Robert Gray's Blog, page 7

KDP Select

If you're not familiar with Amazon's new KDP Select option for authors, you can get yer learn on here: Amazon's KDP Select.  While the terms are not entirely favorable--for instance, I don't like the exclusivity clause--I've decided to give it a try with  EVE HALLOWS AND THE BOOK OF SHRIEKS.

What does this mean for Kindle owners?
If you're a Prime Member, enjoy yourself a free copy of EVE HALLOWS AND THE BOOK OF SHRIEKS.  Merry Christmas.  If you're not a Prime Member, you can purchase a copy for $3.99.
What does this mean for non-Kindle owners?  
At least for the time being--until March 6, 2012 to be exact--I am not able to distribute the ebook to any other reading device.  This includes nook, iPhone/Pad/Pod, Sony readers, Kobo, and whatever else is out there.  After March 6, Amazon's contract expires, which means you'll slowly see EVE HALLOWS AND THE BOOK OF SHRIEKS reappear in various other e-formats.  I'll keep you posted on this blog and over at Eve's website.
In the meantime, there's always the dead tree version--Print Edition ($12.99)--which looks much better under a Christmas Tree anyway.

Books N Stuff 2

[image error] EVE HALLOWS AND THE BOOK OF SHRIEKS is now available at Books N Stuff 2, located at the Old Lumberyard Shops in Milford, PA.  You don't have to buy my book, of course, but stop on by and support your local bookstore.  They have a great selection of new and used books, as well as games, a computer area with complimentary wi-fi, and some really comfy couches.

Exclusive Interview with Robert Gray

I recently chatted with Susan Heim, parenting author and "Chicken Soup for the Soul" editor.  You can check out the interview here:

Susan Heim on Parenting: Exclusive Interview with Robert Gray, Author of Eve Hallows and the Book of Shrieks

Black Friday Deals

Yeah, I got one, too.  Use the coupon code below and receive 25% off the paperback version of EVE HALLOWS AND THE BOOK OF SHRIEKS.  This coupon expires December 1, 2011. 

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My Revision Process

There's a stigma attached to self-published books that they are poorly edited or not edited at all.  Because a manuscript didn't go through the "proper" vetting process, there is a fair amount of truth to this.  I've seen a lot of crap out there.  (Truth be told, I've seen a lot of traditionally published messes, too.) With EVE HALLOWS AND THE BOOK OF SHRIEKS, I never expected to achieve perfection (an impossible pursuit anyway), but I at least took that stigma to heart.

BOS went through 9 revisions total.  The first draft, for me, has always been about exploration.  I don't do outlines (on the other hand, I cringe at the term "panster").  I despise the very idea of an outline and believe they crush creativity more than inspire it.  That being said, the first draft of BOS was a complete mess.  The story branched off in all sorts of directions, with characters--ones I decided I didn't like all that much--disappearing at random.  Not a big deal. All I wanted to accomplish with the first draft was to simply lay down the groundwork for the story.
Before I even began the second draft, I loaded the first draft onto my ereader and grabbed a pen and a notebook.  Why an ereader, you might ask?  Because my inclination is to tinker with the story as I'm reading though it, changing structure and grammar mistakes.  But it was far too early in the process to worry about  dangling participles, mostly because I knew I'd be cutting a lot out anyway. The second draft was about finding what I liked and what I didn't, and taking notes allowed me to focus exclusively on story flow.  With my notes firmly in hand, I went back and revised.
The third draft was the biggest beast of them all.  This one was almost an entire rewrite, taking at least twice as long as the first draft.  Here, I focused on character, story arc, the overall thematic elements, and everything in between.

In the fourth and fifth drafts, I honed in on grammar and style, slaying any modifier that looked at me funny.  Also, I cleaned up any glaring plot holes I might've missed in draft 3--I can never seem to find them all, and I doubt I ever will.  With anything I write, I keep a list next to my computer of all the writerly sins I've committed in the past.  Yes, that list is long.  Yes, that list is somewhat embarrassing. This includes such gems as overusing look and turn; using weak verbs instead of ones full of vigor; and, perhaps my biggest sin, the dreaded "floating heads," where characters talk, but there's no sense of place, time, or emotion sprinkled around the dialogue. I probably could've spent the rest of my life in this phase of the revision process. Like I said, I'm a tinkerer.  But what I needed at this point was some feedback (which is another way of saying, This story is burning me out, and I need a break from it).  I hear a lot of writers say you shouldn't have family review your work, because they will be biased, but I don't subscribe to that logic.  Main reason being, it's hard enough to find a reader as it is.  Sure, family might put a nicer spin on things: "Oh, I loved it.  But I love anything you write."  But it is up to the author to read between the lines, regardless of the critic.  It's all a matter of asking the right questions.
In draft six, I added and subtracted based on the comments I received.  Pretty simple one. 
From here, I sent my work off to my editor. For BOOK OF SHRIEKS, I hired the wonderful Kathy Ptacek (editor and publisher of the writers-market magazine, The Gila Queen's Guide to Markets ) to proofread the story, and she made all the difference, let me tell you.  We did two passes on the manuscript.  The first one put the story under a microscope.  Here, I learned just how bad a writer I really was.  The second pass was more of check to make sure we didn't miss anything during the first round of edits.

The final revision was with a sample copy of the book in hand.  More of a check on formatting issues and the like, but even still, I found a few head-slap problems I hadn't noticed in drafts 1-8 ... are you kidding me?

