Moving slowly

I've now received two of the three sets of edits. It's been interesting seeing the remarks from two very different readers. The second person, I think, was a little nervous about how I would react to her critiques. I was a little afraid of them too. She is a very picky reader, which isn't a bad thing, but definitely had me nervous. But her concerns about some of the dialog and character story lines were actually very good to hear. I know my book won't be perfect, but I want it to be good. I'll definitely have her voice in the back of my head as I do my final read of the book ... possibly next week.

I am still drawing blanks for the cover. I don't know if I should try for abstract art, a scene or depictions of the characters. The last one always makes me nervous because I like to imagine the characters for myself. No two persons have the same vision of a character, and I think that makes it more fun (and also tough for movie-makers). I have touched base with my cover designer, and she's going to offer some suggestions. We'll see what she comes up with. She no longer works in my office though, so I don't see her everyday, and I don't want to hound her. But I am anxious to keep this moving along.

Also, the publisher I worked with on my first two books seems to be trying to woo me back. I'm not sure I want to do that. I wasn't dissatisfied with their service, but I would like more control over cover art, pricing and distribution than I had with them. I've conversed with a few other authors, including Caryn Rose (and if you haven't read her book, "B-Sides & Broken Hearts," do it NOW!) who shared their experiences with various publishers. I think I know which direction I'm going, but I'm giving my old publisher a chance to win me back. We'll see.