Orsini's Cosplay book available now

Cosplay, by Arlington author Lauren Orsini was published this year, and is featured in Barnes and Noble. This photo is from the Falls Church store.

Orsini has long been active in anime and manga fandom, and worked for some years with Anime USA. This book was done on contract, and she wrote about it on her blog under the title, "Writing a book in seven weeks."

There she noted, "It's quickly becoming apparent that the actual writing part of the book is going to be a cakewalk compared to getting the photos in order. I didn't write a word of the book this week. Instead I spent my time organizing the cosplay photos my publisher has already given me, plus searching for and contacting talented cosplay photographers all over the world."

By week 5 the writing was becoming the focus, "...I've reordered the sections in a way that feels good to me (now they're all focusing on a genre, with the final chapter on original costuming)..."

She told ComicsDC, "Traditionally publishing a book isn't easy or lucrative, but it's an experience unlike any other. People have sent me photos of my book from places like California, Florida, and New York. I'm really grateful to Carlton Limited and Sterling Publishing for giving me this opportunity."