From there, I considered it a finished product.  So what's the moral of the story?  Really didn't have one, but  I can quote entire passages of the book, and I even had a strange nightmare the other night in which whole chapters were misspelled, but, hey, it's all part of the process, right?  

Eve Hallows and the Book of Shrieks is now available

It's been a long road bringing Eve to life (about two years to be exact), but today I can finally announce that EVE HALLOWS AND THE BOOK OF SHRIEKS is available for sale.  And to celebrate, I'm, er, sponsoring a contest over at Eve's website.  The rules are simple: draw a picture of something "spooky" and email it to evehallows1031[at]gmail[dot]com.  Enter your picture before December 1, and you get a free autographed book.  The only requirement is to be a child ... or a child at heart.

At Eve's site, there is also a new bookstore open called Books & Brimstone where you can order the book in print or e-book formats.  Below, is a list of sites where the book is currently available.

Print:eStore
Amazon
E-Book:Barnes & NobleAmazonSmashwords

New Eve Hallows Website

The new Eve Hallows website is now live for your viewing pleasure.  Drop on over and say hi to Eve.  As we get closer to the release of EVE HALLOWS AND THE BOOK OF SHRIEKS, there will be some fun prizes and giveaways on her site, so check back frequently.

JUDGING A BOOK BY ITS COVER

Eve Hallows and the Book of Shrieks
I've mentioned a bit about the creation process for the cover of Eve Hallows and the Book of Shrieks (If you want to read that earlier post, you can check it out here), but I thought on this freakishly snowy Hallow's Eve, I'd talk a little about the picture itself.

First off, let me introduce the characters.  On the left, we have Maddie Hallows (Eve's Mom); hiding behind the tombstone is Sam Hallows (Eve's little ghoul of a brother); sitting front and center is Eve Hallows, and to the right is Bill Hallows (Eve's Dad).

In the picture, everyone is getting ready for a family photo, and, perhaps, the first question you may have is Why would they be taking a family photo at a graveyard?  And the obvious answer is that they live in a monster world known as Gravesville, and to Gravesvillians the graveyard is as much a part of their world as the beach is to, say, Californians.  You mean to tell me you can't see that from the picture?

Yeah, so, anyway, we have Mom, who is a gorgon, checking her face in a mirror and--What do you mean a gorgon can't look into a mirror without turning to stone?  Well, guess what?  This gorgon can.  You'll just have to read the book to find out why that's possible, won't you?

And then there's Sam, who appears rather frightened.  Perhaps he's annoyed Eve one too many times. And, of course, we have the star of the novel, Miss Eve Hallows, who looks simply miserable (she would say adorable, but I'm not gonna go there now).  Makes you wonder why, huh?  No?  Really?  Then you must want to know why Dad is checking his watch?  And didn't I mention they are getting ready for a family photo?  Shouldn't they be all happy and family-like?  Guess that depends on your definition of "family."

Also, you must be asking yourself why do Mom and Sam appear to be monsters while Eve and Dad look all human.  Hmm, very interesting.

Finally, you have to be wondering how the title and relates to the picture.  EVE HALLOWS AND THE BOOK OF SHRIEKS.  Sure, the "Eve Hallows" part is pretty obvious.  There she is sitting on a tombstone.  But what about the whole "Book of Shrieks" part.  She isn't holding a book, and no one appears to be shrieking, and how can a book be about shrieks anyway.  All very good questions.

So, in short, the cover makes very little sense at all, but for a nominal fee ($12.99 for the paperback or $2.99 for the ebook) all of your questions can be answered. Well, maybe not all of your questions.  The book doesn't offer up the meaning of life or how to bake a cheesecake without it cracking, but it answers any questions you may have about the cover.  After all, isn't that the point of a cover? To make you ask some questions?  Well, covers also gives an author like me a big head because my name looks all nice and shiny, but that's a post for another day.

So what have you learned from today's post?  Absolutely nothing.  Did you really expect me to make a point?  Absurd!

Hope you all have a safe and happy Halloween.  I'll send you off with this:

Eve Hallows Updates

Finishing up some last-minute edits on Eve Hallows and the Book of Shrieks, which is currently on schedule to be released on or about November 8.  The paperback edition will be available for $12.99 and the ebook-flavored edition for $2.99.  More to come on that once we get close to the release date...

If you'd prefer a free copy (because everyone likes free, right?) then email me at EveHallows1031[at]gmail[dot]com.  I'll have a limited supply of print books to give away and a whole lot of ebooks.  All I ask is that you review the book on your blog, Amazon, B&N, or wherever you comment about the books you've read.  You don't even have to say nice things about the book, I won't hold it against you.  Promise.
      EVE HALLOWS AND THE BOOK OF SHRIEKS

For fourteen-year-old Eve Hallows, life can be summed up in one word—horrible.  She has the most horrible friends.  She lives in a horrible old castle.  Even her family is a bunch of horrible monsters. 

However, in the monster-inhabited world of Gravesville—a world where messages are sent through Ouija boards, jack-o'-lanterns get facials to suit their moods, and the worst thing Eve has to deal with are those annoying zombie tourists who overrun her favorite graveyard during the Halloween season—horrible means wonderful.  And everything for Eve is perfectly horrible.

But her life is about to go head over heels when a mysterious group known as The Source starts terrorizing Gravesville.  Now she must move to the human world—where everything is opposite ... and for Eve, that's absolutely adorable!

Think Different

Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. - Apple Inc.

Think Different.