The coffee is hot, the sun is angling
toward its zenith, and February lifts its slumbering head, reminding
us all that winter will soon be marching on. (You saw what I did
there? —pretty lame, right?) This Sunday I am peering into the face
of my labors and trying to lay out a course for the next steps
required in the gratification of my many needy projects. It's
a thorny path, and of late, one that I have managed quite clumsily.
Stormwalkers was
in need of a little loving care and after a few weeks of giving her
the attention she needed, the book is once again ready for a new
push. Yes, to the vexation of my colleagues, I went back into the
book and fiddle-faddled
with a few things. Nothing major, no rewrites, after all the book has
been around in one form or another for over a decade, but yes, I
fiddle-faddled.
Oh, there was nothing major that was changed, so worry not faithful
reader, if you had made the purchase early, you own a version that
has a few extra spaces, returns, and perhaps a word or two that may
have been modified or rescinded. So, consider yourself owning a
classic; similar to that run of a minted coin that exhibits an
original mark from the minter
And
here is the lesson found within this missive. Indie authorship and
publishing is a demanding pursuit. I am not saying this in an attempt
to scare potential writers away, no dear friends, I am saying this
with solemnity and respect for all that embark on this journey.
It
takes a village
to publish a manuscript, and although the writing of such a beast is
a task and an art form all in and of itself—it does not end there
if the author wishes for others to enjoy their work. In a traditional
setting the manuscript has a set of facilitators that manage the
minutia: rewrite alerts, word corrections, overall editing,
typesetting (including a regime of programming skills), graphic
design, promotional decisions right down to what formats the book
will be issued in and how many ISBN numbers will be required—and
also, monetary expenditures. In a traditional setting the author
worries over the writing, and then the rewrites, and then worries
over receiving payment and lastly royalties after the sell-through—oh,
and meeting her or his book signing schedules, which oftentimes are
arranged by the publisher. But, and it is a big but,
the indie author must be the writer and the facilitator, the promoter
and the banker. In each step the indie writer must wear a new hat,
under which a new set of skills must be applied. For certain, if you
have the cash flow you can hire others to be those facilitators.
There are many fine people that make their living doing this. But, if
you are strapped financially then you must become all of those
people. And that means learning their skill sets and learning how to
be your most feared critic. Reason and cold hard honesty are the
first tools that you will need, those tools must be applied to each
skill set. Without them your creation will be a still-born emergency,
hazardous to its creator's well being.
So,
my hat is off to any that are currently living the indie
life,
you are a daring breed. I have but placed my toe into the pool, found
it most inviting, thrillingly cold—and perhaps a bit harsh. I
believe it will suit me quite well.
In
closing today, I want to let you all know that I will be uploading
the cleaner version of Stormwalkers to amazon on Monday. Nook and
Lulu will be following after. The Lulu hardcover will be the most
daunting, perhaps a few weeks or so, since it will require a new,
physical, typesetting. Also this will be dependent on the demands of
my day job—ZUZZY Miniatures.
Moving
on:
Once
this task is complete, Eric and I will be making a few announcements
concerning the world of Kelidon. We also have a few, near
finished, works that will soon be following Stormwalkers into the
Indie-World.
Best
wishes always!
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