Back again

Luckily, nobody noticed. On the internet, nobody can hear you scream. So I took a year out. There were a couple of reasons, and the whole time I was doing it, all I could think of is that I was giving myself yet another excuse not to write. It was hard. I still don’t know whether it was the right thing to do, but it’s done now.

I had finished my first book. After five drafts, it was as complete as it was going to get without me tweaking it to death. The next step was to get a book cover and get it up. I worked with one person, and then another, trying to come of up with a cover that made the right promises to the reader.

Actually, no, I didn’t. Let me take a step back. I do the language of graphics like King Kong does flower arranging. It’s possible, but you probably didn’t want to see the results. Not pretty. I was trying to find a way to show what the story was about, and I couldn’t do it. I had two tries. Both sets of people - friends who were great at art and drawing - who made covers for me were amazing. And then… real life happened. It’s a thing. The covers weren’t quite finished.

I realised that I needed to find a way to contract out creating my cover. I found out about a person who did developmental editing. A developmental editor? I didn’t even know they existed. It was yet another of the lessons I’d picked up over the last few of those lost months. What about book formatting? I could learn, sure. I need to learn. That isn’t a thing in doubt.

To cut this short, I needed a better job to pay for the incidentals that self-publishing a book (or even multiple books) entail. There wasn’t a sensible way for me to go forward. And that was when I made the conscious and extremely frustrating decision to give it up for a year and concentrate on getting a pay rise, no matter how. So - things happened. I pretty much went all out and somehow it paid off. I have a new role and I don’t need to rob from Peter to pay Paul as the saying goes.

Winter of my discontent

And now, this new year, I get to pick up where I left off. A little wiser, but without the writing habit that I built up over time. I get to do it all over again. This time, I have a plan (no, I am not a cylon). I aim to shoot for actually publishing two books a year this year and next. Then I will aim for putting out four books a year for the next four years. And after that, six books a year for the next six years. For me, who hasn’t even properly managed to get even one book out to the public, that’s a bit of an insane unhinged ambitious aim.

Even I have to back up and pause. I haven’t completed one, and I’m going to do two a year? Oh, and I’m not allowed to count the thing I already did. They’re already done.

The good news (I don’t have any way of scribing this to acceptably convey the amount of sarcasm) is that there are any number of unfinished stories that need to get got. I chose to do a follow-up to my existing story, in the equally implausible hope that people will want to buy and read the first story. If it takes off, then hoorah and all that jazz. If not, so be it. I will have completed the journey of my heroine.

For my second story, I chose something in a different genre that I started some time ago. Yes, I will cringe when I go back to read it and remember the ebb, flow, sentence structure and way of thinking that created it. Kinda looking forward to that bit of stress. I really am. I mean - to be able to pick up one of my older scribblings, wrangle the rest of the story out of the murky firmament that sits somewhere on the shores of purgatory, damnation and what-the-hell-was-I-thinking, and slap a coat of spit on it, only to slap it on its flank and send it onward is going to be… well, I was about to say the word fun. Now I begin to think about it, maybe it should be a phrase that describes being drowning by kissing the sea gods so well that your toes curl, and your hair spontaneously changes colour. Or color.

In any case, I thought the story was somewhere near three-fifths done. I haven’t gone back yet to be able to see it with older eyes, to review the skeleton of a plot that I pray hope think I must have done. Of course, I did. Definitely. This was obviously the right time to check, and the story is currently at 20 000 words. After tapping furiously on my calculator and trying to remember which one carries where, I think I need to do another 16 000.

Oh. Gee. That puts the story at something around 33 and a third thousand words, and that’s a perfect number for…  aww, dang. That’s like wonderfully straight in-between a short story and a novelette. A whutnow!? I mean, that’s like at that stage when you had a growth spurt over the summer, and all of a sudden the boys were looking at you and you start to bump into everything, which makes it even worse, because all the boys keep putting their eyes all over you and they’re stupid.

