Even More So

I’ve had a lot of visitors on my blog today. I’m not sure why since my marketing campaign is over and frankly after a month of having something to say (or having to say something) I’m tapped out. Yet the visitors have come and I’ve nothing to give, so I tried to post the cover of my soon to be released novel.

But Blogger wasn’t cooperating which is just as well. I don’t love the cover. I made it myself (well, I made most of it, but my son, Adam, did the tricky part.) He isn’t happy with it—he thinks it looks like I put a sticker on a photograph. I sent it to my daughter, the creator of my other covers. I’m sure that when she’s done doctoring it, Adam and I will both be happy…or happier.

Last week I got my edits back from my editor, Martha. Yesterday I finished the edits on The Rhyme’s Library and today I sent it to the formatting guy. I had my son, Nathan, format my first novel, Stealing Mercy. I paid him by the hour. Lee at Iron Horse Formatting offered to do my second book, A Ghost of a Second Chance, for free and right now he’s formatting my third book for a tiny fraction of what I paid Nathan for my first.

Here’s what I’m trying to say—there’s more to the book business than sitting in my room and writing down a story. There’s a whole lot of fingers wiggling in the pie of my book production. And yes, I do spend many hours—3 to 4 a day—writing, but I also take the photos for my book covers, I make my children dress up in funky clothes and pose in fields and on the porches of old houses, I design the graphics for the book covers and then have my children help me improve them, I hire an editor and a formatting guy, I try to be brave and promote my books.

Twice a month I go to my writers’ group and listen to my colleagues read. Everyone once in a while they listen to me. Once a week I meet with my critique partners and I listen to and comment on ten pages of their manuscripts and they listen to and offer feedback on mine. This isn’t always enjoyable. Sometimes it’s really, really painful.

In a few days my new novel will face the world and I want the world to know there’s a story behind every story. There’s a team of cheerleaders, cohorts and friends. Are they as invaluable as a team from a traditional publishing house?

For me—even more so.