Back to the Manuscript -- Part 18 (Cover)

As promised in my last post, the cover to my new novel, "Old Ways and New Days."

Curtains, please....

Yes, there is a dog in the novel and the pooch plays a prominent part in the story. 

The path through a wooded park is also in the novel. It also symbolizes the journey of the protagonist as he embarks on a different and uncertain life.

The novel will be released on Oct. 1. 

Until the next time....

Back to the Manuscript: Part 17 (Fini)

The countdown begins.

I've completed the proofread of the galley proofs and the cover has been approved. Now to wait for the Oct. 1 release date of "Old Days and New Ways."

Thankfully, that light at the end of the tunnel I've seen the past few weeks wasn't an incoming train.  I've made it to the other side; a bit weary and worn around the edges but still standing. 

I must admit that I'm tired of reading the manuscript. I believe it was a minimum of 16 times. I almost feel I could recite the novel by memory but that would be stretching it quite a bit. 

I gave the publisher four pages of corrections to be made; most were typos. There were a few word changes but that was about it. 

The graphic artist also presented me with several covers. I'll share it on my next post. 

Now I move on promotion. I'll have postcards and bookmarks made, something I've done with every book, and doing lots of stuff on the Internet. One thing I'll do is a giveaway on Goodreads. 

My first appearance with the novel with be at the Kentucky Book Fair on Nov. 14 in Frankfort. It's a great event that I would encourage folks to attend, whether they buy my book or not.

My next writing project will be a sequel as I intend for this novel to be the beginning of a series. But I'm taking a brief break to catch my breath and rev up my energy level.

Until the next time...

Back to the Manuscript: Part 16

The editing process is almost over. The next step, which begins today, is proofing the manuscript.

The publisher sent me the galley proof last night. This will be the last time I review my work before it becomes a novel. And that date is Oct. 1.

During the next few days I'll be rereading the manuscript, looking specifically for any errors that were overlooked during the main editing phase. These include typos such as word and letter spacing, grammatical errors, dropped or duplicate words, punctuation typos such as reversed quote marks and apostrophes, misspellings, and anything else that isn't right.

It's a slow and tedious process. I'll be glad when it's over. 

I'm also working the graphic artist in finalizing a cover. Previously, I gave her some ideas for the cover and she has come up with several drafts. We're not there yet, but getting closer.  I want the best cover possible for those who judge books by that impression.

I hope by this time next week I can declare everything is ready for the release date. 

Until the next time...

Back to the Manuscript: Part 15

Today my edited manuscript returns to the editor for additional proofreading. Everything seems to be moving along nicely for the Oct. 1 release date. 

The edited manuscript was sent to me several weeks ago. I considered the comments and suggestions. I made all the grammatical corrections and several rewrites on some passages.

It can be a humbling experience.

I was amazed -- more like stunned -- with some of the mistakes I made on the manuscript. I thought I had used the "find and replace" command to make some of the changes before submitting the manuscript, but apparently I hadn't or didn't save the changes. I paid for my careless self-editing.

Do I enjoy this stage of the publishing process? Not really. I'm glad grammatical mistakes and typographical errors are fixed but have mixed feelings about comments because they are subjective. I give them some serious thought and act on the ones I believe will improve the story. 

It's much like a writer submitting his or her manuscript to agents or publishing houses. Some folks like it, some are indifferent and some hate the manuscript. You try not to take it personally, but it can sting a bit until you move on to something else. 

And you hope the editor doesn't take it personally as well. It's all part of the publishing process. 

I perused the manuscript three times before sending it back to the editor. I could probably go over it again, but with the publication deadline looming in a few weeks, it was time to let it go.

The next stage, if everything goes as planned, involves the book cover. I hope to share that with you in next post about the manuscript.

Until the next time....