~*~
It’s been a while since my last ‘check-in’ here at Fantasy Debut. I'm excited to be back, and I’m happy to report that a few more milestones in my publication journey have passed. There’s much to tell in this installment, so let’s get right to it, shall we?
First up: revisions. Mine started with a phone call from my editor, a phone call where my nerves and anxiety were quickly replaced by a volley of brainstorming ideas that left me more excited than ever to tackle the revisions. I’d previously dreaded this part of the process, but was pleasantly surprised (and relieved) to discover that my editor and I got along quite well. His belief in the book, and in my ability to make it even better, gave me an extra boost of confidence to get the job done. The revised manuscript was accepted (whew!), and I received the book's production schedule -- dates and deadlines for the copy edits, galleys, printings, and such.
Copy edits arrived next. I had a good understanding of what to do at this stage, but once my manuscript stared me in the face with the CE’s marks, it suddenly became clear that no amount of ‘understanding’ had completely prepared me. So, I dug in, and made sure I had a really good pencil sharpener, tons of Post-it notes, and an enormous eraser! Seriously.
Things are moving. The book is getting ever closer to publication, and my involvement (in the writing department, at least) is almost over. I have been in a daze of worry and hope as the manuscript recently went out for quotes from authors I admire greatly. I have seen a rough version of my cover. I have been on cloud nine, and I have sunk deep into second-guessing myself as I work on the next book in my contract. All typical writer angst, or so I’m assured. J
The next step is seeing my final cover, one of the biggest milestones of all. I can’t wait to share it with the world. But, for now, I can share one very cool tidbit -- the cover art for THE BETTER PART OF DARKNESS is being created by one of my favorite artists in the biz, Chris McGrath. Chris is well-known for creating the cover art for The Dresden Files, as well as art for works by Vicki Pettersson, Rob Thurman, C.E. Murphy, Kat Richardson, and more... To say I'm stoked is one mighty understatement.
So with that good news, I’ll take my leave. Many thanks to Tia and Fantasy Debut readers for taking time out to read my post and share in this journey with me. Until next time . . .
~*~
Here is Kelly's first post and her second post. Kelly's always good about answering questions, so if you have any, ask away!
UPDATE: On her own blog, Kelly went into more detail on copy edits.
18 comments:
I should also mention (for anyone interested in a more in depth explanation) I talk more about copy edits here: http://kellygay.blogspot.com/2009/04/intro-to-copy-edits.html
And thanks to Tia for having me once again. It's always a great pleasure to be here!
You're welcome, Kelly! I always love having you here!
I'll update the post with your link.
Kelly - well done on your cover artist.
It's all very exciting for you with the edits - glad you found the revision fun and exciting.
And just wait until they do the Galleys or Advance Reader Editions. They are AWESOME
Kelly, I enjoy hearing about your journey and each of the steps. I'm sure you've learned a great deal. Glad things are going well and that you've got a great cover artist.
Joy on the Journey,
Keli
Ah, cool, thanks for the link, Tia.
*waving* Tracey and Keli, hi! Thanks for dropping by. And, ARCs -- actually holding my book in my hands...it's an event I can't even imagine.
What's really neat is seeing that different publishing houses have different processes. My copy edits came electronically (not on paper)--which was great because it gave me extra time to work on them instead of factoring in the mailing time.
I can't wait to see you cover, Kelly!
I hear a lot more houses are going electronic these days, Annette. After the phone call with my editor, he sent me the manuscript with his notes electronically, which was great. Everything was right there in Track Changes. Made it very easy. It was actually great b/c he was cool with me doing it hard copy or electronically -- whichever was easier for me.
Getting the copy edits in hard copy was a nice break from the computer screen.
It sounds like an awesome experience!
Kelly, thanks for sharing your experiences. I can't wait to see your cover and finally read your book. :)
--Anne
Hey, Anne,
Great to see you here. Thanks for the nice words. :D
Kelly - Hooray for progress!!! :-) You've handled everything like such a pro. I can't wait to hold my own copy in my hands!
Ha, Kay! You haven't seen me in the midst of those rewrites and the rough draft of book 2 -- talk about scary... ;-)
Looking forward to hearing more about your book and netting McGrath for your cover. Awesome.
Kelly~
So cool of you to share your experiences with the publishing/ editing process. It's great that you got all those revisions, and that you have someone believing in your work so much, and wanting to take it to the next level.
I like the hard copy pages for edits, but I assume one day soon, everyone will do it electronically.
It'll be so exciting to see your cover. Can't wait!
Thanks, Doug! If I could have chosen an artist myself, it would have been Chris.
Kris Kennedy -- the wonderful debut author herself! :D Glad you could stop by.
I love seeing each part of your journey. Can't wait to see the cover art! Squee!!!
Kelly ~ I am just so excited about reading your journey through the land of the published as I like to call it. As a writer in the making I love to hear happy beginnings of a new career and you make it sound even better. Yey!
Also you are so blessed by the cover art gods with Chris McGarth. *grin* Please do brag about your cover, when it's done.
C.J. -- Hey, woman. Thanks for stopping by. ;-)
Thanks for the very nice words, Harry. And good luck with your own writing endeavors! :)
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