What does it take to go the publishing process? Patience, tough skin, open mindedness, patience, tough skin, open mindedness…repeat, over and over!
Seriously though, I’ve learned that the writing of a book, deciding to publish, finding a publisher and submitting the manuscript is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to actually getting a book to the point of publication.
I last wrote about this adventure on January 26th, and since then the process has been wait, review, edit, submit, then wait again. The most challenging aspect has been receiving the feedback and recommendations from the deep edit. Ouch! I know I may not be the best English grammar student – ok, not even close. But to see the word pictures I so lovingly and painstakingly created and scripted, and reflections on happenings from days and years gone by that have etched their learnings into my psyche, placed under the editor’s critical microscope and dissected without consideration of my virgin writer’s feelings, is tough!
And necessary, and has taught me so much!
Thanks again to my writing mentor, Karen, I had to take a step back, to become more objective in reviewing the editors comments and recommendations. While the feedback was valuable, I was still responsible for deciding what elements of the feedback aligned with my message, my voice, and my goals. Don’t get me wrong, there was no question whether or not I would accept the many grammatical corrections, the awkward construct of sentences, and the amazing suggestions regarding the structure of the book. Still, what stories remained, the emotions I wanted to provoke, and the seemingly unimportant details were up to me.
I had three choices: accept the changes, consider what parts of the suggested changes I would accept, and what I would reject. The end result was a better manuscript, and a great deal of gratitude to my editor.
Right now the publisher is working on the book layout, including photographs from my journey, and I have approved the script for the back cover; the editor did an amazing job on that! The graphic designer is working on a few edits for the front cover, which I should be signing off on shortly.
The next big step for me is getting the ARC (advanced reader copy), and sending my book, ‘What if…’ out to a few trusted readers for their endorsements.
So, as far as I can see, we are on track for a late summer release, and I am excited! For now, I wait, again.
But that’s just fine – I leave today for Spain, where new adventures await. We will be walking a section of the Camino, sandwiched between a few days in Madrid, Bilbao, and San Sebastian. Stay tuned!
First photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com
Second photo by Shane Kell on Pexels.com
Probe and Ponder…learning from life & travels with Roberta Sawatzky 