In this blog post, we’re going to be looking at something BIG.
This year, Newtown Productions has stepped into the world of book publishing, with my own short novel—The Quest for Helga.
The Quest for Helga is a fantasy novel that answers a simple question: what would you do to protect the ones you love?
It’s the first book in the Free World series, and for comparison, it’s somewhere between The Hobbit and The Witcher.
Released on the 4th of September 2026, it is an Amazon exclusive, available in eBook and Paperback.
Put simply, I wrote the fantasy book that I wanted to read, with all the swords, drama, and quests that one could wish for. It took over a year to plan, write, and edit it together. Long time! The first draft was about twice as long as the final one, which was mainly due to me learning how to write properly! You know—pacing, formatting, readability, etc.
There was tons of learning to do outside of writing also. The covers took a lot of research and different drafts before I landed on the final cover for eBook (below), and Paperback. In the end, I focused on making a minimal cover with good contrast between the text and the background.
Formatting was another huge learning curve. In the end, I went with a 5.06 by 7.81 inches sized paperback, with the possibility of a hardback edition in the future. The smaller size works because it’s a shorter novel. Quick note: I ordered an author proof copy of my book, and I decided to change the cover from matte to glossy, to help the text pop.
eBook Cover
Creating a novel felt like a natural evolution for Newtown Productions. While I write the monthly blog posts, mostly about cinematography, there is much more to come, and on a wider scale. All in the name of storytelling, beginning with The Quest for Helga.
So what are you waiting for? It’s out now!
Thank you,
D.H. Cleary