I submitted my approved manuscript to friesenpress.com this morning.
Not having been through the book publishing experience before, I thought I might make a post of it. In my humble three months of blogging, I seem to have fallen in with a rather delightful constellation of bloggers who, in many cases, aspire to be writers for various reasons.
I hesitate to break the news to them, but if they blog, they already are writers. Still, they might find my journey of interest.
My book adventure, if I can call it that, began in the summer of 2008. After four years of research and thinking, and with a couple of false starts, I finally began writing in earnest in August 2012. The first draft took five months. What was originally intended to be a 60,000 word effort – an artificial constraint – grew to 90,000 words at the half way point.
So one book became two. Two is to follow; One was enough for the present.
The first draft was the easy part, although it took most of my vacation time, evenings, and weekends. I was a bit driven, but in a noble way. What was harder was the refining. A series of wonderful test readers provided invaluable feedback. (Note to aspiring writers – your fellow bloggers are your best friends. Take care of them, and they will repay you a thousand fold.) Not proof readers per se, but insightful individuals who could provide meaningful high level critiques of the work. Every iteration improved the manuscript and increased my confidence that what would result would be something extraordinary.
Yet what parent doesn’t love their child?
With the help of these wonderful and supportive individuals, who are in fact deserving of praise for their contributions, the manuscript reached the point where I can breath a sigh of relief: it is beyond my ability to improve upon it, however imperfect it may still be.
Thus, is was with a clean conscience and no remorse that I submitted the manuscript to my self publishing house first thing this morning.
The forecast book release is February 2014. For those who have read the various iterations of the manuscript, you’ll understand me when I say that I suspect that my life will, to some extent, irrevocably change when the book is released.
To those who would write a more substantial work, I can state from experience that perseverance, grit, and a ton of hard work are the key ingredients.
Regardless, ofttimes in life it is the journey as much as the destination that proves to be what is truly important. For those who share this journey with me, however small this recompense may be, thank you.
The maelstrom approaches. Its name? The Mirror, Book One – Welcome to the Evil Sisterhood.
The Mirror 
Congratulations! Incredible accomplishment! Look forward to hearing more about the journey. I raise my glass to you, good sir!
Good colemining, such a privilege to have you here. Thank you, my good sir, and I in turn raise my glass to you!
More news of the journey to follow, to be sure.
Yay! Congratulations on sending it off – one step closer to the bestseller lists! 😀
Absolutely! 🙂
NY Times or bust! Or perhaps the Hillbilly Herald. Beggars can’t be choosers. };-)>
Right! Time to get my sorry Geritol (and rum) backside into bed. It’s a work night.
If I have not said it before, I say it now, congratulations dear friend 🙂
I just love the Title 🙂 It’s so apt! THE MIRROR,book one, welcome to the evil sisterhood.
There’s almost a gloating feeling to it,which is ironic, all things considered :).lol
February is a good month for this sort of thing I hear, looks like we both have arrivals this new year and by grace we will be fully happy after all is done. Another one to look forward to fully absorbing, just can’t wait.
Dotta, you’re are such a dear person. Together in February it is, then, and let the literary world take note!
Ooh yes! 🙂
Hearty Congratulations Sir!!!
I am eagerly waiting for the response 😉
KG,
It should be interesting. Will it be a variation of Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, in that my having predicted the response will alter it, or will it be the expected and predicted response? 😉
Thanks so much for your kind words and support.
I wish it to be the latter 🙂
You’re right—more fun that way!
Bed time for me, I’m afraid.
Congratulations. I’d like a signed copy of the hard back, please 🙂
LG53, Thank you. What I haven’t quite figured out yet is how I can do book signings while remaining anonymous. Even though it was fraudulent and malicious, my case (and thus story) had a child protection dimension to it. I can’t by law be publicly identified as being associated with the story, which is to protect the identity of my three children.
Congratulations. Looking forward to reading it in Feb. Hopefully I to, will find the words flow freely when I put pen to paper and start to write, fingers crossed, my first novel.
Thank you, TBJ. I’ll post again when the book is out, it goes without saying.
What I found especially helpful was writing a book proposal before I started the actual writing. I found some info online, but these are basically the written sales pitch that one would have submitted (and perhaps still does) to a traditional publisher in the hopes of scoring a contract. These force you to plan the structure of your book, describe the chapters, words budget/sub budgets, and even write one of the chapters, likely not the first one.
It also forces you to consider the business side of things, such as your target market/audience, competing books, intended author contributions to book marketing (even more important in the realm of self-publishing!), etc.
Fire me an email at themirrorbooks@gmail.com if you’re interested in my example. Although this exercise is more disciplined and less creative, going through it provides a structure upon which free flowing writing can grow. Better planning makes for better writing.
