Two marathon sessions on the weekend (a total of approximately 26 hours) came to an end around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday night....when I finally finished the edit of ARTIFICIAL INTENTIONS, the second book. Hopefully, with a few last swipes, I'll be ready to send it in to iUniverse and get it into production.
Had a note today from iUniverse that the first book OPTIONS, has been assigned to the "London" production team -- so, things are happening. Looking forward to the next phase for both books.
No...more....reading..... for at least a day!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Book #1 in Production
So, I finally finished editing Options for the three thousandth time the other night and sent it off to iUniverse, telling them I was by-passing any further editorial work. I quickly sent in my revised back cover text and bio with the hope that somewhere in Indiana (I think that's where iUniverse lives), someone is now busily preparing my book.
I love my first book. (The editorial review I got was fair and if I was to compare the review to a mark given by a teacher in school, I probably got a B, however, I'm digressing.) I love my first book, but I have read it at least twenty times (no joke) in the last three months, and every single time I read it I find errors and things to correct. I think I nailed it this time though, and hope that any mistakes left are the type that an average reader won't notice. (Although I must admit I am a SERIOUS snob when it comes to finding errors in professionally published books and I'm finding more and more of them lately.....shame on you Penguin Books and all you other large houses!)
So, sayonara Options (although I believe I get one more go around when iUniverse publishes the proof). It's been fun. It's been fourteen years. Time to send you off....
Let me sign off by saying how sick to death I am of the comma.....
p.s. any mistakes in this post are the sole responsibility of the author (I feel I must add this rider)
I love my first book. (The editorial review I got was fair and if I was to compare the review to a mark given by a teacher in school, I probably got a B, however, I'm digressing.) I love my first book, but I have read it at least twenty times (no joke) in the last three months, and every single time I read it I find errors and things to correct. I think I nailed it this time though, and hope that any mistakes left are the type that an average reader won't notice. (Although I must admit I am a SERIOUS snob when it comes to finding errors in professionally published books and I'm finding more and more of them lately.....shame on you Penguin Books and all you other large houses!)
So, sayonara Options (although I believe I get one more go around when iUniverse publishes the proof). It's been fun. It's been fourteen years. Time to send you off....
Let me sign off by saying how sick to death I am of the comma.....
p.s. any mistakes in this post are the sole responsibility of the author (I feel I must add this rider)
Friday, September 10, 2010
My iUniverse experience -- so far
I have now received editorial evaluations for both books which were very positive.
The editorial evaluation format from iUniverse is very user-friendly. The editor sends you a multi-page document containing their comments on various topics (the basics; title; marketing text; opening; basic premise and tone; point of view; structure, plot and pace; setting; characterization; dialogue; basic punctuation and grammar; and general comments about the manuscript). The evaluation finishes off with their trade mark "Editorial Rx Referral".
On each topic listed above, the editor has a series of standard questions they answer about the book (yes or needs work), and then they give a narrative answer, citing examples from the book. I found this very valuable. For both books I received lots of constructive comments which I plan on integrating into the manuscripts.
Any complaints? You betcha. And I've shared this with iUniverse. They have a program called "Editor's Choice" where editors at iUniverse identify good, solid books to get their "gold seal of approval". Both of my books were recommended by the editors for this program. However, there's a catch. You have to submit to their recommendations (i.e. have your book copy edited, or have your book line edited, etc.) and pay very big bucks to their organization to have the job done.
Don't get me wrong, I know that copy editing and proofreading are very expensive propositions (see one of my first blog entries). And they are worth every penny. iUniverse's services are not out of line with industry prices for the same type of service and I'm sure their editors are worth the money. I just wish I had several thousand dollars to pay for these services......but self-publishing is costly enough.
So, I'm going to incorporate as many of the changes as I can that were recommended by the editors and get both manuscripts re-submitted asap!
Over and out!
The editorial evaluation format from iUniverse is very user-friendly. The editor sends you a multi-page document containing their comments on various topics (the basics; title; marketing text; opening; basic premise and tone; point of view; structure, plot and pace; setting; characterization; dialogue; basic punctuation and grammar; and general comments about the manuscript). The evaluation finishes off with their trade mark "Editorial Rx Referral".
On each topic listed above, the editor has a series of standard questions they answer about the book (yes or needs work), and then they give a narrative answer, citing examples from the book. I found this very valuable. For both books I received lots of constructive comments which I plan on integrating into the manuscripts.
Any complaints? You betcha. And I've shared this with iUniverse. They have a program called "Editor's Choice" where editors at iUniverse identify good, solid books to get their "gold seal of approval". Both of my books were recommended by the editors for this program. However, there's a catch. You have to submit to their recommendations (i.e. have your book copy edited, or have your book line edited, etc.) and pay very big bucks to their organization to have the job done.
Don't get me wrong, I know that copy editing and proofreading are very expensive propositions (see one of my first blog entries). And they are worth every penny. iUniverse's services are not out of line with industry prices for the same type of service and I'm sure their editors are worth the money. I just wish I had several thousand dollars to pay for these services......but self-publishing is costly enough.
