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. . . . 

Back to the Manuscript: Part 11

I've completed the seventh rewrite of my work in progress. 

The manuscript is now about 81,000 words as I've added two more chapters, expanded two characters, and focused more on the narrative.

As with past WIPs, I've printed a hard copy for the next phase in the process. Coming from a background in print media, I find it easier to proofread, edit and rewrite when I have something tangible in front of me rather than going back and forth over copy on the computer screen. 

I'll have my red Sharpie to mark up the pages with needed edits as well as reference books for easy access to answers. I also find that I can better assess the flow of copy when I read it on paper. 

I hope to finish this eighth rewrite by the end of the week.  After that, if everything looks good, I'll give it one more read before sending it to my publisher. 

I've also come up with a title for the novel, but that's for another post.

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...