloom in your own time.
The Philippine Book Festival 2026 just recently concluded, and my books, The Restless Mind and It’s Not About Us, were able to join the book fair thanks to Paperkat Books.
Thank you to all who got their copies of The Restless Mind. It's Not About Us was also available at PBF2026, but not a single copy was sold. Either way, it was a success. Just being able to participate in this kind of book fair is already an achievement for me. I am grateful to those who open their platforms to independent self-publishers. Thank you!
Restless, Not About Us: A Double Triumph at the Philippine Book Festival 2026
The Philippine Book Festival 2026 was more than just a gathering of readers and writers—it became a stage for stories that resonate deeply with the human spirit. Among the highlights was the remarkable success of two works by Arlene Manocot: It’s Not About Us and The Restless Mind.
A Celebration of Ideas
Both titles captivated audiences with their unique perspectives. It’s Not About Us challenges readers to look beyond individual struggles and see the collective journey of resilience and hope. Meanwhile, The Restless Mind explores the complexities of thought, creativity, and the pursuit of meaning in a fast-changing world.
Festival Recognition
The Philippine Book Festival recognized these works not only for their literary merit but also for their impact on readers. The vibrant festival atmosphere—filled with colorful banners, lively discussions, and enthusiastic book lovers—was the perfect backdrop for Arlene’s achievement.
Why These Books Matter
Timely Themes: Both titles speak to the challenges of modern life, from identity to mental resilience.
Universal Appeal: Whether read in classrooms, book clubs, or personal reflection, the works invite dialogue and deeper understanding.
Author’s Voice: Arlene Manocot’s writing blends empathy with intellectual rigor, making her books both accessible and thought-provoking.
Looking Ahead
The success at PBF 2026 is not just a milestone—it’s a springboard. With growing recognition, these books are poised to reach wider audiences, sparking conversations across communities and cultures.
The Philippine Book Festival will be held on March 12-15 in 2026. It is a festival for all the book lovers out there, especially the ones in the Philippines. This book fair is one of the many initiatives of the National Book Development Board. NBDB is the Philippines' book authority, dedicated to creating a vibrant, diverse, and equitable book publishing ecosystem.
The book festival is set to take place at Megatrade Hall, SM Megamall, and the entrance is FREE, just register through this link: bit.ly/PBF2026Registration.
The Philippine Book Festival is not just a book fair; it’s a book experience!
I will be joining the Philippine Book Festival this year as an author through a consignment agreement with PaperKat Books and Ms. Kath Eustaquio-Derla. I am happy to tell you that two of my books will be available at the book festival, and they are The Restless Mind and It's Not About Us.
I won't be able to be there physically, but my books will be there for sure. They are at the PaperKat Books booth. Please do drop by.
Experience the Philippine Book Festival this year for FREE! My books will see you there. Raxmat!
For those who are unfamiliar with MIBF, it stands for Manila International Book Fair and is an annual event that many Filipino readers and writers eagerly anticipate. As a reader and writer, I have always been excited to participate in this event, especially if I have the budget (haha).
And this year has been, so far, my best experience of MIBF. And good news for those who know me: I stepped out of my comfort zone, or at least I tried, even if only for an hour, and I want to praise God for that!
With the help of PaperKat Books and Ms. Kath, I was able to book an hour of meet-the-writer and a book signing event during the MIBF 2025.
Initially, I only planned to consign my latest book, The Restless Mind, and hope for the best of its sales. I am scared to be on the frontline of the meet-the-writer and a book-signing event. But then, there was this desire to try the book signing activity. I took the risk. I thought I had nothing to lose, and it was not like I was going to do something bad or illegal.
"I am just gonna put myself out there, and be a little vulnerable in the eyes of spectators." I thought to myself.
So, yes, I did! I had the book signing and meet-the-writer activity with PaperKat Books. I am really grateful for the opportunity and the experience, and I am so glad I got to experience MIBF 2025 as a writer and a reader.
Special shout-out to the readers who took a chance on my book, The Restless Mind, during my book signing: Ram, Grace, Zu, LJ, and Thine!💙 If you bought my book at MIBF 2025, and I was not able to sign it for you, I hope I get to see you at other events. SLMT 💙
I am looking forward to experiencing more of this event.