So, I'm going to incorporate as many of the changes as I can that were recommended by the editors and get both manuscripts re-submitted asap!
Over and out!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
iUniverse....the journey continues......
Happy to report that I've have had a successful week with iUniverse!
I decided to get OPTIONS submitted first so they can get working on that, so earlier this week I went through the steps on the iUniverse website to get the book in their hands. They have a spot on their website for clients to sign-in and once you have paid your deposit, your personal space is made available to you.
You simply follow the logical steps, putting in information they need about you, blurbs about the book for your back cover, a description of what you want the covers to look like, etc., etc. As I already have artwork for both my books, I plan on sending iUniverse the original photos and the cover and see what they can do, if anything, to improve on it. Not that there's anything wrong with what Jordan has designed but the cover designers at iUniverse may have some ideas.
One of the features I get with the "package" I purchased is an editorial evaluation of the book - which I consider a HUGE bonus. I haven't had any "professionals" look at the book(s) and am looking forward to this stage. I'm told the evaluation will be ready in 2-3 weeks.....in the meantime, I received a generic email from the Editorial Team at iUniverse yesterday, describing the process and what type of reaction I might have to receiving critical advice. Basically, they're telling you that you may not like what you hear...... I say so what? -- that's LIFE. Sometimes it sucks to hear the truth! Although I'll probably be wimpering in a corner when I get the evaluation and when I get my composure back I'll likely be demanding the editor's credentials....HAHAHA!
Today I submitted the second book, ARTIFICIAL INTENTIONS.
So yours truly is happy to report that the first leg of my publishing journey with iUniverse has been relatively painless!
Stay tuned for further reports!
I decided to get OPTIONS submitted first so they can get working on that, so earlier this week I went through the steps on the iUniverse website to get the book in their hands. They have a spot on their website for clients to sign-in and once you have paid your deposit, your personal space is made available to you.
You simply follow the logical steps, putting in information they need about you, blurbs about the book for your back cover, a description of what you want the covers to look like, etc., etc. As I already have artwork for both my books, I plan on sending iUniverse the original photos and the cover and see what they can do, if anything, to improve on it. Not that there's anything wrong with what Jordan has designed but the cover designers at iUniverse may have some ideas.
One of the features I get with the "package" I purchased is an editorial evaluation of the book - which I consider a HUGE bonus. I haven't had any "professionals" look at the book(s) and am looking forward to this stage. I'm told the evaluation will be ready in 2-3 weeks.....in the meantime, I received a generic email from the Editorial Team at iUniverse yesterday, describing the process and what type of reaction I might have to receiving critical advice. Basically, they're telling you that you may not like what you hear...... I say so what? -- that's LIFE. Sometimes it sucks to hear the truth! Although I'll probably be wimpering in a corner when I get the evaluation and when I get my composure back I'll likely be demanding the editor's credentials....HAHAHA!
Today I submitted the second book, ARTIFICIAL INTENTIONS.
So yours truly is happy to report that the first leg of my publishing journey with iUniverse has been relatively painless!
Stay tuned for further reports!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
iUniverse and Me
Well, it's been two months since I finished writing the second book, now titled ARTIFICIAL INTENTIONS. Lots of re-reading and proofreading going on, with able assistance being provided by my team: Roxanne, Deborah and Sheila! Thank you ladies.
To get ready for publication, I contacted my printer in Victoria and got a quote and also contacted several printers here in the Ottawa area -- only one of which had the decency to get back to me and provide a quote! Their loss!!
And then I got an email......which was from iUniverse (I'm on their mailing list) www.iuniverse.com. Normally I delete them but because I was on vacation and in "vacation mode" (read: nothing to do), I actually took a minute and looked at the sales pitch. All publications were being offered half off! Which got me thinking.........
Why not try a different route this time? You see, iUniverse has it all (so they say). They help you format the book, they'll produce the covers, they'll make the book available on their website, and on the websites of such places as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc., etc. They do the printing, the shipping, collect the money, etc., etc.
And.....at 50% off the regular price, I thought, why not give them both of my books? The total cost will be a little bit more than what I would pay to the printer in Victoria to print 100 copies. And if I did the same with the second book as I did with the first book (i.e. print my own), I'd be responsible for advertising, shipping, collecting the money, etc., etc.
So, I'm hoping and crossing my fingers that this has been a good decision. I have a friend who is using iUniverse and he assures me that so far, so good. His book isn't published yet (it takes anywhere from 90 to 120 days to get it out) but he says he's had a good experience so far with them.
For those of you not in the know, so to speak, iUniverse (and many, many other similar companies) are Print On Demand (POD) publishers. Once all the front end "stuff" is done, and consumers want to buy the book, they place an order with iUniverse and iUniverse prints it, ships it and collects the money (and ultimately pays me a royalty).
iUniverse has a great website which takes you (the author) through many steps to getting the book published. Yesterday I managed to get the manuscript for my first book uploaded as well as completing several other tasks. The one problem so far that I've run into is not knowing how to go "back" and update things already submitted or to complete tasks that I skipped. I have an email out to iUniverse and hope to hear back shortly.