Wow, thanks for the tips I will definitely be emailing you.
Anytime, TBJ. Glad to help.
I eagerly await the finished product and look forward to reading 🙂
Don’t forget us little people when you’re famous!
Hi Waiting,
Thanks for stopping by. You’re up early. Oh, and I haven’t forgotten about your blog, either.
With any luck, I will never be famous, but Michael M. McConaughey will be. Then I’ll remain a little person with all my friends, while he acts as a mystery lightning rod.
Come now, a pseudonym is a facet of you, unless you’ve developed a split personality I have yet to be made aware of? Anyhow, the challenges you’ve overcome in life and the person that you are in general, you will always me famous to me 🙂
Ah, you Irish angel, you. Thank you.
Congratulations! Well done! Maybe you can find a ‘parallel universe’ where you can sign your books. I wish you lots of success 🙂
Thanks Ilka. Maybe if I close my eyes when I sign them, no one will notice me. }:-)>
Congratulations!!! This is great news!! ❤
Thank you, Jenna. Yes, it is. Hard to believe that I have been at it for 15 months. I think la gf is deserving of a little more *us* time.
Wait until you see the cover design. Most cool symbolism of the narcissistic mirroring theme.
I can’t wait! So excited to see it! Yes! Go give her some “us” time! She deserves it 🙂
Hi Navigator1965, I must mention that you have been nominated by me for the Most Influential Blogger Award. http://wp.me/p2AARC-JY
Dotta, how does this work? I would live to second that nomination!
Hi, it’s pretty straightforward, the instructions are included in the award, you will find the details within this post, http://wp.me/p2AARC-JY.
Correction *love
Dotta,
I’m barely keeping up with the blogging alert emails, and have failed to action the wonderful awards that I’ve been honoured with. Plus being a techno-boob might have a little to do with it.
I’m taking madam gf out to the movies tonight to make up for the level of effort that blogging has taken over that past few months. I’ll try to get to the awards soonest, but I fear I am falling behind.
Thank you very much, BTW. Honoured.
Aww…you are sweet 🙂
Enjoy the movies and welcome. Techno-boob or not, I’m waiting for answers and acceptance speech 🙂
Okay, Dotta. I’ll see what I can do. But not tonight. Bedtime for bonzo, here.
Congratulations on completing your labour of love. 🙂 Good luck with it from here on.
Thanks, SZ. Appreciate the sentiments.
BTW, I checked and I wasn’t following you. Rectified that little deficiency.
And here I was thinking you had spurned me 😉
Enjoy the movies. 🙂
It sounds like a lot of effort has gone into your writing and I wish you well. I will be watching this hub with interest.
Thanks, Susan. Considering the background research, yes, there was a considerable level of effort in writing the manuscript. I am prone to careless errors when writing, so the proof reading effort was non-trivial as well. So easy to miss “of” instead of “off” or “to” instead of “too” in a 94,000 word jungle.
I’ll keep everyone updated as to how things develop.
Cheers.
Congratulations on what must feel like a very satisfying accomplishment!! You write beautifully, no doubt about it. While I won’t be presumptuous about your book’s title, I wanted to tell you that just as I was getting ready to post this comment, I was listening to this: http://www.upworthy.com/they-asked-if-she-had-anything-else-she-wanted-to-say-to-the-audience-thats-when-she-took-it-home?c=ufb1 and just this morning I read November 2 edition of Time an article What Boys Want, regarding how we’re ignoring the emotional lives of boys. Just in case you want to have a look. Anyway, I’m so excited for you to hold that first physical copy in your hands!
Thank you, Evo. Such wonderful words of encouragement and support. I watched the Jane Fonda video clip. While she has a point that boys more than girls need our attention in our current society (although both are equally important), I don’t believe her simple “mind-heart” solution has any genuine credibility.
Why, in our narcissist age, are celebrities equated with authorities. Barbarella? Hanoi Jane?
Boys need loving and caring mothers and (especially when older) loving FATHERS. Fonda’s simpleton solution seemed to me to imply that it was up to women to solve the problems of boys in our society. They’re all at risk of being Columbine dudes unless enlightened feminist intervention happens.
Perhaps I am too sensitive on the issue. To her credit, she does recognize a problem. At least that’s a start. However, Krusty the Klown is as much an authority on anything as is Jane Fonda. Perhaps more so.
You have a good point about celebrities….however I agree with her sentiment. Boys should be encouraged to express their feelings, as they feel them just as much as girls do! And as far as boys needing fathers, absolutely…and so do girls! I went without a good father figure, and I know it’s impacted my adult life and relationships with men. I hope you can check out that Time article, it’s interesting!