I am joyful that I did this. It was beyond my comfort zone, but God did it again! He helped me get through 🙏🙌
The Restless Mind, my latest book, is participating this year. The book event will run from September 10-14, 2025, from Wednesday to Sunday.
Ms. Kath Eustaquio-Derla and PaperKat Books helped me to make this opportunity possible.
I also have a Meet the author schedule at Booth #2-122, 2nd Floor Function Hall, SMX Convention Center Manila. So if you want to meet me or get your copies signed, please feel free to drop by. Other freebies are waiting for you. I hope I get to see you guys and gals!
This step is the part of self-publishing where you decide to have a print copy of your book. I have come upon this company that helps in printing self-published books. I am glad to find IngramSpark.
Now, here is the big question: Do you have a manuscript you want to print and an ISBN for your book? If your answer is yes, this might be the right time to try using IngramSpark.IngramSpark offers printing services. It is a company built by indie publishers, for indie publishers. Fully integrated print, digital, wholesale, and global distribution to help you publish like a pro.
You just have to prepare two (2) documents: a formatted manuscript and a full book cover.
1. Formatted Manuscript
For most of the books I self-published, the size I use is 8 by 5. I use Microsoft Word for the interior of the book or the manuscript itself.
2. Full Book Cover
The application I work with to make my book covers is Canva. The front, back cover, and spine are all created with Canva. Just make sure you use the template book covers for you have the right dimension. Since I use an 8 by 5 size for the interior, it is only right to have your book's front and back cover in the same size. On the other hand, the width of the spine depends on the number of pages of the book, and the height remains the same as the front and back covers.
To calculate the width of your book spine, you may use this tool from IngramSpark: Spine and Weight Calculator
Here’s a sample of the book I published on demand with IngramSpark. Behold! 😂
I hope this helps.
Self-publishing 101: How to apply ISBN for your self-published books from NLP online?
Thursday, May 8, 2025
Do you want to sell your books through a physical bookstore just like me?
As a self-published author, one of my dreams is to see my books in the shelves of many physical bookstores which seems like a pie in the sky for me before the boom of internet age. Right now, I can see light and hope for that dream. There are a lot of ways to make it possible and I am hoping and praying it will work.
But first, I needed that ISBN. So I did get it for my new book and good news just recently, I got approved of ISBNs for the book I have written entitled The Restless Mind. I got the ISBNs for ebook and print version and I did online.
The National Library of the Philippines (NLP) is the repository of the printed and recorded cultural heritage of the country and other intellectual, literary resources and information sources.MissionThe National Library of the Philippines is an ISO certified national repository of printed and recorded cultural heritage in the country that acquires, organizes, conserves, and preserves Filipiniana resources and provides equitable access to information resources on various platforms.VisionPremier national repository and gateway of knowledge, culture and innovation empowering Philippine society.
How to get ISBNs for your self-published books from NLP online?
1. First thing first, register as an author/writer with NBDB and here is how I did it:
Self-publishing 101: How to register as an Author/Writer with Philippine NBDB?
and you can do it too, just click the link.
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| The confirmation email I received from NBDB. |
2. Create an account on this website: https://web.nlp.gov.ph/isbn/
3. Prepare a document that contains the full book cover of the book/s and copyright page. Remember, make sure you follow the prescribed format of the NLP or else they will reject it, but you can still revise your application.
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| The proof of work I submitted for the ISBN application. |
4. Submit a request by clicking ISBN Application tab and filling out all the necessary information about your book and uploading the document.
You will receive an email verifying your application and it may take up to two business days to evaluate your application.
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| This is the email I received when my ISBN application has approved. |
I hope for your success in your ISBN application.
Self-publishing 101: How to register as an Author/Writer with Philippine NBDB?
Thursday, April 24, 2025
As a self-published author, I had a little desire of registering with NBDB. I thought the process was tedious so I decided to forego the idea of being a registered author despite free online registration the agency was offering. I thought I could not squeeze it in my busy schedule.
But these past few months, I got no more excuses not to consolidate documents required to be registered as an author in the date base National Book Development Board or NBDB. The best part is the whole registration process can be done online. Tada! Isn't that good news?
