I’ve been to the puppet show and I’ve seen the strings
Isn’t that a great phrase? I spotted it in a comments box at the bottom of a blog post. The blog topic was about self-pubbing and the phrase immediately resonated with me. For I too, like the writer making the comment, have been to the puppet show and I’ve seen those strings (there are a few). And, as far as the writing process goes, I know which strings I want to pull – to emulate the best bits of the traditional publishing process .
Thus, I feel very lucky to have engaged the highly experienced Euan Mitchell as my editor. He has undertaken the structural editing of MonuMental, my follow-up book to EleMental: A First-person Shooter.
Euan Mitchell was the senior editor at the well-respected Reed Publishing, he is a young adult fiction author, he is a university lecturer in professional writing, he has self-published on several occasions, and he lives locally. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone more suited to my needs! (You can check out his website here – but remember to come back, OK?)
I handed over my draft MonuMental manuscript – all 72,441 words of it – to Euan Mitchell and now have a wealth of feedback from him that I am busily working through. A serious attitude to every aspect of the editing process and, later, excellent artwork for the cover, are two very important ‘strings’ that I am firmly tugging as a part of this puppet show.
I am looking forward to seeing my follow-up book sitting alongside my first on websites. But it is critical that I do not succumb to the temptation of shortcuts and publish as soon as possible – for the sake of readers if nothing else. I have learnt from my traditional publishing experience with my first book, and I will use that knowledge to make MonuMental the very best I can.
As I work through Euan Mitchell’s editing suggestions I will post again, and let you know all about it.
Free ebook dates
Meanwhile, here are the free dates of the last two level ebooks (levels 3 and 4) of my first book, EleMental: A First-person Shooter. Hopefully, you have been keeping up and have downloaded the first two ebooks. (If not, they are still available from my Amazon page for a short time for 99c.) This will be your last chance to receive the third level ebook for free. Remember, the level ebooks are for a limited time only. I am taking them down mid-December.
E-FPS3
E-FPS3 will be free for one last time on Monday 19 Nov. to Tuesday 20 Nov. (This is US time, so if it’s not free when you look, check back later.)
Available from Amazon here and Available from Amazon UK here.
E-FPS3 will no longer be available anywhere after 14 December 2012.
E-FPS4
E-FPS4 will be free for the first time from Monday 19 Nov. to Wednesday 21 Nov. (This is US time, so if it’s not free when you look, check back later.)
Available from Amazon here and Available from Amazon UK here.
E-FPS4 will no longer be available anywhere after 13 December 2012.
