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Whilst it is not unlikely, or even unusual for a former member of Parliament to release a book following their exit from public service, these books are usually just memoirs that toe the party line, or supposed exposés of larger-than-life political characters. John Howard, Bob Hawke and Mark Latham’s recent offerings come to mind. Very rarely does an MP publish something that is non-fiction. Or choose to make writing his next career path.

Never one to stick with the status quo, Neil Cole did just that. He has been many things in his time, a lawyer, former member of the Victorian State Parliament for over a decade and, in the 1990s, the Victorian Shadow Attorney-General. Where Neil now concentrates his efforts is on writing and producing scripts, as well as writing novels.

Over the past 15 years, Neil has written a dozen plays, 11 of them having been performed in Melbourne and interstate, in venues such as La Mama and the The Malthouse. He won the Griffin Theatre Award for the ‘Best New Writing for Theatre’ in 1999 and was again shortlisted for the same award in 2005.

So, you’ve got a great idea. You’ve written your book. What now?

One of the most important aspects of self-publishing a book is ensuring that the book's design is befitting how important the text is to you. The old adage, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ has no place in today’s technological society. Poorly aligned typeface, skewed graphics and spelling errors are all elements which can compromise the impact of your book on a reader.

Cover-design, type-setting and editing are all integral, and necessary parts of your pathway toward publishing a successful novel.

That’s where companies like Izigraphics, a regular collaborator with Documents on Call , become so important. Established in 1975 by Izydor Marmur, or, Izi for short, this company can provide the expert finishing touches that can make an exponential difference to the end-quality of your book.

Izigraphics can take simple manuscripts and turn them into novels.