Another reason to pursue this author registration is for me to be able to apply for ISBNs of my books, since I also plan to sell my books in bookstores and they require ISBN on books to be sold at their store. There is going to be a separate blogpost on how to get ISBN for books, once I got my author registration certificate.
The enactment of Republic Act 8047, also known as the Book Publishing Industry Development Act, was a clear demonstration of the government's attention to the important role of books in nation building. The law created the National Book Development Board (NBDB) which is tasked primarily to formulate and implement a National Book Policy with a corresponding National Book Development Plan geared towards the development of the book publishing industry. The birth of the NBDB was a long struggle that started in 1998 in the halls of Congress by men who shared a vision and the desire to see the growth of the book publishing industry in the Philippines. That remarkable struggle ended on June 7, 1995 when His Excellency, President Fidel V. Ramos, signed into law Republic Act No. 8047, otherwise known as the Book Publishing Industry Development Act which created the National Book Development Board. RA 8047 repealed Executive Order 492, series of 1991, as amended, the law which created the Instructional Materials Development Center, under the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS).
How to register as an Author/Writer with Philippine NBDB? What are the requirements? How many days will it take to receive the author registration certificate? These were the same questions I had where started thinking about the process of the application.
Here is list the documents or requirements I needed to prepare:
1. One (1) valid government-issued ID. I submitted a copy of my passport.
2. Bionote. I limited my bionote to five (5) sentences, but I am sure you can write more than that. Here is a sample of my bionote for your referece.
3. List of Published and/or Unpublished Titles. There is a downloadable prescribed template by the NBDB that I had to fill out diligently and it looks like this:
4. Proof of Work. I consolidated the book covers and copyright of all my published books in Word document file. For my unpublished titles, I also put them together in a Word document file and most of my unpublished manuscript do not even reach twenty (20) pages, so I just put whatever I have. I saved the documents for my proof of work as PDF.
After I finalized all the requirements, I sent them to this email: registration@books.gov.ph. All the documents will undergo evaluation by the NBDB and it may take up to seven (7) days.
Please feel free to comment or send me a message if you have any clarification. This link will give you the full details of the registration process: NBDB E-Registration
Be a registered Author/Writer with Philippine NBDB and start your application now!
Good day y’all!
Good news, I just released a book for my birthday. I’ve been self-publishing for almost ten years. I am happy doing that, and I find purpose in all the books I write. I hope you’re having fun, too, doing your purpose!
Here’s the full cover for the print copies of my latest book, The Restless Mind:
The Advance Reader’s E-book Copy is now available for reviews and interested readers. Please feel free to message me or comment on my posts, so I can send you a copy of The Restless Mind. You may add the book to your Goodreads account.
Please don’t hesitate to post your honest review of the book on Goodreads:
If you’re interested, please send me a message via Messenger, comment on this post, or e-mail me: arlenemanocot@gmail.com. I will send you an e-book version of the book for review.
Your time and interest are highly appreciated. Thank you and have a nice day! 🙏🤗
As you all know, I am about to release another collection of poems. It is a collection of my written thoughts and feelings in the most creative way I can. It is also my way of releasing overwhelming or underwhelming positive and negative emotions.
The title of the new book to be released is The Restless Mind. You can know more about it from the article that I posted on this website. You may click this link to read more about the book: https://www.arlenemanocot.com/2025/04/new-book-reveal-restless-mind.html?m=1
So going back to the question, where to publish or to print book? This inquiry was sent to me privately by a Facebook friend and I was thinking maybe aside from him there are others who might want to know something about self-publishing.
In my ten (10) years of experience in self-publishing, I would consider that there are different parts of publishing: writing, editing, formatting, and publishing. I had to ask that friend of mine what specific part of publishing and it turned out, he wanted to print his own collection of poems.
There are two printing company where I can get print books for my self-published books, one in the Philippines and the other is in the US.
1. PH prints
I submit my soft copy and all the details of the books to JMD Prints. They have Facebook page, but personally I like to message Ate Joy on her Messenger account for every transaction I have with JMD Prints. They will ask you send the digital materials via e-mail. Here’s the link for their FB page if you want to get in touch with them and planning to print in the Philippines. In my experience they got the most affordable and high quality output.
