Two Seattle area authors are releasing books in the coming weeks thanks to the work of a Bainbridge-based company.

The Publishing World was started four years ago on Bainbridge by Bryan Tomasovich, a former professor of writing, literature and publishing at Antioch University Seattle, and the University of Puget Sound. He has worked as senior editor for New York-based independent publisher Emergency Press, and is an instructor at the Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network.

The company works to help authors secure a traditional publishing deal or to self-publish in a professional way.

Typical Tomasovich clients are experts in their fields — lawyers, psychologists, doctors, athletes, restaurant owners — who need guidance to navigate the complex process of writing and publishing their books.

Both the imminent memoirs depict lives of resilience when met with trauma and challenges from powerful cultural entities: the NFL and the Catholic Church.

Michael McCormack’s “Born Fanatic: My Life in the Grip of the NFL” was released on April 24, and Stephen J. O’Connor’s “A Time for Purpose: A Survivor’s Path to Trial, Truth & Justice” was published in March.

Both books are self-published, a three-year process managed by Tomasovich, who guided the authors through the stages of writing and editing several drafts of their manuscripts. From there, the focus shifted to book design, author platform development, printing, distribution, sales and marketing and promotion.

“It’s hard to sum up Bryan’s value to my memoir,” McCormack said.

“From specific editing suggestions to broad expert analysis about the narrative themes, his input is helping me improve my project beyond my imagination. And that’s just the writing part,” McCormack added. “Bryan’s coaching about how to get published is indispensable. I’d be lost without his guidance.”

For McCormack, the outcome of 600 pro football games dictated his life. Only when his father’s 50-year NFL Hall of Fame career ended did the grip of his own football fanaticism become clear. Few have learned from football what McCormack has.

His book started out as a complaint against the author’s father and the whole of the NFL. It finally turned into a discovery and celebration of his father, and the life lessons he found in the game. In it, McCormack uncovers how the NFL today is actually jeopardizing football — its true values — and why die hard fans might look twice at their unfailing attention to the league.

O’Connor’s “A Time for Purpose: A Survivor’s Path to Trial, Truth & Justice” became an Amazon “Number 1 New Release” upon publication. The memoir begins with a simple reunion, a celebration of the 100th anniversary of a small Catholic school in Seattle. It ends with one of the most dramatic, precedent-setting civil trials ever to take place in the history of the Catholic Church sexual abuse crisis. It leaves no doubt about the secrets kept to cover up these horrific crimes — and of the determination of those who struggle to speak their truth and gain justice.

O’Connor, a Vietnam veteran and former police officer, is currently on a nationwide speaking tour, often appearing with the attorney who led his case, Michael Pfau.

Both authors’ books and websites were designed by Lindsay Gatz of vonRocko Design, a former Bainbridge resident now living in Seattle.

Visit www.thepublishingworld.org to learn more.