This is not a good size for a book. Even an ebook. I mean, heck.

So also, the plot I have is now going to be revised. It’s one story. There isn’t going to be a part two, or any other part, section or addendum, sequel, prequel. No more “-uels” on this thing.

Once again, I am filled with joy.

Right, let’s get to that planning then. I've scheduled doing all of it to be done and dusted in January.

That’s right, I’m baaaaack!

Picture time

The fourth and final draft is done. It feels so dang good to have this story put to bed for the time being. I met someone at work who has a friend who wrote a book and gave me some advice on submitting to an agent.

Some of it I'd read up on. She helped me understand what I'd need to put inside my submission letter/profile, and that most editors will ask for the first 3 chapters. This is a concern. I don't think the story starts off too slowly... but what if it does? I have a prologue, which isn't a traditional chapter long. Does this count as one of the chapters? Do I have to 'beef up' my story to be more punchy? I don't know. I think I've done ok, but it would be really nice to get some feedback at some point. A lot of what I've been doing is pretty much making it up as I go along, and listening to the internets for advice. I'm sure it'll be fine. It helps me fix my tech problems, so why not? Who wouldn't believe everything they read on the internet?

There was other advice. Mostly around getting an editor. There are freelance editors around, and I know the book needs editing, but for a high level look at the work, the one I was recommended came in at about £500. That's... That's a lot in my world. a Hell of a lot.

I know the story would be better off being under an editors 'tender' graces. I know the book is too long. I also know that since I'm unable to see it for myself, the smart move is to leave it as it is, start thinking about the other bits, and once that's done - move on. Next book. I'm hoping guessing I'll probably learn way more from writing another story than going round in circles.

So next steps: Focus on getting a cover, understanding how ISBN's work. There's a site called Nielson which gave me the pricing for ISBN's. Although I could buy more, the lowest two pricing packs are £132 for 10 ISBN's (£13.20 for one) and £318 for 100 (which works out to be £3.18 for one). Someone, somewhere would probably understand the economics a lot better than I do why the pricing discrepancy is so large. I mean come on - 1000 for £846? So big publishers are paying eighty-four freaking pence for the same thing I have to buy at £13.20? I understand economies of scale, but that's off the hook! Still, to get in the writers club, I think that's just the cost of doing business.

Why am I worrying about all this stuff about covers and ISBN's if I'm going to look for an agent? Because like everyone else, agents are rather busy, because they're all probably looking for something with that certain je ne sais pas. I don't think my first book necessarily has the x-factor, to borrow a tv trope. I don't know that it hasn't, but I don't have any feedback. I think I've covered this already. No, tell a lie, there has been one person who's been wonderful enough to challenge me to think about my story and keep challenging me in order to make it better. It worked. Does 'better' mean 'good'? We shall see. So, I'll do the research into agents and offer it out and keep track and wait all those months and offer it to just one agent at a time in the format that they've asked for (hard copy? Really? Do people still want that IRL?) and anything else that's required - oh yeah, more on that later. That'll take a while. Maybe it'll take years. 

In the meantime, I think I'll just go ahead after a while and self publish.

Who says my story will actually do well on Amazon rather than Barnes & Noble? Who says it'll do well at all? No one. Not a soul. That doesn't mean its not worth a shot. I mean, I've already done all the hard work, right? What would I have to lose?

Also, I still have to pay someone who can draw/paint/do arty things.

Oh, before I forget - my other blog colleague, the one who was also supposed to be posting stuff up on here? They mentioned they read the blog for the first time. No mention on whether they liked what I'd put up, or if they have cold feet and just can't be bothered. Not a peep on whether they have any impetus on doing something now they see if I can do it, anyone can do this. Nada. Zip. I'm not surprised. I'm not disappointed. I'm holding out hope.
In other news, I've gotten rid of the picture I was using as a background. It just didn't work and looked like a 5 year old created the blog. That's harsh, I know. Most 5 year olds have at least some artistic sensibilities.