Progress Report: Back to the Manuscript (The Cover)

Drum roll, please! My manuscript now has a cover—the last step before being published. 

Richard Stroud, who has designed more than 400 covers, came up with the artwork for "Darkness Beyond the Light." The novel will be released Nov. 1 by Wings ePress.

Richard interviewed me several times, on Skype and by telephone, to get an idea what the story was about. I had already filled out an artist information form that provides background about the manuscript—scenes, characters, plot, etc. Needless to say, it's difficult to describe the main theme from the 93k words that comprise my eighth novel—in 100 words on less. 

He was patient, asked pertinent questions, and did an excellent job in conveying the essence of the novel through several captivating images. Richard seeks to avoid clutter, as I do when I write, which I think he accomplished. I hope readers will be enticed to pick up the novel and consider reading it, simply by looking at the cover.

Richard will redo the "Old Ways and New Days" cover, the first "John Ross Boomer Lit Novel," so it will have a stronger and compelling connection to "Darkness Beyond the Light." And when I finish the third book in the series, he'll handle that as well.

Between now and the release date, I'll be promoting "Darkness Beyond the Light" through traditional means, social media, and other avenues. And I'll be working on the third installment. Busy days ahead.

Until the next time. . . . 

 

Progress Report: Back to the Manuscript (Galley Proof)

Another step has been completed on my soon-to-be-released novel—proofing the galley.

Since my last post, I've perused the galley for any typos, misspellings, grammatical goofs, and other corrections that need to be made before publication on Nov. 1 by Wings ePress.

As I've mentioned in other posts,  I have mixed feelings about reading the galley. The main aspect I dread is having to reread the novel—again! I've probably gone through it 15 times including rewrites and editors' suggested edits. For a work that's 93k words, you do the math.

But, on the positive side, seeing the manuscript in book form provides a fresh view about the story. I gain a stronger insight on how the novel flows. And in a new light, I might find a discrepancy, or two, that needs to be fixed. I found a couple that slipped by me on previous reads, and now they've been fixed.

While the ultimate goal is to clean up a manuscript to where it's 100 percent free of mistakes, that's probably an impossibility. I believe any author would tell you that, even those who are contract with the big publishing houses. Those little gremlins manage to pop up somewhere along the way, no matter how hard you try to find them. 

Now it's on to the cover art. I hope to share it with you in my next post.

Until the next time. . . . 

Progress Report—Back to the Manuscript (Final Edit)

The long journey is about over for my latest manuscript. I've completed edits—from two editors—and now await the galley proof. 

That means one more read-through of the nearly 93,000-word manuscript (I don't like to call it a book until it's on the publisher's assembly line). If you think I may be growing tired of reading the book, well, you're absolutely right. I've probably been over it 15 times including all the rewrites and edits. I'm ready for it to see the light of day.  But I want it to be as error-free as possible.

I'm also working with a design artist on the cover. I view cover art as a visual tagline for a novel, something that captures the theme of the work, and hopefully, the eyes of potential readers. Once that is finished, I'll be pushing the promotion button to get the word out on the web, snail mail, and word of mouth.

The publication date is Nov. 1. 

And I plan to start another manuscript in the "New Days" series in the next week or so. I'd like to see it published  next year. 

Until the next time. . . .