Yesterday I completed Chapter 19 in my novel. A major character has snapped and is about to remember something about another major character and it’s all very exciting. Up until this point, everyone’s lives were on the cusp of colliding and now it’s all about to come to a head. Very exciting stuff!
Image courtesy of iamkevinluong.blogspot.com
So, I said all that to say that I’m freaking out I’ve reached pretty much the halfway mark in my novel and I’m freaking out. I’m shooting for a first draft completion date of November 1st. Here’s what I have planned after the culmination of my freak out my celebratory spa day. Oh, and any suggestions/ideas would be greatly appreciated. Here we go:
- Leave the novel alone for two weeks
- In the meantime, type up the prequel novella, which I’ve been writing by hand in my spare time
- Find 3-5 beta readers
- Search for a credible, yet somewhat affordable, editor
- Shop for a credible, yet somewhat affordable, cover artist
- Gather a list of email addresses for my “press release”
- Read through my novel and make notes/changes
This is where it gets tricky. Suggestions still welcome.
- Give novel to editor first?
- Give novel to beta readers first?
- Make more notes/changes
- Go through same process with prequel novella
- Book trailers prior to/after (?) “press release”
- Upload and release novella
- Audio podcase of novella?
- Marketing, marketing, marketing
- Upload and release novel
- Marketing, marketing, marketing
journeyofjordannaeast 
Edit, edit, edit! And then rewrite and edit some more. That’s the best advice I can give. Edit your piece until you think it’s as close as your going to get it and then give it to an Editor to go over. I have a freelance one that I use if you’re interested. Just let me know and I’ll send you her name. She’s affordable and spot-on with her editing. I can’t wait to read your book! (and don’t worry about freaking out…we all do it several times over)
I actually enjoy editing (please pick up your jaw), so I already planned on doing it excessively, haha. Does your editor proofread as well? Email me about her. That sounds gossipy. Sorry. Haha. (But seriously ava.easterby@yahoo.com)
And thanks for the excited interest in my book. That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. 🙂
Email on its way!
I love editing, too. There’s just something satisfying about using the red pencil. 🙂
Got your email! Thanks so much!
In the process of replying to your email I saw that you’re actually and editor. Oops. Of course you love editing. I also discovered that I already follow the blog of the editor you recommended. My morning was filled with Oops and Oh’s. Haha. Thanks again!
I agree with Kat honey 🙂
But…..I would say go for the Beta reader BEFORE a professional editor. The reason being that you may decide to change things because of what the Beta readers have said, and then you’ll need the services of the editor again
Did you see my post about what the agent said? She said about giving your MS to Beta readers asking them to look at specific things. I think that’s the way I’ll go BEFORE I fork out money on an editor 🙂
And if you need a Beta reader, just shout 😉
Xx
Thanks Vikki!
Ok so beta readers first, got it! And you will definitely be contacted, so don’t change your mind. Or I’ll find you. 😉
And yes, I did see your post and was toying with the idea of writing up a document to accompany my beta copies that lists things I would like the readers to focus on. What do you think?
Definitely edit yourself first, then do the beta reader, then if it’s still necessary make changes and find an editor. Covers are tricky business, depending on what you’re looking for.
I intend to edit until my face falls off and I then I will still hire an editor. Haha.
What makes you say covers are tricky? I have an idea for the concept of the novel’s cover and one is forming for the prequel.
Good idea 😀
I think I said that because I was trying very nicely not to say that some covers are done very poorly because people don’t hire a cover designer and so they make poor font choices, so… yeah 😀
Oh no, I totally get the importance of a well designed book cover. More than a few times I’ve second-guessed downloading a book (even if it had an interesting blurb) because the cover was cheesy. And I’ve downloaded books solely based on the cover as well.
Me too! Isn’t that terrible? Lol
No, it’s just how the cookie crumbles.
Some covers are just really awesome and really make you want to read the books they hold.
And some look like crap. And make you wonder if the author put as little effort into the writing as they did the cover.
Mmm good point.
Congrats man. Just reached the half way mark too. Hoping to be around 80k and words and finished by Nov, Dec too. I reckon leave it for a while. Read something new, start writing something new. Then go back and start editing yourself. I get a writing mag over here in the UK. An article I read the other day said a good way to edit, once you’ve done the first two or three general clean ups, is to hear it out loud via an audio reader. You’ll hear things that may not show up on paper. Good to get it as good as you possibly can before giving it out for edit. Worse it is, more time an editor uses to fix it. More time, more money. You going the old school route or self publishing?
Congrats to you too! We can be book buddies! Haha. I know, that’s corny. Anyway, I will probably leave it alone for a couple of weeks to write the type up the prequel, which, although related, is still “something new.”
I actually have heard of the audio editing thing. A fellow blogger, Jai Farris, suggested writers download text to audio software to listen to the flow of their book and I think that’s an excellent idea. Can’t do too much editing. More mistakes, more money to pay the editor, just like you said.
I’m self-pubbing. You?
I’m gonna set myself up for months of agonising and try the old school thing. Should I receive a certain (as yet undefined) amount of rejection letters, I’ll go the selfie route. Looking forward to reading it! My kindle is ready!
I wish you luck! I look forward to your book as well. Hope I don’t have to wait too long! 😉
Oh and yeah, and book buddies it is. We’ll have to swap MS’s at some stage.
Oh absolutely! Email me at ava.easterby@yahoo.com whenever you’re ready.
I would put it aside for a week or two, then go back and revise and edit. Then I’d find a few trusted beta readers and ask them to take a look. I have several writer friends who will look at my stories for me – some write stuff similar to me and some write stuff that’s completely different, so they all catch different things and bring up different points. And they do it in a gentle, loving way because we know one another well.
I think critique groups are much trickier. If you don’t already belong to one that works well, you run the risk of handing your baby to a bunch of people who don’t understand it AT ALL and having them talk you into doing things to it that really won’t be helpful. That’s why I prefer a few beta readers I know well.
I’ve heard horror stories about critique groups so I think I’m going to stick to beta readers. I am concerned with beta readers who don’t read/write the same genre as mine because what if they don’t like it simple because it wasn’t their cup of tea?
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