Discussing writing and/or my ongoing struggles to self-publish my series of books. Sure to be entertaining to those amused by someone else’s mistakes and problems with getting the smallest thing done.
It’s only taken them six books, but the cover designers for Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series have finally figured out how to make a cover for the story inside.
Yes, everyone knows how much I love the series — but is is just me, or is this cover hot?
It’s the last book in the series so I can’t wait to read it. Gotta wait until June.
I finished the rough draft for book #2 today!
I’ve been trying to get it done since last December (original finish date: end of January). Obviously haven’t done well in sticking to a schedule. But it’s a much better book than it would’ve been then. Even a few months adds so much more to my knowledge and understanding of important topics to cover.
There’s still a ton of work to do surrounding it. But right now, I have a new and complete book.
Due to my lack of sticking to a deadline and last minute planning, I can’t get it edited until January, so…it will be out Spring 2008 at the earliest. I know that’s disappointing to people and is an embarrassing public lesson in procrastination, that’s for sure.
Still, it’s done. There’s no doubt it will be out and what it will cover, it’s only a question of when. Now I can wake up without it looming over my head. I can find new ways of filling my days! There’s already a long list…
It all started from a little financial article my lover showed me. A month later I blogged about it (as you can tell, I’m never up-to-date on my blogging). Then $pread Magazine picked it up. And now it’s reprinted in the UTNE Reader.
Pretty cool for something I thought no one would pay attention to on a blog I didn’t think anyone actually read (aside from a handful of people I pen-pal with).
Now how can I do this for my book?
Warning: This is a wandering, pointless post.
I received a book sample from a printing company (aka book manufacturer) that I’d queried. This is standard practice. Printing companies will often send out an example of their work that closely resembles the specs of book you’re planning on printing. I have a few copies of sample books. They’re actual books, printed by actual people/companies who have used the printers’ services and who have apparently agreed to have their books sent out as sample products. The subject matter is rarely compelling, but that is not the purpose behind the sample.
My sample was big (over 400 pages). The specifications of the book were what I was looking for, except that the trim size was a half-inch smaller than what I had specified in my quote request. I flipped through the book, noticing that it was not well laid out, which is a fault of the publisher, not the printing company. Obviously a self-published book, I looked up the website of the publishing company, curious to see if they’d done anything else.
I also wanted a little more info about the story. At first glance, it’s impossible to tell if the story is fiction or not. It’s written in the style of a tell-all from a woman who was the long-time booty-call of a famous comedian. She eventually figures out that he isn’t serious about her when he tosses her on her ear (long after he was married and raising a family). The comedian’s name and description was thinly disguised, so I was very curious if this was a real story.
In January, I attended a party for $pread Magazine thrown by SWOP-USA. Overall, everyone was very nice. It was beyond disappointing to discover that my $2 bill article was not in the current issue (it was slated for the following issue, but I didn’t know it at the time).
What’s worse is that I talked, at length, to a guy who ran a bookstore and invited me to do a reading. We verbally planned the event. It was a done deal. I was very excited.
When I contacted him two days later, there was no mention of doing a reading for his store. He simply forwarded my information to another sex worker activitst in town. That’s it.
In that respect, the interaction was much like any client/provider social. The men want your undivided attention but never follow up. I should’ve seen this one coming a mile away.