Elliott Turner's Blog - Posts Tagged "notv"
Editing aka A Sigh for Sore Eyes
In case you don't stalk me on social media (aside from here), the Kick Starter for funds for my debut novel kinda sorta stalled and then failed to reach its goal. My crest is fallen because while seven G's is a small stack compared to major publishers, those funds could have/would have gone towards publicity and other behind-the-scenes stuff for Round Ball Media Publishing (my indie publisher) that would have helped make the book better and get read by more people.
As it is, RBM is still happy to publish this thing in June of next summer, Pete filed his edits three weeks ago, he will be paid in July, and Erik has started to do drafts for the cover. I am excited because Pete is smart and had some great comments and big picture things to think about (WARNING: I read too many dimestore romance novels - wink wink they never appear on here how convenient as "read/want to read" - so head hopping is something I fall into and POV is a big point of improvement).
The Master Manuscript on Google Drive is basically a rainbow at this point: red for style, tone and voice edits, purple for head hopping edits, orange for "overboard" (if you have edited me or read my blog, you get this). I kinda vomited out this manuscript in one to two months, but editing this project has easily eaten up 10-20 hours per week for the last three months. Blue is for copy edits. Blue used to be my favorite color, but I am having second thoughts.
That is just editing the copy, tone, style, narrative flow, etc. There's that pesky "publishing" thing too. I have the eBook version in great shape and "to publish" ready pretty much but for some ePub conversion snafus. I did this for RBM as part of my contract for those first two nonfiction tomes you have read and loved, so it was easy.
The actual print-on-paper manuscript has been a pain-in-the-arse. I taught myself XHTML and PHP and CSS to launch Futfanatico, so I thought: how hard can formatting be on DOC? The MS will be a safe, easy to print 6X9, so it should be as simple as making and eating microwave popcorn. Flash forward a month: the microwave exploded and the popcorn tastes like cyanide.
On the plus side, I have learned ever so much about page breaks and section breaks and even/odd headers and footers. I cleaned the gutters on my house, and then hopped on my laptop and decided on the absolutely perfect gutter trim for this puppy. I actually realized that I do not like the MS style and format of the Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (at least the header). Take that Junot! I have found the flaw!
ACTUAL CONTENT: I cut down the MS from 80K to 78K and made Part III shorter, funnier, and slightly less opaque. The head-hopping is stomach-able. The painful (and perhaps melodramatic) death scene will stay. From the start, the ending was, is, and will be perfect.
In September, I will hopefully be pre-ordering a special advanced copy to smell and taste and also one last run at copy/word choice edits. Then, come January, the out for review copies will be mailed and the fun starts (from behind the curtain). Ingram Spark has approved RBM as a publisher, so libraries and indie stores will have a chance to order the paperback if they want.
SUPER THANKS to everybody who backed and supported the Kick Starter in any way, shape or form. Also thanks to all my nonfiction editors and Pete. You are all gems.
As it is, RBM is still happy to publish this thing in June of next summer, Pete filed his edits three weeks ago, he will be paid in July, and Erik has started to do drafts for the cover. I am excited because Pete is smart and had some great comments and big picture things to think about (WARNING: I read too many dimestore romance novels - wink wink they never appear on here how convenient as "read/want to read" - so head hopping is something I fall into and POV is a big point of improvement).
The Master Manuscript on Google Drive is basically a rainbow at this point: red for style, tone and voice edits, purple for head hopping edits, orange for "overboard" (if you have edited me or read my blog, you get this). I kinda vomited out this manuscript in one to two months, but editing this project has easily eaten up 10-20 hours per week for the last three months. Blue is for copy edits. Blue used to be my favorite color, but I am having second thoughts.
That is just editing the copy, tone, style, narrative flow, etc. There's that pesky "publishing" thing too. I have the eBook version in great shape and "to publish" ready pretty much but for some ePub conversion snafus. I did this for RBM as part of my contract for those first two nonfiction tomes you have read and loved, so it was easy.
The actual print-on-paper manuscript has been a pain-in-the-arse. I taught myself XHTML and PHP and CSS to launch Futfanatico, so I thought: how hard can formatting be on DOC? The MS will be a safe, easy to print 6X9, so it should be as simple as making and eating microwave popcorn. Flash forward a month: the microwave exploded and the popcorn tastes like cyanide.
On the plus side, I have learned ever so much about page breaks and section breaks and even/odd headers and footers. I cleaned the gutters on my house, and then hopped on my laptop and decided on the absolutely perfect gutter trim for this puppy. I actually realized that I do not like the MS style and format of the Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (at least the header). Take that Junot! I have found the flaw!
ACTUAL CONTENT: I cut down the MS from 80K to 78K and made Part III shorter, funnier, and slightly less opaque. The head-hopping is stomach-able. The painful (and perhaps melodramatic) death scene will stay. From the start, the ending was, is, and will be perfect.
In September, I will hopefully be pre-ordering a special advanced copy to smell and taste and also one last run at copy/word choice edits. Then, come January, the out for review copies will be mailed and the fun starts (from behind the curtain). Ingram Spark has approved RBM as a publisher, so libraries and indie stores will have a chance to order the paperback if they want.
SUPER THANKS to everybody who backed and supported the Kick Starter in any way, shape or form. Also thanks to all my nonfiction editors and Pete. You are all gems.