Stay tuned here to my blog as I set off on this journay. I'll do my best to keep you up to date on the process.
To get ready for publication, I contacted my printer in Victoria and got a quote and also contacted several printers here in the Ottawa area -- only one of which had the decency to get back to me and provide a quote! Their loss!!
And then I got an email......which was from iUniverse (I'm on their mailing list) www.iuniverse.com. Normally I delete them but because I was on vacation and in "vacation mode" (read: nothing to do), I actually took a minute and looked at the sales pitch. All publications were being offered half off! Which got me thinking.........
Why not try a different route this time? You see, iUniverse has it all (so they say). They help you format the book, they'll produce the covers, they'll make the book available on their website, and on the websites of such places as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc., etc. They do the printing, the shipping, collect the money, etc., etc.
And.....at 50% off the regular price, I thought, why not give them both of my books? The total cost will be a little bit more than what I would pay to the printer in Victoria to print 100 copies. And if I did the same with the second book as I did with the first book (i.e. print my own), I'd be responsible for advertising, shipping, collecting the money, etc., etc.
So, I'm hoping and crossing my fingers that this has been a good decision. I have a friend who is using iUniverse and he assures me that so far, so good. His book isn't published yet (it takes anywhere from 90 to 120 days to get it out) but he says he's had a good experience so far with them.
For those of you not in the know, so to speak, iUniverse (and many, many other similar companies) are Print On Demand (POD) publishers. Once all the front end "stuff" is done, and consumers want to buy the book, they place an order with iUniverse and iUniverse prints it, ships it and collects the money (and ultimately pays me a royalty).
iUniverse has a great website which takes you (the author) through many steps to getting the book published. Yesterday I managed to get the manuscript for my first book uploaded as well as completing several other tasks. The one problem so far that I've run into is not knowing how to go "back" and update things already submitted or to complete tasks that I skipped. I have an email out to iUniverse and hope to hear back shortly.
Stay tuned here to my blog as I set off on this journay. I'll do my best to keep you up to date on the process.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
The Third?
My husband asked me today if I knew what the next book in the Kate Monahan series was about.
I have no idea, and that's what I told him. The third in the series has been niggling around in the back of my mind, but no ideas have bubbled up. Yet.
I'm in the throes of editing the second in the series and am anxious to get that done so I can send the book to print. My proof-readers and editor are standing-by waiting for the next draft. We still have to finalize a title and a cover too.
Lots to do.........
I have no idea, and that's what I told him. The third in the series has been niggling around in the back of my mind, but no ideas have bubbled up. Yet.
I'm in the throes of editing the second in the series and am anxious to get that done so I can send the book to print. My proof-readers and editor are standing-by waiting for the next draft. We still have to finalize a title and a cover too.
Lots to do.........
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Summer Reading at Half Price
Have you read my book yet? If you haven't, here's an opportunity to purchase it at half-price from now until the end of July. If you're looking for a good summer read, this is a book for you.
OPTIONS is the first book in the Kate Monahan Series. Kate is a paralegal/legal secretary at TechniGroup Consulting who deals with the ups and downs of the corporate world. When her close friend dies mysteriously, Kate finds herself in the middle of a series of bizarre coincidences with her own life on the line.
The second book in the Kate Monahan Series will be released later this summer! Stay-tuned to this blog or the author's website http://www.rosemarie-damico.com/ for updates on publishing dates.
In celebration of summer, read OPTIONS for half price!
Click here http://rosemarie-damico.com/purchase.html to purchase a hard copy for $8.50!
Click here https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/2075 to purchase an e-copy for $2.00 (use coupon code SWS50 when purchasing).
I'd love to hear from you -- give me a review of OPTIONS (good, bad or indifferent - I love feedback from readers!). Follow me on twitter http://twitter.com/RoseDAmico and stay-tuned for a new Facebook page.
Happy reading!
OPTIONS is the first book in the Kate Monahan Series. Kate is a paralegal/legal secretary at TechniGroup Consulting who deals with the ups and downs of the corporate world. When her close friend dies mysteriously, Kate finds herself in the middle of a series of bizarre coincidences with her own life on the line.
The second book in the Kate Monahan Series will be released later this summer! Stay-tuned to this blog or the author's website http://www.rosemarie-damico.com/ for updates on publishing dates.
In celebration of summer, read OPTIONS for half price!
Click here http://rosemarie-damico.com/purchase.html to purchase a hard copy for $8.50!
Click here https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/2075 to purchase an e-copy for $2.00 (use coupon code SWS50 when purchasing).
I'd love to hear from you -- give me a review of OPTIONS (good, bad or indifferent - I love feedback from readers!). Follow me on twitter http://twitter.com/RoseDAmico and stay-tuned for a new Facebook page.
Happy reading!
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