Evo, I don’t think it’s as simple as applying a feminine solution to the male half of the population> Our brains are wired differently: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/dec/02/men-women-brains-wired-differently
We have to abandon the ludicrous and intellectually fraudulent feminist assertion that gender is a social construct. It is an inherently biological construct, and the fundamental differences suggest that the likely are different as well as common psycho-emotional developmental needs between boys and girls.
It’s not the goal of emotionally healthy boys that I object to, obviously. It’s how we rationally would seek to achieve this. There isn’t enough rum in all the world to make me believe that Jane Fonda has figured out what not one else seems to have at a public policy level.
How very odd that you comment now…I was literally in the midst of a conversation with my former partner about how our brains are wired differently, and then I see your link! I shall read it, and thank you for your perspective. While I never thought we were the same, I had never noticed the feminist community claiming this (although I don’t really subscribe to a “feminist” community…I sense that the culture I live in is very aware of these sex differences, as woman/man jokes run rampant and are not considered politically incorrect like they are in North America). I do wonder if “feminism” may differ per country. Just thinking out loud, thoughts may sound incomplete..
Evo, I’ve been having major similar “coincidences” as of late regarding the book and aspects of my life that relate to it. I hesitate to suggest that a guardian angel is looking out for me, or that some Higher Authority is directing things, but at some point a series of coincidences does begin to seem to be something other than coincidence or continuous serendipity.
I’ve had one A/Prof of sociology at York University in Canada tell me that the more extreme ideological version of feminism appears to be only significant within the Anglosphere nations. I have a conjecture as to why this might be true, but that must await Book Two and further pondering.
As always, as pleasure to have you here.
So pleased for you… can you say what it is about? and thanks for the tips… IAM sure I can bend your ears early next year when I should be ready to publish too… Barbara
Barbara,
I’m using my somewhat horrific divorce experience as the narrative to expose how corrupt Canada’s feminist family “justice” system really is. I’m also advancing some very interesting ideas in the field of narcissism, especially how it manifests in women. My experience is that narcissism is the bane of genuine spirituality. I’m getting great responses from test readers, men and women.
In the planned sequel, I apply the principles to the social level. I hope to make a positive difference. However, it will be incredibly controversial.
I would be happy to share the benefit of my experience. You have but to ask, dear YOUARE.
Controversial is music to the ears of a rebel like myself… Barbara
I used to joke that I would be rooming with Salmon Rushdie when the book came out. Now it appears more likely that Snowden will be my new roomie.
Ever good rebel needs a rebellion. Methinks I’ll have to start one. };-)>
Role on February… 😀
Thank you for sharing this with us Nav!
Ps – that plan with the book proposal before writing commences.
I need to do that right! 😉
YAY YAY YAY!! So cool!
I would say yes, as a general rule: one should go through the proposal process, even if you don’t intend to submit the book to a traditional publisher. It will help refine your thinking and discipline your writing.
Should one try a traditional publisher, it’s pretty much mandatory, from what I’ve read.
Glad to pay back to our wonderful neighbourhood in the wordpress universe.
Oh the planning phase of life – sucks eggs really 😉
But we learn how and get used to it hey 😀
Yes. I went to a Hay House writers workshop and they spoke about the book proposal and what goes into it. I entered a competition for a publishing contract but had to submit a proposal. It really made me sit down and plan out exactly what I wanted in my book and how I was going to put it all together. btw I hear from them on the 16th whether my proposal was successful or not. I’m putting it out to the universe that it will be!! 🙂
SJ, Thanks for that confirmation of what I understood to be the case AND my own experience as to how valuable a process it was. Perhaps we can collaborate on a future post on the topic.
Best of luck to you with this. Yes, one must be in alignment with the universe, which I hold to be multi-dimensional. Can’t ignore theoretical physics and quantum mechanics when being spiritual.
That would be discrimination.
And we must not discriminate 😉
Yes, I found the whole idea of writing the book proposal interesting because I had to work out a structure to my book and also just how I intended to market the book. It really is a lot of hard work. I belong to a FB page called Hay House Auditions that regularly put out tips for writers. Most of these tips focus on what happens after your book is written. They stress that writing the book is the easy part. And I tend to agree.
Congratulations! Love the subtitle. Look forward to reading it in Feb and doubtless shouting a lot at the pages..!
Yakimac, Thank you! I suspect that you may have some intellectual disagreement with my fundamental definition of what constitutes a feminist in the true sense. However, I don’t think that you find anything in offensive, other than what was done by feminists to my children and me.
Cheers.