JMD Prints Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/share/1C8RBXWX2A/?mibextid=wwXIfr
2. US Prints
This is the first time I am going to try printing in the US and also using Ingram Spark. I inquired to one printing company, but their rate was a little pricey. I have created an account on their website starting to format my latest book according to their requirements. Here’s the link Ingram Spark website for to explore and decide if it is the best option for you.
Ingram Spark: https://www.ingramspark.com/
I hope this article helps you to get an idea about book printing. Please don’t hesitate to send me a question about self-publishing or anything maybe hehe. Have a nice day!
I am the birthday girl!
I don’t usually celebrate my birthday and maybe never post something about celebrating my birthday. It is hard to remember. But this year, my heart is just overflowing with gratitude to God for giving me this opportunity to live and to have a life. Even though life hasn’t always been easy, I thank You God for this gift of life.
Well, now that I think about it. I never had a sort of celebration for my birthday. Usually, it is just eating together or going somewhere to explore, and I like that idea, that’s the kind of celebration I would prefer. Never had the cakes and balloons with lots of confetti, and it’s fine. I guess that’s kind of celebration is never in my radar.
Birthday gifts from my love 🥰
Thank you Angie, Savior, Jared, Nay, at Tay for the video greetings and cake!
Thirty five is the age now. I am in the middle of my thirty’s. Right now as old as I am, I am in the phase of my life where I know exactly what to do but I do not know how to do it. Like I know what I want, I know my purpose, but I am scared because I just got out of one of the many things on earth that makes me feel secured which like everything else is temporary and will definitely perish.
Thank you for all those who didn’t forget to greet me on my birthday! 🎊
I just have this thought that I have surrendered everything to God. My trust and hope is in Him. I always pray for provisions, safety, protection, wisdom, endurance, and guidance for me, my family, and loved ones. My prayer also is to live a life that is content and glorifying to You, my LORD.
And this is the birthday book!
I tried to release every year and during my birthday. The Restless Mind is the birthday book this year and it contains some of my confessions. Maybe, I wrote this book out of grumbling and complaining about life or a specific situation and circumstance I needed to deal with.
I just hope and pray to inspire other people specifically women through this book. Another prayer of mine for this book is to earn a living out of my books. Please get a copy of this book. You may order a print copy of The Restless Mind through this pre-order form: https://forms.gle/B2MrroFvYJCY5fnm8
Please don’t forget to tag me on a post or send me a message if you want to get in touch. Have a blessed day y’all!
Are you ready for my new book baby? 📚 I have prepared something for y’all. I am glad to announce that I am going to be releasing a new book baby on my birthday month. I hope you are excited because I am.
My mind gave birth to a collection of poems for the past few year. The poetry book is entitled “The Restless Mind”. It is a collection of my sentiments in life, somewhere in my early thirties.
I dwell inside my mind, more than in the outside world. It might leave positive or negative impression how my mind works. I am an introvert and I am comfortable being with myself. But I always want to be with the my most favorite person in the world right now. I always want and need to be with him. Proximity might not permit that all the time and I try to cope with it and pray for it.
In the book “The Restless Mind,” I shared my thoughts and emotions in situations that I struggled with in my early thirties. I need to let them out. I need to write them, so they will not accumulate in my mind and soul. Some thoughts and emotions can be disgusting, but I would like to believe that there are some good things dwells in my mind.
Book Blurb
Am I just grumbling?Endlessly complaining?I confess.I repent.But is it enough
I would like to share this book to all of you. For you to know that you are not alone, that there are people who struggle with these thoughts and emotions like you, and that they can be overcome and they will pass. They will not stay on you, with prayers and cry to God, everything shall pass. You will receive peace from God as He declutter all the unnecessary baggage you have in your life that will not serve a purpose in fulfilling your God-given purpose.
I hope and pray you find inspiration as you read my new book which is scheduled to be released on April 13, 2025. I hope you look forward to it and find a glimpse of hope in it.
Book Covers of The Restless Mind
Please look forward to my new book. I will be posting on how and where you can a get a free e-book copy of The Restless Mind. I hope and pray you are having a blessed week. Until next time! 🤗🙏🙌
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