Author Videos

Francisco Ojeda


Xlibris Author Francisco Ojeda Self-Publishes His Book, The Spirits of Al Faw


Self-Publishing The Spirits of Al Faw

The novel is a fictional account of a soldier who is stationed in Iraq at Camp Victory during the 2006–2007 surge of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has returned back to his unit after suffering an ambush and recovering, only to find that he may be experiencing psychological effects and/or paranormal experiences.

The purpose of this book was to keep me involved while I was stationed in Iraq at the same time that this character is being portrayed in the book. I was able to provide the atmosphere, the tone, and the different things that occur during that time. Later on, it became a more holistic experience for me. It allowed me to experience what it was like to write a book and to express myself.


Finding a Self-Publisher

As I was completing my book and I started the editing and formatting process, I was looking into self-publishing companies so I could determine which one I wanted to go with. Xlibris was the one that had the best reviews and the best comments, so I decided to go with them.


Receiving His First Copy

The very moment that I received my very first printed book in the mail, it was one of the most satisfying experiences I’ve ever had professionally and also personally because I put nine years of effort and hard work and time into this project. So it was extraordinarily satisfying.

We would recommend Xlibris to other authors because of the experience we had. It would be a blessing to them to work with the same people we worked with. We encourage them because this is something new for all of us: breaking into a new adventure. But we would recommend it to other people who already have.



Author Francisco Ojeda on Choosing Xlibris as His Self-Publisher


I wanted to self-publish because I wanted to feel like I was in control of the experience of not only the process of getting a book published, but also so I can affect the timeline and when I wanted to market and eventually sell and present my book.

Xlibris was the one that had the best reviews and the best comments so I decided to go with that. I felt the experience with Xlibris was very fulfilling, very professional. They were very dedicated. They were very respectful of my work. They communicated very well with me and I was able to feel that the whole process was worthwhile.

The surprises that came along with self-publishing with Xlibris was more about my education about how self-publishing works. They were able to provide me with a lot of information—things I did not know about self-publishing before—and I was able to experience it in a way that now allows me to make better decisions at how I wanted to do my books and continue on as being an author.


Publishing Three Books with Xlibris: The Spirits of Al Faw, The Frightful Verses, and Adore & Lament .

I would recommend Xlibris to other authors as their first experience in self-publishing because of the dedication and the professionalism and the experience that I had with Xlibris so they can understand exactly what I went through as a fulfilling and satisfying moment.

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