Fantastic news and congrats/kudos. Now you can start on number two.
Thanks, Beth. #2 starts in earnest after the holidays. It will require more reading, research, and thought, but I’ll have the experience of Book One behind me.
First of all – congratulations – a goal written, done and dusted! I look forward to reading it – I love the title. It is no small feat – I am inspired…
MiF, Thank you. Yes, the title is a natural choice. Symbolic. The cover design is going to be very simple but effective along these lines.
There currently is an unadvertised Black Sunday pre-Christmas sale on. Would have been Black Friday, but someone got into the mulled wine. Fire me an email at themirrorbooks@gmail.com if you’re interested. Cheers.
WoW!! congrats! During Project O you were still writing…you certainly have put much hard work and much passion in this. I totally agree with you about the support of rich and supportive and creative writers here on WordPress. I really like that title…very appealing. Blessings, Oliana
Thanks, Oliana. The title is a reflection (was that a pun?) of the narcissism theme of the book.
Great people here indeed.
Ah, that’s an exciting step! A two month turnaround from submission to publication is awesome. Yep… life’s about to change…
A.L.,
So nice to have you visit. Yes, it’s exciting. You’re talking about someone who, as a young future officer, got into the scotch one night and then phoned the admiral running the Royal Canadian Navy. True story, in the book. Almost something that might have happened to you!
And seeing as how I am going to point out that a couple of judges in my case are technically criminals, and that this was covered up, well, that’s how to make friends and influence people, isn’t it?
And then there’s my discovery that the hard core feminists suffer from penis envy gender narcissism.
Life may change more than a little bit. }:-)>
Hahaha wooooah that has to be one of the most epic drunk dials of all time! Pretty sure I can’t top that one!
Damn, well now you’ve got me all excited.
Sadly, that was the highlight of a 30 year career. Well, that and spanking the odd nuclear attack submarine. Ah, the good old days. Of course, there is that still highly classified story I told at the command mess diner in front of the same 3-star admiral. I can only ALLUDE to this event in the book. Major diplomatic repercussions were it to become known. I wasn’t always this politically correct.
Yes, it should be interesting with the feminists. Some people are foolish enough to poke a stick at a hornets’ nest. I prefer flamethrowers. Added benefit is one can light a cigar with them.
Now the planned sequel Book Two is going to get really interesting. May have to room with salmon Rushdie or Edward Snowden. (Hello NSA. Just kidding. I hope.)
For the love, this is getting more and more interesting by the minute… February, you say? I assume we’ll be hearing more about this as it approaches..
Certainly. Trumpets and choirs of angels from on high and all of that.
Always here at themirrorbooks@gmail.com if you want to know more
Sweet! 🙂
This is such a thoughtful and worthwhile post.
Thank you for sharing, and I wish you the best with your book!
smealek, thanks so much for your visit and kind words. Best to you, my good Sir.
I’m thrilled for you. You must feel 40 pounds lighter (or the equivalent).
Thanks for then enthusiastic support. Yes, it is a relief to be past this milestone.
Thank you too for your technical observation. I regret that I am slightly prone to such errors when writing, even when I am aware of the grammar. I accept this tendency, and so do not berate myself when it occurs, nor do I get offended when someone is considerate enough to identify this for me.
I don’t pick my way through your writing with a magnifying lens. 😉 That one just popped because it sat at the end of your post, a short sentence.
A good catch nonetheless, and one that is appreciated.
That wink made me laugh. You’re a home schooling mother. I know better!
I’m not sure how I missed this, but this is awesome, Navigator! I am so happy for you and am sending out good vibes that your book will be a huge success! Have you heard anything back yet?! {Jumping up and down; virtual high-five}
Hi Kim,
Thank you! I’ve made another post to update the status; yes, I’ve just heard back in terms of the plan. I suspect that things will be happening quickly after XMAS.
Virtual high-five back!
Oh, and another thing…I nominated you for the Narcissist Slayer blog award. Follow the link here:
Arrrrgghhhhh!!! And thank you. That’s a biggie, as far as awards go. I think I will take a vacation from blogging over the XMAS period, and that I will use this to process all of the awards that I have received, as I have been too inundated with wordpress emails to catch up and process the awards.
Narcissist Slayer! Buffy, move over. }:-)>
I probably don’t have the influx of awards that you’ve gotten, but I did receive Blog of the Year and the Liebster! I’m very excited about them, but haven’t been able to fulfill the requirements yet. 🙂
Kim,
I hesitate to say “good.” But good. }:-)>
I don’t feel quite as guilty.
I wish you GREAT success with your book! Thank you for following my blog
Thanks, K. Q. Much appreciated.