I dropped a thumb drive containing my dad's book off at the editor's home on February 25th, as planned. She indicated that she would need two weeks to do her editing, which was fine as I was leaving for a week's vacation that day. In fact, I got an email from her while on my cruise that she was done with the editing, and that the thumb drive was ready to be picked up. I headed over to her house on March 6th to pick it up.
From the email correspondence I had received, I knew that this editor was going to be way more thorough than the editor I had hired for my first book. And indeed, she was. In addition to the normal items I figured she would be looking at, she also gave helpful suggestions about moving some items around to make the story flow better. Also, I always thought I was the Comma Queen, but she likes commas even more than I do. I probably won't add some of the suggested commas, even if they should be included, because to me they look wrong in the sentence. Particularly in sentences where I already have an abundance of commas due to dates and listings of items.
But the main thing I am struggling with is how to show numbers - numerically or spelled out. There are a LOT of numbers in this book. I have researched this online and have gotten conflicting information. I don't really like the way the editor has indicated I should do them, even knowing that she follows the Chicago Manual of Style. It just seems weird to me to have numbers in the same sentence handled differently - like I couldn't make up my mind or something. I guess these things will be the author's prerogative.
Other than the numbers game, I have incorporated the changes into the manuscript. Now all that is left is to do the indexing. I have emailed the designer to see if he can begin laying the book out before he receives the index. It seems to me that I can't really index if I don't know what page the name will appear on. Right?
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
One Last Look
Now that I have taken the comments from my two book reviewers, who happen to be WWII veterans, double-checked facts and made corrections in the manuscript, I am giving the book one last review before sending it off to an editor. I want it to be as clean as possible before she receives it, because there is no reason to pay an editor to correct items that I should have caught. Authors really need to take advantage of the built-in review capabilities of their word processing programs.
As I am looking at the book, I can't help but wonder if I should go into more detail in a few areas. But then I realize that at some point you just have to say enough is enough. This book needs to be finished. So I set a deadline for myself to have the book to the editor by Friday of this week. I will be on vacation next week, and I don't want to think about this book. It will be in capable hands, and I will get it back in two weeks.
Bon voyage, little book!
As I am looking at the book, I can't help but wonder if I should go into more detail in a few areas. But then I realize that at some point you just have to say enough is enough. This book needs to be finished. So I set a deadline for myself to have the book to the editor by Friday of this week. I will be on vacation next week, and I don't want to think about this book. It will be in capable hands, and I will get it back in two weeks.
Bon voyage, little book!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Website Update
As I had previously mentioned, I was having problems with the myhousehistory.net blog, which is on the Wordpress platform. My daughter has been integral in helping me figure out what the problem is, and we decided to move the Wordpress blog to a new web host first of all. Then she has been working to try to clear up the virus. I can now log in and post new entries, but I think we are still having issues in the comments section. Katie will eventually figure it out, I have no doubts about that. In the meantime she has made it harder for spammers to post comments, which is great. I moderate all comments anyway, but now you have to enter a code after you post a comment. That feature alone weeds out a lot of spammers.
Katie also set up a new website for my publishing company at www.provenancepublishing.com. I had already registered the domain www.provenancepublishing.net, but it is directed right to myhousehistory.net. Now that I will soon have two books under the publishing company, and one of those has nothing to do with house history, it seemed to make sense for the publishing company to stand on its own. The website is still a work in progress, but at least it is up.
Speaking of my second book, I have been busy checking some sources for data I used in the book, because my Hump Pilot suggested that a few things were incorrect. Once I get that done, I'll be ready to send it off to an editor. I have got to get this thing off dead center. At the last St. Louis Publishers Association meeting we gathered into small groups and we each had to list one thing that we wanted to finish in the next 30 days. We then wrote down how we were going to make that happen. I put down that I want this book to go to the book designer in 30 days. That may be ambitious depending on how much time the editor needs, but at the very least I want the book in the editor's hands before I leave on vacation February 26th. There...I put it in writing. That felt great!
Katie also set up a new website for my publishing company at www.provenancepublishing.com. I had already registered the domain www.provenancepublishing.net, but it is directed right to myhousehistory.net. Now that I will soon have two books under the publishing company, and one of those has nothing to do with house history, it seemed to make sense for the publishing company to stand on its own. The website is still a work in progress, but at least it is up.
Speaking of my second book, I have been busy checking some sources for data I used in the book, because my Hump Pilot suggested that a few things were incorrect. Once I get that done, I'll be ready to send it off to an editor. I have got to get this thing off dead center. At the last St. Louis Publishers Association meeting we gathered into small groups and we each had to list one thing that we wanted to finish in the next 30 days. We then wrote down how we were going to make that happen. I put down that I want this book to go to the book designer in 30 days. That may be ambitious depending on how much time the editor needs, but at the very least I want the book in the editor's hands before I leave on vacation February 26th. There...I put it in writing. That felt great!
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