Okay, okay. I've been stewing for a while about this. I feel like a car stuck on ice, just spinning my wheels, and I've got so much potential under the hood, it's just so undignified I should sit here spinning my back tires like a dufus.
I usually take things well. Even disappointment, and the occasional set-backs. But what I have really come to hate is not knowing what's going on. I think that's what bugs me the most and why I've gotta go Indie.
There's all this "had I only but known" going on in my head right now... If I had known it would be nearly March before my third book in a series was out, I'd have done it by myself, but at that time--last May--I wasn't sure that I could do it. I mean you need a cover, you need people to read and edit it, and then I have no idea how to format.
But right now I've got a few of those problems figured out. When I thought that I was going to get edits from an editor and didn't (which, by the way was several months from submiting it, and what I got was not edits from the editor, but a finished product that was all ready to be published, and I could not, with good conscence put my A-OKAY on it because of numerous type-o's and a few other things I caught (which should have been caught by an editor), I thought I was sending off something that was corrected.
NOT!
So, what I had to do was go through it AGAIN. Write out every frigging problem, what page, and where it was found on the page, and that took another week of my time. Truthfully, I could have done better with the edits myself.
Meanwhile I'm working on several other WIP (books 4-6 of the series). One other book is close to being done. This is my ebook Spell of the Black Unicorn, which I self-pubbed (paperback) back in '08. Thankfully I didn't try and find another publisher for it.
But I've been working on the edits, and thanks to my beta reader, Shelly Arkon, I think this thing will see the light of publication some time this spring.
I may be in compitition with myself--one book as apposed to the other. But they are different enough, I don't think it will be a problem.
Well, this year is the year I go Indie, and I hope you, whoever you are, who stop by my lonely little blog, come along for the ride. I'm restricting most of the things I'm planning on doing for now, right here. But I will, from time to time post on my main blog.
And some day I might have book #3 out, with a little luck. I invite you all to come back and check things out. I'm waiting on the edge of my seat, as much as my fans, for this third one to be published.
Nice rant, Lorelei.
ReplyDeleteNice rant, Lorelei.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I understand perfectly. That's why I'm putting out some myself. I do have a good editor though, and a cover artist, and even some formatting fairies! It costs but the finished product is worth it. A lot better than waiting for months and then having your pub put out a substandard book, IMO!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lucy.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lucy...LOL
Thanks Cheryl. I agree! But I made certain that I got as many mistakes as I could find. The finished product is up to publisher--this time out.
Lorelei, you can find everything you need right there at WMD--William is a first-rate editor, there are several good formatters, and my son Collin does covers (and I believe there are a few others as well).
ReplyDeleteThanks Norma.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you're going through this, dear. It sounds like stuff I dealt with, too. I hate the idea of having trusted for too long, only to find that what I thought was polished and professional was far, far from it. I then had to go through the provess of re-editing stuff i thought I had lofted from the nest long ago. *sigh* All we can do is learn from our early mis-steps and grow, I suppose. Hang in there as you move forward.
ReplyDelete*hugs and high-fives*
-Jimmy
Hey, Jimmy, thanks for your words of support.
ReplyDeleteChocotlate hugs to you, my friend!
Sorry to hear... Sorry I can't be much help, but I am sure you'll beat this problem.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, if you find a few typos after your book's come out, don't feel bad. I have yet to see one flawless, and that includes some guide written by a publisher to writers.
Oh, how true, Freeda! Even authors I've read for years, I'll find a few errors--even in clothing! Eek!
ReplyDeleteSometimes we all need to rant.
ReplyDeleteI'm still ranting privately. It will be 2 weeks this coming friday that I sent those edits off to him and he said he'd "work on them over the weekend" ... so, what's going on?
ReplyDelete