Back to the Manuscript: Part 14

The contract for my next novel has been signed, sealed, stamped and is on the way to the publisher.

It has been assigned ISBN numbers for print and electronic editions. The tentative release date is Oct. 1.

To backtrack, when I finished the manuscript on Aug. 1, I submitted to my publisher. It was then forwarded to an editor, who recommended a contract for the work.

Now I will await word from an editor for the final edit. It will probably take several weeks for this phase. It's time-consuming but worth the effort as we both endeavor to make the manuscript ready for publication. 

I will also be working with an artist for a cover, providing her with information about the book and sharing any ideas I have on making it eye-catching, noteworthy, and marketable. She'll come up with some covers and we'll decide which best reflects the story, and that involves a few tweaks along the way.

There is still more to come, but I see light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

Until the next time...

Back to the Manuscript: Part 13

I'm proud and relieved to say that my manuscript has been sent to the publisher. 

The word count is nearly 87k, an increase of about 7k after the ninth rewrite. It started at about 65k with the first draft. A big reason is that I changed hats from telling to showing the story. 

Another chapter was added, making it 38. At one time it was 40 chapters, then dropped to 37. It could go back up to 40 or so since several chapters are rather long. 

While I've let go of the manuscript, that's only the end of one phase. Now it goes to an editor, who will make suggestions on various parts -- dialogue, scenes, characters, grammar, etc. -- and comes back to me.  

In the meantime, I'm taking a short break.

Until the next time.... 

Moving Forward To Publication

I finished my manuscript on Sunday afternoon and sent it off to my publisher. I gave it a final proofread and  made some minor changes, and then formatted it to the publisher's specifications.

Am I completely satisfied with the manuscript? Of course not. I believe most, if not all, writers will tell you that they could tinker with their manuscript for years and never be totally satisfied.

But there comes a time when you simply have to let it go and move on to other things. That's not to say I'm not pleased with the story. If I wasn't, then I wouldn't be writing this post.

The editing process isn't over. The manuscript will go through another reader and then I'll work with an editor in finalizing it for publication.
Along the way I'll work with a graphic artist on a cover and complete other items such as the dedication, acknowledgments, and biographical information. In addition, there will be pre-publication promotion and a book trailer.

As you can see, there is more work to be done. At least I can take a breather for a few weeks.

Until the next time...